Looking for advice for last leg of trip!

Go north! I love Siena, Lucca, Verona and Bologna. Also the Lake Maggiorie area. If you decide on any of these places, I can give you great hotel/restaurant information. Just let me know.

Get a book about Italy besides Rick Steves. Rick's book is great for what he covers, but there's lots of great places he doesn't cover. You will soon see there are lots of options.

You could go to Sicily (easy and frequent flights from Rome to Catania and Palermo). You could explore more of Tuscany (lots of towns) or the Veneto (Padova and Verona for starters). You could go to a new region like Lombardy (Milan, Cremona, Mantova and the lakes) or Emilia-Romagna (Bologna, Parma, Modena, Ravenna, Ferrara).

As I said, start reading about these, and see which one appeals to you for this trip.

What kind of experiences are you looking for? How do you feel about a rental car?

And I definitely second the idea of getting a different guide book. I'm enjoying the National Geographic Traveler series, if that helps. Their 4th edition of Italy came out in 2012, so it's pretty current.

Fly to Sicily from Naples and spend a week there. Then fly back from Sicily to Rome. Volotea, Meridiana and Alitalia fly from NAP to PMO or CTA. Even more airlines fly back to Rome.
Another option is to visit Puglia (Apulia) including the city of Matera (which is actually in Basilicata but close to Apulia).

Buy a guide book other than Rick Steves. He covers only few things about italy

I vote for Matera and that whole region. It is different from Rome and Paris and you will get a whole new perspective on how the Italians in this region used to live and live now. It's great, they are so friendly! As I found most Italians. Please check out Matera.

Thank you so much for all the great ideas. My husband and I are sitting down today to do our research and complete our plans. I will contact folks who had offered additional information. Please let me know if we can help others too. We have 2 great contacts for places to stay, one in Rome (Campo dei Fiori) and one in Cinque Terre (Riomaggiore).
:-) Nancy

Hello!
We have decided to stay in the south. Thanks for all the ideas! We were thinking of leaving Praiano & heading down the coast a bit to maybe Vietri sul mare & stay there for 5 days taking day trips to other towns inland like Matera. Is Vietri sul mAre a good choice? Also, our bank mentioned we might want to get a env card to use instead of our bank card while in Europe. Any thoughts ? Thanks for your continued kindness & help!!!

Nancy, you mention an "env" card which I had never heard of, so I googled and think you meant EMV card, which us basic a "chip and pin" card, is that correct? There has been considerable discussion of these on this forum. It seems like Europe has moved to these, but the US generally not yet. It appears the one advantage is that many automated purchase machines, like at RR stations and gas stations required the chip and pin card, otherwise you need to pay with cash or go to a staffed ticket or payment booth to use your card, if available. In virtually all other types of situations like shops, restaurants, museums, etc. your regular US credit cards will do just fine. If you can get a chip and pin card at no great cost, it certainly wouldn't hurt. You might take one of each kind. About Vietri sul Mar, I had hoped to stop there for a couple hours this May, but my train trip from Napoli was delayed and I didn't have the time. I understand it is really known for its ceramics, not sure how it would be as a base. Certainly Salerno would be a great day trip (or alternative base), same for Paestum with its wonderful Greek ruins, nice museum, beaches, etc. I have never been to Matera so someone else can comment on the distance and whether a day trip is a good plan. Enjoy!

You can probably visit Vietri while you are in Praiano for 6 days. There is a bus from Sorrento to Amalfi, which passes through Praiano, then in Amalfi you switch to the Amalfi-Salerno bus, that goes through Vietri. The landscape is not different from the rest of the Amalfi coast, so if you are set on Vietri, then why not just stay in Praiano 2 weeks? To me it would be a waste of time to move hotels just a few kilometers down the road.

If you want to stay in the south and you have 7 days, I seriously suggest the Puglia region (Apulia). Few North Americans visit it, and yet it's a very beautiful region. Seven days are really a good chunk of time to spend there. Do some research on line. The Salento area is beautiful and so is the Gargano peninsula (Vieste). Alberobello and Locorotondo are very unique towns, and Lecce is a beautiful baroque city. And of course Matera, in nearby Basilicata, is definitely worth a visit.

Larry & Roberto,
Thank you two so much for your valuable information! More research, here I come! :-)