Driving in Italy?

Brad,

I assume you're referring to the RS Sicily tour? My preference would be to fly to Sicily, rather than drive from Rome. I've looked at that tour, so have done a bit of research on the flights.

Depending on which airline you're using to fly to Italy (and their code share arrangements) you may be able to fly directly to Catania (probably change planes in Frankfurt though).

An alternative would be to fly to Frankfurt (lots of flights available) and then use Tuifly or Air Berlin to Catania.

One point to note is that you'll need an International Driver's Permit to drive in Italy. This is inexpensive and easy to get at any AAA office, and must be used in conjunction with your home D.L.

Happy travels!

There isn't a lot of tourist interest south of the Amalfi Coast, until you get to Sicily of course. If you want to drive, Matera would be a great place to stop enroute. Plan for 2 nights so you have a full day to explore. Otherwise, fly to Sicily and spend a couple of extra days there. Taormina or Cefalu would be good choices for extra days.

We took an overnight train from Rome to Palermo. It was great (other than the fact that I discovered that I can't sleep on a moving train).

Driving in Sicily isn't bad - just give the local crazies the room they need to pass you three-abreast going around blind curves and the rest is easy.

Thanks. The overnight train is a good idea. We did one from Venice to Vienna and it was a great time saver.

Brad,
An Italian cousin of mine, who lives near Rome, made this suggestion to us. You might want to check out the ferry service either from Civitavecchia, near Rome, or from Naples to Palermo. Even with taking a car aboard and getting a sleeping cabin it is quite reasonable, saves a couple days on the road, and is an overnight trip so no daylight hours lost traveling. We're planning to take the Naples to Palermo ferry in Oct.