I've been tasked with organizing a trip for my family to Italy. Maybe June? We'd like to visit Rome, Positano and Vasto. What do you recommend? Villa Rental or hotels? B&B's? Car rental or rely on train/taxi? Where to shop? Where to eat? Bars/clubs? Of course, reasonably priced...

Hi Pam,

You need to supply more details. Number in family? Who? Define "reasonable". How long? Then we can help.

The train station for Vasto is called Vasto-S.Salvo. You can get there by rail, it really depends on what you want to do. Pretty much everyone would recommend against having a car in Rome, and most would in Positano.

This looks like an interesting place in Vasto:
http://www.villamonteferrante.com/index.php?page=home

Hi PamG, are you thinking of 2007 or 2008? Italy is so popular with travellers and June is almost here so I hope you are trying to plan your trip for 2008 especially if you have several people going with you.

But I agree with Dayle in any case..more info is needed to even begin to offer any suggestions. And certainly you must define "reasonable". Italy is not the least expensive country to visit.

There is a wonderful agriturismo near positano that I have been to several times. It is on the cliffs of the amalfi coast and rooms overlook the sea. The website is www.agriturismoserafina.it or .com. It is run by a lovely little family and they grow/raise/make everything themselves. I think rates are about 50 Euro per person per night and that includes breakfast and dinner. This is a MUCH better value than you will get anywhere in Positano. Positano is very expensive now. For help with the rest of your stay contact www.wheninrometours.com. Highly recommended for tours and other trip planning.

Definitely give us the info such as budget, how many of you, etc.

But if you do mean June THIS year -- it is very, very late to begin planning. So let us know -- 2007 or 2008??

Yep a bit vague. I can tell you we loved Positano as it's a gorgeous seaside italian village. Loved it.
We used a great company for our transportation as we didn't want to drive the Amalfi Coast or pay for parking at hotels. www.benvenutolimos.com were awesome, reliable and affordable.

Yes, get going on supplying the details because it's already very very late to be planning a trip for a whole family at this point!

This was PamG's first and only post, and she hasn't returned. So she may have been a "drive by" and doesn't know how to find her way back . . . .

Unless she gives us more info I can't see we can help much.

I guess I don't know how to use this service. Thanks for the advice you did give. How do I change or delete my original question?

Hi Pam,

You can't change or delete.

Just continue on this thread.

If you lose your posts, click on your name.

Hi again Pam,

You need to start by giving us more infomation so we can help you. Answer the questions I asked you in my first reply.

You might want to start a new post and be very specific.

Are you going June 2007 or June 2008?
How many days exactly?
What family members are traveling? You, husband, children (ages?), grandma, grandpa?
Exactly what is your nightly lodging budget in dollars?
Do you plan to rent a car?

These are key factors you should know and share with us if you would like advice and suggestions.

I had hoped to plan the trip for June 07 but now I'm afraid I can't get it all done. Now I am thinking September 07. Avoid heat and crowds, but still comfy enough to sit on the beach. I am losing my vision and want to see Italy before I can't anymore. I want to plan the trip for my mother (50s) and sister (30s) and invite other family members to join if they want. I want to visit Rome for the history and art, Positano for the view and Vasto is my Grandmothers birth place. Let's start with hotels. Any suggestions? What price range should I budget for in the 3 - 4 star range (can't afford 5 star) THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE !

You sound pretty overwhelmed. You might actually benefit from the services of a travel consultant. Travel consultants work for an hourly fee, they do not get commissions. You can find several classified ads on the Slow Travel website. There are also several people who post here who are travel consultants, but Fodor's doesn't allow them to promote themselves.

It would be easier for people to help you if you told how long you anticipate your trip will be (10 days, 2 weeks, 3 weeks?), and your price range in $ rather than 3-4 stars, because there's too much variation in price, and your money will go a lot further in Vasto than in Rome or Positano. Do you want to stay in hotels, rent an apartment? Are you looking for triple rooms for just the 3 of you? Is Vasto just someplace to go for the day, or do you want to spend some time there?

I think it's fair to say that most people buy their airfare first, then figure out how to allocate their time once they have some idea of an itinerary. From your description of where you want to go, roundtrips to Rome would probably be the cheapest and make the most sense.

You can get from Rome to Vasto, or Rome to Positano fairly easily on public transport. The hardest thing logistically for your trip, assuming you are taking public transportation, is to get to Vasto-S.Salvo to Salerno (near Positano) or vice versa. If you look on www.trenitalia you will see that the journey involves (from Vasto) a rail journey to Termoli, switching to a train to Campobasso, and a bus from Campobasso run by the FS rail to Salerno, then a bus or taxi to Positano. Either way, that's a fairly difficult day.

Hi Pam,

I suggest flying into Naples for your visit to the AC.

There is bus service from NAP to Sorrento: www.curreriviaggi.it

You can take the SITA bus to Positano or have a driver take you.

I can highly recommend www.lesirene.com in Praiano - abt 6km E of Positano on both the SITA (Sorrento to Salerno) and Orange (Praiano to Positano) bus lines.

Salerno does seem to be the best departure point if you are using the train.

You can take the very scenic ferry ride from Positano to Salerno (ferry docks are 3 blks from the train station) and return from Salerno on the SITA bus.

You might want to consider having a driver for the day, however.

We were pleased with Limousine Service Sorrento (Renato Cuomo)
www.cuomonet.it

Also consider Francesco. http://www.francescomarrapese.com/

From Praiano, I suggest going to Salerno and taking the train to Rome. You don't have to contend with hauling your luggage on the Circumvesuviana to Naples.

Fly home from Rome.

See www.kayak.com for airfare.

Enjoy your visit.

Thanks Again. I'll look into airfare first and then solidify some dates with Mom and Sis and then check back in this weekend. This website will probably save my trip. Ya'll are the BEST!