mohan

Which one should I choose weatherwise and budgetwise? I like everything about italy: art, history, wine, food and shopping.

sue & Jim

we spent a week in sorrento, the prices were excellent and the excursions were great. We went to Pompei, All along the amalfi (Positano, Amalfi) , Capri. Sorrento is charming, recommend you stay near the old part of town. There is a wonderful old English style hotel right on the cliff overlooking the harbor where the cruise ships come in. We did not see much of Naples but what we did see we really didn't care for and we really love Italy and the Italians. We were there in June and the weather was quite pleasnt, but don't know much about March. Have a great trip

Barbara

The Amalfi Coast is certainly paradise, but if weather and budget are your considerations, I would recommend Sicily. Prices are very high along the Amalfi Coast, but, since Sicily is less touristed, there are great bargains everywhere. I would fly into Palermo and have a rental car waiting - cheaper if arranged ahead of time from the US. Sicily is already quite warm at that time of year and thousands of wild flowers are blooming everywhere. Palermo is exotic and colorful, Cefalu a fascinating ancient town with pleasant beach resorts just outside the town proper, Taormina a spectacular and romantic mountaintop town, Siracusa breathtaking, full of antiquities, good restaurants and, on Ortygia, one of the most lively outdoor markets you could ever experience. Agrigento has more complete Greek ruins than Greece itself, and central Sicily is filled with captivating villages and small towns. Get a good guide book, choose accomodations from Karen Brown's guide, and pick up a copy of Fred Plotkin's Italy for the Gourmet Traveler. You'll have a spectacular trip.

wendy

I love Naples - it was my favorite city in after a month in Italy. Naples is chaotic, vibrant, warm, cheap great food, cool shopping, gorgeous men. Naples was pretty much what I expected Italy to be. It's also a really good base for day trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Capri.

mohan

Thankyou for sharing your great experiences. I have decided to go to Naples/amalfi coast this time. Barbara, I have printed out your message on sicily, thankyou so much, it makes alot of sense. I was not able to find the Karen Brown's book. Where can I find it? Would anyone give me some tips on budget accomodation both in Naples and amalfi coast?

joedy

Hi! I just moved to Naples a month ago and I love it. If you will be staying here for a short while I also recommend Naples because you can easily make a day trip farther South. If the weather is not favorable, there is still SOOO much to do in Naples. Last Saturday i almost stayed home because it was pouring rain. After midnight my friends convinced me to go out. We got to a nightclub at 1:15am in the pouring rain and it was PACKED!! Naples is a former world capital and there is so much history and madly chaotic fun. If you prefer a quieter time, you can hop a cheap ($8) train to Sorrento and be there in 30 minutes.