Italy - one week florence to amalfi coast
 

Hi all

Mind boggling amount of information on here....looking for some help on what to do/where to stay on my trip.

I am going to a wedding near Siena then a friend and I plan to be in Florence Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning, drive to Amalfi coast and stay there until Friday then stay one night in Cassino so nearer Rome airport to drop the car and then fly out around midday Saturday. All in late April/early May.

Does this sound like a sensible split of time?

Would be great to get some advice on the second part in particular - would Vico Equense be a good place to stay? The plan would be to split time between Pompeii, Vesuvius and seeing the Amalfi coast. From what I've read of Sorrento it doesn't really grab me and given we have a car I'm treating Naples as out(!) plus less convenient for the Amalfi coast anyway. We'll probably airbnb or equivalent as don't want to spend too much on accommodation, would prefer to spend my money on delicious food and wine!

Is Cassino a good place to stay nearer Rome airport?

Any ideas on potentially more hidden gem type things to see/do in Florence/Amalfi or on the way down between the two?

thanks in advance for any advice/thoughts

My first thought is rather than drive from Florence, take the high speed train to Naples, then take the commuter train to Sorrento and pick up your car there. Be aware that parking spots are tight, so get the smallest car possible, also make sure your accommodation on the Amalfi coast has parking included.
Some people will tell you not to have a car on the Amalfi but we enjoyed the freedom it gave us. Just make sure whoever is driving is a calm driver with good spatial judgement, the roads are narrow and winding with lots of traffic including large coaches and scooters weaving in and out of traffic.
We went to Pompeii from Sorrento on the train which was easy, however we used the car to go to Paestum which we liked better than Pompeii. Paestum has a good museum but the best bit are the Greek temples still standing there after all these years. If you have time you can stop at one of the farms where they raise buffalo and you can buy fresh buffalo mozzarella.
It was also handy to have the car to drive up to Ravello which was one of our favourite spots, our BandB host called it the balcony of the world and indeed the view from up there is spectacular.
I would pick one place to stay for this trip and do your day trips from there.
Personally I would drop the car in Sorrento at the end and take the high speed train from Naples to Rome and spend the last night in Rome.
Are you looking for hotel recommendations for Florence, if so, what's your price point? Also do you want restaurant, shopping, sight seeing recommendations for Florence?

Hi. Thanks for your response. Very helpful and definitely interested in restaurant and site seeing tips for Florence! For accommodation trying to keep it cheap and spend money on the food and experiences. With car we will need one to give us freedom for the wedding which is in the middle of nowhere so seems easier to hang on to it down to sorrento. Although leaving it there and having one night in rome is definitely appealing.

Anyone have experience of vico equense? Is this an easier place to be based to give flexibility?

thx

Have you considered ditching the car before you reach the Amalfi Coast? It is unlikely to be an advantage there, and the driver can’t really appreciate the magnificent scenery as the road will demand ALL of his or her attention.

Whether it’s a sensible split of time depends on your interests – I would want far more time in these places than you are alloting to them; YMMV.

I would get rid of the car as soon as you can and use the train to go down to the Amalfi coast. For me trains are fun and relaxing and are part of the joy of the journey.

Most of the main tourist sights in Florence are not open every Sunday and Monday.

>>>I am going to a wedding near Siena then a friend and I plan to be in Florence Saturday afternoon to Tuesday morning<<<

Are you flying into Florence and picking up the car there? I assume you need the car for Siena, but you aren't allowed to drive in Florence which means you have to park it outside the ZTL and rates run about 40€ per day. Even small hill towns have ZTL. Learn the traffic signs to avoid expensive tickets. I'm not sure what you plan to do in Florence, but many museums close there on Monday. I assume you know you need an IDP.

Can you give us a better idea of where the wedding is (we might have better itinerary suggestions and transport options)? Drop the car as soon as the wedding part is over. Take the train from Florence to Naples as mentioned above and then the on to the coast. I'm curious why Vico Equense would "grab" you and not Sorrento? To me, it seems less convenient for things you want to do and not really much to offer.

The local train between Sorrento and Naples has stops in Vico Equense and Pompeii (you can grab the bus there to Vesuvius) so you really wouldn't have to use the car for those portions (entrance to Pompeii is right across the street from the train station). For the Amalfi coast, parking can be an issue (some places it's difficult). Depending on traffic, you might find you have to fold your mirrors in as the roads can get tight with tour buses and you have to squeeze by. You may have to back up a good distance on the curvy roads when the traffic gets like that .

There's also the option of taking the ferry on the coast.

>>>Is Cassino a good place to stay nearer Rome airport?<<<

No. Traffic around Rome can be terrible at times (like any major city). Stay in Rome (and no, you can't drive in the center there either because of ZTL). Take a taxi to the airport (48€ set fee) or the train 14€.

Thanks for your responses. I'm keen to keep the car as, although I normally travel light, we will have wedding clobber as well as the normal kit so seems easiest not be lugging this around on public transport and gives us more flexibility if we want to go off the beaten track a bit. I was thinking of staying outside the ZTL in florence and then can take a bus ride in.

I read that the museums alternate so some close Sunday and some on Monday? In any case Tuesday 1st May is also a holiday in Italy so assume that will impact some things too, hence seems the best day to travel south.

I'm planning on picking the car up from Perugia airport, the wedding is about an hour's drive east of Siena and I expect we will visit Siena in the three days before we head to Florence.

The appeal of Vico Equense was purely that it seemed less touristy and more geographically convenient for getting to pompeii and amalfi coast, but maybe it doesn't make that much difference?

I think ditching the car and heading to Rome for the last night certainly seems to make sense so thanks for that advice.

Hi again. Re: your question about Vico Equense, I think Sorrento would be more convenient for the things you want to do. You can take the train to Pompeii from Sorrento (it's a quick journey and easy). We enjoyed Sorrento, it is a pleasant place and convenient as a jumping off point for other sight seeing.

Since you want to keep the car, I am recommending Villa Olmi in Bagno a Ripoli which is just a few miles outside Florence. Not sure if it is your price point but have a look. We stayed there once when we had a car; free parking and they run a shuttle back and forth into Florence. Breakfast included. We enjoyed staying there, it is a lovely setting, perfect for relaxing after being in Florence sight seeing all day, lovely garden and there is a pool, although I'm not sure it will be open on your dates.

Are you interested in wine tours?

How was your trip? Did you stay in Vico Equense? If so, how did you like it? Any recommendations? I plan to stay there this Fall - Can't want! :-)

with but 2 total posts don't think OP will be back to check.

hi. Had an amazing time. Decided less is more in italy and was the right decision. We had 3 nights in florence, 3 nights in sorrento then dumped the car took the train and spent 3 nights in rome. On the drive between florence and sorrento we stopped at chiusi (montepulciano was blocked off) and calcata. Stayed in airbnbs that had parking and survived driving the amalfi coast :) Let me know if you want any more info.

wow- everytime you post you number of posts below your screen name never changes? Glad you are still around.