After several wonderful trips to Italy, we have decided to plan our next trip concentrating on the southern part of Italy. We've got 3 weeks. We've been to Sorrento on 2 different occasions. We've looked at the RS itinerary for his 13 day South Italy trip, and my question is...... does anyone know for sure if we could try to follow that route and make our way down to Amalfi Coast? I can't really make heads or tails of the train info I'm able to get online. We're thinking fly into Rome, catch a train to Gargano Peninsula (but what is the train station called there?) and then to Alberobello, Matera and Paestum. Any suggestions? Actually RS trip may start out first witha trip to Tivoli. Help!
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
There is no train service along the Amalfi Coast between Sorrento and Salerno. You would have to take a train to Sorrento or Salerno and rent a car, hire a driver, or take a bus the rest of the way.
Posted by
OP
Crested Butte, CO, USA
30 posts
Right. My question is about following the Rick Steves South Italy route.....from Rome going to Gargano, etc. and ending in Salerno. Specifically needed is some info on train schedules from Rome following this route We would take the bus (or boat) as we worked our way from Salerno/Paestum to Sorrento, prob. spending a few nights in both Amalfi and Positano. BTW, this trip is planned for late March/early April 2010
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2186 posts
Just did four weeks in southern Italy in May-June by public transportation. It's time-consuming and sometimes frustrating but doable. Since Rick's Italy book doesn't cover that area, you'll need Lonely Planet's Puglia & Basilicata book at a minimum. You can train from Rome to Foggia and then take the local train (www.ferroviedelgargano.com) from there to San Severo and on to "Peschici-Calenella." The train station is at Calenella and you must bus from there on into Peschici and then bus to Vieste. The alternative is to train from Foggia to Manfredonia and then bus to Vieste. We really enjoyed Vieste. We took the northern route on our way to Vieste and the southern route when leaving there for our next stop, Trani. For Alberobello, the easy (I use the term loosely!) way is the Ferrovie del Sud Est (www.fseonline.it) from Bari. From Alberobello to Matera, you can go back to Bari and then take the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional train to Matera or train (FSE) from Alberobello to Taranto and then bus on to Matera. My recollection is that there is actually a bus from Matera to Paestum, but it will take me a little while to come up with that info! You'll need your Italian much more in southern Italy.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2186 posts
The website for the Ferrovie Appulo-Lucane is www.fal-srl.it. This was the company that I thought had a direct bus from Matera to Paestum, but I can't find it on their schedule now. You can definitely get from Matera as far as Potenza with this company. Probably from there you could get to Agropoli and then to Paestum. (Or train to Salerno and visit Paestum from there.)