Myself, my hubby and our 10 year old son will be going to Italy June 22-July 8th, 2012. I am trying to get our itinerary set to start looking at places to stay. This is our list of "like to see/do" for the southern portion of our trip.

Caserta Palace/Gardens
Cumae
Baia Arch Park
Cave of the Sybil
Phelgrean Fields/Solfatara
Pompeii
Herculaneum
Vesuvius
Hike the Path of the Gods
Sorrento
Amalfi
Positano
Paestum

How many days should we allow to see these places at a busy but doable pace? I am thinking 5-6 nights in the area. Is that reasonable? We will also be doing a few days in Tuscany and a few in Rome.

For this southern section, should we stay in 2 different places? One north of Naples, and one on the Amalfi coast? What city/cities should we look at staying in?

We are thinking about renting a car for this portion of our trip to avoid the train/bus issues. Is this a bad choice? Is there free or inexpensive parking available in these areas? I read on the forum that parking in Positano is 25 Euros per night and that there are no cars in Positano. That has me concerned about the car rental. However, I think we need a car to see the places on our list around Cumae.

Thanks so much for any guidance you can provide. We really appreciate it. This will be our first time in Italy. My son is a Mythology Nut and my hubby teaches HS Earth Science so that is why our list of sights is what it is.

Where will you be basing yourselves? You would find a car useful getting to many of these places on your own time schedule (especially if your son and hubby really get intrigued someplace). Sorrento is often used as a base, and I believe it is easier to find places to park the car there. If I recall - but someone else is more likely to know for sure - Paestum is more southerly and you might like to stay someplace closer to that location for a southern base. You can use the bus to travel to Amalfi and Positano, and even to a dock to catch a ferry to visit Capri, and save your car for trips up into the mountains and to Pompeii, Paestium and some of the other sites.

> How many days should we allow to see these places at a busy but doable pace? I am thinking 5-6 nights in the area.

I've only been to about 1/2 the places on your list, but I think your plan may be a bit too ambitious. I could easily be wrong, but I would guess that visiting these sites at a "busy but doable pace" would take closer to 8 or 9 days. Maybe others with more experience in the area will chime in.

BTW, given your interest in Pompeii and Herculaneum, you might consider stopping in Naples for a few hours to see its wonderful archeology museum.

Hi K,

>Caserta Palace/Gardens - about 1/2 day
Cumae - n/a
Baia Arch Park - n/a
Cave of the Sybil - n/a
Phelgrean Fields/Solfatara - n/a
Pompeii - no less than 1/2 day
Herculaneum - no less than 1/2 day
Vesuvius - no less than 1/2 day
Hike the Path of the Gods - getting to and from as well as the walk, at least 6 hr
Sorrento - no less than a day
Amalfi - at least 6 hr
Positano - at least 6 hr
Paestum - getting to and from and seeing the site is almost a full day

This is not exactly - "la dolce far niente"

PS,

If you base in Amalfi, you can take the bus or ferry to Positano, Sorrento and Salerno.

There are trains from both Salerno and Sorrento to Naples.

You can get to Paestum by train from Salerno.

I don't recommend a car.