I like the suggestions that zeppole gave, and I agree that you should hire a car service to take you directly to the Amalfi Coast so you don't have to be bothered with parking and other charges.

I know several members suggested making your way to Venice by public transit (particularly the train), but why not hire a car for the travel? Since you mentioned that you're adventurous and like to explore, hiring car service with the right company would still allow you to stop and go as you please and take in more of the route. A train would be more direct and potentially crowded (especially in peak season) and would not offer you the opportunity to explore as you might like.

Hiring car service is not always as expensive as people make it seem, so I'd at least do the research and look into it if I were you. It's an option to be able to take in more of the scenery as you'd like without having to do the driving and worry about parking etc. yourselves.

So, Teacher, after all of this, are you just thinking about staying home---LOL.

"Hiring car service is not always as expensive as people make it seem..." I researched Rome to Umbertide for my boss earlier this year, and the cost (even to this wealthy man) bordered on the ridiculous, as I recall something like $800 before gratuity. Granted, it was a (small) luxury car, but the cost included the driver's return trip to Rome by himself. Rome to Umbertide is 250 km. Positano to Venice is nearly 800 km.

That's been my experience in researching, too, Jean.

I'm guessing TiberLimoRome has a vested interested in promoting the idea, though.

Well, it's not a "bad" idea, just a really expensive one, and you never know what someone might be willing to do/spend.

LOL, I can not believe the amount of wonderful advice everyone has given. Sorry if I came off a bit stronger than my wife who originally posted. We read the reviews and decided to put off the trip. Personally I travel differently probably than most. The weird thing about the postings that truly puzzles me is the questions about suitecases. You guys actually travel with a wife that doesnt pack everything for a ten day trip out of the country? Honestly, they don't bring a giant suitcase with multiple changes of clothes for each day? I think that's a bit funny. We went to Tahiti and probably used everything we brought an outfit for travel, swim, dinner, and lounging each day. I could have lived in my bathing suit but you certainly need to change. I just thought that was funny. I don't mind driving or traffic either. We live near NYC and the NJ shore. Any place we go is traffic. And you want to talk about hard driving, look up Tahiti roads. They are all on steep cliffs with no room to pass or rails to stop u from going off the side and thousands of feet down a mountain, while driving a 5 speed and trying to make k turns. I guess you guys are right in many ways, but I would have gone despite all the advice. I have never been to Europe so I can not argue any of the points, but I will say that if I landed and there was traffic I'd go with the flow and enjoy what I saw. If a place was closed Id go to the next one that was open and would probably enjoy myself just as well. Parking if there is none, find it and pay. I guess you guys dont go to NYC much, parking garages rape you. And thats after sitting in traffic to get through one of the tunnels or bridges for an hour or so. The heat no biggy, like I said we did Bora Bora. We are going somewhere else, but I honestly would have made lemonaide out of lemons and enjoyed whatever came my way. Remember though that's me. Wen I was 21 I flew to Southern Cali. Rented a car went to Mexico then back up the coast to Hollywood, then to San Fran and back town to LAX. I didn't care what I saw or where the road took me. That's just how I like it. My wife has learned that the road less traveled often offers unexpected beauty. I wish I could post some of the pics from our trips. Thanks again to everyone you guys are certainly well traveled and smart. I am beyond impressed.

Wait... so did you cancel the trip?
Tina

teacher4

Good post. I hope you didn't cancel your trip because of what you read here.

"And you want to talk about hard driving, look up Tahiti roads. They are all on steep cliffs with no room to pass or rails to stop u from going off the side and thousands of feet down a mountain, while driving a 5 speed and trying to make k turns"

Teacher it isn't the state of the roads - Italy along with the rest of Europe has an extremely good road system. The issue as posters have mentioned above - is simply the volume of people.

The WHOLE of Italy closes in August - I do business with them and it is a nightmare if deliveries don't leave the country by mid-July then you are not going to get them by early September.

This total holiday leaves the roads absolutely full - we have spent 6 hours in August on trips that would have been 1 hour in May. We once queued from Florence to Livorno - look at google maps on size that one up. What people are syaing is that Italy in August is a nightmare of biblical proportions.

To put a bit of perspective on markrosy's over-the-top fulminations parading as travel advice, he posted on Fodor's at the beginning of this year:

"I think after our Sicily trip I definitely realise that I have become an anglo saxon insular - our local environment isn't multi-cultural and probably think that our lack of diverse travel has left me certainly a little less tolerant ie don't think it has taught me much."

Yep!

teacher4,

I live in Italy, having been raised in California and the last house I owned was in New Jersey, the last place I lived in the US was Manhattan. Traffic on the NJ shore or the FDR is not like traffic in and around the Amalfi coast. And you do not find parking lots or structures where you so long as you pay a lot, you can park. They don't exist.

I am sure you could have handled it, but I have no idea why someone who has bombed over back roads in Bora Bora is using travel agenices in New Jersey to plan a trip to Italy, especially such conventional destinations. You say your wife has come to appreciate the road less traveled. Did you or she imagine Positano or Venice fits that description?

If you want to drive a car in Italy in August -- which can be a lovely thing to do -- skip the places you've heard of, like Florence or Venice or the Amalfi coast -- and head for ones you haven't. Italy isn't like New Jersey, or even SoCal, where nice places are hundreds of miles apart. Americans like to go where everybody else goes (and don't know enough not to), but Italy has beautiful roads everywhere, beautiful towns everywhere, beautiful experiences everywhere. You don't need a travel agent.

Well, I don't mean to pile on about the suitcases, but I'm a woman who travels quite easily for 2-3 weeks with everything I need in a 22" rolling suitcase plus a small bag. I do laundry during the trip, underwear and minor stuff in the bathroom sink in my hotel room and other stuff through the hotel's laundry service. In my younger, more tight-wad days I'd find a self-service or one-day laundromat. All of the clothes I take mix/match/layer; I usually wear everything I take and usually more than once or twice.

I'm sorry if comments here caused you to cancel your trip, but honestly everything said was to help you have a more enjoyable time. I think August is a particularly difficult month to have a good time in many places in Europe because of the weather and crowds.

Ummm - correct me if I'm totally wrong, but is the OP sulky and mocking us because he didn't absolutely want to be saved from a spoiled holiday by us? If so, shouldn't we perhaps stop posting anything else on this forum than "your plan is the greatest ever posted on Fodor's - please go on with it, we are certainly not the ones who can advise you"?

The OP is probably finished with this thread, but I want to make this point. DH is from NYC. DD has lived in Manhattan the last twenty years. So we've made hundreds of trips there over the years. The OP talks about waiting for hours to get through the tunnels or bridges in NY, and how he just deals with it. That is absolutely true when you are commuting or have to go there on a specific day and have no choice.

The advice on this board is not about daily life with the misery of commuting, etc. with no alternative. It is about making one's vacation trip as enjoyable and stress free as possible. Advice against driving on the AC in August is not really about driving. It is advice about alternatives that would allow the OP more time to "Be" on the AC, sitting with a glass of wine and enjoying the views, rather than sitting in a car in traffic (which he can obviously do at home).

Also, taking trains around most of Italy is a lot easier and simpler than most areas of the US.

One last note: I am a "wife" and take one 22" to 24" suitcase, max. DH usually takes a bigger suitcase than I do. The OP thinks it is funny that someone would travel with so few clothes. Well, I find it really funny that any one would take so much stuff, they would need to rent a car to transport it. I certainly would not plan on storing it in the car.

Thanks again everyone. No, we didn't cancel because of the advice here. We just decided on another destination a bit closer this time in case of a family emergency. You guys were all great. We booked Bermuda instead. We decided to do a stay put vaca again rather than travel. Honestly, I appreciated everyones advice. You guys really know your stuff. Between us, lol, since my wife isnt here right now I wanted Fijii, we were going to italy to see her heritage. I prefer tropical and swimming with fish. So this trip worked out. Maybe Fijii next. I honestly don't think anywhere in the world can compare to Moorea or Bora Bora. But Bermuda here we come. Thanks again for all the advice.

To Jean who responded to my earlier comment...the price of hiring a private car will vary between companies. You will certainly find some expensive ones out there, but you will also find some that are very reasonably priced. Again, it really depends on the specifics of someone's trip and how all of the transportation options compare. And also remember that what may or may not be expensive for one person, may be viewed in a different light by another person. The term "expensive" is relative to the traveler and the value they place on convenience and other factors.

Teacher, I hope that you enjoy your trip to Bermuda and that Italy will stay on your list for the future. In my opinion, the culture and everyday living is fascinating!

I know this thread is over - but just to hammer home the point - on vacation, I wouldn't suspect that anyone would want to be stuck in traffic in a car. I have no problem with driving, but where the OP was headed, it made NO sense to drive. I also couldn't imagine wasting the time to drive from the AC to Venice only having a total of 9 days to spend in Italy. Glad to see a post where EVERYONE agreed that the trip made no sense. I can't recall often when everyone was saying the same thing.