Hi,
My husband and I are planning a 2-week trip to Italy next September, our first. At this point, our three targets are the Amalfi Coast, Florence/Tuscany and Venice. I'm trying to gauge just how far by car/train Florence is from Amalfi, if Florence to Venice is about 4 hours. I'm already overwhelmed trying to whittle everything into just 2 weeks!
Thanks for any tips.

It depends on what part of the Amalfi coast you intend to visit. If you are going to the Sorrento you need a train to Naples and then change to the local trains. If you are going to Positano or Amalfi (the town) then you might be better off taking the train to Salerno and then switching to local transportation. The website is trenitalia.com but the english version seems to have problems from time to time. A train from Florence to Rome takes about 2 hours and from Rome to Naples about 2 hours. From Naples to Sorrento is another 30-45 minutes.

Hi LA,

www.trenitalia.com/en works for Italian train schedules and fares.

As noted you can reach the coast by way of Salerno (East side) or Naples (West side).

I recommend against a car on the AC as there is only one road and the tour buses clog it up.

You might find these two threads helpful:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Helpful Information: Italy http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

We drove from Sorrento to Florence several years ago and it took about 6 hours at highway speeds (80 or so) with minor stops (you need to circle around Rome rather than going through it). It would take considerably longer if you are further down the coast becasue the road becomes very narrow and clogged - you can be held up for an hour or more bacause two buses don't have room to pass and one needs to back up.

Hope this helps.

Don't know what your finances are, but this is how I did it on my honeymoon when sky was the limit.

Stayed in Positano (absolutely gorgeous). On the last day we had a car & driver pick us up at the hotel and drive us to Pompeii. He waited while we took a 2 & 1/2 hour tour of Pompeii, and then drove us to the Naples train station. Total cost was about $250. It was scenic, air conditioned, relaxed and clean. We had enough upcoming baggage schlepping & really appreciated this.

By the way, if you are traveling by train, do yourself a favor and don't overpack. Hoisting those huge bags into the trains & then maneuvering them to the compartments is horrible. And, if you don't smoke, pay for the 1st class non-smoking cars or you will be green when you finally arrive at your destination.

Hi LeslieAnne,
My husband and I flew to Venice September 14th and spent three nights in Venice, rented a car and drove to Florence (mistake should have taken train to Florence and rented car in Florence) then drove to San Gimignano- stayed one night (breathtaking) then two nights in Rada (fabulous) two nights in Cortona (you have to go there) then on to Assissi and spent three nights there discovering Umbria - Spello - Spoleto(totally under construction) Todi, and then drove to Amalfi (took 3 hours driving 130 km/h) and stayed in Amalfi/Ravello area for 3 glorious nights then wrapped it up with 4 fabulous days in Rome (don't give that up). It was an amazing trip, lost track of what day it was (the best sign of a holiday) ate, laughed, loved, drank and holidayed. If you drive straight from Florence to Amalfi it should only take 4.5 hours on the Autostrada - signs are great - good stops for gas, food etc. and lots of time for relaxation. We stayed 20 days and it was a trip to remember! I forgot - I don't know how old you are or adventurous. You can trim your Chianti holiday to three days staying somewhere in the valley and daytripping to see all. Then perhaps you may want to skip Assissi. If you are not a whimp and don't mind driving you will save loads of time and make your own schedule. We are very adventurous and love the excitement of exploring. Havde fun!