Rome to position and amalfi coast

you don't have much time. At most you can do an in & out visit. this is what I would do: Friday: Land at FCO. Take train from FCO to Roma Termini (Leonardo Express) - 35 min. At Termini take a Freccia train to Naples - 70 min. (buy tickets for both at FCO station) At Naples Centrale Station, go downstairs and take a Vesuviana commuter train to Sorrento - 65 min. At Sorrento Station take a Sita bus to Positano - 50 min.
Check in hotel (2 nights). Next day (Saturday), tour the Amalfi coast by bus from Positano. Sita buses go back and forth all day. Sunday morning leave early and do the reverse trip you did on Friday. This time take the train from Naples to Civitavecchia (it might still require a change in Rome). Civitavecchia is about 1 hr north of Rome, by train. You need 5-6 hours from Positano to Civitavecchia, layovers at stations included, so you need to leave early in the morning of Sunday. There is a train leaving Napoli Centrale at 10:38 am which will allow you to get to Civitavecchia at 12:51 pm. You will be changing trains in Rome. It's the fastest option that doesn't require you too leave positano extremely early (at 7:00 am)

Do you or any of your passengers get motion sickness? You might want to watch this video before you commit to driving the Amalfi coast: Driving the Amalfi coast

Train schedule (other than Vesuviana below) Rome-Naples and Naples-Civitav.: http://www.trenitalia.com Vesuviana Commuter train schedule (Naples-Sorrento) http://www.vesuviana.it SITA bus schedule (Sorrento - Positano - Amalfi):
http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/public/tpl/campania/5070.pdf

Of course the fastest and more comfy alternative, if you feel up to driving in Italy, is to rent a car when you arrive at FCO, drive to Positano, then on Sunday morning drive back and return the car in Civitavecchia. Avis, Hertz, Maggiore, Sixt are the major rental companies with an office at Civitavecchia. However consider that these offices may be open only in the mornings on Sundays or not at all. In the latter case you would need to return your car at the FCO airport, which is open 7 days a week, then take a private transfer to Civitavecchia from there.

Okay ... Well I was on the fence about the amalfi drive anyway. Thanks to both of you for the insight with the video, and the directions all the way through. Very helpful. I think I would rather spend my time sitting on a beach and wandering around a quaint little town. I chose positano because it looks wonderful, but I didnt realize how far it is. So now I'm trying to decide if I don't do the amalfi drive, and I spend the day wandering around positano, would that be more worth the time to get there? Or is there another similar kind of town I could have the same experience that is closer? I do like the idea of renting a car, but I had heard renting could be complicated and driving in Italy was difficult. Aside from closing times, can you think of any other down sides to driving? I would definitely want to drive straight to the port. Do I need to be concerned with drop off fees? Thanks again for both of your help.

Driving the Amalfi coast is not any different than driving some mountain roads in the Rockies near Denver. Driving in Italy is usually a challenge for Americans but only inside cities, because of chaotic (and aggressive) traffic and narrow streets. However if you are an American that is comfortable with city driving in Manhattan, you shouldn't find any problems driving in Italian cities either. Driving in Italian cities is pretty much Manhattan style driving. The good news is that you actually don't need to drive in a city at all if you rent at the airport. From there you would get on the freeway and drive on freeways all the way to Castellammare di Stabia, where you would exit and drive maybe 2-3 miles on regular 2 lane highway to Sorrento. Then from Sorrento you take the Amalfi road, which is curvy and narrow, but not any worse than a mountain road near your city. Given the short time you have, I would drive, because by public transport (trains) it's a long trip due to the numerous train/bus transfers. Once in Positano, you can use the car to drive to Amalfi or even beyond. It's just a short drive. The only problem you might find in the Amalfi coast, especially on a summer weekend, is parking and maybe weekenders' traffic along the road. The Amalfi coast gets really busy on weekends, so if you drive, check with your hotel if they have parking arrangements with nearby parking lots.

@Michael - LOVE that video! I swear as I watched it, my heart physically ached with a longing for Italy. I gotta get back there - it's been 12 years too long!

Ok. I think I will drive. Thanks for the directions. Does anyone have a recommendation on a nice but reasonable hotel or bed and breakfast in positano?

Personally - with a schedule so tight I'd forget Positano and I'd totally forget driving. You only have one day. I'd plan to stay in Sorrento, which is one of the great towns in Italy. Sorrento has plenty to see and do and is much more walkable than Positano, which is on the side of a very steep hill and all up and down. If you have to see Positano, hire a cab in Sorrento to take you over and back. Sorrento has train service to Naples; Positano does not. If you rent a car you'll waste time at the rental office going and coming. You'll probably get bogged down by traffic on a two-lane road, and you'll waste more time returning the car. And good luck finding a place to park. If your heart is totally set on Positano, take the train to Salerno, not Naples. Then take a ferry or hydrofoil from Salerno direct to Positano. This is the most direct way from Rome to Positano, but of course you have to coordinate your train and ferry schedules. Have you driven the "million-dollar highway" in Colorado (Silverton to Ouray)? That's probably the Colorado highway that most closely resembles the Amalfi coast roads. Except that Italy in summer has 10 times the traffic.

I'm in the 'train to Sorrento' camp. It's a beautiful place! Spend some time with Google Streetview and 'wander' the city. You can even go down to the water and stroll or have a fantastic, leisurely meal...you'll only have an evening meal and one day to spend there. I fully realize this isn't MY thread LOL, but the last thing I'd want to do after landing at FCO after a long flight is rent a car and drive all.the.way.to.Positano 8-0 Then...all.the.way.back.to.Rome (gulp).