Driving from Tuscany to Positano - crazy?
May 14th, 2003, 03:08 PM
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Driving from Tuscany to Positano - crazy?
I have to decide whether to return my rental in Tuscany and take the train to Sorrento or Positano,and be in the area 4 nights without a car) or drive and keep the car. I am a bit worried about the Amalfi Coast and doing a swan-dive over the cliffs. Any recommendations from those who know? Is a car needed, helpful or dangerous?
May 14th, 2003, 03:29 PM
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Hi,
I was the passenger and I have to admit I hid my eyes a few times. My friend Julie is a very calm level headed driver and she did fine. Use your horn on the curves to alert oncoming cars. Watch out for Vespas passing between cars. They can come from anywhere. We were there for 4 days and didnt have any problems driving all over the area.
I was the passenger and I have to admit I hid my eyes a few times. My friend Julie is a very calm level headed driver and she did fine. Use your horn on the curves to alert oncoming cars. Watch out for Vespas passing between cars. They can come from anywhere. We were there for 4 days and didnt have any problems driving all over the area.
May 15th, 2003, 12:06 PM
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My husband and I drove from Tuscany to Positano on our honeymoon last July. It was a woderful drive, a little scary once we got to the Almafi coast. But I'm glad I was in our car rather than in the buses we saw weaving around the twists and turns. Enjoy it!
May 16th, 2003, 10:42 AM
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The best advice I can give is this - when you hear a bus honking to indicate it's coming around a curve (and you can't see what's around the curve), stop! The bus drivers are incredible drivers and know how much room they have within a few inches but they do need space to maneuver. I encountered a bus and stopped too late. The bus driver inched forward as much as he could and then stopped. I was quite nervous about moving forward, with a couple of inches between the car and the mountain on the passenger side and about 6" between the car and the bus on the driver's side but had no choice in the matter! After that, when I heard honking, I gave the drivers plenty of room. Remember - there is a reason why the side mirrors turn in 
The biggest hassle, though, is parking on the street in Positano. If you park in Positano, make sure you have parking arrangements made.
The biggest hassle, though, is parking on the street in Positano. If you park in Positano, make sure you have parking arrangements made.
May 16th, 2003, 10:52 AM
#9
Driving the Amafi Coast...free
Seeing the terrified looks on your passengers faces...priceless
Go for it. It's a blast! I loved driving it a couple of years ago, and I never felt in danger once.
Seeing the terrified looks on your passengers faces...priceless
Go for it. It's a blast! I loved driving it a couple of years ago, and I never felt in danger once.
May 16th, 2003, 11:22 AM
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I found the following posting a couple of years ago...thought it was funny:
"Rules for Driving on the Amalfi Coast"
1. Don't look down
2. Don't look up
3. Don't look--it's easier that way
4. Forget about camels not passing through the eye of a needle
5. Timidness will get you nowhere--literally
6. The solid center line in the middle of the road is merely a suggestion.
7. Whoever gets to a lane first has the right of way--it doesn't matter whose side the lane is on.
8. Traffic mirrors are put there so that you can see what you are about to hit head on.
9. Tour buses WILL back up (they don't want a fender bender that will upset the itinerary of passengers)
10. Garbage trucks WON'T back up
11. Motorcyclists are fearless
12. Pedestrians are more fearless
13. Five headlights coming toward you equal two cars plus one motorcycle, or one car plus three motorcycles, or five motorcycles, all equally probable.
14. The probability of an accident is very low; at 40 mph around a hairpin curve 1000 ft above the sea EVERYONE pays attention.
15. Have plenty of limoncello on hand at the end of a day spent driving the Coast.
16. Cruise Control should remain in the off position.
17. Parking, where available, should be taken advantage of every 15 minutes or 4 miles
18. Night time driving is best for your last Amalfi Coast (and life time) outing.
19. Narrow spots of light coming toward you are likely to be American tourists on bicycles with a death wish.
20. Check your brakes after each small village on the Coast.
"Rules for Driving on the Amalfi Coast"
1. Don't look down
2. Don't look up
3. Don't look--it's easier that way
4. Forget about camels not passing through the eye of a needle
5. Timidness will get you nowhere--literally
6. The solid center line in the middle of the road is merely a suggestion.
7. Whoever gets to a lane first has the right of way--it doesn't matter whose side the lane is on.
8. Traffic mirrors are put there so that you can see what you are about to hit head on.
9. Tour buses WILL back up (they don't want a fender bender that will upset the itinerary of passengers)
10. Garbage trucks WON'T back up
11. Motorcyclists are fearless
12. Pedestrians are more fearless
13. Five headlights coming toward you equal two cars plus one motorcycle, or one car plus three motorcycles, or five motorcycles, all equally probable.
14. The probability of an accident is very low; at 40 mph around a hairpin curve 1000 ft above the sea EVERYONE pays attention.
15. Have plenty of limoncello on hand at the end of a day spent driving the Coast.
16. Cruise Control should remain in the off position.
17. Parking, where available, should be taken advantage of every 15 minutes or 4 miles
18. Night time driving is best for your last Amalfi Coast (and life time) outing.
19. Narrow spots of light coming toward you are likely to be American tourists on bicycles with a death wish.
20. Check your brakes after each small village on the Coast.
