Amalfi Coast and Rome with large group (not in tour)
 

A group of about 10 of my closest friends and I are traveling together to Italy in early-mid May. (Florence, Rome, and Amalfi Coast are on the wishlist). Our ages range from 29-39 and we enjoy both cultural/historical visits as well as relaxing with good food and wine. I have to admit, we can also be quite *boisterous* when we are all together, and like to stay up late catching up over drinks.

Do you have any reccomendations for traveling independently with a large group? We've discussed the possibility of renting a villa (which could also be cost efficient), but not everyone wants to spend an entire week in one place as most rentals require. There aren't any apartments in Rome that sleep 10, so I guess hotels are our only option there.

Transportation also presents unique challenges with a group. Would a couple of cars be worthwhile on the Amalfi Coast or do you think we can all squeeze onto the local buses, etc?

Thanks for your help and your insight regarding traveling with a lot of people!

This place in Rome might work for you. While no single apartment fits 10 people together, it is a group of apartments in the same building. You could rent two apartments, perhaps planning for the "noisy" group and the "quiet" group. Others on this forum have stayed here and recommended it.

http://www.palazzo-olivia.it/

Rent your villa on the AC--look at www.summerinitaly.com --they are good people.
This will be a logistical challenge---I trust you have at least 13 nites in Italy. If less, then plan on only 2 destinations. You may not want any cars in Rome and on the coast, but you surely will for Tuscany. You will likely need 2 vehicles--maybe 3.
The apts. in Rome that Ellen mentioned are a good option---they will rent for 4 nites.

Hi FU - Using buses might present problems for a large group. But the Amalfi Coast ferries run in May (- weather permitting) - so that's another public transport option.

Steve

About transportation you can do as we did... we were a 14 persons group and we stopped 2 days in the Amalfi Coast and we hired 2 private minivans through a car hire with driver company.
They showed us the entire area visiting towns such as Vietri (good ceramics), Amalfi, Ravello, Positano and Sorrento. We had a grea time avoiding parking problems and crowded local buses.
You can contact www.drivearounditaly.com
Enjoy your trip!!

Have a look on slowtrav.com. There is a very useful report "Planning and Executing a Large Group Trip to Europe", you will get some really handy hints. I am organising a trip next year for 10 friends and family and suggested that they also read the report. We have booked three apartments instead of a villa, just in case we need our own space at some time. It might be worthwhile avoiding accommodation or restaurants that look "romantic" or mention "peace and serenity" - not good for you as a group or the other patrons. We like places where we can have a laugh and a chat without having raised eyebrows around us. Booking restaurants in advance also helps as you are such a large group. There is nothing more tiring (and guaranteed to get hungry friends irritable) than schlepping around at the end of the day looking for somewhere that has a table for 10!

Italy is actually full of places where 10 people can hang out and make noise late into the night without disturbing other people. They are called "piazzas" and they are usually ringed with bars. I almost can't think of an Italian restaurant that can't serve 10 people, which is about the usual size that shows up for Sunday lunch. They push the tables together.

What isn't done in Italy is to spend time in an apartment raising the roof with your friends late into the night. Such behavior won't be appreciated in a hotel either.

I would suggest that you familiarize yourself with NEIGHBORHOODS in Rome (and Firenze) and figure out where you'd all most like to be. Rent hotel rooms in that neighborhood, or go for B&Bs. Meet at the piazza and in the bars and hang out as much as you like, as late as you like. Split up at the end of the evening, quiet down, and return to your separate digs, all within walking distance of each other and your favorite piazza.

The towns of the Amalfi coast are so tiny, you only need to pick one town. Perhaps the simplest thing to do would be for people to just book their own accommodations.

As for traveling, I don't think you want to be driving a car big enough to hold 10 people in any of the places you are going. And you don't want to need to find and pay for parking spaces for 3 cars either.

Nobody knows if you'll all be able to squeeze onto the same bus in the Amafli or if the ferries will be running the days you need them. With such a large group, you're going to have to roll with it.

Have fun.

Robert - Fodors has a no advertising policy on this forum

Thanks, everyone! Your advice is much appreciated. I will certainly check out your leads in more detail and let you know how it all pans out.

I still like the idea of staying together, especially the apartments in the same building, so that we can spend down time in a private setting and plan our days' agenda together while we get ready to go out. I also like the idea of renting a van service for special day trips outside of a city, like Pompeii, or for trips to the airport. For local excursions around Rome and the Amalfi Coast, I imagine the group will split up by interests during the day and take public transportation.

There are several in the group who wish to fit in Florence and will start there. I am leaning towards meeting the group in Rome and spending about 10 days between Rome and the Amalfi Coast. While I would love to do Florence and Tuscany too, I don't think 3 days there would be enough for me and will hope to do it in more depth someday on another trip!

We've narrowed down our trip to the following itinerary:

Day 1-3 ROME
Day 4-8 AMALFI COAST
Day 9-10 NAPLES

All ten of us are sticking together (no more talk of splitting up mid-trip) and now we need to narrow down lodging.

We are looking into villas in the Amalfi Coast for the five days we are there. At first I hoped to find something in Positano or Ravello for under $4,000-$5,000, but it looks like places in Massa Lubrense/Sorrento are more in our budget.

QUESTION:
Do you think we should go with a house in the Sorrento area and drive to our day trip destinations, or should we just get hotel rooms in our first choice town of Positano? I originally hadn't thought we'd spend time in Sorrento but it has been pointed out that the Amalfi Coast is fairly compact so it might not matter where we stay...

We want to visit Pompeii one day (and would consider hiring a car service for this), Capri another day, and spend time exploring the various towns along the coast. A day out on a boat would be nice too. Our last night we plan on staying in Naples since we fly out of there.

BTW- the Rome apartment suggestion looks perfect!

Why don't you all just stay in Sorrento the whole time you're south of Rome? You can visit Napoli, Capri, Pompeii and Positano from there (including taking a ferry to Positano, I believe). You won't need to rent a car for Pompeii if you stay in Sorrento.

If you do decide to stay in Sorrento there is an Airport bus service direct from Sorrento to Naples airport.

Steve

In Rome, you mught also consider residenzagiubbonari.com.

The apartments are larger and might be more cost effective than the smaller ones at Palazzo Olivia.

Have you looked at the villas in the Maori/Cetara area? I remember seeing quite a few (on rental sites) on that stretch of the coast, which I think is the most beautiful. Perhaps the prices are lower than those in and around Positano.