Just starting to plan a trip to parts of Southern Italy for next May 2020. I like the stops on the Rick Steves tour, but prefer to just travel as two couples. So far this is my tentative itinerary:
Day 1 Arrive Rome
Day 2 Rome to Vieste (2 nights Vieste)
Day 4 Drive to Alberobello and then to Matera (2 nights Matera)
Day 6 Drive to Paestum then to ferry to Capri (3 nights Capri) - looks like there is a ferry that leaves Positano at 5pm for Capri
Day 9 Capri to Amalfi Coast (5 nights Amalfi coast)
Day 14 return to Rome
Day 15 fly home
I like the idea of one base for the Amalfi Coast, but am having trouble deciding on which village - Positano, Amalfi, Priano or maybe we should do something more like 2 nights Ravello, 3 nights Capri, 3 nights Positano or maybe 3 nights Capri, 1 night Ischia, 4 nights Amalfi Coast. I like to go,go,go, but others in my group like downtime and are more of a once a day activity type group. Also I am planning on having a car for the first part of the journey, but it doesn't seem as necessary for the second half. Is there a car park that you can leave your car while you are on Capri? Is there car rental return options in Positano? Will we want the car for day trips to the various villages and Pompeii or is a car service/bus better? Thank you
Posted by
4323 posts
I'd see if you can press on with a train to Puglia on your arrival day (or better yet, fly to Bari), that would give you extra time--which I think you need. I would not include Vieste, as if there is bad weather there is nothing else to do, and it is far from anything else. There are plenty of nice places in the Alberobello area worth seeing.
You can drop the car in Salerno, then take a ferry to the Amalfi coast. You may want to look into seeing Pompeii in between the Amalfi Coast and Naples--some do this with a private driver to keep your luggage in the car. Otherwise, you have a very very long day trip to Pompeii from the Amalfi coast. Or add a night in Naples and stop by on the train, storing luggage at station.
Use the ferries on the Amalfi coast--traffic is horrible. One base is fine, though with five it would not be out of the question to split it 3-2 if you see two places you wish to experience at night.
Posted by
11130 posts
Fly Alitalia Rome to Bari.
Posted by
Phoenix🌵
2713 posts
We just returned from RS South of Italy tour which looks like what your itinerary is based on. I would skip Vieste. Except for the Santa Maria di Merino festival that just happened to be the day we were there, there really wasn’t much to do. The town is quite small. The cave boat ride took a couple hours, interesting but not worth two days in town.
My sister-in-law and I both agree that we loved Alberobello and wanted to stay longer and explore more. I understand there are Trullis that have been made into B&Bs. I would change your itinerary to at least one night in Alberobello.
Two nights in Matera was about right. But if you’re planning to hike across the ravine you may want to add an extra night.
We spent two nights each in Positano and Sorrento. If I was planning my own trip, I’d base out of Sorrento for the four nights. From Sorrento you can go to Capri and the Amalphi Coast as day trips. Ravello is a day trip also, too small for an overnight.
Consider returning your rental car in Salerno or Naples. You do not want to drive on the Amalphi/Sorrento peninsula with its narrow
roads and hairpin curves.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3158 posts
It takes about 3 hours to drive from Matera to Paestum. Theoretically, barring buses, trucks and traffic, it takes two hours to drive from Paestum to Positano. You will have very little time to visit the Archaeological site and the Museum. I generally take transportation risks when I’m traveling. I’ve driven the Amalfi Coast road twice and even leaving 3 or 3 1/2 hours, I would not bet on making the 5 o’clock ferry. Consider spending a night in Salerno. You’ll be able to enjoy Paestum, possibly visit a buffalo mozzarella farm, and the next day take the ferry or bus from Salerno. I don’t know if you can get a ferry from Salerno directly to Capri but you should be able to do so from either Amalfi or Positano. Hertz, Avis and Europcar all have offices in Salerno.
If you do keep the car for the trip to Capri from Positano, expect to pay a minimum of €20 per day for parking. A car is a liability for getting around the area. Using public transportation is preferred. On the Coast I would opt to stay in one town instead of moving around. My preferred town is Amalfi because it is a transportation hub and makes getting around the area simple.
You might like to go, go, go. But Italy must be savored, never rushed. Dolce far niente.
Posted by
OP
Bellevue
18 posts
Thanks for the suggestions. Our inbound travels to Italy will be 13+ hours so we need a night in Rome before we head off on our journey. Philip, if you see this, if we skip Paestum and are just trying to get from Matera to Capri, would it be easier to go to Naples or Sorrento, return the car and take the ferry from there since there are more sailing times?
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3158 posts
If you drop the car in Salerno, you’ll save at least an hour in driving time. You’ll also not have to deal with the insane traffic in Naples or Sorrento to find the car rental offices. You plan to be in Capri for 3 days. Waiting an extra hour or so for a ferry shouldn’t dictate your route.
It’s a shame if you miss Paestum. I think it is worthwhile enough to shave a day off Capri and visit the site for some of the most well preserved Greek ruins in Europe.