lonmermaid

Hello,

Our family of four will be driving from Naple area (perhaps Positano where we will probably spend the night) up toward San Gimianagno and the Chianti region. I guess that would be like 4-5 hours, roughly? We wanted to sight see and break it up a bit, so that the driving is not too taxing (only one person can drive among us). Which towns do you recommend between the two regions? I can't seem to find any detailed information about that region in between, not sure which guide works the best for that... Thank you very much for your thoughts...

TuckH

I suggest a stop at Tivoli, just off the Autostrada. You can visit Villa d'Este and/or the Villa Hadriana...

lovisa

According to www.viamichelin.com it is 526 kilometers from Positano to San Gimignano and takes 5 hours 46 minutes. Another stopping possibility could be Orvieto which is just off the A-1 autostrada.

rkkwan

It will take a little while just to get on the autostrada from Positano.

toni_g_b

The Royal Palace and Gardens in Caserta, just northwest of Naples, are incredible; they are said to rival Versailles. We were awestruck when we first saw the cascading waterfall from the mountain through the garden to the palace - 3 km, I think. Check it out at wikipedia.com.

Cinart

That is a HUGE drive. Just driving from Positano to Naples is a hair-raising experience. Why not take a train from Naples to somewhere in Tuscany and then rent your car?

lonmermaid

That sounds like too long a drive -- I didn't realize. Thank you, all. The problem is we thought we would need a car to enjoy the Sorrento to Salerno route, but then we would also definitely need a car up in Tuscany to enjoy the Chianti region. I didn't want to rent it twice, which is quite expensive. Can you see around Positano area without a car? I guess do a tour instead? (But do you recommend a tour around there?) Then take a bus to Naples, from which take a train to Rome, then rent a car? If anyone has any suggestion, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

Cinart

There are public buses that get around the coast with moderate regularity. However, the rides are winding and up very steep hills with NO shoulder. I was just there this Fall. If the weather is not on your side, traveling in those buses around curves can be daunting. One day we took the bus, the rain was torrential! The rest of the time the weather was OK. There was almost no visibility. Of course, if the weather is nice, it is different. I traveled with my husband and another couple. We took the train from Rome to Naples and then had a driver meet us. It cost $$ but it is very easy for your hotel to arrange. We decided not to use a car in the area since the roads are very scary. Once in Positano (if you stay in town) you can walk with ease. It is like driving on the Pacific coast Hwy in CA, but much narrower. How many days are you spending in the area? How much time do you have? You are trying to cover quite alot of territory. That being said, if you are only going to this area for one or two nights, I personally don't think it is worth the hassle. One idea is you can take the train from Rome and do a day trip to Pompeii (hire a guide). We did that as well and I DO think that is very worth it. Good luck!

TuckH

>That is a HUGE drive. Just driving from Positano to Naples is a hair-raising experience.< I do NOT agree with this statement.

>we thought we would need a car to enjoy the Sorrento to Salerno route< Yes, IMO, you should have a car for the AC (I know there are others here who will not agree with this statement.)

Our experience was this: We drove from our lodging near Montalcino, leaving at 9am, to our next stay in Sorrento, arriving at 5pm. We made a lengthy lunchtime stop at Tivoli, as I mentioned above. During our one week stay on the AC, we drove up and down the coast several times - and leaving the coastline too, going up into the hills, to Pompeii and to Mt Vesuvio, etc - and I firmly believe that this is the best way to do it, with the freedom to roam about, having a picnic, going for a hike, etc, etc.

rkkwan

Okay, I just replied to another thread by the same OP, initially not realizing it's the same poster.

Anyways, the OP is coming up from Taormina, Sicily, is only considering spending one night in the Amalfi area before going up to Tuscany.

So, I think the options she's put forth are:

1) forget the whole Amalfi thing

2) take the train to Salerno, then bus to Positano, overnight, then bus to Sorrento, bus to Naples and then train up to Tuscany

3) train up to the Naples area, rent car to Positano overnight, then drive that car up to Tuscany [but instead of Naples, they can pick up car in Salerno and drive from there.]

4) rent car in the Salerno/Naples area, drive to Positano, overnight, return car in Naples and then train up to Tuscany.

Now, while the bus option is possible, that are a lot of train/bus, bus/bus, bus/train and train/train connection for this one little night. I don't think it's worth all the trouble to see the Amalfi coast on a bus!

I think the best way is to train up to Salerno, rent car to do the Amalfi area, then just drive up to Tuscany. The harder drive on the Amalfi coast is the narrower sections between Salerno and Praiano, which the OP will cover all on the first day. And they have flexibility to stop in Amalfi, visit Ravello, etc; options not possible taking the bus with luggage.

The next day, the drive out from Positano back towards Pompeii is easy. The road is much wider on that stretch, and they only have traffic in Sorrento to deal with. So, it's quite a drive up to Tuscany, and perhaps more than 5 hours, but it's not THAT hard a drive to deal with.

rkkwan

Small correction. In option 2, I mean train from Sorrento to Naples. Not bus.

lonmermaid

Thank you so much for your suggestion. It's a bit clearer now, that there is a bus, train, etc. Renting a car then is a better option? And this is better to do in Salerno, not Naples? And is the drive really that scary? The driver will be my father in his sixties, he's driven fine in Italy before but that was up north. (being city girls, none of knows how to drive)...

rkkwan

Well, now, if you are taking the overnight train from Sicily, it arrives Naples at 6am. This train doesn't stop in Salerno (and it'd be way too early anyways).

Now, with that much more time, it'd be a little different. But still, without a car, you can only go straight from Naples to Sorrento (by train), and then connect to the bus to Positano to drop off your luggage. You won't have the option to stop and visit Sorrento.

But with that much time, you can then take another bus to visit Amalfi (without luggage), bus to Ravello and then back to Positano. So, that may work.

As for the drive, it is absolutely NOT scary, at least in a car. There's concrete/stone rail all the way along the outside. However, it is narrow between Salerno and just before Positano. Meaning it's tedious. When there's opposite traffic, you need to give room, especially in the turns. If there's a bus coming towards you, often you need to stop completely or sometimes back up, to let it pass. But it is not scary, not steep, not hard to drive per se.

lonmermaid

Thanks! This might work if I can get the trenitalia site to respond. There is a train that makes a connection to Salerno, arriving at 7:30 am. We could also come back from Salerno to sleep in Positano. I am not sure which direction is better to do. Naples to Sorrento to Positano, or Salerno to wherever and to Positano...

rkkwan

It wouldn't make sense to ride the train from Sicily to Naples and then backtrack to Salerno. Instead just take the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento instead and start from there.

If you decide on no car, I'd suggest staying in Sorrento. Drop off your luggage at the hotel, then bus to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello. Bus back to Sorrento overnight. Next day, take train back to Naples and train up to Tuscany.

Or instead of the Amalfi Drive, go to Capri instead.