Sept of 2018 a group of us, ranging from 10-15, all except 1 are in our 60s. We are thinking of starting our trip in Sicily for approx. 7 days. We'd then like to go to Capri for 2 or 3 days followed by another 3 days in Amalfi Coast area. The trip should in in Rome for 3 days.
I'd like some advise in planning the trip... is the order of the trip good? Is 7 days in Sicily enough time to see the whole island? I understand that the Amalfi Coast can be very expensive this time of year... any suggestions as to where we should stay to see the most of the area. What are the highlights of the coast that we should make daytrips to?
Any ideas you'd like to share on how to organize this trip is greatly appreciated.

Hi bocabroker,

well to answer your major question, no, 7 days is not long enough to see the whole island, unless you are happy just to see two or three bits of it. It's big island - last September DH and I spent 10 days there and we only saw some of the east. So you would have to decide whether you do a lot of touring about, and just get an over-view, or stay in one place and do day trips. And I would add that with a group of 10-15 people, moving about is going to be a large logistical problem, unless you have someone organising you.

So I would suggest finding an area of Sicily that you are interested in, finding a large villa, and using that as a base for a week. Others may have ideas about where such a base should be. It needs to be easily accessible to whatever airport you are going to be flying into and out of - which in Sicily means Palermo or Catania.

Then on the Amalfi, I would again suggest not breaking up the trip into Capri and the Amalfi, but picking one place, and using that as a base.

As annhig notes, 7 days is not enough for even the highlights of Sicily, although you can see a few of those highlights if that’s your preference. If so, I would recommend that you focus on just want part of the island (e.g., the east or the west).

Your time on the Amalfi Coast and Rome is also quite limited IMO – are you sure you can see the things you want in the time you have? Particularly with a group so large, I think your plan is ambitious.

I would strongly encourage you to spend some time with a few good guidebooks and consult rome2rio.com to get a sense of how you would get from place to place and how long that will take.

Good luck!

Logistically I would go directly to Capri (fly to Rome or Naples, head to the ferry docks, head to Capri).

From Capri, either fly or take the ferry from Salerno to Sicily, and then return to the Amalfi coast (either fly or take the ferry to Salerno). There is no doubt about it that the Amalfi is a luxury destination. If you are willing to stay in someplace like Sorrento or the coastal towns closer to Salermo (like Vietri sul Mare) and day trip to the more famous towns it can cut the costs.

Personally I think staying in Palermo in Sicily gives your group the most options for variety in Sicilian experiences. People can take a day trip to Cefalu and Monreale using public transportation, and you could arrange for a van to take you to one of the Greek temple sites. In addition Palermo itself is filled with wonderful variety. If you work with an agency like Visit Palermo they can find the right kind of accommodations (maybe several apartments?) plus help arrange interesting tours.

Also, if you haven't already done this, ask your questions on the Tripadvisor forum for Sicily, where several residents of Sicily give outstanding detailed advice for making short trips to Siciliy with groups a success.

my post may have been misleading: You can fly from Napoli to Sicily year round, and it might be possible in summer to fly from Salerno to Sicily.

Also it occurs to me that it migth be possible to take a ferry from Napoli to Sicily, not just Salerno.

Yes, there are ferries from Sicily to / from Naples. Check the rome2rio site I linked in above.