Sorrento Travel Forum

Hi!

I am trying to plan a trip to southern Italy for next April. We will be landing in Rome and flying out of Rome -- April 9 and 19. We are 4 adults and 5 children - from 5 to 17. We would like to spend a total of 2 or 3 nights in Rome and the remainder south of Rome. We can skip Naples due to the high crime rate, but want to see Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, Positano, some of the coast, Bari (?). Is this too many places? We would also like to rent a villa in a central location -- we will have a car. We need help with an itinerary and lodging. Help!!!


Thanks
Anna

Everything but Bari can easily be seen as daytrips from a central location, Sorrento probably being the most convenient.
I like Bari quite a lot, but maybe not as a daytrip from all the way across the country.
If you have a car I would recommend you also visit Paestum, south of Salerno, for some of the most magnificent temples from the Greek period in southern Italy.
Paestum sits at the base of a beautiful mountainous nature preserve called the Cilento, very nice for a drive and/or hike if city life gets to be too much.

I wouldn't skip Naples for the high crime rate, which is always exaggerated to the point of caricature, but I would give it a miss on the basis of the stress of being there, esp. with small children. It's not very pretty and it takes a lot of effort to get the most out of it, maybe not the best formula for a family holiday.

Certainly agree with dnw above, but do wonder if with 12 days you might not want to spend an extra day or two in Rome or make side trips from Rome to places like Orvieto, Tivoli, Ostia Antica. Rome has so much to offer. On the Amalfi Coast, Ravello is a village not to be missed.

Naples RULES! The bad rep it gets is from those people staying by the train station walking arround with a "Kick Me" sign on there backs. Staying in the anciant quarter is the most amazing trip I ever had in Italy! I went to Sorrento too and was bored. Positano is SPENDY but another cute town in Amalfi Town. Check it out -

Yup, Sorrento is boring alright, it its charming sort of way, but Naples appeals to a certain kind of person, and I wouldn't suggest a large group with a car spend their hols there.

Sorrento is a good base to stay for visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum, Capri and the Amalfi coast - it would probably be a bit boring if you stayed there for a week or so and didn't visit anywhere else, though.

There is a lot worth seeing in Naples, if you venture away from the railway station. It is also easily done on a day trip from Sorrento though.

Naples always gets a bad rap. Been there 3 times and love it. Going again in November. No need for a vehicle in Naples. Use public transportation. Check out Rick Steves video on Naples and Amalfi coast.