Yes, I think I'll ditch Ischia. There'll be enough to keep us occupied. :)

"is the trip up Vesuvius worth it or is it better to just see it from afar?" -- I don't know, as I didn't go to Vesuvius. I had just visited Mt. Etna a week before and didn't think it would be sufficiently different to justify the use of my very limited time in the area. But that means that I can't say what I would have thought had I gone -- sorry!

You could have mentioned the sea-sickness earlier.....

madl - my italian teacher does from Ischia and from what I have learnt from her, it's worth spending far more than a night or two; clearly lots of italians think so too as they flock there in the summer.

although some here don't seem to like it much, Sorrento is a good base as it's reasonably easy to get from there to a number of places, and it's quite a nice place to be in the evenings too.

Sorry appia, I was trying to be brave about my sea sickness :) I think under one hour should be ok. That's why I want to go to Capri from Sorrento - it's shorter. I think boats trips that don't go too far out into the open sea are ok.

Yes, I think Ischia merits a longer stay for its health benefits so I'll keep that for a girls weekend sometime or other. Hmm... another trip to KIV.

I'll split our time between the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento and end off in Naples for easy access to the airport. And we'll do Vesuvius for the heck of it.

Can't wait.

Thanks everyone!

I think you're much less likely to get seasick on a hydrofoil than on a conventional ferry. They're stable and enclosed. I don't like them because I like to go out on deck, but they are much faster.

I was on a hydrofoil once coming back in heavy seas from Ostende to Dover, and though I didn't get sea-sick, [unusual for me] hearing the propeller screaming in the air was a little disconcerting, as was the chap in front having a panic attack. You certainly wouldn't have wanted to go out on deck on that trip, Fra D!

But you couldn't argue that it wasn't stable.