kimberly3

Hi, My 3 teens and I are going to take a trip to southern Italy for a week at the end of March. We have previously visited Northern and Central Italy and now want to explore the beauty of the Southern region. We will be flying in and out of Rome. Do you have any suggestions of where to visit? We love exploring and do not like the touristy areas. Thinking of Amalfi Coast, Capri, Salerno, Positino but open to suggestions. Thank you! Your comments/recommendations are greatly appreciated!

HappyTrvlr

Make sure you in lude a visit to Pompeii, easiest from Naples or Sorrento.

kimberly3

great. thank you! We will add that to the itinerary!

neckervd

"do not like the touristy areas. Thinking of Amalfi Coast, Capri, Positano"
All these places ARE extremely touristy.
Do you want to go just to the Naples area or to the deep South?
What are your interests: Greek temples and theatres, medieval cities and churches, baroque cities, caves, stunning landscapes....?

nytraveler

March is really too early for a beach resort. You can't go into the water, hotel pools will not be open and it could be rainy and chilly even walking on the bech. Also that early most ferries will not be running and even those to Capri may be cancelled due to bad wether/rough seas.

At that time of year I would be much more likely to go to Sicily - still not beach weather - but not dependent on ferries to get around.

StCirq

The places you mentioned are exactly the most touristed places in that part of Italy.

Depends on your interests, but south of Rome on the coast around Anzio, Sperlonga, Gaeta, Terrassina, and Finfa and some of the inland hilltop villages are fascinating - to me.

kimberly3

Hi, thank you all for your feedback.. it is greatly appreciated. I am just looking for an area to stay as a base and make day trips from there. good to know that the ferries may not be running during that time. I am glad I asked .. thanks again for your responses.

sandralist

Salerno is not one of the most touristed parts of Italy and if you want to go there, it can make a great base for exploring.

Blueeyedcod

Salerno is indeed a good place to base yourselves - unfortunately the ferries along the Amalfi Coast do not begin running until April so you'll miss that mode of transport. However the buses won't be crowded at that time of year.
Don't be overly concerned about 'touristy' as you're travelling before the season well and truly kicks in.
If you're travelling on March 25, 27, 28 this is Easter so be prepared for closures, however on the upside, there are some extraordinary processions to see such as this one on the very non-touristy island of Procida (one hour by ferry from Naples).

http://www.isoladiprocida.it/procida...day-procession

There are other Easter processions around the Sorrentine peninsula
http://www.sorrentoinfo.com/rites-of...-the-vesuvius/

The above link is a few years old but it gives some good background information and if you're in the area at Easter, your hotels will have current information.

I think Naples would be a good base - it has sea and land transport to Sorrento and Capri. Land transport by train to Pompeii and bus to Vesuvius. It has rich cultural sighs such as the Naples Archaeological Museum and unique natural beauty. It is definitely non-touristy and in March it will be you and the locals. Your teens will love the atmosphere as there are many young people out with their friends, chatting in cafes and lolling about on their parked motor bikes gossiping with their friends. This website has an abundance of information on Naples
http://www.napoliunplugged.com/

sandralist

There are many places to explore from Salerno that are not the touristy Amalfi coast, which is touristy. If you do not like touristy places, you will probably not like Capri or Sorrento. Also, if anyone in your crew is prone to motion sickness, the bus rides along the length of the Amalfi coast can be very nauseating. If you want to go to Pompei and Vesuvius, you can take the train from Salerno.

Naples is also a good destination, and really not touristy at all. It can either be a base or you can visit from Salerno by train.

sandralist

i meant to add that from Salerno you can also take the train to Paestum, and Vietri sul Mare.

It is easy to rent a car in Salerno and do even more exploring in the area, further down the coast and inland.

http://www.cntraveller.com/guides/eu.../where-to-stay

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...-cilento-coast

http://www.italythisway.com/places/salerno.php

Blueeyedcod

The Amalfi Coast is not one great big tourist Disney theme park despite what others may lead you to believe. It has three very popular villages - Ravello, Amalfi and Positano. You've expressed an interest in Positano and in March it is just coming back to life after its winter 'hibernation' so won't be busy. I know this because I have family there and visit Positano at all times of the year. Take a look at this website for information on the whole coast.
http://www.positano.com/


There are other villages on the Amalfi Coast that see next to no visitors and life goes on as it has done for decades - Minori, Scala, Cetara, Atrani, Furore... If you choose to stay in Salerno and rent a car, the traffic is bearable enough to drive yourself on a day trip and seek out these seldom visited villages should you wish. The above link is also helpful for this kind of day trip. I would only recommend a rental car from the Salerno end. This little video shows a glimpse of the road conditions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f81xdCtwdC4

kimberly3

Thank you everyone for your wonderful and helpful feedback! I am using it all to plan a trip with my kids next month. thanks again!