Massa Lubrense

In a similar vein, we are considering spending a few nights in Marina del Cantone - just a bit further down the road from ML. Note we will have already had a few nights in Sorrento and a few nights in Positano. Marina del Cantone sounds like a pretty spot and a good base for hiking. We won't have a car. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Barbara: Marina del Cantone is spectacular but remote transportation-wise, literally at the end of the road and well off the main route (SS145)--and so the main question becomes: without a car, have you figured out a way to get to Marina del Cantone? As another place to consider specifically for hiking opportunities, Rick Steves has recommended home basing basing in the town of Amalfi.

Kent, We read about this area from this site. We like remote areas that are not away but not too far. We plan on starting our trip in the south then working our way north to the Tuscany area. In the past we've spent time in Rome and Florence. This time we want to see a few new areas.

The SITA bus apparently goes there. Will we have problems using it?

Thanks for the suggestion about Amalfi as a base for walks. We figured we could take the bus from Positano to Amalfi for hikes that start there. Do you think that will work?

Suggestions for cheap places to stay in Amalfi or Atrani? We were thinking about A'Scalinatella, but read very mixed reviews on Trip Advisor. Some folks raved about how great it was, but a few really bad-mouthed it. Rick said it was overpriced for a double room. Any insights or other suggestions?

Sondra: Yes, I just refreshed my memory and noted the several posts in 2007, by Sally of Colorado, about Massa Lubrense. Rick Steves does not appear to mention the place in his books. I note Sally had a car, will you also have a car?Here's one of Sally's posts that indicates there is bus service to ML:"We found a great place just outside of Sorrento that makes a very nice "home base" for exploring the Amalfi Coast. The town is Massa Lubrense, a quiet fishing village. The hotel is BellaVista. It has a GREAT restaurant and a pool that the kids might enjoy. It is right on the bus route with a stop right out front. About 10 minutes beyond Sorrento."

We stayed a couple KM outside of Massa Lubrense in November. It was beautiful. We rented a house (there was 9 of us) and drove. We weren't in the city, but up on the hills above it--basically the country. I loved the location. The buses do go to the city of Massa Lubrense. It was a pretty busy small-ish town. It had everything you woud need, restraunts, ATMs, great views, Church, beaches of course lemons.
I wouldn't use it if you're planning to go into naples to site see a lot (maybe one day would be ok). It would really be a great place to just relax

I hope Mssa Lubrense is nice because I'm staying there in two weeks for two nights!

We're staying at Gocce di Capri

We stayed in Torca for 4 days. Administratively, it belongs to Massa Lubrense. It is remote, the last bus stop on the route. But it was a great location with fantastic views from our B&B, great base for hiking, swimming, restaurants with hardly any tourists - in the middle of June! The best restaurant in Torca is only open on the weekend (we loved it!), the other nights we often walked over to Sant' Agata.

Among the trips in the area we did was Marina del Cantone and yes, it is served by bus as well. Took a swim and had wonderful seafood there in a restaurant right on the beach while watching a wedding party with locals board a ship to a nearby island. There is also a great hike that starts just outside Marina del Cantone, actually close to Narone. Leads to a deserted sandy beach (most beaches in the area are rocky) that gives you a fantastic view of the famous cliffs of Capri! The only other people there was a French-Swiss family (who took a boat to get to the beach) and 2 or 3 locals ...

Marina del Cantone with Galli Islands in the background as seen from the hike

The beach with view towards Capri

It was the best time of our trip to Italy! and we were really glad that we decided against Sorrento which really looked like a rather big place to us.

All the places mentioned ARE accessible by bus, however I cannot say anything about their frequency. We had our own rental car, a Fiat Bravo - which was the largest car we saw in the area for a good reason .... never been in a place that was more stressful to drive in. But it was definitley VERY useful in an area like this that is a bit more remote.

Some additional thoughts about bus service in Campania:

The B&B owner told us that she often has guests arriving by bus and touring the area without a car. So it is possible. At the B&B we had detailed bus schedules for the entire Sorrento Peninsula that would allow for planning your outings by bus. I know the bus from Torca towards Sorrento runs on an hourly basis. Travelling with kids we were glad that we had a car instead. We got stuck waiting an hour for our bus in Rome one day and that was enough, especially if you're waiting in the heat with not much shade around.

"We're staying at Gocce di Capri "

If this is the place we stayed at some years ago you are nearer to the village of Termini than Massa itself.

The bus to Marina del Cantone, the village I stayed in on my very first trip to Italy 30 years ago, has "Nerano" signed as it's destination, sometimes with Marina del Cantone as a sub destination.

If you want a splurge experience the Taverna del Capitano, Michelin 2*, is the place to go. Wonderful food and service in a beautiful location. There are also several less expensive restos there.

http://www.tavernadelcapitano.it/intro_en.htm