Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast

Stay in Sorrento as a base
You might want to stay in Naples night before departure flight

I did exactly as ChristineH suggests, stayed a short walk from the train station in Sorrento, which we used as a base, and spent the last 1 or 2 nights in Naples before flying home.

From Sorrento it is easy to take trains, bus and ferries to Capri, Amalfi Coast towns, Pompeii and Herculaneum.

With and afternoon flight departure, you could get a quote from Sorrentocars for a driver from Sorrento to MXP. Any interest in Pompeii, you can stop there on the way to Sorrento.

With only three full days staying in one hotel, I would choose Naples, a fascinating city I visit often.

It depends on what you want to see and do, your budget and what time your flight leaves - do you need to be in Naples the night before?

First of all, there's nothing wrong with staying in Naples. It's the poor sister of Rome, a little grittier, a little harder to cross the street, with lots of history but not as classic. The food's as good, it's as safe, and it's the cheaper. There's ferry service to Capri, local Circumvesuviana metro to Herculaneum, Pompeii and Sorrento. The AC is farther, you could take the fast train to Salerno and then bus or ferry** along the AC.

To get to Sorrento, you'd either change to the Circumvesuviana in Naples or arrange a private transfer. Sorrento is connected to Capri by ferry and to the Amalfi Coast by bus and ferry**.

Or you could stay in Salerno, not as picturesque as Sorrento but more interesting and cheaper. It has a historic center and a large sandy beach, also a nice promenade along the sea shore and good restaurants. You can get to Pompeii by train and about a km or so walk or short taxi ride. You can go to Paestum (Greek temples) by bus or train. And for the AC it's the best base since it's at the scenic end of the AC.

**Mid to late October is the end of the season, so ferries to the AC may be shutting down by then.

I'll say Sorrento (#1) or Salerno (#2) as both have rail service to/from Naples and Pompeii, and Sorrento has ferry service to Capri and Naples all year around aside from very stormy/windy days. Both also have a large amount of accommodations, resturarants and other tourist amenities to make use of. Ferry service around the rest of the Sorrentine/AC will shut down near the end of Oct: specific date is uncertain. SITA buses service towns on the coast all year around.

I would stay in Naples the evening before your flight home, especially if that flight is in the early A.M. If you will have visited to Pompeii during your 3-night stay in the region, the Archeological museum is a great followup. Closed Tuesdays.

https://www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/en/

What to do in the region depends on what you are interested in: lots of ideas on the local websites. What I do NOT think you need are a lot of expensive tours as many places, such as Capri, are very easily done on one's own with some reading and a guidebook. That said, you might look into one for Pompeii as it's a complex site that covers a lot of ground. This tour has seen very good reviews, and you can explore more of the excavation on your own after it's over (you'll just scratch in the surface in 2 hours):

https://www.sharedtours.com

Other resources:
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com
https://www.capri.com
https://www.positano.com
https://www.ravello.com

We stayed in Naples for two nights two years ago and it was fine. It is gritty and interesting and the pizza is great. We stayed just a few blocks from the fantastic archaeological museum.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-5-days-where-to-set-base-from

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/surviving-naples

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast#bottom

Stay in Naples it's just a big city and safer than my hometown of Los Angeles. Earlier this year, I took the RS Southern Italy tour and we stayed at a wonderful hotel called the Grand Oriente. It is a big hotel and had a nice breakfast and bar in the hotel.

This was my favorite hotel on the tour.