Hi Wise Fodorites, we are staying in Praiano in the Spring and will be driving around to different sights. Do we have to drive the length of the Amalfi Drive to get places or are there back road short cuts we can use?<BR>Help, please! <BR>Thank you, Peggy

Hi Peggy,<BR> Yes there are backroads over to Sorrento area. I cant tell you the name or number (if they even have one). We just kind of winged it and started driving. We made a few wrong turns but that is the fun in it :0)<BR>We met one really old man on a motorcycle that lead us through a bunch of little roads until we were on a main one...

There are gtreat walks around Priano as well. There is a series of walking books for Europe, called Sunflower Books, that has a published a book on self-guided walking tours in the Amafli Coas and Capri. Walking is one of the best ways to really see the coast, as you will be off the roads. They have a website (Sunflower.uk.com I think, but run a search.) They are a UK company, but will ship to you and you will receive the book in a few days.

Walking on the Amalfi road is suicidal.<BR>I have been there and I would never walk there.....

Peggy<BR><BR>Yes. There are several route options.<BR><BR>SS163 is the coast road of the Amalfi. <BR><BR>SS366 starts just west of the town of Amalfi &amp; takes you over the mountains, thru Castellammare di Stabia to the Autostrada. We drove this several times.<BR><BR>Another route starts just west of Positano &amp; goes over the mountain to Sorrento &amp; the bay of Napoli. We arrived on the coast this way after missing SS366.<BR><BR>Yet another takes you thru Ravello to the Autostrada.<BR><BR>I advise getting a good detailed driving map - something I didn't have for these roads.<BR><BR>After the initial shock, I really enjoyed driving on the coast. Try to stay out of Napoli however, because driving there is insane.

Great ideas, thanks all. I will look up the walking maps. Now does anyone recommend a place for detailed maps for these routes?

Hey, Nancy, I just ordered the Sunflower book, thanks for the idea. I had never heard of these books before, Amazon is sending it asap. <BR>I love Fodors!

And we can expect to find your body parts on the Amalfi road where? Whoever led you to believe that this is a good idea is nuts. In Sorrento would be a wonderful place to walk but NOT on the Amalfi road....

FYI, the walks described above and the in Sunflower books are NOT on the Alamfi roads; they are on pedestrian-only walking paths that go up the mountains and along the coast. You have to cross the coast road from time to time, but no major portion of any of the walks is actually on the road. Take a look at the Sunflower books, hundreds of people take these walks in Amalfi.

This looks like a question that Vincenzo can answer.

I have the Sunflower book and not only does it give great walking paths in the area, but it also details driving tours in the area so that you can find some of those back roads, Peggy. <BR>They are scenic drives.