What about the Cilentana Coast (Salerno/Campania?)
 

I have a ticket to and from Italy in the second half of October and want to make the most of it affordably. The first 3 days will be in Rome (where I spent a summer in the 60s), then I was thinking of taking the train to Venice for 2 days, driving in Tuscany for 2 days, taking the train to Naples, spending a night in Capri and one on the Amalfi Coast before settling in for a week at what looks like a very nice little studio apartment in Pisciotta overlooking the Palinuro Sea, not far from the Parco Nazionale del Cilento. Is anyone familiar with this area? It appears to be not far from the Amalfi Coast but still dramatic, and possibly less developed and more reasonably priced. Or is all that just wishful thinking on my part? <BR><BR>Also, any comments about the Flexi train-car packages - are they actually cheaper for my kind of trip, or only more convenient, and if the latter, is the difference worth it in October?<BR><BR>Lastly, is it safe? fun? advisable? to rent a motorbike in the Cilentana-Amalfi coast area? I loved riding one off-season on a small Greek Island, but I gather this might be quite a different experience. Should I try to rent a car for a couple of days there instead, or explore by bus?<BR><BR>Thanks for any comments - I love reading all the stories!<BR><BR>

The Cilento coast is lovely and the National park is too. I have been there only once for a few days, staying at "La Francesca" village in Scario, which is a lovely holyday village equipped with bungalows and a few rooms. There are two nearby beaches, the closest to the illage is quite dirty but the other is cleans and, although small, very scenic. There are more beaches nearby that can be reached by car. In this area you can't expect too many things to see except for a great wildlife, but the seaside os really worth visiting. On the otehr hand being the area less touristy than the Amalfi Coas, October could be a bit too late: tourism in the area end in September and you may find it hard to get a place to sleep.<BR><BR>http://www.lafrancesca.it<BR>http://www.parks.it/parco.nazionale....hotoindex.html (look in the "Italia" cathegory for the photos I took in Scario)

Thanks for your reply, Alice - enjoyed the photos. I'm wondering if Pisciotta and the Cilento Park aren't a little farther from the Amalfi Coast than they look on the map, on account of the curviness of the roads. Can you give me any idea how long it takes to drive from there to Salerno? And are the villages big enough for some good eating, or did you stay mostly in La Francesca? Train connections sounded good, but I'm beginning to get the feeling that I would need a car, which would add quite a bit to the price.<BR><BR>There is a place I can stay, but they don't accept cards & it's more complicated(and expensive) than I expected to wire a depost from the U.S. Does anyone have tips on that?

Thanks for your reply, Alice - enjoyed the photos. I'm wondering if Pisciotta and the Cilento Park aren't a little farther from the Amalfi Coast than they look on the map, on account of the curviness of the roads. Can you give me any idea how long it takes to drive from there to Salerno? And are the villages big enough for some good eating, or did you stay mostly in La Francesca? Train connections sounded good, but I'm beginning to get the feeling that I would need a car, which would add quite a bit to the price.<BR><BR>There is a place I can stay, but they don't accept cards & it's more complicated(and expensive) than I expected to wire a depost from the U.S. Does anyone have tips on that?

I have no idea on the lenghth of the drive: I do not drive at all, I have never learned to. In any case, Cilento is in the south part of Campania, where it touches Calabria and Basilicata. Quite a way south of Naples: I think that the train took some 90 minutes to get to Sapri when I went there.

I forgot: I stayed at La Francesca and cooked my own food; bungalows are equipped with a tiny kitchen and cooking implements.