One last question regarding Amalfi Coast....
 

I leave Capri on a Tuesday morning in September and wanted to visit Pompeii on Wednesday. My flight out of Italy is on Thursday at noon from Naples.

My original plan was to get off the ferry from Capri in Sorrento and check-in to a hotel near the ferry. Jump on the train to Pompeii, spend the day in Pompeii, train back to Sorrento for the night.

The next morning, hire a driver to get us to the airport in Naples (probably leave around 8:30am? (I always prefer being early as opposed to risking missing a flight).

Is this a good plan? Would I be better off staying near Pompeii or taking the ferry from Capri directly to Naples.

The thought of being in Naples, based on some readings, scares my wife.

What (in your opinion) is the best course of action?

Thanks!

No - I think the idea of staying in Sorrento is a good one. Not sure about a hotel right near the ferry - the only one I know is quite upscale and the others I saw nearby were too. But I'm sure there are plenty of options not far away. Definitely better than staying in Naples. Sorrento is somewhat touristy - but cute and safe.

Naples is as safe as Sorrento, and perhaps a thousand times more interesting. But it is chaotic, and it frightens many people, and if your wife is already scared, she is not likely to be reassured by the poverty she encounters. However, do remember that the Archeological museum in Napoli houses many of the single most important artifacts saved from ruin in Pompeii, and it is a pity to miss it if you are keenly interested in these artifacts.

The train that goes between Sorrento and Pompeii is notorious for pickpockets, so mind your valuables.

If you are going to Pompeii between April and November, carry water and sun protection.

Thank you both for your input!

"zeppole" -great name!! Brings me back to the good old days of hanging out at the Feast of San Gennaro back in New York City!! Not many zeppoles out here in CA!

The hotel in Sorrento right near the ferry is
Hotel Il Faro in case you decide to stay as you planned.

Yes, Sorrento makes good sense. Just be sure that you get off at the POMPEII SCAVI stop and not the downtown stop.

Thanks again!! My planning is complete, hotels booked, etc.

If anybody can tell me where the Mozzarella Farm near Salerno is located, that would be great! For some reason, I am fascinated by this!! haha

Fresh Mozzarella is to die for!! Fiore's Deli in Hoboken, NJ made the best ever! Unfortunately, they closed a few years back.

Thanks!

Pavlov's dog

Nevermind! (seek and you shall find!)

I found it...the cheese that is!

Was I in the Sorrento twilight zone? Twice?

I hated that place. There were Vespas everywhere traveling at the speed of light. I was almost mowed down on 3 different occasion in a few hour period.

Positano is for me.

Hi MPhil - No need to go to the expense of a taxi to Naples airport.

There is a Shuttle Bus service direct from Sorrento to Capodichino.
Fare: € 10.00

For details/times see:
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

Hope this helps ...

Steve

regarding jetsetj's somewhat tingue in cheek comment on Sorrento, I'd like to say that I have been in and around Sorrento many many times, and only once have I ever seen an accident involving a Vespa. That was a collision in which a car driven by a tourist couple failed to stop at a light up in Sant'agata and ran into a young man making a (legal) turn on his Vespa. The Vespa was badly damaged, the young man hit the pavement on his head and was bleeding but was much more concerned (and vocal) about the damaged Vespa, and the couple was unharmed. Vespa rider was taken to the hospital.

Thanks everybody!!

Thanks for saving me some money Steve!!

Phil:

Just to make things more complicated, I will bring up the idea that you do not have to limit yourself to Sorrento itself. You can get both the train to Pompeii and the airport bus from the other towns near Sorrento. I am looking myself at the area for a couple of days, and have found that hotel prices seem to be better away from central Sorrento. And there seem to be better eating possibilities, too.

You might take a quick look at Sant Agnello, for example, which may be less overwhelmingly touristy than Sorrento itself, but still offer the views, and the travel connections...

You can take a look at the thread about Sant Agnello and Vico if this interests you at all..


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nt-agnello.cfm



From the Washington Post:





"After Naples, we drove south about half an hour around the Gulf of Naples, in the shadow of Vesuvius, to the Sorrento Peninsula. We were shocked at how the ugly, dirty sprawl seemed to engulf everything, and then were shocked again when the mess disappeared at the mountain tunnels outside the town of Sorrento. It gave way to well-kept resort towns and to olive and lemon groves that fell down the hillsides to a clear blue sea.

We spent a few days in one resort, Vico Equense, perched on a cliff about 100 feet above the Mediterranean. Rather than the busloads of tourists that crowd into Sorrento 15 minutes to the west, Vico has the charm of a real town, enlivened in the off-season by about 20,000 locals.

Vico also happens to be one of the best spots on the peninsula to eat. A central meeting point is Da Gigino, Pizza al Metro, not just a pizzeria but the self-proclaimed "University of Pizza." The Dell'Amura family's place indeed looks from the outside like a concrete institutional building. Inside, it's one of the world's largest pizzerias, decorated with '60s-era bamboo light fixtures. At the peak of summer, the place packs up to 1,600 diners onto two floors and an outdoor terrace shaded by wisteria. Dozens of waiters in white shirts, vests and red bowties roam the place with dessert carts and antipasto trolleys filled with grilled artichokes and eggplant and marinated anchovies and salmon.

But the real specialty of Pizza al Metro is, as the name indicates, pizza by the meter. More than 40 kinds of pizza are served, as varied as unadorned basics and pies topped with clams or french fries. A meter-long pizza serves five, according to the menu. The rectangular pies (two-meter versions are also available) are baked in four wood-fired ovens and wheeled to the table.
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Another must-see, well-preserved '60s-era classic is Gelateria Latteria Gabriele......"

Phil: You may already know about this place, but just in case you are not able to go to the mozzarella places near Salerno, there is this caseficio in Piano di Sorrento; I have not visited but it looks good on the website:

http://www.caseificiomichelangelo.com/tasting.php

Thanks again, ekscrunchy!!!

The information you provide here should earn you sainthood!! haha

bellastar..

I too was amazed that their wasnt car and body parts everywhere with the crazy driving :)

Seriously I just couldnt understand why they had to go at such a high rate of speed through crowded areas.
It just didnt make any sense.

Hi jetsetj,
re
"Seriously I just couldnt understand why they had to go at such a high rate of speed through crowded areas.
It just didnt make any sense."

A) Because they are born to it.
B) It's not supposed to make sense! You are on Italy time, in the vicinity of Napoli. This renders such questions mute. :)