In mid-November DH and I are looking to fly into and out of Rome and stay to the south of Italy where hopefully it's likely to be warmer (we will come back in the spring sometime to see the north!).

We will have 10 -11 days. The itinerary I am thinking of is to leave Rome immediately and head for the Amalfi Coast, either Sorrento or Positano and spend 3 or so nights there with a day trip to Pompeii, next to Sicily where I am thinking of 3 nights or so at Syracuse and then back to Rome to spend the last 4 or 5 nights in an apartment with some friends who will meet up with us at the end of their tour of the big 3 cities (V- F- R).

I think at this point my questions are centering on transportation. Ideally, I would prefer to hold off renting a car until we have to. I know we will be tired upon arrival at 7:45 am and so am thinking of going right from the airport to the train south to Naples and get a car there to drive to Sorrento or Positano, or should I wait to get a car until we have done our Pompeii thing and are ready to head further south... I'm assuming in the off season that parking in small towns won't be such a problem but is having a car best for seeing the AC? If not, another option would be to take a ferry to Sicily and rent a car there just for use on the island...I know we want nothing to do with a car once we are back in Rome.

There are so many places to go and things to see that it is mindboggling!!! I am finding some great options for lodging in the cities I mentioned. Will the AC look as pretty in mid-November as it does in all the summer pictures?

Amalfi is GREAT in winter but...no...very different than in Summer! it is actually not uncommon to see DONKEYS carrying goods on the road in Amalfi in winter...and you may be the only person in a resauraunt...but it's the BEST I think.

I have also never had a parking problem on the coast in Winter...Amalfi and Postiano are still busy...but I have always gotten street parking in Maiori...still...no need at ALL for a car there...you could get one in Sorrento when you leave...BUT...I have found that the car rentals are MUCH more expensive in Sorrento than the airports (Naples or Rome), so, sometimes, ti is easier/cheaper to get the are at the airport.

If you want to see Southern Italy, I would get a car (!) trains are REALLY, REALLY slow...and busses can be good, or bad...depending on the line ;-)

If your goal is to just get to Sicily, I would proabably just fly out of Naples to get there and then just fly back into Rome....lot of choices

Have a great trip!

Thanks so much for your comments Casa!!! Is it expensive to fly from Naples to Sicily? Would that be something to purchase through a local agent once we got there or ahead of time through my usual channels (Kayak,sidestep, etc)?

Will we be missing out on some nice scenery flying rather than driving?

Thanks again, I can't wait for this trip!!!!

> Ideally, I would prefer to hold off renting a car until we have to.

You don't need to rent a car at all - you could make this trip with public transportation!

Check out Windjet for flights to/from Naples and Sicily. We've just bought tickets from Paris to Catania for $150 round trip in late Oct/early Nov.

Hi Dm - Naples-Siracusa is a day's drive each way - so for just a 3-day visit it's much better to fly IMO.

For Naples-Catania flights check out Alpi Eagles and Air One.

www.alpieagles.com
www.flyairone.it

Do you plan to visit other places in Sicily besids Siracusa? That may decide whether you need a car or not, I think.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

If you decide to fly from Naples to Catania, the earlier you book online, the cheaper it will be.

I wouldn't bother with the Amalfi Coast in winter, I'd fly straight on to Sicily and spend the whole time there. With only 10 days I'd do something like this :-

- fly to Palermo, spend 3 nights
- hire car, drive to Agrigento for 1 nights
- drive to Siracusa (via Piazza Armerina) for 2 nights
- drive to Taormina for 4 nights (or drive to Catania airport, drop car, get bus to Taormina)
- fly back from Catania

Sorry, I've just realised your 10-11 includes your 4 days in Rome, so you only have 6-7 days for the south.

In that case I'd even more stronly recommend you stick to Sicily, but maybe just

- fly into Catania
- 3 nights in Siracusa
- 3 nights in Taormina
- fly back from Catania

Whether or not you need a car depends on whether you'll want to do day trips or stay at base. I wouldn't bother.

Thank you all for the suggestions! The air sites are a big help. I have found fairly reasonable flights from Rome and Naples to Catania.


Is the weather significantly warmer in Sicily in November? Is that why the advice to stick there for the entire time? (it's hard to judge from a table of min and max temperatures)

We would really like to visit Pompeii and so felt that several days at the Amalfi Coast would lend itself to this...

Thanks again for the help!!!

Aside from warmth being a consideration on the AC in November, you might want to think about rain. It might have been an anomoly but we hit alot of rain in late October.

November is generally one of the wettest months of the year.

But the rain - when it comes - is usually a short sharp downpour or thunderstorm rather than all day.

Go prepared ...

Steve

Sicily being further south, there's a better chance of good weather. Plus Sicily, esapecially Taormina, is more of a year round destination - much of the Amalfi Coast closes down in winter.

If Pompei is your only 'must do', you don't need to go to the Amalfi Coast. You could just get a train from Rome to Naples, see Pompei, then fly or train to Sicily.