Rome to Sicily help needed
 

We are 2 couples in our early 70’s couples planning a trip to Italy this fall. We’d like to fly in & out of Rome. Since we’ve all been to mid & northern Italy before we’d like to focus on southern Italy from Naples going south & ending up in Sicily, fly from Palermo back to Rome to fly home. Since we’ve all been to Rome I’m not sure if we’ll want time there before or after. We plan to travel by train & not rent a car. We are thinking app 3 weeks, but may need more. I’m thinking a minimum of 10 days in Sicily., but that only gives us 11 days to fill in Naples & down the coast. FYI, we’ve been to Pompeii Sorrento & Capri. I’d really like to get some feedback on where to go along the way to get down to Reggio Calabria. Positano, Salerno, Tropea? Also, thoughts on Sicily.

I am a huge fan of Sicily, and I would be inclined to spend all your time there. If not, I believe there is an overnight ferry from Naples. There is, of course, a train, but it takes for ever and I found it got boring.

My rather dated TR for Sicily: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...sicily-367548/

There are both day trains and sleeper trains from Rome and Naples to Palermo, Catania & Siracuse, book at www.Trenitalia.com. There are great coastal views as the train runs along the coast towards the toe of Italy. The highlight is the unique experience of the train going onto the ferry to cross the Straits of Messina, one of the few places in the whole world where trains go onto ships. See https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-ro...-to-sicily.htm

There are overnight ferries from Civitaveccia, Naples and Salerno to Palermo too.

Our plan is starting to come together, but with some big holes. Since we fly into Rome we’ll spend 2 nts there. We may stay in Naples for 2 nts. Then train to Minori to spend 3 or 4 nts there exploring Amalfi, Positano, etc. The next part is where I’m stumped. We might want to end up in Tropea for a couple of nts and/or Reggio Calabria before going to Sicily. Again, we are moving around via trains. We have a total of 22 days flying in & out of Rome. We’re planning to have 9 nts in Sicily. We thought about Bari or Matera, but getting down to the tip of Calabria isn’t an easy train ride. Any suggestions between Minori & Tropea area?

Bari or Matera? do you want to go to Calabria or to Apulia?
Neither 2 nights in Rome nor 2 nights in Naples will be enough for a somewhat serious short visit.
Sicily has much more to offer than Tropea or Reggio. And 9 nts there aren't by far not enough anyway for Sicily.

I checked out the ferry from Salerno to Palermo. The general consensus is we’d prefer taking the train (app 5 hrs) from Minori to Reggio Calabria & ferry over to Sicily, overnight stay only if needed. The5 hrs on the train would allow us to see the coastline & have time to relax & recoup. It isn’t possible to combine Bari & Matera with this itinerary. By eliminating a stay in Tropea it will give us extra nts in Sicily. We are ok with 2 nts in Rome & 1 the nt before we fly home. We’ll probably add another day onto Naples making it 3. I plan to read thursdaysd trip report soon!

Have you considered flying open jaw, into Rome and out of Palermo?

We’ll fly from Palermo to Rome.

Sicily needs at least two weeks to explore the highlights.

[QUOTE=progol;17343289]<<Since we fly into Rome we’ll spend 2 nts there. We may stay in Naples for 2 nts. Then train to Minori to spend 3 or 4 nts there exploring Amalfi, Positano, etc>>


I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but there is no train to Minori. To get to Minori, you would need to take the train to Salerno, where you would change for a bus (or ferry) to Minori. And again, to get the train to Reggio Calabria, you would first need to get back to Salerno to get the train.

Thanks progol, we knew we could get to Salerno by train but hadn’t worked out the particulars of getting to Minori from there. Once we have more firm plans we’ll begin to it workout the particulars. Have you been to either Salerno or Minori?

fluff224, you can either take the bus or ferry from Salerno. We’ll be staying 4 nights in Atrani end April and want to take the ferry from Salerno. I believe the views of the cliffs and towns from the water is stunning, so that’s what we want to do. Your hotel should be able to give you more precise information.

Thanks, geetika! The views from the ferry sound very appealing. I’m definitely checking the ferry option out!

fluff224,
geetika is right - you can take the ferry from Salerno or the bus to Minori. The ferry is a very pleasant ride, too.

(geetika - where will you be staying in Atrani? You do know how much I love that town, don’t you?)

We stayed in Atrani in 2019 and again this past fall. On the first trip, we took the ferry from Amalfi (next door to Atrani) to Salerno, where we picked up a car and returned it, taking the train to Rome from there. This past fall, we were in Puglia and Basilicata, returning a car in Salerno, and going on to Atrani. We had planned to take the ferry, but there were strong winds and the ferries were canceled, so we had to take the bus. Between the 2, the ferry is so much nicer!

So to answer your question, we’ve been through Salerno a couple of times, a large city for the region, and a transportation hub. We didn’t stay there or explore it.

On our more recent trip, we took a walk from the town of Maiori to Minori, so enjoyed a few hours in the latter. It’s a very pleasant town, with a small but lovely waterfront, an attractive Basilica, and a very underappreciated and poorly maintained Roman villa in the middle of town! The town is a comfortable size, not too big but enough restaurants and shops to keep one busy, without being an overwhelming tourist town. It feels like a very lived-in town.

I have 2 trip reports which you might be interested in seeing - be prepared - they have a lot of photos!
Part 2 of our 2019 trip:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-rome-1676335/

Part 2 of our 2021 trip:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...italy-1704062/

Rome and Naples both need more time, two days is not near enough.

progol, we’ll be staying 4 nights at an Airbnb in Atrani, the apartment is minutes from the beach with sea facing balconies. Our hosts says no film crews are expected when we’re in town, so am hoping for some quiet and a relaxing few days after a busy schedule in Sicily.

geetika, I think our second visit was just the luck of the draw with the film shoot. Atrani is definitely film-worthy. I’m sure you will love it! It’s such a charming town and the central piazza is small but lovely.

A train ride from Salerno (railway station for Minori) to Villa San Giovanni (ferry port for local ferry to Messina) takes less than 3 1/2 jrs.

It looks like our trip is taking form. We booked our airfare when we saw a reasonable price knowing that flights will likely go up due to high gas prices. I realize several commented that 2 nts in Rome isn’t enough. This is our 3rd time to Rome so we are comfortable with our decision.
Rome 2 nts + 1 before return flight home
Naples 3 nts
Minori 4 nts
Reggio Calabria 2 nts
Taromina 4 nts
Palermo 5 nts

i will look at train schedules from Rome to Naples & Naples to Salerno
Ferry from Salerno to Minori
Ferry or taxi from Minori back to Salerno
Train from Salerno to Reggio Calabria
Train/ferry from RC to Messina
Train Messina to Taromina
Train Taromina to Palermo
Fly Palermo to Rome

We enjoy traveling by trains & find it a good time to relax & regroup.I enjoy researching the train schedules! As of today we now have all our lodging booked. Next is the fun part of booking guides, food tours, winery tours, etc! We need to go back & watch Stanley Tucci In Search of Italy for more inspiration. Rick Steve’s videos are a great resource as well. Getting me excited! Is it too early to plan my clothes for late Sept/early October?? Half the fun is obsessing over clothing choices!