Sicily and beyond

I've never rented a car in Europe, but others have mentioned on this forum that rental-car agreements often prohibit taking the car on a ferry, so check that out sooner rather than later. ViaMichelin.com is the usual recommended source for driving times, but the consensus is that it is optimistic.

The train from Sicily will take a long time to get to the population centers on the mainland. You can check schedules on the Deutsche Bahn website (but not buy tickets there).

If you don't like the driving times and rail-transit times you uncover, take a look at flight options on skyscanner.com.

If you are planning on just riding the train and not rent a car until you get to the mainland, you can catch it in Catania. I did that and rode it all the way to Rome, about 9 hours, but I was in no hurry. You can get off the train when you are on the ferry and they have a snack bar on the ferry, but no food on the train itself. I brought my own. Train stops in naples for sure and I believe Salerno also. Was a nice relaxing day since I was in no big hurry to get to Rome, and ticket bought ahead of time was very cheap, I believe 19 euros.

The tour ends in Catania. If you want to see areas like Calabria or Basilicata, rent a car either in Sicily (if you can take it on the ferry) or in Calabria after you take the ferry (if you can't take a rental car on the ferry). If you need an automatic, you'll have the greatest ease renting from the Catania train station or Catania airport; I don't know if you can get one at Messina or in Calabria.

If you want to go right to the Amalfi coast and don't intend to see mainland areas south of there, fly from Catania to Naples; that's much faster and easier than either the train or the drive from Sicily. You can then rent a car (if you want to drive this area) or take the Curreri bus directly from the Naples airport to Sorrento (if you don't). To find these flights, use Skyscanner: https://www.skyscanner.com/

You should have a choice of carriers on this route. If you are flying Alitalia, they can have one free checked bag and a more generous carry-on allowance than "budget" carriers, making them cheaper overall. Do a dummy booking (up to the point where you put in your credit card) to learn the full cost of each option, before making any purchase. But don't wait too long - the cheapest tickets can sell out fast, and prices only rise the closer you get to departure.

If you are flying Alitalia within Italy, use their International website, which has an English option: https://www.alitalia.com/en_en/. This gives the same prices and ticket options as the Italian website which is in Italian only. The US website gives much higher prices - for the exact same flights!

When in spring? If you are going to the Amalfi coast in March, maybe even April, a car may be an asset there. If you're going later, in tourist season, you may find that a car will be an expensive liability.

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are going in March to avoid most of the crowds.

In March, with a car, Salerno is an excellent base for the Amalfi Coast. Here's a brief description of my stay there and my driving experience. I rented and returned the car in Salerno. I got to Salerno by fast train from Naples, then went on to Rome by fast train. . . . very convenient.

If you want a car for a few days in Sicily at the end of the tour, it may be worthwhile to keep it and take the ferry. That sounds time-consuming. I'd fly from Catania to Naples. In that case, it may be good to rent a car at the airport and drive to the coast, though driving south along Naples Bay can be s.l.o.w.