What if we can't pack light?

If you're flying into Naples, take the Curreri Viaggi bus.

Schedule here.
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/autolinee/images/AUTOLINEE_CURRERI.pdf
Cost is 10 E takes about an hour twenty.

If you're flying into Rome, take a taxi to the train station, train to Naples and hire a private driver. Check with your lodging to see who they reccommend.

Can you drive? Rent a car after you land and drive to the Amalfi Coast.
Then when you drive back to Rome, return the car when you arrive and rely on taxicabs (or your feet if you can) while staying in Rome.

Are you flying into Naples? Curreri bus goes straight into central Sorrento, bags under the bus (no overhead lifting) Otherwise, it sounds like a car and driver is the ticket at least for this trip.

Hi Gerri, I read about the Curer bus and it sounded liked bags had to be lifted over our heads. I am glad their is storage under the bus, but I am concerned about our bags being stolen if the bus stops in between Naples and Sorrento.

Is this an unfounded concern?

Hi Roberto and Laura, The point you raised about flying in to Naples is a good one. Currently, our tickets are round trip from Rome, but if Swiss Air will allow us to fly into Naples and depart from Rome, it would be great.
I don't know if we want to deal with renting and parking the car all week in Sorrento.

Regarding driving ourselves; we did this last year in Spain and it worked well. Where does the road from Naples get narrow and difficult along the cliffs? Is it before Sorrento or between Sorrento and Positano and Amalfi?

So what is the best way to travel from Naples to Sorrento and get
help? Personal driver?

There's getting to Sorrento - which I'd recommend the Curreri bus for if flying into Naples - but then you have to get from Sorrento to Rome. How have you planned to do that? Rail is your best bet but you will need to be able to manage your baggage yourself on and off the trains. You may also have to manage your luggage up/down stairs at your accommodations if they don't have lifts. Can you share one carryon?

I wouldn't worry at all about stolen luggage on the Curreri. Private driver between Sorrento and Naples is an option but an expensive one. It's not something we'd spend the $$$ on but if it's a necessity, then you might want to budget for it. It would be prohibitively expensive between Sorrento and Rome unless, again, it's a necessity that will simply be a must-have extra worth paying for.

I understand the points you are making Kathy. Yes, budgeting for these needs could have been more researched. Laura and Roberto also recommended flying into Naples, however I just spoke with the airlines (Swiss Air), and we cannot reroute our arrival destination from Rome to Naples without a pretty hefty fee per passenger.

We had planned to take the train from Rome to Naples and have a driver from Naples to Sorrento and back. I assumed (without researching), that Italiarail would have some process of loading baggage or have porters. I've now learned that First Class Seating may not offer that service. It's great that the First Class cars may have less passengers and more room for luggage between seats in addition to the overheard space and the end-of-care storage, however people have recommended not purchasing our train tickets in advance incase our flights are delayed.

We will contact .italo who claim on the website that they offer assistance for people with special needs. Will also consider the a Comfort/Club Premier service that may have a little more luggage space.

Trenitalia also has assistance for people who need it.

You have just a few times when you need to handle luggage; I would take a private transfer from Napoli Centrale to Sorrento and back. Contact the train company for assistance from Roma to Napoli and back. The airline can assist you at the airport.

Thank you.

I spoke with an italo agent who clarified they do no offer any assistance with loading luggage onto the trains. Traveling with a Smart ticket or Prima does not make a difference with getting assistance.

They recommended I look into Bagaglio Facile with TNT. I've looked over the "Easy Luggage" service if you travel Frecciarossa or Frecciargento or are a CartaFreccia cardholder.

Anyone familiar with this?

They recommended I look into Bagaglio Facile with TNT. I've looked
over the "Easy Luggage" service if you travel Frecciarossa or
Frecciargento or are a CartaFreccia cardholder.

I don't think this is going to help you much. It won't get your bags to Sorrento as it's not on a Trenitalia train line and not listed on cities served. I also don't think it'll help from Rome to Naples or vice versa as I'm not sure they'll pick up or deliver from/to a train station versus a hotel (but I haven't translated ALL of the text from the Italian site).

But did you see this? If you bought your tickets through ItaliaRail, looks like you can get porter service by purchasing an additional pass. It would not help you in Sorrento but you're looking at using a driver from Naples> Sorrento hotel and back anyway?

https://www.italiarail.com/italiapass/baggage-service-in-italy

This porter service (below) is also available but at Napoli Centrale only:

https://italiadeals.com/tour/149983/naples-fast-track-vip-welcome-personal-greeter-porter-at-napoli-centrale-train-station

And this Rome luggage transfer from Termini to your hotel, although I would clarify that they actually take it OFF the train for you.
http://www.romatermini.com/en/news/kipoint-presents-project-porter

Trenitalia states that you can request porter services at Roma Termini, Florence S.M.N., Bologna Centrale and Milano Centrale. If you didn't purchase RT Rome> Naples tickets through ItaliaRail and are planning to use a driver to/from Sorrento and Naples, you could maybe request a driver which might offer additional baggage help in Naples, then use porter help on the Rome end.

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en/Services/Luggage-transport-services

"Luggage transport for Frecciarossa customers
The luggage transport service allows customers the facility, at some Frecciarossa stations, to book a station porter for a given time to assist with baggage...." See the webpage above for further instructions.

There is nothing wrong with taking a larger suitcase and checking it. You may have to pay a checked luggage fee. But, it will be worth it for you. Just take a carry-on tote or backpack with three days worth of med.s and a few extras for comfort on a plane and as a precaution in case you get temporarily separated from your luggage, which is rare - but can happen. Carry your essentials on the plane with you. We have traveled with 25" cases and managed.

The issue doesn't appear to be with planes but managing all the baggage on and off the trains, to taxis from the train, etc. They need help with that as both have some challenging medical conditions and, as stated, lifting/maneuvering is difficult what with the number of bags they will have. It sounds like they'll each have a checked bag - not necessarily huge - plus a rollaboard for the medical equipment/medications plus carryon shoulder bags.

So it's porter services at the rail stations which looks to be the most pressing need.

This will take awhile longer, but might be an option.

https://www.goeuro.com/travel-search/results/578053398/bus?locale=en

The airlines will assist you if you notify them.

Take a taxi from the Rome airport to the bus stop, bus to Naples. (Stop for all 3 companies is the same in both cities)

Taxi from the bus stop in Naples, to the airport and take the Curreri Viaggi bus to Sorrento.

Repeat in reverse for your return to Rome.

You'll never touch a bag.

That's an interesting solve, Gerri. Just might be the ticket.
They would have to manage the baggage whilst finding a seat to wait for the bus, should timing require it, but hopefully that wouldn't be too tough.

Bother options looks good. My wife is looking forward to taking the train down to Naples.

Since .italo does not offer any porter services, despite their pricey tickets that come with access ti large spacious quite cars with personal service on the train and more luggage space, and the lounges at the train stations.

It looks like the ItaliaPass is the answer with personal porter services. They have a sale right now for joining the Italiapass membership for $49, instead of $99. Leads to porter services (fee per bag) and other discounts we could take advantage of.

Make sense?

Before you go for the porter service, check to make sure they take the luggage OFF the train for you.

Edit. Yep they take you to the train and meet you on the other end.

Evidently it's an additional 19 euro in addition to the 49E sign up fee that you purchase at the end of your ticket purchase.
I'd still take a taxi to the airport to take the bus to Sorrento.
https://www.italiarail.com/italiapass/baggage-service-in-italy

Just updating everyone who gave input here. I've learned more about KiPoint porter services with Trenitalia at specific stations if you're taking one of the highspeed trains, and we are taking the Frecciarossa. I've spoken with the KiPoint staff at Termini and Napoli Centrale and have all the details.

http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom/Offerte-e-servizi/Il-servizio-portabagagli-in-stazione

They meet you at your car/taxi/shuttle drop off. Load the baggage you want assistance with and either store it in their secure location or take it directly to your train. They will bring to the platform and on to the coach whete they lift and store the luggage where there's space. We have also arranged for the service on the destination end, where they claim a porter will be waiting on the platform with our coach and seat numbers so they can come on the train to unload and transfer the heavier bags to the location of our driver from the hotel.

Trenitalia plans to expand the baggage / porterage service in the future because its in demand at the larger stations.

My wife and I are in the same predicament, we're 68 and 76. We took two pieces of small, light luggage for a trip this past May--it was something close to a disaster. No one bag was heavy, but managing two small pieces of luggage each, plus a back-pack each, plus 2 CPAPs plus my wife's handbag was, well, awful. There was just too much to manage, especially getting on and off trains, trams, buses, etc.

Based on the "small luggage" fiasco, we decided on one piece of luggage a piece, plus CPAP for "next time". We tried this on a 2 week visit from which we just returned. This was a 9-day cruise and 4 days in Barcelona on our own. We checked the bags through to our cruise destination, no hassle; until, that is, our luggage didn't arrive for 5 of the 9 day cruise. It wasn't nice as we were not in ports conducive to shopping for modest-priced plus-size clothing (e.g., Monte Carlo, Ajaccio, and Olbia (where the town was closed for Ferragosto).

We're now considering shipping our luggage ahead for a visit we are planning in early may of 2018 to Scotland.

If you have booked a hotel in Sorrento (or elsewhere on the Amalfi coast) so you know the exact location of your first destination, you may want to consider this option. Some providers charge flat rate for certain weight luggage, others charge by the pound. This way you would eliminate the luggage issue, at least until your first stop. I assume you will stay at one hotel during your time in the Amalfi area, so luggage shouldn't be a problem. Then, if you will be in Rome just "a few days", before you depart the Sorrento Amalfi area, send most of your things back via the same provider you shipped them to Italy, and take a small wheeled carry on to Rome and eventually back to the US--purchasing the small luggage in Amalfi for the balance of your holiday.

Appreciate the research people have done for transfer of luggage. I have and will offer someone our help to assist with their luggage. I know you can not depend that we will be there. On the last train ride 3 people jumped up to assist one women. It was so sweet she was meeting her elderly hubby. They were both dressed in their Sunday best.

St Wolf,
thanks for your input and sentiment. nice.
Jon your story described what I foresee happening, which is why I've done all this research including the luggage shipping companies. We are shipping some things ahead.