I posted a question concerning driving on the transportation section. We will have a rental car in Tuscany heading south from Florence & I was looking for the best drop off point in the vicinity of Pienza. Chiusi or Orvieto? Then we will catch a train to the Amalfi Coast, specifically Sorrento. I was advised on another travel website to just drive on to Sorrento as there is not a direct train there, having to train to Naples then either bus or boat to Sorrento. Has anyone ever done this? Also would we have to drive through Naples or just around the city to get to Sorrento? Any advice, pros & cons. Thanks.
Posted by
Hendersonvlle, NC
486 posts
You are right about the train. for all practical purposes, there is no real train. The train to Sorrento is the Circumvesuviana which is really just a commuter train and runs from Naples. So you take Trenitalia to Naples then the Circumvesuviana.
As long as you have the car, consider the cost of dropping it off in Pompeii or somewhere between Sorrento and Naples along the Circumvesuviana line. You want line 1 which goes between Naples and Sorrento. There are 5 other lines that go out of Naples around the Vesuvius area.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
You can go around Naples on the A1 and A3. Have you ever driven in Italy? Once you get off the Autostrada, it can get challenging, for example, if you are driving through a town or village.
Posted by
Collierville, Tennessee, USA
500 posts
We drove from Tuscany to Positano. The main problem we had was after we got past Naples. The traffic was bumper to bumper and at a near stand still.
I would drop the car off prior to Naples and take the traint through Naples to Sorrento, or train to Naples and then ferry to Sorrento.
Posted by
In the Mountains, USA
689 posts
The poster is right about the A1/A3 by passing Naples. Once you get to Castle d mare it can be tricky. Watch the very small signs that point you to Sorrento. You feel like you are going in cirlces but eventually you realize you are on the penninsula and then it is smooth driving. and beautiful!!!!
Posted by
Kentwood, Michigan, USA
166 posts
Hi Stephanie,
We are traveling to Italy at the end of March and most of April of 2008. We have been to Italy many times and I do not recommend driving unless it's absolutely necessary. I did the math and beleive it or not by the time you rent a car, pay for insurance, pay for gas, pay road tolls, and figure in your time and stress your much better off hiring a driver. The more there are traveling with you and I'm assuming your not traveling alone the less expensive it becomes to hire a driver. If you are interested in a great driver just email me and I will pass along his name and email address to you. Actually he is meeting us in Rome at our hotel, driving us to our hotel in Sorrento, then the following day he is taking us on a tour of the Almafi coast, and on the following day he is driving us to my hotel in L'Aquila. There are four of us sharing this cost and it works out to $225.00 each.
Greg
Grand Rapids,MI
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7513 posts
I would recommend against driving just for the transportation. A car is great in Tuscany, but plan on dropping it off at a train station. From Tuscany, you would most likely get a train to Rome Termini, then an express to Naples, and then the Circumvesuvia to Sorrento; really not bad at all. The Amalfi Coast is really no place to drive, and it would probably be faster and more relaxing by train.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
I'd like to say thank you to all the posters who have taken the time to share their experiences driving in Italy. Candid input from you who have done this is an important source of information for people who have not driven in Italy--some newbies to driving in Italy do not need to drive (can reach their destinations by train) but don't know it and are not aware of the special challenges of driving in Italy, and can have their trips made more stressful, or less stressful, based on the quality of the advice they receive here.