Amalfi to Rome, to catch 8pm flight from Rome to Berlin

Is it too late to schedule your days in Rome at the end and eliminate the logistical challenge?

I agree with Joe. I assume you are spending the first 3 nights in Rome because that is your arrival city (from home). But I would suggest that a more logical itinerary would be to continue on to your farthest town in Italy and work back to Rome. So go to Amalfi on your first day ( you're going to be jet lagged anyway). Use those 2 nights for rest and relaxation. Then go to Naples and Rome. Getting to the airport won't be nearly as anxiety provoking from a Rome hotel. And you won't have to be up early if you don't want to.

But if you absolutely must leave from Amalfi, forget the ferry. Take a taxi to Salerno and the train to Rome. Approx 3 hours according to Rome2Rio. Of course this all assumes COVID doesn't alter everything.

Even then, the 3 hr trip plus 2 hr early at the airport means leaving at 3 am. Yes, a taxi may be available at that time, but will there be any trains running that early? Especially express, as I would assume only local (milk run) trains if any at that time. I would list this connection as highly improbable.

Bob, OP said 8 PM.

The post says the flight is at 8 pm, so not so dire.

There’s a direct high speed train from Salerno to Rome Termini, where you could switch to the airport trains. There may even be direct IC trains, can’t remember. It’s going the wrong direction technically for you to go to Salerno from Amalfi but I think that’s a reasonable option to explore. I agree on starting your trip in the south and working your way back to Rome. I think that would work better overall logistically.

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but don't book anything that you don't get a FULL Refund on. Most EU magazines, USA travel magazines, AAA don't think international travel will happen this year, but if it does, certainly not before late Fall. Our Christmas Market trip for Nov/Dec has already been canceled. There was a big article from the UK and Germany today saying they HOPE to allow intra-Europa travel by the late Fall, but they're not sure if the borders will open for Americans or any non-Europeans this year.

Just know that 3 nights in Rome is only 2 full days and will be tight. Seems like a lot of traveling. We usually base in Sorrento and do a guided day trip to Amalfi. I'd never travel from one town to another to catch a plane - seems too risky to me. I'd be in Rome that whole day if it were me. Too many variables. Would be terrible if there were a train strike. Why not fly into Naples and end in Rome?

"Bob, OP said 8 PM"

I see that now.

Any chance you could change your flight and fly from Naples to Berlin? even if it costs you more to fly from Naples, you wouldn’t waste a lot of time traveling to Rome.

It's been a long time since I flew out of Ciampino (CIA) but with an 8 PM flight, it can be done from the Amalfi coast. As you say, you'd like to get to the airport at 6 PM. CIA does have fewer direct transit options than FCO.
You could:

(1) Book a private transfer to take you from the Amalfi Coast directly to Ciampino (about a 3-hr drive)
(2) Taxi to Salerno; Train to Roma Termini; Taxi to the Ciampino Airport.
(3) Once at Roma Termini, instead of a taxi - ride the Terravision bus to Ciampino - or - ride a 15-minute train to the town of Ciampino train station... and then bus to the airport from the city station

The fastest train ride from Salerno to Termini - on a Frecciargento - is about 1 hour, 27 minutes. A couple of Frecciarossa trains run at just over two hours on this route and the InterCity trains take about 3 hours. The taxi-train-taxi option - depending on how long you wait to board the train and which train you ride - could be your quickest option. If you have a larger group and luggage, you might consider the private transfer option. Of the above options, it is most certainly the most expensive. Option 3, with a taxi/train/Terravision bus, is the least expensive option. Good Luck at Ciampino!

Thanks all, for the suggestions. I live in Berlin, so the visa won't be an issue. But yeah, the 'non-essential' travel needs to be open for me to travel at all. I haven't booked anything yet. I am planning to book everything that comes with 100% cancellation, except for flights. That's why I will book my flights much later, probably around the last week of March or after that.

Based on the suggestion to avoid a last-day run to catch a flight, I "might" change the dates like this:
Berlin - Rome flight then train to Naples. Then Naples for 3 nights
Naples - Amalfi. Then Amalfi for 2 nights
Amalfi - Rome. Then Rome for 3 nights
Because of the afternoon arrival time in Rome, I am not able to find any public transport from Rome to Amalfi. That's why I'll take a train from Rome to Naples on the very day I land in Rome.

I "might" change the dates like this...

I'd make the same choice. Before Covid I would have told you to just pick a direct high speed train from Salerno departing around 12:30 and then the first bus from outside Roma Termini Station to Ciampino (note spelling).

Unfortunately, According to Today's reduced schedules, you can take either Trenitalia's Frecciarossa 9534 departing from Salerno at 10:51 or the Frecciarossa 9542 at 13:54. The former leaves too early whereas the latter doesn't leave much space for the "unexpected".

There is no way to know for sure if May schedules will be back to normal: so far if you leave Amalfi on the same day, you arrive at Ciampino much earlier than necessary and waste one day.

Going from Amalfi to Salerno won't be a problem. Ferries will be running in May and there is no need to book in advance; but since both the sea and the virus can be unpredictable I'd ask my hotel about buses and limo services (drivers will be desperate for business).

I checked also Italotreno's timetable, but they run only 3 direct trains a day from Salerno because of Covid. Indeed, Italo could go bankrupt before the emergency is over.

Thanks, Dario.

Wow! There are just so many unknowns. I am definitely blogging my trip if I eventually make it. haha!
Yeah, I'd have to add an extra night in Naples (4 nights instead of 3) to adjust for the night arrival in Naples. It'd be worth spending the extra 40 euro, I think. Let's see. I would give the dates another thought, and make the bookings by the weekend, "hopefully"!

As a side note:

I am not able to find any public transport from Rome to Amalfi.

I doubt you can you check now the May schedules of Sita buses from/to Sorrento and Travelmar ferries from/to Salerno. It's February and the season starts on Easter Monday.

We needed to catch our train to Florence at 10AM in Naples. We were staying in Positano. We hired a taxi for 4 of us and had no problem at all making the train. Your leaving in the evening so it will be fine. However, everyone is correct in maybe reworking your schedule into a better traveling order.

Another option would be to fly open jaw - Berlin>Naples, Rome>Berlin.

Philip, my friend, that was a genius idea. I feel like an idiot to not think about it. I saw this flight option just now: 'Berlin - Naples' ; 'Rome - Berlin'. It is showing the same price as Berlin - Rome roundtrip. Great, this looks like the option to go with.

Another benefit of flying into Naples is that the airport is much smaller than in Rome. Instead of public transportation, I would recommend renting a car to get to Amalfi. When I visited the city 2 years ago, I stayed at the Villa Annalara and I recommend it highly. Perched high up on a mountain, you reach it by walking through a garden, then through a tunnel to the elevator that takes you up to the hotel. It is owned and run by two brothers who take joy in making their guests feel comfortable in their temporary home. The views of the town and the sea from the terrace are incredible. They also can arrange parking. I’ve stayed in Positano in the past but much prefer Amalfi.

I hope to travel again soon and see family in Bayern as well as my American grand nephew who is a dancer with the Stuttgart ballet. Right now, I feel like a currywurst and a beer!

Yeah, I wish I could drive. Sadly, I don't have an EU driver's license. So public transportation is my mode of transportation. Anyways, thanks to your idea, it struck me to go this way around the area: And made the hotel bookings for Naples, Amalfi and Rome. All refundable. For flights, unfortunately, refundable is not an option (refundable tickets are more expensive than Berlin to India round-trip) so I'll book them next month, when things are more clear. let's see.
Thanks once again for all the help :) :)