any suggestions to get from Sorrento, Italy to Cosenza, Italy for a day trip ?
how long would it take and how much ?? is a train possible ? there will be 4 of us going for one day... thank you

Too far for a day trip. Takes over an hour+ to reach a train station from Sorrento (Naples or Salerno) and then 3-4 hours by train.

Even if you rented a car for the day, it's a nearly 4-hour drive each way.

is there a night train we could possibly do and return the following evening ? 4 hours is doable for us.. if we left at 6am... its a crazy thought but, one of the girls traveling with us has family roots from Costenza( mafia related ) and I really would like her to have a visit... we will be in Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast - is it doable to leave from there instead of returning to Sorrento ? any help/suggestions would be appreciated

>>>is it doable to leave from there instead of returning to Sorrento ? <<<

If that is where you are staying, then that is where you have to leave from. To get from Sorrento to a train station that has trains to Cosenza, you would either take the local commuter train to Naples (75 minutes travel time) or a ferry or bus to Salerno (at least 2 hours) to catch a train. There is no overnight train to Cosenza.

Your best option is to rent a car, drive down one day and back the next. Unless you are spending a week on the coast, I wouldn't attempt it.