italy2005

My friends and I are planning a trip in the South of Italy sometime next summer. We can spend 17 days. We are trying to figure out which cities to visit. We have 2 itineraries so far. Here it is:

Itinerary 1

Capri (5 Days)
Sorrento (5 Days)
Sicily (4 Days)
Naples/Rome (3 Days)

or

Capri (5 Days)
Positano (5 Days)
Sardinia(4 Days)
Naples/Rome (3 Days)

As far as the things that we like to do, we prefer the beaches. If you have any recommendations as for the things to do in each city, accomodations, day trip will be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much in advance.

ira

Hi IT,

I think 5 days on Capri is 2 too many (but that's just me).

Are you planning on doing both Naples and Rome in 3 days?

I prefer Positano over Sorrento.

You might want to visit Paestum.

You might find my trip report helpful:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

uhoh_busted

Too much time in Capri/Amalfi Coast area for me, maybe Capri 3 then Sorrento 4-5 with day trips along the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Naples. I'd then add the saved days to Rome or to more fully explore Sicily/Sardinia.

Budman

I'm not sure I would spend 5 days on Capri -- maybe one or two. How does this sound?

6 days in Positano/Sorrento/Amalfi
3-4 days in Rome
7 days in Tuscany/Portofino

AP6380

To spend just 4 days in Sicily or Sardinia really doesn't make sense to me. If beaches are your thing, I would suggest your second itinerary with a day or two shaved off Capri & Positano and add those days to Sardinia. Maybe you mean that you plan on taking a day trip to Naples from Rome?

italy2005

Hi Ira. Thanks so much for the info. I have heard not so good things in Naples so we figure we'll just base ourselves in Naples and take a day trip to Rome and do another day in Naples. Do you know of any nice hotels where we can stay at?

italy2005

Yes we prefer the beaches. Do you think I'm better off with the 2nd Itinerary. Where exactly in Sardinia is a good place to stay at? What is the night life like in Sardinia compared to Sicily?

AP6380

I'm currently working on my trip report that includes Sardinia. If you click on my screen name you can read what I've written so far. Naples, Capri and Positano all seem geographically so close, I'm not so sure I'd stay in 3 areas that are all near one another.

What month are you going? I'm not really that into nightlife, but it certainly seemed that Porto Cervo, Sardinia would have a lot going on at night. I wouldn't suggest staying there as it's not "authentic" (at all) but it's probably a good area to hit in the evenings.

If beaches are your primary interest, I would cut Naples out and daytrip there from Positano. I wouldn't suggest seeing Rome in a day, I had 5 and it was not nearly enough. I would do Positano-Capri-Sardinia.

ira

Hi It,

>I have heard not so good things in Naples so we figure we'll just base ourselves in Naples and take a day trip to Rome and do another day in Naples.<

Not recommended. Too much time on the train for too little time in Rome.

We spent 3 days in Naples and enjoyed it very much - even the day that all of Italy was without electricity.

>Do you know of any nice hotels where we can stay at? <

(Do not end a sentence with a preposition.)

We stayed at the Albergo Sansevero.
See http://www.albergosansevero.it/ac3_ing.html

bobthenavigator

Hmmm ! 17 days to spend in south Italy. You sure do not need 10 days on the AC. Here is what I would do:
Sorrento or Positano--4 days
Sicily--7 days
Rome--6 days

AP6380

Bob's itinerary is also a great suggestion. But if you want amazing beaches, do the 7 days in Sardinia, not Sicily. Although there are nice beaches in Sicily, I don't believe there's anything compared to the ones I enjoyed in Sardinia. Sicily has many wonderful archaeological sites if that's also an interest.

italy2005

AP6380 - Which hotel did you stay in Sardinia? You would not recommend Capri at all? By the way we are planning to go in the month of AUGUST next year. What is it like during this time of year? As far as nightlife - it is not so important but we would like to have a little bit of it. There's currently 5 women going on this trip. Age range are from 28-32. Originally we have planned visiting Rome as a day trip. We figured we'll fly from New York - Naples. We'll use Naples as our base area to get to Rome. Is this not a good idea? What are the beaches like in Sardinia compared to Sicily? I do not think we're interested in seeing anymore archeolgical sites this time. We saw a lot in Greece

Jocelyn_P

Are you sure Italy is what you want? The Spanish coast and/or islands may be more what you're looking for. Either way, have fun!

Eloise

If your trip takes place in August, you can be sure that almost anywhere on or near a beach in Italy is going to be very crowded.

Also, since the majority of Italians take their holidays in August, all beach areas are booked far in advance. I would suggest making your arrangements as soon as possible if you decide to travel in August.

italy2005

Hi Eloise. Yes, we plan to make our reservations soon. We just need to figure out where we need to go I have just heard that the nice sandy beaches are in the North of Italy. Is this true?

AP6380

Let me clarify, I have only been to Sicily, Rome and Sardinia- none of the other places on your list.

Here's a link to my trip report on Sardinia-Maratea-Calabria:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34526714

Sardinia and Sicily (I believe) are the 2 largest islands in the Mediterranean, Sicily I once read is the size of the state of Vermont and Sardinia is a little smaller. I stayed in 3 different areas over 10 nights in Sardinia, and could have spent much more time there.

If beaches are really what you enjoy, then Sardinia is where you need to head to in Italy. There are all kinds of beaches- rocky, sandy, secluded-whatever you want. Very soon I will add to my trip report a link to my pictures.

I was in Sardinia in August and it is the hottest and the most crowded and the most expensive time of year anywhere you go in Italy. Rome is so full of wonderful sites, restaurants and things to do, I can't imagine it being a day trip. It deserves at least 3 whole days.

I was in Sicily in March, so we didn't swim, but many of the beaches I saw were rocky but there are sandy ones as well. They just didn't compare at all to what I saw in Sardinia.

carcassone

Rome is 3 hrs one-way train ride from Naples. Logistically it doesn't make sense to do Rome as a day trip from Naples. Besides, Rome really deserves more than that. If you want to include Rome, get an open jaw ticket and do it at the beginning/end of your trip.

italy2005

I thought Rome was only an hour away from Naples by train We really dont want to stay in Naples and prefer Rome but our international flight comes in from Naples. Should we buy a round trip ticket from the US to Rome instead of US to Naples?

italy2005

AP 6380 - You mentioned that you stayed in 3 areas of Sardinia. If we decide to go to Sardinia instead of Sicily I think we would like to just focus on one are. All of the 3 places you have visited, which would you recommend the best?

Any of you have heard of the Eolie Islands?

AP6380

It depends what you are looking for. Like I said before, if you want some nightlife perhaps the Costa Smeralda area would be good for you. Yes, certain parts of it are very overdeveloped and not at all "Sardinian." But, I found that staying up above the Costa Smeralda in San Pantoleo gave me access to some authenticity and to everything else the area has to offer. From here I did day trips to the islands of arcipelago di la Maddalena and to Corsica, France. The hotel I stayed at was:

http://www.roccesarde.it/

This hotel was way above our usual budget (especially in August) but worth every penny.

If you just want peace & quiet and amazing beaches there are other areas you would like on the island.

Now, for next summer I am considering a 1-week stay in Sardinia focusing on an area I didn't get to see, The Golfo di Orosei. A hotel that looks amazing there is:

http://www.sugologone.it/

I am also tossing around the idea of the Aeolian islands. There are people on this board with knowledge of this area.

Will you have a rental car by the way?