Heading on a celebratory pleasure trip to the Almafi coast in early May 2023, party of two. Arrive 5/3 and leave to fly back to the states on 5/9. Will be flying into Naples. Budget is not excessive but somewhat liberal at least by my standards; let’s say $10000 for everything aside from the flights.
Looking for a good home base to stay at from which to head to enjoyable food, wine, and cultural destinations. I am almost certain I will go to Capri on one day of the trip for the day. Otherwise, schedule is wide open. Some questions…
Lodging: I hear that it is not really desirable to stay in Naples generally. Is this true? What nearby towns would be neat places to stay? For reference, stayed in Beaune, Avignon, and Antwerp in the past and all were absolutely perfect. Does not need to be a town with a lot of destinations necessarily, but a charming village or city would be a plus. Would entertain either hotel or an Airbnb etc. Capri looks nice but no way that the view or lodgings would justify the excessive cost, from what I can gather doing my own online research (tell me if this is incorrect too!).
Food: Anywhere in the region that would come highly recommended would be welcomed. I will of course seek out at least one amazing pizza meal while there. Would consider anything from a hidden bistro to a Michelin starred restaurant.
Cultural destinations/sights: This could be cool ancient Roman sites, art museums, beautiful beaches, natural wonders, anything and everything along those lines. Is Pompeii worth seeing? What other spots? In Capri itself, any advice?
Wine: I love Falanghina, Anglicano, Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, and would absolutely be open to other interesting wines. A good tour and/or tasting is most important, with food and a view being secondary but nice perks if present. The catch here is that it would be limited to 1 day of the trip only, unless one of the tastings included a nice lunch or dinner. Any thoughts?
Trains: I have looked online and it seems hard to find good info on trains in Italy (schedule, fares, how to book, etc.). I would not mind going to Rome for a day and there is a vintner out of Pietraia who I know that I would be interested in potentially seeing, so long as I am not spending half of my day on a train. Advice on finding reliable train schedules and websites to book tickets? If it would not be practical to pursue train trips during the trip, then I simply would not go. As a side question; if I will be hopping between towns to some degree, should I rent a car? If so, how to go about doing this?
Other considerations: Anything else that I as someone who rarely does foreign travel should be considering? One question I am unclear on is whether or not I should be packing cool weather clothing for early May in the region.
Looking to make this an incredible voyage. I appreciate anything you can contribute insofar as advice or inroads to locales or destinations.
EDIT: Side note, if it matters… I have about 500,000 Aadvantage miles to play with if it would help with lodgings, etc. Not looking to burn it, but it is available if needed.