May 2016 trip to Italy

Frank--

Southern Italy is where it's at, man!

1. With 30 days total, I would start with a week on the Amalfi Coast itself, staying in one of a number of strategic locations (Sorrento, Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, or even one of the little hamlets like Atrani, Maiori, Minori). Do some research--the most popular might not be the best choice. Look at B&B's and agriturismos. Then, spend 5-7 days in Salerno. Fantastic location--not only for this charming city and its Old Town--but for daytrips to Naples, Pompei, Herculaneum, Paestum. Easy and cheap by bus or train, if you aren't renting a car. Again, B&B's might be the best choice. In March of this year, we stayed 5 nights at the smallish Salerno Centro B&B, only 3 rooms total that they rent out, and you are family to these people.

2. You will be heading towards Sicily, so on your way the province of Calabria--south of Campania--should be beautiful indeed. Then since you have time, it would be fun to take the ferry from Reggio Calabria across to Messina in Sicily.

3. In 2010 we stayed for 4 nights in Taormina on the eastern coast of Sicily, which is a jewel with tons of history, just gorgeous. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to explore the rest of the island, but having at least 10 days left, after Taormina I'd do the perimeter trip, visiting Cefalu, Palermo, Trapani, Agrigento. It will be wondrous, like you went back in time. And if you're traveling in April/May like last time, it shouldn't be so beastly hot yet. Make sure you research on the best type of transport you are going to take. Trains in Sicily are notoriously inefficient--either take buses or say a Hail Mary and rent a car. Also, you will have the option of visiting by ferry some of the out-islands like Lipari & Vulcano to the north, Favignana off the western coast, or (and I really want to do this at some point) the island country of Malta off the southern coast, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

Enjoy! It's going to be wonderful, and you can't go wrong with anything you choose.

Frank very nice 30 days. You could easily do 7 in Rome. I have been to the Amalfi coast many times and have found Sorrento to be a great hub. easy access to ferries for Naples, Capri, Positano, Amalfi etc. excellent hotels and restaurants. I think that someone else had mentioned Ravello which is a charming town with an amazing villa that is open to the public. From Sorrento you could also day trip to Ischia where there are large thermal bath venues, the Romans have been going there for centuries. You can do the Eurostar from Rome-Naples-(car service to Sorrento) then back on the train out of Salerno all the way to Messina. Very cool they load the train into the belly of the ship to cross the straits of Messina pretty amazing. I would also highly recommend Torimina. Sicily is not that big so you can get from on side to the other in a few hours. Agrigento is amazing better Greek ruins than Greece in the Valley of the Temples.

Southern Italy is great.

Must see: Matera, take a couple of nights there. Hill towns of Puglia, easily reached from Matera by car.

The Amalfi Coast, definitely. I prefer Praiano, between Amalfi and Positano.

Sicily: has everything. I would suggest most of your 30 days there. Taormina, Siracusa and some towns nearby, Palermo, Monreale, Erice, Cefalu, Agrigento, Segesta, Piazza Armerina.

Let me know if you want hotel/B&B recommendations, I tend to stay at small, family-run places in Sicilia.

What is the best way to see Sicily if we are planning about 7-8 days there? Stay in one town and do day trips or pick 2 places (for example Palermo and Catania) for shorter day trips to the other cities?

"What is the best way to see Sicily if we are planning about 7-8 days there? Stay in one town and do day trips or pick 2 places (for example Palermo and Catania) for shorter day trips to the other cities?"

Neither. Start at one end (Catania if you're flying, Messina if you're coming on the ferry), then drive around westward seeing places, then end in Palermo to fly out. Catania is actually a bigger airport than Palermo, with more flight options. With only 7-8 days, you'll have to be very selective. For me, Palermo and Taormina were highlights, but then I never saw Cefalu, Trapani, or lots of other places that many love.

If you're ending your trip in Sicily, you'll probably need to spend your last night in Rome to make a connection home to the US.

I had 10 nights in Sicily (plus 1 night in Rome) in spring 2014; my VERY detailed trip report is here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina

Sicily is wonderful. We were there one time for 9 days; and another, for a week. There's plenty we didn't see. So, I would recommend 10 days - 2 weeks, at the least. Using 2 bases is the best idea. Some of the sights are too far from Palermo for day trips. Look at Taormina or Siracusa rather than Catania for an eastern base. A car is the best way to get around, except in Palermo. We didn't make it to any of the smaller islands, but you might want to look at visiting one or more of them.
Sorrento makes a good base for most of the rest of your destinations. It's easy to take the Circumvesuviana train to Naples for a day and to Pompeii. There's also pretty easy access to the AC towns by bus. Ferries go to and from Capri many times a day. I'd consider staying over one night. When we were there, the last ferry back to Sorrento left around 6. In order to come down from Anacapri in plenty of time, we felt we had to cut our visit too short.
Getting to Paestum without a car is cumbersome, to say the least. I think you should consider spending a couple of nights in either Salerno or Paestum, whether you opt for a car or not.

If you go to Sicilia, I agree with Harold. Plan on 2-4 nights in each city. There are connecting flights from Catania through Roma or Milano for your flight back, you don't need to spend an extra night on the mainland, but make sure your flights are on one ticket.

Thanks for the feedback. We are seriously considering Palermo as one home base. There are so many choices of places to stay. Anyone have suggestions for a place for 2 couples to stay for about 4 or 5 days? We are 50-65 yrs old.

thanks!
frank