Amalgi to Venice

I'd say it would be a lot easier to get to Salerno from Amalfi. There are direct trains from Salerno to Venice. Trenitalia has 3 in the morning and Italo has 1 in the morning.

Do you need to pre-book the train from Solermo to Venice or can you just get a ticket from the Solermo station?

I think it’s easier to Salerno. You can take a ferry to Salerno (the station is not far from the dock) or a SITA bus (no changes), or also a private car, if you don’t mind the extra substantial price.

To go to Naples, you would need a bus to Meta di Sorrento, then the Circumvesuviana train to Naples station.

Salerno is closer (even by car it’s 30 minutes closer), however from Naples the train ride would be shorter, so the overall travel time would be comparable. Nevertheless I would choose Salerno for convenience of not having to change from bus to train.

There is no need to prebook if you don’t mind paying full price. But if you want discounted prices and you are firm about your travel dates and time, then you can save by purchasing a discounted fare ahead of time. Discounted tickets have strict restrictions on your ability to get a refund or change times of travel, therefore before pre booking make sure you are not going to change your mind later.

Pre book if you want a cheap price that is nonrefundable. Buy at the station and pay the maximum price. 100 EUR 2nd class on Italo, or 111 EUR on Trenitalia. Less than half that for tickets bought well in advance.

I noticed there is no direct train from Solermo to Venice. Is the transfer a difficult/confusing process? Is thereva long wait with the transfer for the next train?

There are, but not many and all depart in the morning before 10am.
If you choose to travel at a time that requires a change (most likely in Rome), the process is not difficult at all. It’s easier than changing planes at an airport, since to go from platform to platform you won’t have to walk as long as you often have to walk from gate to gate at airports. Just make sure the layover is 15-20 minutes or more, so you don’t have to rush too much at the Rome station.

Great, thank you. All of your comments have been very helpful.

The 9:59 am Trenitalia train from Salerno is 45 minutes faster than other direct trains because it skips Napoli Centrale and calls at Napoli Afragola instead.

Those no change trains in the AM from Salerno to Venice are AWESOME, but you will need to make sure you can get to Salerno to get on them. I am unsure of the ferry times (and exactly when you are going, and the ferry times might not be up yet for your dates), but if you do an early AM train from Salerno, you might have to resign yourself to a SITA bus along the coast to get there in time. I know they start running quite early (but how early, unsure, my brain assumes like 7?) but I would leave Amalfi the departure before you think you should (if all were to go to plan) just in case the bus doesn't show up or is stuck in traffico. Check the SITA bus times before picking a train just in case, or you can splurge on an early morning private driver (or probably taxi?) to get you there as well.

I think I took a no change Italo train around 6:30am to Venice once, but that would mean an EARLY alarm in Amalfi that morning.