Southern Italy - where to go

You would fly to Palermo from Naples but three days Really isn’t enough time for that. Add your days to where are in Italy , or better yet in Greece.

What time of year is your trip?

I agree that Sicily is much too far to go for 3 days. It's a great place, and it's a shame not to have time to see more of it. Even Puglia is very questionable, time-wise.

How much time are you spending in Rome? You could probably use the time there or for day-trips from Rome. Or you could go up to Orvieto for a couple of days. Is Capri already covered? Ischia? Ponza?

If you post your whole itinerary as you have it so far, including time of year, people can give better ideas.

I'd look to add smaller towns near to the cities you're already visiting, rather than adding another whole destination. For instance, between Venice and Florence, you could see Padova and/or Ferrara (both very nice and relatively un-touristed). Near this area, a bit of a detour by train but worth it, is Ravenna, with its great mosaics and lovely vibe. Florence has lots of nearby places, from large to small and from very popular to less well-known.

I agree that whatever you do, going to Palermo just for a few days, unless you have a specific reason to do that, is a lot of extra hassle. Sicily is a wonderful place, but it deserves its own trip.

If you're flying to Greece, take into account the flight connections from your last Italian city. To find who flies where from an airport, look at that airport's Wikipedia page. Rome will have the most options; from elsewhere in Italy, you may have to make a connection, which will mean a day of traveling to get between the two countries.

I'm spending at least a week in Rome and thought of using that as a base to see things surrounding the city but in another topic here on the forum some one he didn't think using Rome as a base was a good idea.

My itinerary as it stands starting April 24 -

Taking the train but open to renting a car.

Coming from a short stay in Switzerland ....

Venice 2 days
Florence 2 days
Rome 12 days
Sorrento 4 days See Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi coast, Capri, Ischia, Ponza from here

Fly from Naples to Greece?

Maybe spend less days in Rome and more in Sorrento?

I like hiking where their are ruins (have done Lycian Way in Turkey) and enjoy town squares.

Thanks

I'm kind of surprised you don't have Paestum on your list, as it has some of the best preserved Greek ruins anywhere. This site is easily reached from Naples.

As to the Naples/AC area you don't have enough time to see everything listed. I'd add your 3 days here. Especially if you're planning a trip to Ponzo. It will take 2 1/2-3 hours to get there. An overnight might be required.

To go further south, take 3 days from Rome to see some of the Cilento Coast. (see below.)

Salerno, easy train to both Paestum and Agropoli. Longer to Palinuro.
In between this last two are Pisciotta, and Santa Maria di Castelabate
Trains connect all these towns, but may take a short bus or taxi ride to the town centers.

Two days seems very short for Florence. Lots of good side-trips from there, and some can be managed very easily by train and bus.

Thanks , I will check all of these out

Can you suggest the side trips to take from Florence.

What are the max days you would do in Rome?

I do like Piazzas with cafes and restaurants and understand there are a lot of good ones i Rome. Any other town with spectacular Piazzas? I loved the one in Prague.

Siena has a lovely main square. Traveling there by bus is easier than using the train.

Lucca is a very atmospheric walled town, accessible by train. You can walk (or bike) on top of the wall. People who feel they must see the Leaning Tower of Pisa sometimes combine Pisa with Lucca, but there's much more to see in Lucca.

You could spend months in Rome and not see it all. If this is your first trip, I'd keep it to one week, or sensory overload takes over. So take those extra nights and add them to these cities.

3N Venice.

5-6N Florence.
Spend 2-3 in the city and do day trips,allowing you to spend your evenings in some of the most beautiful Piazzas in Italy.

Day trips by train:

Bologna (50min).

Montecatini Termini (46m) and Pistoia (11m). Combined as day trip.

Lucca (1H19m) with Pisa (31m) also combine well.

By bus: Siena 1H11m. Full day.

Greve in Chianti 1 hr.

San Gimignano a tour would be the easiest.

All of these towns have great squares with plenty of cafes and people watching.

6-7N Rome.

In Rome, these Piazzas are some of the most lively. Piazza Della Rotunda by the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiore and in the Trastevere neighborhood, Piazza di Santa Maria. But there are Piazzas all over the city.

1N Ponza. The time it takes to get there warrants a nite, maybe two.

5N Sorrento. Do Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Capri and maybe Ischia

2N. Naples see the Archeological Museum and Capella Sansevero and as many othe sites as you can fit in. Its a warren of squares and Piazzas that as you turn a corner, they're just there. Do try to spend some time in the city itself. While it can be chaotic and gritty it has its charms.

Fly from Naples to Greece. Airport is 6 miles from the center.

Edit: Adjust your days according to what really speaks to you.

"You could spend months in Rome and not see it all. If this is your first trip, I'd keep it to one week, or sensory overload takes over. So take those extra nights and add them to these cities."

Gerri beat me to it. While everyone is different, I personally would never want 12 consecutive days in Rome (one of my favorite cities), but would want to break it up. Similarly, I wouldn't want such a long time in Rome and such a short time in other places on one trip. So, take some days from Rome and add them to Venice, Florence, and Sorrento. Also look into my idea, between Venice and Florence, of spending a couple of days in Padova (daytrips possible to Verona, Vicenza, and Ferrara) and/or Ferrara (day trips possible to Bologna, Padova, and Ravenna).

Unless you have no interest in Renaissance art, two days in Florence will just be a small taste, so be sure put more days there. If you want trips to other places (Lucca, Pisa, Siena, or even a half-day up in Fiesole), add more time again.

Venice 2 days
Florence 2 days
Rome 12 days
Sorrento 4 days See Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi coast, Capri, Ischia, Ponza from here
Fly from Naples to Greece?

I suspect when you write days, you are actually counting nights. 2 nights does not equal 2 days, it equals one full day. You'll use about 1/2 day to change locations - packing, getting to the train station, from station to hotel to check in and drop luggage. You've listed about 6 days worth of sightseeing in Sorrento and only 3 days to do it.

Joining the chorus here to add more days to Florence for day trips (good suggestions were already offered up). That's really a better base for doing that than Rome, IMHO. Florence itself needs more than a day unless you're not big into Renaissance art and architecture.

Sorrento 4 days See Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi coast, Capri, Ischia,
Ponza from here

You need to add more time here too. You won't get all that into just 4 days...which may actually be closer to 3.5 days if you're counting your transfer day from Rome. Really, most of those locations could easily consume a day, or lion's share of a day, apiece.

I like hiking where their are ruins

Then you'll want to do the Appia Antica in Rome. We spent an entire day traversing 7 or so miles of the thing and it was our favorite day in Rome to date; wished we had taken a 2nd day to do some parts we had to miss but there's always next time!

https://www.parcoappiaantica.it

Editing to add: if "2 days" in Venice means just two nights, then I'd add another night there, too.

Wanted to clarify, instead of heading all the way to Naples to visit Ponza, train from Rome-Anzio and take the ferry. Then when done visiting, if in season, take the ferry to Naples.
Otherwise take the ferry back to Anzio and train to Naples.

Thank you all for your input. You have already made the trip much better.

Would like to have your thoughts on renting a car from Venice to Florence and keeping it in Florence to see all the places mentioned.

Also thinking of renting a car for the Sorrento area and surroundings.

Good idea or better to hop on and off trains?

Can you pick up a rental car in one city and drop it in another without a problem?

Would like to have your thoughts on renting a car from Venice to Florence and keeping it in Florence to see all the places mentioned. Also thinking of renting a car for the Sorrento area and surroundings. Good idea or better to hop on and off trains? Can you pick up a rental car in one city and drop it in another without a problem?

Venice to Florence - the train is faster. The center of Florence is a ZTL (limited traffic zone) - only authorized vehicles permitted and huge fines if you inadvertently drive in (easy to do, based on how many people - locals as well as tourists - seem to get fined). I'm not sure where you want to go in Tuscany, but the most popular - Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Fiesole come to mind - are easily accessible by bus or train and most also have ZTL's. Not to mention that automatic cars are more expensive and Italian drivers are a little crazy.

As for driving in Sorrento and on the Amalfi Coast, it's generally a BAD idea. Here's some detail of my experience on the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento has its own challenges - a system of one-way streets and a ZTL, very little parking.