Itinerary help please for first time visit to Italy Sept/Oct. 2009

Yes, because your flight home is in the early morning, it will be best to stay in Rome (or near the airport) on your final night. Most travelers, here, choose to stay in Rome and have the hotel arrange for a taxi to get them to the airport in the early morning, rather than staying at the expensive corporate chain airport hotels.That leaves 2 nights for south of Rome. Most people on this board don't sleep in Naples but instead in more pleasant Sorrento, and do Pompeii and/or Capri as day trips from Sorrento.

I would definitely recommend staying in Sorrento. It's the best "central" location to stay so you can access places like Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri, Positano, Amalfi, etc.

To get there, you can train from Rome to Naples, then take the Circumvesuviana (a local train) to Sorrento. If you are looking to make the best use of time, the day you are traveling there you can stop by Pompeii (a stop on the Circumcesuviana on the way to Sorrento, about half way I think) to see it on the way so you are not back-tracking to see it later. You can check your bags there. Then, on your first full day in the Amalfi, I would recommend taking the bus down the Amalfi coast to visit the towns of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello, all of which are well worth the visit. Next, on your final full day, I would then recommend heading over to Capri. On your last night, you can either stay in Sorrento again and take an early ferry or train over to Naples (then a cab) to reach the airport (if your flight is mid-morning or later). Or, if your flight is very early, you could head over to Naples the night before after seeing Capri. Then you can also get a little taste of Naples before heading back, and you will be able to get to the airport earlier if you need to.

I had a similar three night stay down in the area last time I was there. I stayed two nights in Sorrento, spent the third night in Capri (Anacapri in particular), then caught the first ferry to Naples the next morning to catch a flight that left just before 10AM.

Hope this helps. If you have any more questions let me know- You can find more info on the area including places to visit, info on each of the Amalfi towns, public transportation, etc. in Rick Steves' Italy guidebook.

Thanks for that reply, Stuart! It sounds like a great plan! Any hotel, restaurant etc suggestions are very welcome!

You might want to check out the ferry schedules from Capri to Naples or Sorrento in early October. About that time of year, some or all of the ferry lines begin cutting back.

Hmm...the only restaurants I remember off the top of my head for Sorrento are L'Antica Trattoria and La Lanterna Pizzeria, both of which were really good. Both have a good atmosphere/ambience, especially L'Antica, and both are around the center of the Old Town. I'm not sure what price range you are looking for, but La Lanterna is definitely well priced and worth what you get, while L'Antica, for most (myself included), is more of a splurge.

Also stop by one, or multiple, lemoncello shops along the streets in town in Sorrento. Most will give you a sample so you can (at least) try both the lemoncello and the creamy lemoncello (to find out at least if you like it). But it's the best you can get anywhere if you like it.

And one more, if you do make it over to Naples I would recommend stopping by L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele. With pizza originating in Naples, they make it there like it was made when it first started, very pure and simple. They only have two kinds of pizza, but it's great, very different from the States. It's usually pretty busy, and you'll usually be the only non-local in there. Many times they'll even probably squeeze you into a table with other locals (unless you fill a table with your own party, of course). You can order a cheap pizza and beer, and overall the experience (and pizza) is great.

In terms of hotels in Sorrento, I would check Rick Steves' recs in the Italy guide. When I was there before, I actually stayed in the "hotel" part of the local hostel, trying to be cheap; in all, it was fine--nothing special but not awful or anything, but it definitely wouldn't be my first recommendation in terms of places to stay. So, again, check Rick's guide. He's good in terms of finding good, reliable places that are worth the price.

Hope this helps! Let me know if there's anything else I can help with-

BTW,Larry made a good point-you should try to check the ferry/train schedules if staying in Sorrento the last night, just in case

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions so far. Please keep them coming- we are enjoying planning our trip but welcome any and all suggestions from those of you who have experienced Italy before!!