Anyone been to Naples and Amalfi Coast ? Travel advice.

[miraclesrule]

We stayed in a very nice hotel in Rome and were utterly surprised that the price included a gorgeous, tasty, fresh breakfast on amazing china and beautiful stemware. It was just so unexpected and the staff was divine. It is three short blocks, really short, from St. Peters Square. A very cheap taxi (Mercedes, all of the taxis) ride to the main attractions i.e. Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain...

A pair of their complimentary shower flip flops still sit in my closet with their logo. [urlhttp://www.hotelbramante.com/eng/index.php[/url]

It's walking distance to queue for the entrance into the Vatican. Seriously close...quaint...flipping adorable with amazing complimentary food.

Cinque Terre is the "Italian Riviera" and the home of "pesto". It's a good thing we went there near the end of the trip because we purchased so many jars of the best pesto I have ever consumed and our luggage became very heavy to pull the rest of our trip...and we did Florence, Tuscany and Rome after Cinque Terre. We were such rookies on that trip. At least we did Madrid, Barcelona, Nice and Venice before we got to Riomaggiore. I needed a vacation after I got home from that trip. I like TGal's 5,5,4 plan. That is what I would do next time.

ETA: One thing that we did do, that was not discovered through Rick Steve's book, but through a message board on his website was the "Accidental Tourist" day trip in Florence. BEST MONEY EVER SPENT!! If you do decide you want to take a day trip to Florence, I would highly recommend you both check this out. It was the highlight of our entire trip.

http://www.accidentaltourist.com/activities/wine-and-cook/ We just did the winery tour that includes wine/bread tasting. Purchased the most amazing olive oil I've ever had, and then made the best ravioli which was cooked for us in an elaborate old castle with the family that owns and runs the business. What great memories. Damn, now I want to book a trip to Italy.

 

[aljdewey]

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE - my whole plan shifted around a bit and I'm heading to Italy in about 4 weeks!

Our closest friends, R&T, just let us know they are going to Italy as well. R's dad is from Italy, and he hasn't seen his dad is a while, so they are going to Italy to meet up for a week. However, they decided to go a week earlier and see the sights in Florence and Bologna.

Soooooooooo - we are joining them on the first half of their trip. We're going to Florence for 3 nights, Bologna for 2, and then we'll break off and train down to Rome for 4 nights. Beyond excited!

 

[Matata]

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE - my whole plan shifted around a bit and I'm heading to Italy in about 4 weeks!

Our closest friends, R&T, just let us know they are going to Italy as well. R's dad is from Italy, and he hasn't seen his dad is a while, so they are going to Italy to meet up for a week. However, they decided to go a week earlier and see the sights in Florence and Bologna.

Soooooooooo - we are joining them on the first half of their trip. We're going to Florence for 3 nights, Bologna for 2, and then we'll break off and train down to Rome for 4 nights. Beyond excited!

Sounds fabulous. Before you posted this I was going to advise that if you had to "see" Naples, you can train down from Rome, walk up to the top of Vesuvius and look down at Naples. I think it's best seen from a distance. My grandfather was born in Campobasso region but raised in Naples so I felt obliged to at least see it on one of our many visits to Italy and it was enough to see it from Vesuvius. We spent about 30 min. getting a taxi to the buses to take us to the Amalfi Coast and it was the 30 longest minutes of our lives. Makes Palermo during a mob war seem tame.

 

[Gypsy]

Please review when you get back. HAVE FUN!!!

 

[rosetta]

I haven't been to Capri. It was a running debate when I was active on the forums whether it was a tourist trap or not. People either hate it or love it.

Really, the train schedules decide a lot for me. I normally want to spend the least amount of time getting from point A to B with the least amount of hassle. The timetables will help a lot to make you realize what is actually feasible without losing your sanity.

Another reason why I love trains in Europe vs driving: The travel time is relaxing for everyone. Drive in the south of Italy and I'd kill TGuy or vice versa.

Capri is indeed very touristy but it's absolutely gorgeous too! Naples is a mad house. Sorrento is nice. Pompeii I found fascinating.

Don't drive in Naples, it's life threatening to even cross the street lol!