Hiring a Private Driver in Italy
 

Has anyone hired a driver/driving service in Italy to drive from one city to another when on a multiple city tour? We've rented a car before, but it was very expensive (with all th insurance that we were told was required) and then we really only used it to get to the various cities. Once we were there, the car just sat, costing us more money in parking. So, I'm looking into this option. We're planning a trip to Rome and then want to go to Amalfi and then back to Rome for the flight home.

Yes, I have done this several times on the same route. You can hire a driver to pick you up in Naples or Rome and drive you to your hotel on the Amalfi coast and hire them to drive you around. I usually take the train from Rome to Naples, have them pick me up and take me to Positano for about $125. On sightseeing days, I believe my driver charged apx. $35 hour. This May I am flying into Naples from Venice and will do the same. They will arrange a private guide for you at Pompeii, drive you to Paestum, the museum in Naples, Ravello (a must see and eat,) etc. I find that they take me to restaurants where the locals are found as well as some of the best food for reasonable prices. You can probably arrange it through your hotel on the Amalfi coast (they know they are difficult to reach.) On the last trip, I also used the bus service for a short day trip and it was great and very inexpensive. I would not drive. We have driven around Europe quite a bit, but do not drive those roads and there is no place to park in Positano where we like to stay. I hope this was of some help. Enjoy your trip. Kay

Rent the car! Get off the autostrada and discover things most tourists in their buses never see! Driving the Amalfi coast is particularly gratifying, and you won't feel like the meter is running. Get the car through autoeurope and it would be a lot cheaper than a driver, without the feeling that the meters running (if you can drive a stick, its even cheaper). Good luck and enjoy either way!