Hey, all:

I am headed to Tuscany for the first time in May and have a question about travel within Italy.

My overall trip looks like this: Flying into Rome, spending 7 days in a villa in Citta della Pieve with friends, then solo to the Amalfi Coast (Praiano) for three nights, back to Rome for a night, then flying out the next morning.

We all have transportation to the villa, but it's the post-trip where I'm looking for suggestions. What would be the best way to get from Citta della Pieve to Praiano? Rent a car? Train? Driver?

I'm assuming going back to Rome from Praiano would be best by train. Does that sound right?

On another subject (maybe should be another thread), I'd love some advice on where to stay in Rome for my one night there. I'll only have an afternoon and a morning in Rome, and I'd like to make the most of it.

Thanks for any suggestions! Really looking forward to this trip. I just want to be sure I get to where I'm going.

The most economical way to get from CdP to Praiano would involve several steps and take 6+ hours. Taxi to the Chiusi-Chianciano train station (20 minutes), train to Naples Centrale (fastest train is 3:19 hours, one connection), commuter train to Sorrento (another hour), SITA bus to Praiano (about another hour), taxi or walk to hotel.

You could probably drive to Praiano in about 5.5 hours, but the overall journey would likely take longer because you'd have to go to Chiusi to pick up the car and go through the rental process. You would have no use for the car in Praiano, and you'd want lodging that has parking. It would be a one-way rental, so you should investigate a potential surcharge. You could drop the car at Sorrento, Salerno, Naples or drive it to Rome. If you're a first-time driver in Italy, I don't recommend dropping the car in Naples.

A private driver would be very expensive as you'd be paying for a round-trip drive.

However you go, it sounds like a lot of effort for 3 nights/2 days. Have you considered staying somewhere other than Praiano? Even Sorrento would improve the logistics and give you good transportation to the AC towns, Capri, Pompeii, Naples... If it was my trip, I'd rent a car at Chiusi and use the extra days to explore Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio.

I landed on Praiano because I found a hotel I liked there, but Sorrento sounds like a really good idea. We're going to explore a lot of Tuscany during our week at the villa, so I thought a taste of the coast would be a nice follow-up. Thanks for the Sorrento suggestion.