stever

Ok, so we're getting closer to figuring out an itinerary for our Sept 9th 2006 trip for 3 weeks from DC to Italy. We decided to fly from Wash DC to Florence and stay for 4 nights (trying to get Il Vilino but haven't heard back yet) , maybe doing a daytrip to San Gimignano and Sienna from Florence. Then we're on to Tuscany for 3 nights, but where do we stay for about $150+ a night? Then on to Positano for 7 nights (just emailed Villa Rosa but haven't heard back yet). Last, Rome for 4 nights for free at the Westin Excelsior then home to Wash DC. Between Tuscany and Positano we'd have 2 free nights. Where do you suggest to stay? More nights in Tuscany? I've already done Sienna once so don't care to stay there. I've never been to the Amalfi Coast that area will all be new. Naples? Ravello? Capri? Sorrento? Amalfi?

I've already done Rome the last trip to Italy 7 years ago so 4 nights is enough there. The only thing I have to see there is The Pantheon - the one thing I missed last time.

Any advice would be helpful including a recommendation for Tuscany. We don't drink, so wineries are out.

Thanks again,
Steve R
Maryland

ira

Hi steve,

Naples is a much nicer city than it is given credit for.

See my trip report for details.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

stever

Ira - Ok, I just cut and pasted your trip report for notes to take to Italy, as many others have done I'm sure! Who needs Rick Steve's when I have "The Official Ira Report"

So, Naples??? It's the "must see place"? I ran it by my wife and she said... "uh... Naples? I don't know." I can talk her into anything, so if you thing "that's the place", I'll make it sound amazing. Why specifically would you choose Naples over all the other possibilities, and are we doing this trip in the right order... Florence, Tuscany, Naple maybe, Positano and then Rome.

Super appreciative,
Steve R

Pausanias

I'll let Ira sell you on Naples, which I agree is an underappreciated city.

"Ravello? Capri? Sorrento? Amalfi?"

You can visit these places as day trips from Positano, but of the four, you might want to stay for a night or two on Capri. The island only comes into its own when you're out of the center or at night when the day-trippers have gone home.

ira

Hi Steve,

A. Naples is on our way to Positano.

B. Naples has a beautiful waterfront and two very good museums

C. You can easily visit Mt Vesuvius, Pompeii and Paestum

D. They have the world's best pizza (with or without fries)

E. It is soooooooooooooo Italian. (Think Mastroianni and Loren)

See http://www.sorrentoinfo.com/surround...ples_italy.htm

stever

Ira - Another cut and paste job for me . I can sell the wife REAL easy on this now as she loves pizza. I'm tempted to do Capri instead as she LOVES the water, but for now, unless we change our mind, Naples it is. Ugly city be damned

Steve R

Pausanias

I left a line out of my previous post. I was going to say that seven days in Positano is a lot of time. You might want to take a night or two for Capri from there.

stever

Thanks Ira... so spend maybe 5 nights at Villa Rosa in Positano and 2 in Capri? Some people said Capri wasn't much more than a day trip, and others said you can't really "get" Capri in a day trip! My wife likes to pack and unpack as little as possible, but if it's worth staying there, what the heck! Any place you're recommend on Capri that's the same price point or a bit higher for Capri?

I REALLY appreciate you helping me with this. Last question, can we get to all these places from Florence to Tuscany to Naples to Positano to Rome via easily accessed train or bus? We will NOT rent a car in Italy! We just don't do that.

Steve R

ms_go

Steve - we spent almost two weeks in Capri, Positano and Naples last summer (albeit traveling with a 12 YO), including seven nights in Positano. You can also count us among the 'liked Naples' crowd.

You might get some ideas from our trip report:

http://www.onelittleworld.com/campania_1.html

Happy planning!

stever

Thanks ms Go: Your trip report is like a short, wonderful book, but I will read it in due time . It's fascinating what I read so far about Capri and look forward to checking out more of it soon. Would you then suggest we cut our Positano trip of 7 nights short by 2 nights at Villa Rosa to do Capri instead for 2 nights, or skip Naples and do Capri for 2 nights instead? I was kind of hoping to have a solid 7 nights in Positano for short day trips and hanging out, but I'll go with what you experts suggest.

Regards,
Steve R

stever

PS - I just looked at a map of Italy for the 1st time... is it better to fly into Florence- 4 nts, the do Tuscany 3- nts, then Rome- 4 nts, then Positano- 5 nts, Capri- 4 nts and fly out of Naples that last day but we're not going to stay in Naples?

OR

are original plans, which looks like a bit of back tracking to Rome is: fly into Florence- 4 nts, then do Tuscany- 3 nts, then go straight down to Positano-5 nts, Capri- 4 nts (we're skipping Naples now) and THEN go back up to Rome for the last 4 days and fly home?

Steve R

ira

Hi S,

If you have decide to skip Naples, I would go with your first route.

However, I think 2 nights on Capri will be sufficient.

>I was kind of hoping to have a solid 7 nights in Positano...<

Why not?

The SITA buses and the ferries make regular trips between Sorrento and Alerno, stopping just about everywhere in between.

You can get from Positano to Naples airport by taking the SiTA bus to Sorrento and the Curreri bus to the airport.

http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

You might find it more conveninet to hire a limo - about 100E - from your hotel to the terminal.

stever

As usual, Ira, thanks a million. Yeah, looking at the map shows me that going BACK to Rome after being in Positano doesn't make sense logistically. So you think only 2 nights in Capri is worthwhile? The only reason I changed it is after reading a bunch of "just back" reports from people staying at the La Minerva Hotel and saying that they liked it so much they added a night! We might just stay 3 instead of two, and come back from our trip a day later! It looks like heaven on Capri.

Last question, is it easily possible , that last morning, going from Capri to Naples to catch a 12 noon flight out of Naples? Or do we need to stay near the airport that last night to be near there? Basically, how long would it take to get from Capri to Naples airport?

So now the trip looks like this:
Fly into Florence for 4 nts, then Tuscany 3 nights, Rome 4 nts (free Stay through Starwood pts), Positano 7 nights, Capri 2 or 3 nights, and fly out of Naples that last day - travelling from Capri to Naples that last morning.

Steve R

Weadles

Stever,

I love Positano, but I think a week stay there is too long, even with a few day trips, unless you're content to take in the gorgeous scenery, sip wine, and do little else. Actually that sounds great to me, but my husband for instance, would be bored out of his mind!

So I would make a couple of itinerary changes which are:

Florence 4 nights
Tuscany 3 nights
Rome 4 nights
Capri 3 nights
Positano 4 nights
Sorrento 3 nights

Capri is definitely worth a 3-night stay. You have to figure that part of the first day is lost to travel and settling into your hotel, so you really only have about 2 1/2 days there at best, which seems about right to me.

Also, you do not want to spend the night before your flight home on Capri. There can be unexpected ferry/hydrofoil delays, and sometimes even cancellations due to weather. Not something you need to worry about the night before a flight.

By basing in Sorrento for a few days, you'll give yourself another city to experience ( wonderful old town to explore,gorgeous views from many of the hotels of the Bay of Naples, lovely marina where artists set up for the day) that is only 30 min by train from Pompeii, and more importantly, only about an hour or so drive from the airport in Naples.

Good luck, and have a great trip!

stever

Weadles: Brilliant Idea! I get totally bored too if I'm not seeing museums or happening places. I can relax for a day or two, but that's it. I just thought if we had 7 nts in Positano that we could do all those daytrips to Ravello one day, Pompeii another, etc, but if 7 is too many and Capri's that far from Sorrento, maybe we SHOULD cut it to 4 in Positano or 5 at the most, do 3 in Capri and the last 2 nights or 3 nights in Sorrento to be close to the airport.

Uh, do I send you a check for your travel services!?

So, 4 nts or 5 nts in Positano... that's the question. Then we'd be down to 2 nts in Sorrento if we did 5 in Positano. I thought Sorrento was the place with all those tourist buses? Guess I need to do more homework

Steve R

Weadles

Stever,

Sorrento is unfortunately the place with "all those tour buses", but quite honestly, Positano can be overrun with tourists too. That's just what happens when a place is popular! However, don't be totally put off. We've been to Sorrento a few times, and have always enjoyed our 3-4 days there. And, best of all, Sorrento has some of the most unbelievable pizza I've ever tasted in the old town at Luna!

Also, it's much easier to get to both Pompeii and Capri from Sorrento. Pompeii is about a 30 minute train ride door to door, and Capri is about 30 min. on the hydrofoil, a little longer on the regular ferry.

Because Sorrento has a deeper port than Positano, hydrofoils and ferries get cancelled less often than they do out of Positano. Of course you still have to worry if there's rough weather in the area.

For that reason, I'd still suggest going Rome-Capri by way of Sorrento, which has a lot easier port to manage than the one in Naples!

ira

Hi Stever,

I would visit Capri before Positano. You can't always sure about getting off Capri in bad weather.

You can take a cab from Naples train station to the docks and ferry to Capri.

> love Positano, but I think a week stay there is too long, even with a few day trips, unless you're content to take in the gorgeous scenery, sip wine, and do little else. <

Hmmmmmm, 7 days in Positano

1 Arrive, check in walk around a bit.
2 See Positano
3 Bus ride to Amalfi and back
4 Bus ride to Sorrento and train to
Naples
5 Bus ride to Sorrento and Pompeii
6 Ferry to Salerno and train to Paestum
Return by bus
7 Check out of hotel and go to airport

Weadles

Ira,

To each his or her own. I wasn't crazy about the buses up and down the coast since they were often way too overcrowded and sometimes not on schedule. Also, since it's easier to get to both Pompeii and Capri from Sorrento, it seems to make sense for Stever to base there a few days. Plus it's on the way for the trip home from Naples.

stever

Good stuff - Ira, are you saying then (I know, I'm thick...) go from Rome to Capri via Sorrento FIRST before Positano? So we spend our 3 nts in Capri, then 7 in Positano as our base? And about how long would it take to get to the Naples airport from Villa Rose in Positano our last day in town? We'd have to fly out of Naples to Munich at around 12 noon.

Weadles: We're still thinking about Sorrento, but Ira says that we could still get to Sorrento from Positano and maybe see a little bit on the way to Pompeii or other spots... I think we'd rather stay in Positano if we had the choice, even if it's less convenient base.

Hmmmm...

Steve R

ira

Hi Steve,

You can get to Capri from Naples or from Sorrento.

I think it would be easier for you to take the ferry from Naples rather than taking the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento and then the ferry to Naples.

>So we spend our 3 nts in Capri, then 7 in Positano as our base?

That's how I would do it. I wouldn't trust gtting from Capri to Naples airport the day I had to fly home.

>how long would it take to get to the Naples airport from Villa Rose in Positano

By car, about 1 hr. I would plan on 2, just in case. If you are leaving at 12:00, you want to be there at 10:00-10:30.