from Rome going to Naples, Pompeii, Capri and Amalfi Coast....any suggestions on what city should be my base...thinking about Sorrento being base for my visit to Naples & Pompeii or if you have any other suggestions & how about base for trip to Capri and Amalfi Coast..thanks

How many days do you have?
What time of year?

We used Sorrento as our base and loved it. It was easy to get to the other towns we wanted to visit, including Pompeii. Yes, it's touristy but we didn't mind, some other posters here have not liked it for that reason.

Ditto what cathies said. I preferred it as it is a bit larger with more restaurants, shops, etc.

All depens of how many days you'll stay in the area and how you'll be travelling- train,private driver or rental car?
Generally sorrento is the best place to stay-lots of Bars,restaurants,discos,shops..and you can reach the Amalfi Coast ,Pompeji(with Circumvesuviana train).Capri(with Hydrofoil from the Port) and else(Herculaneum,Ischia,Naples) from there!

Hi Rml - Some prefer Sorrento for its convenience for public transport etc. Personally I'd always choose Positano for its incomparable setting - but it depends what you want.

Steve

We chose Amalfi as a base. With our rental car, we enjoyed the incredibly scenic drives along the coast and reached Pompeii, Vesuvius and Napoli in 40 minutes or so. To Capri, we took the ferry.

Amalfi is a very pretty town with a gorgeous Byzantine cathedral and a very picturesque market.

answering questions i will be in Itlay Sept 8 thru 18...all traveling will be by train and bus....want to thank everyone for there suggestions!!

We're doing a similar trip the latter half of May, and will be basing in Amalfi, and will have a rental car for the first half of the tip - take a look at my recent postings.

Alice

Have you made your flight arrangements yet?? Flying into Rome and out of Naples might be a good choice for you. Richard

Positano is gorgeous. It was on the cover of a recent magazine, maybe it was National Geographic Traveler.
Also, Diane Lane's character is in Positano briefly in the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. She was at Hotel California. We stayed at a place nearby, Villa Rosa (charming Karen Brown Hotel). It's across the street from the expensive Le Sirenuse Hotel. Eat at Le Sirenuse's restaurant with the outdoor lights. It's magical.