Finding a rental for 2 months on Coast

You might want to try VRBO or Home Away. I’ve had good experiences with both.

I put “vacation rentals Italy” in a search engine and came up with quite a few companies listed.

I think a lot of the local rental agencies may have gotten pushed out with the big on line global services as mentioned above. I wonder if an inquiry to the local tourist bureau may help? I think someone here uses that avenue for short lets of more 'humble' services in Germany or nearby.
Trivago is a 3rd/4th party agency that does searches of a number of sites. It seems to be more European centric. Also, Hotels dot com was listed as having the most listings.

So you have switched it up from 3 months in two locations to 2 months in one. As Carol described, I often simply use Google to find “rentals in XXX” and have had surprisingly good results finding options not listed on the big name sites. Be careful, though, as there is little protection for you if you have to wire money in advance. You might do well to rent a place for a few days and when you get to the area look for longer term options.

I am trying to think of another town on the Amalfi Coast--other than Sorrento, which is not even technically on the A.C.--that would work for you, and I'm having trouble thinking of one.

Problem is, the A.C. literally closes up in the winter. Sorrento is open, but maybe half of their hotels are closed, maybe a third of their restaurants. We stayed there late February 2017 at a B&B. Nice enough time, no problem getting into restaurants (really great & reasonable), close to the bus/train station, so it worked. But in town (near Piazza Tasso) there is no view of the water. Down by the marina you have a decent view of the bay, Naples and Vesuvius, but down there you're not really within walking distance of a farmacia or grocery.

For those who visit the A.C. during gridlock times in high season, it's hard to believe how deserted this area is during the winter. Staying in any of the coastal towns from Positano to Amalfi, Ravello, Maiori, Minori, Cetara up to Vietri sul Mare may be idyllic from a scenery standpoint, but don't think there's a lively nightlife on the piazzas--it's pretty much dead.

If not choosing Sorrento, I'd really suss out the above-mentioned towns to find something workable. Good luck in your research--it's a noble idea!

As an alternative, what about Bari? I will admit I haven't been, but it is a working town, so may not be as isolated as A.C. Temps and precip are similar.

Contact EdenHouseSorrento.com, near Piazza Tasso with sweeping views of the Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius. Lovely owner. Beautiful interiors. Two balconies in front, one in rear with mountain views.

I should also add, after reading Maria's idea about Bari, that in the winter you can easily find a place to stay near the Old Town in nearby Salerno--just off the Amalfi Coast--as a wonderful base, and take daytrips to your heart's content to Amalfi-town (50 minutes by SITA bus), or anywhere else in the area. Salerno is a working town of about 110,000, charming with awesome restaurants. We stayed there another trip in February for 5 nights and loved it.

What wonderful feedback! I started this quest not knowing my stay had to be limited to 90 days in the Shengen region, so plans have changed. I recently sold my property in California and am exploring places that suit my retired lifestyle better. Italy is one of the areas I'm considering to move. I started wanting to visit several cities over a 4 month period. I have now shortened my trip to 2.5 months and limited my stops to Florence for 3-4 weeks in late November or early December followed by 7-8 weeks somewhere warmer on the coast. I looked at Sorrento based on the descriptions in Rick's Best of Italy Guide. Nightlife is not important to me because I'll usually be in by about 7:00 pm. That is why my room is so important. I want to have lots of windows with views, and a kitchen so I can cook my own meals. I have found a place in Piano di Sorrento that looks promising. Even though I am not interested in the nightlife, I also do not want to be in a deserted village. I want to see the lifestyle and bustling of people during the day. Will Piano di Sorrento be deserted during the winter? Would Naples be a better choice in the winter?

From what I remember, Piano di Sorrento is NOT within walking distance of Sorrento-town, in fact it's a tiny 'suburb' by itself, actually farther from the water than Sorrento itself. High up enough, yes, you might be able to see the bay. It's two stops on the Circumvesuviana line on the way to Naples from Sorrento. Did not stop there so I can't tell you if there's a 'town' at all, but I can almost guarantee it will be quiet in the winter. Keep in mind that there are many non-touristy villages--mostly on the interior of the A.C. peninsula--that are working-class and not close to what you would picture as part of the scenic Amalfi Coast. Piano di Sorrento may be one of those.

Naples is a completely different kettle of fish than anything else mentioned. It's bustling 24/7, 12 months a year, so you'd have that. Great food, museums, but gritty as heck and not really picturesque.

I think your best bet is either Sorrento or Salerno. Both are on train lines, albeit different ones. Both will be fairly bustling during the day & into the evening. I remember charming late afternoons in Salerno watching locals doing the daily passeggiata, the multi-generational afternoon walk through the town.

One more thing--winter on the Amalfi Coast can rear its ugly head at any time and be downright nasty. In late February, we spent a week in Rome, where the temps were 50's & 60's, temperate with only a sprinkle of rain. Then we went 100 miles south to Sorrento, where it was 40's and blowing rain for 3 days, before it got a little better our last couple days there. Winter weather is a crapshoot to be sure, but in 7-8 weeks you'll see it all.

Enjoy your planning!

You need to have realistic expectations as you are not guaranteed to have warm weather in Southern Italy. The winter months can often be rainy and damp and fairly cool with long periods of cloudy weather. Yes, it can be quite pleasant as well, but you likely won't get sunbathing weather. In different years we have encountered snow in Puglia in late April and temperatures in the upper 50's in early May.

Thank you for hanging in there with me, Jay! I like your ideas and will follow up with them. I also would like to visit Chicago sometime (not the winter - I'm just a California whimp - haha). I'm a blues fan and would love to see the beautiful city and hear some authentic blues. Thanks again.