southern italy -need itinerary
 

We are trying to organize a trip to include the Almalfi coast, Sorrento,Pompeii.. Does anyone have any recommendations for itineraries and hotels. We would like to go in Sept or Oct. We will have about 8 or 9 days to work with. If possible we would like to go back to Florence too. Thanks.

Who is in your party and is everybody healthy and an adult? Do you want to see Naples? Where are you coming from? What is your budget?

In short, people would need more information about you and your priorities to give you advice.

Are you looking for a beach/resort vacation (water not really swimmable in Oct) or hiking or history or what?

the area you're talking about is quite small - but without more into it;s hard to make any sort of recos.

And by the way - this isn;t really southern Italy - more in the middle.

yes we are an active couple in good shape. No we don't want a beach resort but would like to see the hisotrial sites. Some hiking ok. We were told that Naples is unsafe so no we don't want to stay there. We are thinking of going to sicily. How is the best way to get there? Budget is fairly open.

You could easily spend 8 or 9 days on Sicily alone. It is full of superb historical sites and has some excellent beaches. (I have been in Southern Italy in October several times, and have always swam - there has never been a problem with water temperatures).

I think Naples as dangerous is a little exagerated, and it has a reputation that I think is undeserved. I am not pretending there is no crime, but whether you are in more danger there than in most major cities is debatable if you take normal sensible precautions.

While the Amalfi coast itself is stunning, staying in Amalfi or Positano is slightly more restrictive in terms of transport. Sorrento is a popular base from where you can use public transport to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples . Other places you may wish to consider visiting are the Greek temple complex at Paestum and the "Versaille like" palace at Caserta.

Greetings. We just got back from Europe trip that included 9 days in the Sorrento area. We looked at Sorrento as a good base from which to explore the area. I'll include a day by day summary below, but in general we had our best days out of Sorrento as there are so many tourists in town that it was distracting. There are lots of opportunities to see tons of good things in the area and to swim and hike and eat but you have to work to get some authentic Italy.

Day 1: flew into Naples and had driver take us to apartment. Apartment was in Marina Grande with awesome view. Marina Grande is less touristy and is a working little fishing harbor -- a good place to stay.

Day 2: looked for swimming hole just west of Sorrento but ended up in Puolo instead. Went to Massa Lubrense for Sagra di Limone and to watch world cup final in main piazza with crazed fans. Highlight of trip. Had to hitchhike back to Sorrento.

Day 3: Amalfi Coast day. Easy bus ride to Positano, walked around a little. Rented a zodiak and spent four hours poking around the coast, swimming and taking pictures. Got out at Amalfi for granita and short visit. Another highlight day.

Day 4: Open day for family to sun, bathe, shop while I went to airport to look for lost luggage

Day 5: Pompeii. Easy but hot train ride to Pompeii. Hooked up with a mediocre guide...recommend private guide known to be good. Pompeii is amazing.

Day 6: Open day for kids. Parents trained up to Naples to archeological museum...worth a visit but not as amazing as expected. Trained back down to Vico Equense and walked around. GREAT town with history and tons of good restaurants. Would have been a nice base.

Day 7: Easy hydrofoil to Capri. Took quick taxi to Capri centro and walked around. Visited Giardino di Augosto (worthwhile) then found an out of the way restaurant (Belsitu) with good view and pizza. Then bused down to Marina Piccola (not too busy) and rented boat again to drive through beautiful grotti and natural arcs. Another highlight.

Day 8: Rented car in town, drove through hills above Vico Equense to see little farms and villas, then down to Paestum. Paestum is magical and interesting. Down rest of way to wonderful little hilltown, Castellabate, which reminds us of other parts of Italy we have enjoyed so much (warm, friendly, authentic). Stay in wonderful old fashioned hotel (albergo di castello).

Day 9: Hang around Castellabate, soak in local festival and views, then drive up to hotel near Fiumicino. Fly out next day.

We liked having an apartment because we like to cook and eat breakfast in. Good luck!

tennisjan,

If you go to Sicily you will need to rent a car and 8 or 9 days would really make for a rushed tour of Sicily with little relaxtion. Most people think two to three weeks is the minimum. I would stick to planning for the Amalfi/Naples area. (Palermo has the exact same reputation as Napoli, by the way.)

If you are interested in history, you should allow ample time for Pompeii and Naples. The city of Napoli away from the train station is not unsafe, although you have to take precautions against pickpockets and purse thieves. I am surprised by the above report that the archeological museum is Naples didn't impress somebody. It's always hard to predict what some people will find interesting, but the mosaics housed in the archeological museum are some of the finest artworks in any museum in Europe -- counting the Louvre, the Rijksmuseum, the Uffizi and the Prado -- so most people find them amazing.

If you like to hike, staying in Positano and walking in the hills is both beautiful and gets you away from the worst of the the tourist throngs.

You might consider dividing your time between Sorrento (in order to simplify your visits to Pompeii and Napoli) and Positano to enjoy the outdoors.

I would not include Firenze on this trip. The art and architecture of Firenze is astonishingly rich.

oops -- hit the button to soon.

I meant to write: The art and architecture of Firenze is astonishingly rich, but so is the art and architecture of Napoli, and its layers of history are extraordinary.