Hi, I was looking for Melissa who is a college professor from the carolina's who travels every summer to Italy...can't seem to find her. She had a great deal of information in her post .
My husband and I would love to explore, on our own, the areas listed above. Stairs and climbing mountains are not our thing after just coming back from Greece. We are in our early 70's and in good shape. We just want to explore a few places, relax, enjoy the beautiful scenery and the sea. We are able to drive and other transportation is acceptable. We also want to feel safe if we are traveling alone. Any thoughts where we can get started.
Donna Lundberg
Posted by
Wilmington, DE, USA
1065 posts
I'm not Melissa but I have travelled to Italy every year for 17 years (well, until the pandemic). Sorrento is very high on my list of 'gotta go there every year.' I long ago learned to skip Positano, except maybe walk along the lower level and stop for a snack near the beach. I'm in my not quite early 70's and don't like stairs and steep inclines. Positano is basically a vertical town. Amalfi, on the other hand, is much easier to take. The steps up to the Duomo are a challenge but I handle that by going in stages, stop, turn around and take in the amazing view. Sorrento is basically flat. You can take a bus down to Marina Grande (great dinner at Trattoria del Emilia). You can take an elevator down for Marina Piccola. You certainly don't need a car and I would highly advise against it anyway. From Sorrento you can easily get to Capri, Pompeii and Naples.
Hope I helped!
Bob
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16621 posts
Donna, are you sure you didn't mean Zoe? She was a college professor who traveled to Italy every summer but she taught in Ohio vs. the Carolinas. She sadly left us 6 years ago, and those of us 'knew' her miss her very much! She was indeed a wealth of information.
https://community.ricksteves.com/users/32279
But you'll be able to gather great info from travelers who've been to the coast more recently. From my own experience with the Coast, I would advise skipping Positano if you don't care for steps. I'd also skip trying to drive the Coast during high season...which is reported to be the lion's share of the year except for deep winter anymore. I'll agree with the previous poster that Sorrento would make a nice base. You might also look at Salerno?
It's a very safe area as far as crime so no need to worry about that. As recommended for any tourist-magnet destination where pickpockets may lurk, just keep your cards and cash under your clothing or in a secured bag and not in an easily opened purse or in any exterior pocket. :O)
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7939 posts
You may find this discussion useful, particularly the many links to follow in it:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help
I'd comment that Positano is the absolute "opposite" of "no steps"! But we used a car and driver to explore the AC for a day, while sleeping in LEVEL Sorrento, just adjacent to the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento has only one tiny beach, and we found Positano's tiny all-pebble beachs with cold gulf water to be unattractive. I find American and Caribbean beaches to be far superior to any I've seen in Europe. (I'm not suggesting that, say, Ostend or St. Malo don't have impressive, massive, smooth and flat sand beaches. Rather, they aren't as inviting, with support services and safe swimming, as other places.)
I hope you won't mind my suggesting that instead of saying "... if we are traveling alone", using the more official term, "traveling Independently." The fact is that crime is much lower in Europe than in the United States. And using public transit is much safer than driving a car, there or here. It's just not popular to recognize those facts. Our host has a lot of travel tips (in his many books, at your public library, and in his Travel Tips top left blue menu), including wearing a belt-pouch to prevent pickpocketing in big city crowded public transit.
Posted by
San Diego, California
5649 posts
When is the above trip? I would avoid Italy the week before and after Easter, which is late in 2025. If the trip is 2024,
Book ( cancelable) lodgings asap. Do research on booking.com but book directly.
The infrastructure south of Naples has been sadly neglected. As a result, there is no efficient or quick way to get anywhere. Roads are congested. Public transportation kind of follows a schedule. It's very different from northern Italy. Traveling in Sorrento/AC takes time and patience. It is not relaxing moving around. I wish I had know that last May, 2023. As a result, I was rather disappointed in the area. Having a car is useless. If you can handle these issues, you will have a great trip.
There are no shoulder seasons in Italy post-COVID, so expect crowds. The AC is a victim of its Instagram success.
Review the related posts under Italy here on the Forum. Your questions come up a few times a week. You will find several well- written responses which will be very helpful.
Safe travels!