Montepertuso is a great little village. I also recommend Dona Rosa for dinner.
I don’t know where you are picking up/dropping off the rental. Having a car in Naples is risky. Worse driving than in Rome. Only town I’ve seen worse than Naples is Lisbon. Driving the Amalfi Coast is fine. It will take some getting used to, and the local will fly past you. By the end of your trip, you’ll finally start to feel comfortable driving the coast road.
Cumpa’ Cosimo in Revello. Awesome, awesome restaurant, but pay attention to the bill. It is sort of made up on the fly.
Vamsi, sorry to hijack your thread.
Train from Rome to Naples is the way to go. It’s a fast train. We took it back from Salerno through Naples to Rome.
How’s the region for cycling?
Really nice if you like to be run off of cliffs.
Narrow, busy roads and few of them. If you want to ride, head to Tuscany.
For a simple lunch, Villa Maria in Ravello has an outdoor patio with stunning views
If going to Ravello, another option for lunch would be to go to one of markets, buy some miscellaneous delectables, and just sit it the town square and enjoy the various food and the environment.
Agree re not driving anywhere. Absolutely no point - it’s much slower than taking a boat and a horrible experience. However, no way I’d drive myself in a boat around there. It’s nothing but rocks and cliffs. Aside from the danger, you would miss all the hidden caves and inlets.
On the way to Revello, just off one of the hairpin switchbacks is a small burg called Pontone. There is a small restaurant there just off the tiny town square that serves family made wines from the local hillsides. One white, one red. No labels on the bottles, just right from their cellar.
Hairpin switchbacks!! Oh yeah. Ride up was a white knuckler for me and my wife.
I respectfully disagree. It’s hard to get to a number of places without a boat. Clearly, if you’re in Positano and want to go to Amalfi, a boat is great. But if you are heading further down the coast or up the hills, or to Pompeii, Herculaneum, etc. a car is necessary. Just grab the wheel tightly and have faith the the maniacs aren’t going to run you off the cliffs
Actually thinking of flying to Genoa and driving down. I learned how to drive in Mexico City and have lived in Colorado ski country, love me some white knuckle driving.
If the Amalfi coast is closed, thats fine, getting off the beaten track is our goal. We can head even further south to Calabria or Puglia. I just don’t know anyone who has gone that far.
Nice is that the Giro loops down from Naples this year.
I always drive in Amalfi, but beware if you have passengers that get carsick - it’s pretty rough. For biking, only in the off-season… it would be a death wish at the high times!
Both Il San Pietro in Positano (just outside of town, but with a free van into town when you want to go) and the Santa Caterina and Amalfi are fantastic places to stay. Definitely in the “I don’t come often, screw the budget” categories. I slightly prefer the Santa Caterina, but mainly because I like to swim in the ocean and their swimming area doesn’t have the jellyfish of San Pietro. Otherwise, both are great.
If you are near the town of Amalfi, I highly recommend Eolo restaurant. Both the food and the wine list are fantastic. If it’s good weather, you can ask for one of the balcony tables overlooking the town. We’ve been several times and prefer it to the Michelin 1* La Caravella
Have you been to southern Italy before? If not, read up a bit on it. Calabria is ah, different.
Gritty different?
Yep.
Puglia finer?