ASomoza

Hi everyone-

My husband and I will be traveling to Italy in July (busiest season it seems) for a wedding in Matera. We used miles and so are flying directly from Miami to Milan, arriving Friday, July 18th in the morning. The wedding festivities do not begin until Wednesday, July 23rd, so we want to see two or three places in the Amalfi Coast area, making our way to Bari (apparently the only way to get to Matera besides driving is via Bari on the local train).

The places that most interest us are Capri, Positano and Ravello. Any recommendations on how many nights we should stay in each, hotels, itineraries, or places along the way you recommend over these 3 I mentioned? We are open to only seeing two places and taking the extra time to relax and enjoy each as much as possible.

Thank you!

jamikins

You are flying into Milan in the far north and have 5 days to see Amalfi coast in the south and get to matera. This really doesn't make sense logistically. Can you fly to naples from Milan? Then you can get to the Amalfi coast area...?

ASomoza

No, it's not ideal at all, but like I mentioned we are using miles and that limited our choices of flights and travel dates. We were planning to fly or take the train to Naples from Milan, but not sure if it is worth staying in Naples, or moving on immediately to one of the other locations.

kja

I believe you can travel to Matera from Salerno by bus. At least, I did so a few years back. I love Naples; not everyone does. With only 5 days for the Amalfi Coast, you'll have to be selective.

An alternative would be to visit Puglia, although you would also have to be selective there.

bvlenci

You might want to head straight to the Amalfi coast on arrival. You can get a direct train to Naples from Milan central station, which will take about 4 hours and 15 minutes. Depending on where you'll be staying, you might want to change trains there and go to Salerno, where you can get buses to Amalfi or towns near there. On the other hand, if you want to stay in Positano, it's easier to get there from Naples. Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast, but it's a good base for visiting the Coast, but also for boats to Capri and trains to Pompeii (if you're interested).

I can't find any buses from Salerno to Matera. I think the only thing to do is to go to Bari, which is a long trip. From Salerno, it would be about six hours, changing trains in Potenza. From Naples, it would be a bit shorter, changing trains in Caserta. However, if you're staying on the Amalfi Coast, you'd first have to get to one of those cities. Depending on the schedules and where you're starting from, you might arrive in Bari too late to get to Matera the same day.

I think you should pick one central location, either in Sorrento or on the Amalfi Coast, and not try to split your time between two different places. Or you might want to choose another location altogether, although I can't think of any that would be equivalent to the Amalfi Coast and easier to get to. For trains to Bari, Rome would be the best location; there are direct trains that take a little less than 4 hours.

Any seaside location will be very busy in July.

isabel

From Salerno to Matera is only a 2 and a half hour drive, from Sorrento, just over 3hr (according to google maps, I haven't done it yet, we are doing that drive just a week before you are). It seems like going via Bari is waaaay longer. I would either keep looking for some bus or train connection that would work better or else rent a car, even if just for one day. I've found when looking for bus or train connections you have to be creative - don't just put in your start and end cities. Look at a map and try putting in cities in between. You'll have to change trains obviously but you might not have to go way out of your way. On the other hand, we are looking at the best way to get back to Rome from Puglia and it does look like train travel is quite limited compared to northern Italy. We were thinking of turning in the car and taking the train back but now I guess we are going to just keep the car till Rome.

For the beginning of your trip I'd take a train from Milan (you'll be jet lagged anyway, might as well take a nap on the train) to Naples and change to the local train to Sorrento. It will be a long day but will get you all the way down there. I like Sorrento as a base for seeing Amalfi, Positano, Capri. We were there in July a few years ago and it was not terribly crowded (we got seats on the Amalfi Coast bus - and we took it a few times) and we are going again this July.

bobandberry

We use frequent flier points also and found Rome is one that is open usually to fly into. Also why not consider staying in Praiano, which is located between Positano and Amalfi. Usually a little cheaper in season and you can travel by bus to all the cities you mentioned. You can also take a boat from Praiano for the day to Capri. We have stayed in Positano, Capri and Praino is our favorite for a relaxing visit.

ekscrunchy

I would leave out Capri. With such a limited amount of time, I would stay in one hotel and make day trips, either by bus, ferry, or private car, to destinations along the mainland of the Amalfi Coast.

You really only have 3 full days, assuming the 18th and 22nd are travel days.

Bari is VERY out of the way. I would rent a car to drive to Matera, or try to find a train or bus to Ferrandina, from there you can go by taxi to Matera.

What is your hotel budget? In general, this is a very expensive area--among the most expensive in Italy, especially in high season which includes July.

If you want to see a beautiful resort town, which is MUCH less overrun by tourists than the places you mention, you can look at Maratea, which is closer to Matera. You can get there by train, and from there, head to Matera. It is under a 3-hour drive from Maratea to Matera.

I do not believe that there is a ferry from Praiano to Capri. There is one from Positano, and you could take a daytrip to the island.

Ravello is in the hills above the coast, so not as convenient as a base for traveling to other towns, but it still can be done. There are some great hotels there.

relmiss43

You could also base yourself in Matera for a couple of days. The Puglia/Matera area has many interesting places, and, there are tour companies (a couple in Matera) that offer one day tours.
I spent 7 days in the region, and, it was not enough.
I think taking the train (or possibly flying) from Milan to Bari would be the easiest way to get there.
I would really recommend renting a car for the flexibility.
If you do decide to fly into Bari, there is a regional tourist office in the terminal where you will be able to get maps and other valuable information.

ASomoza

Thank you all so much - this is very helpful. We actually do have 5 full days (the 17th and 26th are travel days), and we will already be in Matera for the wedding we are attending from the 23rd to the 25th, so I think that will be enough for us. I am seeing that Sorrento is a good base, or am considering staying in Positano and taking day trips to Capri and Amalfi from there.

Our goal is to relax and enjoy the food and sights...I will definitely look into Praiano.

Also, it seems from your comments it may be easier to drive to Matera directly instead of trying to get to Bari and take a train from there. A 3-4 hour drive is fine with us.

Thanks again!