Hello Fodorites,

I am returning to Italy in May 2023 after a thirteen year hiatus, this time with my adult children (daughter and son). We will replicating a similar trip I took in 2009 but starting in Sicily and ending in the Lake region. The planning is in the baby steps stages so I have many questions. Our potential itinerary is:
Sicily - 5 nights
Amalfi Coast - 4 nights
Rome - 4 nights
Florence - 2 nights
Venice - 3 nights
Lake Region - 2 nights
We are talking about renting a car in Sicily, then driving to the Amalfi Coast for the second leg of our trip, and perhaps even driving to Rome for the third. I know we don't necessarily need a car on the Coast but the convenience to head into Naples or Sorrento for the day is appealing. My concern is about staying in a place that will let us park the car. Does anyone know of lodgings that can accommodate vehicles in any towns there? Is it expensive to have a vehicle to park there?
Next - is it realistic to drive from Amalfi to Rome (we took the train last trip) and what would be fun places to stop along the way? We are not staying in Tuscany or Umbria this trip as my son has been, as have I.
I'm hoping to find lodgings in Trastevere for Rome and looking forward to going back there.
Never having been to Florence I am excited about visiting the City this trip. Any suggestions for only two nights stay? We will have one night to extend somewhere in the north. Venice will be fun again!
My next question would be with regard to the Lake Region. Lake Como or Lake Garda? I've heard wonderful things about both. This will be the last stop for la famiglia as the kids will return home and I will be newly retired and will continue onto the Liguria/Cinque Terre area on my own. My questions about that will be covered in a different thread.
Grazie tante'!

That is a long drive from Sicily to the Amalfi Coast. I did Naples to Siracusa by train, and the mainland section got very repetitive. Not sure where you are spending five nights on Sicily (which is super short), but I would fly to Naples and take the train back down to the AC. There is plenty of public transport in the AC area. I haven't been to Lake Garda, but I prefer Lake Maggiore and its islands to Lake Como.

It sounds like a lovely holiday. If it were me, I'd question whether it's worth going to Sicily for just 5 nights. It's a long journey and there's a lot to see in Sicily so I'd consider making that a separate venture. Instead I would put those 5 nights in a place between Amalfi coast and Venice (where I assume the kids flying home from?), possibly adding nights to the places you're already staying. You wouldn't need a car at all for this (and one would actually be a hindrance in most places).

I've only visited Amalfi coast once (in May for a week) but the roads were extremely busy and challenging. We didn't have a car but it seemed that parking would be very difficult. Transport along the coast was fine, although also busy. I've been to lake Como and lake Maggiore in fairly recent times and of the two, I preferred lake Como but both were lovely. It's decades since I visited lake Garda so can't really comment there. With your day in Florence, I'd pick one art museum, climb the Duomo campanile, walk up for early evening views over town, and otherwise just wander aimlessly.

Have a fabulous time.

Consider that you have 14 days for sightseeing with 7 days that is mostly or entirely travel that is tiresome and not particularly interesting or beautiful. It will also be costly in terms of car rentals, petrol and traffic. For me, that is not a great ratio. Only 5 days is very, very little time for Sicily, especially considering the extra travel time to get there and to get to the AC. I would definitely not rent a car for the long hauls. I might, however, rent one to travel around in Sicily

You will certainly see beautiful, beautiful coastlines in Sicily and gorgeous waterscape on the Amalfi Coast. Add in a Lake. Absolutely nothing wrong with water destinations if you wish that concentration on this trip. Might you, however, want more of Tuscany or the architecture of some smaller, walled towns and cities of Italy or some of the archeological sites like Pompeii? Just a thought.

I would either remove Sicily, save that time and the travel time between there and the mainland and add a bit of that time to each of the other destinations, or remove the lakes and add that time to Sicily.

A few things to consider:

A one-way car rental triggers a surcharge. It could be large.

The drive from, say, Palermo, to say, Positano, would take upwards of 10 hours, so you might want to spend a night somewhere in between. Which destination do you take that night from?

A traffic-reducing scheme was instituted on the Amalfi Coast road this year. Cars can be on the road only every other day based on license plate numbers (even on even-numbered days, etc.). I don't know if the scheme will be permanent or if it will only be enforced certain months of the year. It would be worth looking into this before deciding whether to have a car for these days. Generally, having a car on the AC is a PITA. You could return the car in Salerno and pick up another when you leave the AC, but you'd incur a second one-way surcharge.

There are many things to see when driving Naples to Rome, but if you want to make the drive in a single day you'd have to be very selective. Listing the more obvious: The palace at Caserta, the abbey at Montecassino, Anzio Beachhead, Ostia Antica, and the area called Castelli Romani. If you drove to Castel Gandolfo, you might arrive in time for lunch with a view of Lake Albano. If you wanted to linger, you could visit the Papal Palace and Gardens.

https://www.visitcastelliromani.it/en/

As you haven't been to Florence before, I think you're seriously short-changing your time there. You would need a carefully considered sightseeing plan with reservations for everything that offers them. If your time there falls on a Sunday and/or Monday, it's likely that not everything you hoped to see will be open. Regarding the lakes, reaching the top sights of either lake takes effort and time and then more effort and time to travel onward to the next destination. For a single day, and what if it rains? So, all things considered, I would forget the lake idea and add the nights to Florence.

Where are your children leaving you to fly home? Venice? While it might not be better for them, it would be better for you if you visited Venice after Rome, then Florence, and said ciao to the kids in Florence. Train times: Venice to the CT is 6+ hours, 4 connections. Florence to the CT is under 3 hours, 2 connections.

Hire car in Sicily. Leave it there. Use train elsewhere

Thank you, thursdaysd. This is what I need to know. I am of the mind to get wherever and spend more time there than getting there! Yes, I know 5 nights is short but my two kids can only take 3 weeks vacation. I will research Lake Maggiore as the recommendation I got from a coworker was for Lake Garda but I figured if I can glean info from folks that have traveled there I can make an informed decision.

dreamon - thank you. Yes, I realize that 5 nights are short for Sicily but my kids have parental history there and want to visit. We will stay mainly on the north coast from Palermo to Messina with day treks here and there. The kids thought to fly home from Milan as it is closer to the Lake Region. I will continue on to play and stay on my own from there.
Yes, from my memory, the Amalfi Coast was very busy with buses, cars, etc. and I'm not really a fan of driving there. Thank you for your input on the Lake Region and I really appreciate your recommendations for Florence!

Sassafrass - My son is the one who suggested we perhaps drive from Sicily to Amalfi. I agree with you and dreamon that it is not worth it! Around Sicily a car will be great but I truly don't see needing one elsewhere.

I have been to Pompeii (I did a report about Pompeii in elementary school!) and LOVE architecture however the two 30 something kids are not necessarily into the same. My son has been to Italy before when he was 16 but my daughter has never been so we are trying to glean the best places for her to visit and things that interest all. Thank you!

10-4 bilboburgler I'm with you!

Jean - yes, the charges for a one way rental can be costly plus I would prefer to just rent one for Sicily. I want to get wherever and enjoy time there.

Thank you for making me aware of the new traffic reducing scheme. It sure does not sound like we will want to drive the Amalfi Coast! The car idea is going back to the table as I think it more wise to train with the exception of Sicily.

I kind of though the Florence visit was a bit short and I really appreciate your suggestions to hit Venice first and then Florence (thank you for time and connection info!). The kids talked about flying home from the Milan airport as it is closest to the Lake Region. I think they are trying to stay with me wherever I want to go but perhaps the Lake Region can be tied in with another trip for them. I want to go to CT and the Liguria region to explore!

Thank you!

Info on my second visit to lake Maggiore: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...-on-an-island/

If flying home from Milan, there is a Alibus bus service between Stresa (and other places nearby) and Malpensa airport. It is recommended to book it in advance. I think it was 12euro pp when I took it. Timetables should be online.

I've been to Lake Garda and Lake Como, and of the two, I preferred Lake Garda. However, Lake Como is much nearer Malpensa Airport, if that's your departure airport.

As Jean says, there's lots to see between Naples and Rome, but I don't think you have time for any of it. I would leave the car somewhere when you get to the Amalfi Coast and use public transportation thereafter. You can visit other parts of the Amalfi Coast by boat. You would probably want a car service to get to Naples.

If you need a place to stay with car on Amalfi Coast, Booking.com has a feature which allows you to filter parking into the mix. And they have a huge inventory of hotels and private apts. Have fun planning!

We have been to the three major lakes, Maggiore, Como and Garda , multiple times. All of them are beautiful but the scenery is
different. Our favorite is Lake Como but you can’t go wrong choosing between any of the three.

If you go to Lake Garda, the upper part of the lake is more scenic, surrounded by mountains. You can take a cable car to the top of Monte Baldo, but there can be very long waits for the cars at busy times. It's best to go early or at lunch time.