Amalfi coast - June 21'

I was suppose to be in Ravello this week, Covid canceled the trip. Is this your first time? My advice if you are only going for a week, would be to only go to two of those places. There is so much to see and do that there is no way you could do each for 2 days. If it was me I would spend 3 days in Rome and 4 in one town on the coast. Be sure to charter a boat for a day.

I would agree that splitting it up is going to be difficult. I would do 3 in Rome and 4 on the coast in one town. You could take the train from Rome to Sorento, get lunch and walk around Sorento, before heading on the ferry to Ravello and spend the 4 nights there. Use 1 of those days to take the bus to Positano, another day for a boat charter, and then 2 days to just relax.

For a slower pace, Praiano was great. Half of the restaurants face Positano, so you have amazing post card views at dinner every night. If you hike, there is one called pathway of the gods between Praiano and Positano. They also have less crowded beaches.

If shopping and people watching is your thing, Positano has the most action.

Amalfi was my least favorite town on the coast.

The buses are efficient to get from town to town, but get ready to be scared out of your mind.

We spent a week on the Amalfi Coast a few years ago. We based ourselves in Positano and took day trips to Capri, the Town of Amalfi and Ravello. Those places are easily accessible from Positano by ferry. I would do that rather than bounce around from hotel to hotel every other day. Positano is a beautiful place and there are some fantastic hotels and restaurants there. We stayed at the Villa Gabrisa, a small, family run B&B type of place. They have three rooms on the second floor with 24' x 24' terraces overlooking the Mediterranean. Gorgeous. The only reason it is not super expensive is that it is a little walk up the hill from the beach. From the Amalfi Coast, we took the train to Rome ( Napoli Centralle to Rome Termani)and stayed there for a few days. Wonderful trip. That will be the first place on my list to go back once all this stuff clears up.

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From Naples, I drove along the coast all the way to Ravello just to check off the bucket list but I wouldn't do that again. Next time I'd take a direct high speed train from Rome to Salerno (1 hour and 25 minutes), and then take a ferry to Amalfi.

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That is terrific advice. Driving to Amalfi from Rome is incredibly twisty and trafficked by tour buses and public transit buses....it can be harrowing, though the views are lovely. SS 163 is one of the only roads I’ve ever driven to make me carsick as a passenger or driver. And Naples Central train station is a madhouse. High speed train to Salerno then ferry is much more relaxing and congenial.

Also agree that you should choose a home base on the peninsula and stay there. Amalfi Coast is more about relaxing, dining, enjoying the view than it is a rush-to-see-the-next place destination. Aside from views, luxury (and not so luxury) hotels, restaurants, shops, and a few historic sites/ruins like the Roman villa in Maiori, it’s not packed with must see things. You’ll be close enough to Herculaneum and Pompeii to pick one for a day trip, or to stop there on your way back to Rome.

Consider cooking classes (there are a bunch of good ones in the area, including semi famous Mama Agata), hiking in the steep hills over the ridge to the next town, and leaving room in your carry on bags for some of the local ceramics. Cetara is famous for its colatura, the modern equivalent of the ancient Roman fish sauce condiment called garam. There are some decent local wines, too.

Do book a private guide and see Pompei . Do spend some time in Sorrento.

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heaven on earth, Le Sirenuse.

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I highly recommended Villa Gabrisa above, but if money is no object, stay at Le Sirenuse. We did not stay there but we spent so much time at the bars and restaurants there the staff thought we were regulars. Their flagship restaurant is La Sponda. It is (or was ) a Michelin 2 star and my wife, who is an expert on the subject, considers it the most romantic restaurant she has ever been to. The views of Positano and the Mediterranean from out of the windows are spectacular, and the place is lit, not with electricity but with 400 candles. The terrace bar may be my favorite bar anywhere.