Cindy_Minor

I am looking for advice...we have 5 days to enjoy southern Italy. We have the option for the following areas and would like to see which you prefer and why:
1) Sorrento - fabulous apartment
2) Positano - gorgeous accommodations high above the sea
3) Minori - beachfront condo

We are planning on going to Pompeii, hiking, kayaking, eating and drinking.

Which makes more sense?
Thanks.

sph

Positano is my favorite place in Italy. Sorrento is very nice as well but Positano has such a charm that you will never forget it and if you like food and drink a perfect place. We went to Pompeii on a day trip, hiked along the cliff top path of the gods - from Positano area, (hard to find but worth it) and ate at the best restaurants ever. I am planning a trip for august and had to force myself to try something new as I keep wanting to retun to Positano and I have been to a lot of places. You can take a day trip or overnight trip to Capri which we had planned but we liked Positano so well we just stayed there. Not sure about kayaking.

ggreen

IMO, Sorrento is good if you're really looking for a hub to get around to other places in the area - which it doesn't seem like you're looking to do too much of. I can't speak to Minori, though generally on the Amalfi Coast, beaches are narrow - and it's good to remember that the main thoroughfare is *uphill* from there.

So my vote too is for Positano. The <i>Sentieri degli Dei</i> (Walk of the Gods) hike was one of the three best things in my two-week trip to Italy two years ago. We took a local Positano bus up to the end of the line in Nocelle. From the parking lot there, it was well marked how to start on the path. There's also a lovely restaurant right there at the end of the bus line.

For your day trip to Pompeii, if you were to get there via public transit, you could take the Sita bus around the peninsula to Sorrento, then hop the Circumvesuviana local train to Pompeii-scavi. (The bus terminus is at the train station.) I believe you also could go the other direction to Salerno and then the train...

What time of year will you be going?

Cindy_Minor

Thank you. We are going to be in the area Sept. 7-11.
Have you ever taken the boat from Sorrento or Naples to Positano?

Weadles

Another vote for Positano, although we've stayed in Sorrento, too. We love Positano so much, we're going back for a 4th time in a few weeks.

We have taken a boat from Sorrento to Positano. However, I'm not sure what the schedule is in the fall months, so check carefully. As you know, you can also take a SITA bus between Sorrento and the towns on the AC, but we've often found these buses unreliable and crowded.

ggreen

I haven't taken the ferry, though I understand the timings change from year to year. We didn't have a problem with the Sita buses, but that may be because most of the time we were taking it end to end, from the terminus at Sorrento to our hotel in Amalfi, then from the terminus in Amalfi back around. (We based in Sorrento itself for the part of our trip where we wanted daily transit access to Naples, Pompeii and elsewhere.)

Your travel dates are during the time when the ferries are still running (they don't service all routes during the off-season), but when hopefully the worst of the summer crush will have abated. Not to mention, it should be good weather!

Search on these boards for posts from A_Brit_in_Ischia. He always provides very specific information on transit in the area (trains, ferries, etc.), such as this one he recently updated about navigating Napoli Termini: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-or-pompei.cfm

Cindy_Minor

You are all awesome. Thanks.