We need your help. Just starting to plan an August vacation to Rome, Tuscany and Positano. We've secured a villa with another family from August 6-13 and a hotel in Positano for August 13-18. We'll be traveling from NY to Italy and aren't sure what cities to fly in and out of and whether we can take trains in between the cities. BTW traveling with a 4 year old. What do you think? We thought NY-Rome, train to Pisa, train to Naples and fly back to NY.

I WendyW. I assume the villa in Tuscany is near Pisa. Have you checked into flying into Florence airport? Your open jaw flight makes sense to me so that you are not backtracking. Sounds like a wonderful vacation. Will you be picking up a rental car to get to your villa in Tuscany?

Thanks for your response. Yes, the villa is in Lucca and they indicated that the Pisa rail station was the closest to the area. We've arranged for transfers to the villa through the company we used - salogivillas.com. We were hoping not to need a car. Are you familiar with the best route from Lucca to Positano? Thanks in advance.

Hi Wendy W,

You've got some really long train rides if you stick to your current itinerary.
Pisa to Naples is easily about 4-5 hours, and I don't know if there's a change of train.


FLY into LONDON

FLY BRITISH AIR or one of the discount carriers ( check whichbudget.com to see who flies this route) to PISA

FLY from PISA to NAPLES

FLY from NAPLES to LONDON to NEW YORK ( there are no nonstops from Naples to NYC)

OR take EUROSTAR from NAPLES to ROME
(Naples is about an hour and a half drive from Positano, so you'd have to hire a private driver or take the bus to Sorrento, then train to Naples)

OR hire private driver from POSITANO to ROME, but this is very expensive. Two summers ago, it cost us $400.

Good luck, and post again if you have other questions!

I left out a line... Obviously, this would be my recommended itinerary for you. Good luck!

I promise this will be my last add-on. I just reread your post, and you say that you won't have a car? Unless you're right in town,or right on a very good bus route, I think you'll regret that decision. Lucca is in a pretty inaccessible area, and I don't think you're going to want to be stuck at your villa for the whole time.

Hi Wendy,
You definitely need a car. You should be able to pick one up at the Pisa train station.

Buon viaggio!

Thanks everyone for your great information. Maybe we should rethink the cities. We really want to experience the beach areas since we've all been to Rome. I'll check back to see what you think on the next go around.

Since you seem amenable to changing towns, can I suggest politely that you do it? I know others on the board will recommend Lucca, but I am not one of them. Out of a nearly 3-week trip to Italy last summer, I found it the most boring and least magical of all the cities and towns that we visited.

On the other hand, I never tire ( several trips later) of the Amalfi Coast and Rome. I would suggest, if it's not too late bookingwise, that you look into renting just outside Sorrento, or on the Amalfi Coast. Check previous posts here for rentals on the Amalfi Coast. Also check into the slow.trav website, which is an excellent overall resource for Italy.

Good luck!