jaydreb5

Will I be able to rent an automatic car in Italy? Will I have a better chance at getting an automatic in one of the larger cities or towns?

How dangerous is it to drive along the Amalfi Coast? The tour books I've read indicate that it can be treacherous driving.

What is the best place to stay along the Amalfi Coast? I read Ravello is the nicest are in which to stay. True?

How far of a drive is it from Sorrento to Spoleto?

I read that Todi and Spoleto are supposed to be 2 of the most romantic towns in Italy. Anyone been there that can attest to that?

Can I base myself in Castilla in Chianti for exploring Montalcino and Montepulciano or is it too far away?

How many hours to drive from Spoleto to Siena or to Castilla in Chianti?

julieanne

I certainly don't have answers to all of your questions, but have a few. The driving on the Amalfi Coast is pretty treacherous. When my husband and I travelled there last year we didn't rent a car and taxi'd most places which proved to be quite expensive. There were buses; but extremely crowded! We based ourselves out of Sorrento and did daytrips to Pompeii, Ravello and Positano. Sorrento was a pretty large town compared to the others, which, depending on your preferences could be a positive or negative. Ravello was a BEAUTIFUL little village (You must dine at Cumpo Cosimo.) But I'm pretty sure that we would have gotten bored staying there. Contrary to most other's opinions, we were far less impressed with Positano than we anticipated. Were extremely impressed with Pompeii, and I'm usually not that interested in those types of attractions. But it is absolutlely incredible. Haven't been to the other towns you mentioned. Hope this helps a little.

ira

Hi jay,

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. The Coast Road is narrow, winding and gets clogged with traffic in season. If you actually want to see the views, it will be hard if you are driving.
4. Praiano. A small town about 6km E of Positano. We very much enjoyed our stay at the Le Sirene. www.lesirene.com
5. Some will agree, others won't.
6. See www.viamichelin.com and www.mappy.com.

Can't help with the others.

Mimar

"Will I be able to rent an automatic car in Italy? Will I have a better chance at getting an automatic in one of the larger cities or towns?"

Yes and possibly. Sometimes certain models are not available at smaller rental offices.

"How dangerous is it to drive along the Amalfi Coast? The tour books I've read indicate that it can be treacherous driving."

I don't know if I would use the word treacherous, but it certainly is difficult. Very narrow, very curving--and with Italian drivers. The driver will not be able to look at the view. We took a one-day guided bus tour along here from Sorrento. Because my husband's acrophobic, I sat in the window seat along the ocean side. And I got a bit bus-height-sick.

"What is the best place to stay along the Amalfi Coast? I read Ravello is the nicest are in which to stay. True?"

Ravello is very small and up high well away from the coast. It has great views. Whether that's best depends on you.

You need to investigate the online mapping programs, like www.mappy.com or www.maporama.com or the Michelin site. They will tell you how long it takes to drive between 2 points as well as the cost in fuel and tolls. They are invaluable for planning driving trips.

ahotpoet

One of the things that worked for me to get a free upgrade to automatic when I rented a car was to advise them that the chances of getting the car back in good condition increased if they gave me an automatic. As I say, "It worked for me!" :-"

jaydreb5

Thank you so much for the quick replies! We of course welcome more responses. I'm sure we'll also have more questions.

Melissa5

The best way to ENJOY the Amalfi coast drive is to have somebody else drive you. Then you can just sit back and relax. If you drive yourself, the driver won't enjoy anything, you can't take your eyes off the road.

We had a relaxing day-tour of the Amalfi coast/Positano/Praiano/Ravello area. After much consideration I booked the day-tour with Giovanni Benvenuto, and he came on-time and picked us up for our private day-tour in a nice air-considitioned mini-van. He was a careful drive and he was friendly and full of interesting stories. His grandfather used to be a fisherman at Praiano. This isn't cheap but it was money well-spent. www.benvenutolimos.com E-mail [email protected] It's a family business.

My cousin and his new wife drove the Amalfi coast themselves on their honeymoon and regretted doing the driving themselves!

there are buses but someone else will have to advise you about that. good luck!

Marilyn

One additional comment about renting an automatic: in my experience, it will cost you a LOT more than a manual shift.

Also, if you are going to do any searches on here, you should know that it is "Castellini," not "Castilla." (The fodors search function is sometimes extremely picky.)

Gree65

Actually, it's Castellina in chianti, unless there's a really small town in chianti named Castilla. I think it's too far to really enjoy Montalcino and Montepulciano. We have stayed ther twice this year at Squarcialupi, most recently two weeks ago, and it's a long drive. However, it's great for exploring Siena, San Gim, and Florence. I love Castellina and hope to return many more times!

I have no idea how far from Spoleto. Budman has been in this area quite a bit and can probably help.

buongiorno

Hi Jay

I think the rent car question has been well answered.

I found the drive along the Amalfi coast to be a piece of cake. I enjoy driving agressively like the Italians and found it to be no problem.

There's probably no bad answer as to best place to stay on the Amalfi coast. IMO Sorrento is a good spot. It may not be the #1 picturesque town but it's a little larger and I like it as a base because in the evening when you park the car from your day trips, there's a vibrant town to walk around and it's fairly flat and easy to navigate.

Sorrento to Spoleto, far + or - 4 hours.

I have not been to Todi but I have visited Spoleto and it is a very nice hill town. We stayed in Spello which we absolutely loved. I would check Spello!

You can base yourself in just about anywhere in Tuscany and have easy access to the Chianti region and Montalcino. We stayed in Siena and drove up the S222 through Chianti, had lunch and went down to Montalcino in the afternoon to ogle the Brunello.

Check Mappy.com for driving times.

Have a great trip. Hope this helped.

Dayle

Hi Jay,

We visited Deruta and Todi as a day trip from Orvieto. Todi was lovely! We walked to the top of town where there is a park with gardens and a beautiful, but austere, church.

We were there on a Sunday and there was a professional skateboarding event in the main piazza! We got a big kick out of seeing modern life with ancient buildings all around.

I would have liked to spend more time there, but there are many, many wonderful hill towns in Tuscany and Umbria. Todi is only one.

Marilyn

Thanks, Gree! I was too lazy to actually get out my Italian road map. quot;>

mgfit

I personallly would not want to drive the Amalfi Coast, but maybe you are more willing than I am. We drove from ROme through Chianti to Florence on our first trip to Italy and that was interesting....

We liked staying in Positano because it was a nice town and very centrally located. We did not visit Ravello which I heard is wonderful, but you have to take the bus from there and then the boat to many places. Positano was a 30 min ferry ride to Amalfi, 40 min to Capri and 30 min to Sorrento. We found it very convenient and loved staying there.

I don't know how long the drive from Sorrento to Spoleto is for sure, but by train it is 30 min from SOrrento to Naples. It is about 2 hours from Naples to Rome and another 45-60 min from Rome to Spoleto.

We stayed in Spoleto on our honeymoon for 2 nights. We liked it because it was much less touristy than other cities. We stayed at Hotel San Luca. It was right outside the city walls, but the hotel was charming and nice for the price. The service was very good. We had some of the best meals in all of Italy in Spoleto. We liked Il Tempio del Gusto the best. Charming little romantic restaurant that was highly recommended by the hotel. If you go to Spoleto, take the walk across the old/tall bridge towards the Castillo. The views of the bridge and the valley are amazing. We found the city quaint and like I said, there were not many tourists. It seemed more unspoiled than many cities in Italy. We also took an easy day trip by train to Assisi from there.

As far as the Tuscany part of your trip - I think a car is neccessary to enjoy the Chianti area. The driving is a bit crazy, but it was beautiful. We drove to several wineries and sampled some wines. Many of them require advanced reservations (FYI).

Good luck with your planning.

jaydreb5

Thanks again.

As to the car situation in Amalfi Coast area, what's the parking situation? Assuming I'm willing to drive down there (I like the personal freedom of travel), will I be able to park the car when I go to visit a town? We'll be going in mid-to-late September.

panucci

There is NO parking. Cars are bumper to bumper on the side of the road (if you are lucky). All have scratches and dents so get whatever insurance you can. We stayed in Praiano and loved it. The bus was between a 10 and 20 minute ride to all of the surrounding towns.

jaydreb5

We're still debating where to stay in the Amalfi Coast area. At first we were thinking Ravello, but now we're afraid it might not be the most convenient place for a base for day trips to the other towns and Pompeii.

How do the towns of Positano and Amalfi compare? Pros and cons? Any good accomodation recommendations? (We can probably go up to around $200-$250 per night)

Thanks!

ira

Hi jay,

I think that Sorrento is the best place to stay if you want easy access to Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum and the Archaeological Museum in Naples.

ritaly

I think the best way to get around AC is by bus or private driver, the road is quite tricky. Much more than any other roads I've been on. I love to drive everywhere in Italy, but that is one I wouldn't attempt. Actually we did try and had to turn around half way to Positano. As far as Spoleto, I stayed there two nights in Nov and really didn't enjoy it at all. Quite frankly, I just couldn't get into Umbria at all. The only place I'm really fond of is Orvieto. Todi is cute, but I'd take Southern Tuscany any time.

petsitter

We drove the Amalfi coast road in June 2003. I thought I would be petrified because I am afraid of heights. It was not nearly as bad as I imagined. My husband drove and he didn't mind at all. I did make sure we drove south to Salerno and drove up the coast so we were not on the outside lane.

tuscanlifeedit

Positano vs Amalfi: my choice would be Positano as I found it more romantic.

For 200 to 250 per night, try to get a room at the Poseidon. Might be possible in the upper range. I can't say enough about how I loved this hotel.