travel for Rome and Sorrento

For your itinerary renting a car is not necessary and not recommended. Rick has full details in his Italy book on how to use the train to get from Rome to Sorrento. You will also use the train for your day trip to Florence.

Forget the car -- it'll be nothing but headaches -- and take the train. Easy, convenient, quick.

The train will be so much easier for what you have planned. It can be quite difficult to negotiate roads and where you can and can't drive in some of the places you plan to visit. Trains will pretty much get you right into town in each case without all the hassle of parking and fuel is much more expensive than you will find in the US. If you are watching your budget go with the train.

You may want to look into the bus for your trip from Rome to Sorrento. The bus takes 3 hours and departs twice a day. We're taking the early 6AM bus from Sorrento to Rome. It's easier than the train because there are no connections to make. Rick lists the times in his Italy 2008 book.

Absolutely do not rent a car. Driving in Italy can be a quite painful experience, especially in Rome and should be avoided if possible most of the time. As other posters say, take either a bus or the train.

Depending on when your final return flight leaves Rome, you might want to do your last night near the Rome airport. A recurring headache for American travelers is having to be at the Rome airport (which is WAAAAY outside of Rome) at the wee, wee hours of the morning. You end up stuck with a ~50 Euro cabride to get there.

And don't rent a car.

We just got back and took the train from Rome to Naples using the Amici fare (20% off) on an ICPlus train (cheaper) and the fare was 49 euros for 3. Then you make the connection downstairs to the little train that services the region and it's 3.30 euros and takes a little over an hour. By the time we got to our hotel in Sorrento we'd still lost most of the day. I would never drive it. The bus could be a good option. We loved Orvieto which is only 1 hour north of Rome on the ICPlus and think it was 15 euros. The fast trains to Florence are very costly. Positano or Capri are both nice day trips allow 9 euros each way. Our last day in Sorrento (2nd visit) we found the most beautiful romantic spot the Bellevue Syrene Hotel. I could never afford to stay there but they have this lovely terrace for lunch or evening cocktails. We went at 7:00 and watched the sunset and simmer across the water with soft music in the background. The drinks weren't cheap but for 5 euros you can have a lovely white wine and they bring you nuts, etc. Magical