DIY Sorrento and Amalfi/Positano

First visit to Sorrento/Capri (one day - tendering to Sorrento) and Amalfi/Positano (second day - tendering to Amalfi) on Oceania's Nautica in September.

We are DIY'ers, as I know many are. Most of the threads that have popped up for my search of these towns are for car tours, visiting several towns. For our first visit, we would prefer to just visit one town each day. I think we've decided to just stay in Sorrento for the first day. I'm in a quandary about Amalfi vs. Positano for the second day.

Thoughts would be appreciated, as well as comments on not-to-be missed sights or things to do. We're in our late 50s and reasonably fit if that matters.

First visit to Sorrento/Capri (one day - tendering to Sorrento) and Amalfi/Positano (second day - tendering to Amalfi) on Oceania's Nautica in September.

 

We are DIY'ers, as I know many are. Most of the threads that have popped up for my search of these towns are for car tours, visiting several towns. For our first visit, we would prefer to just visit one town each day. I think we've decided to just stay in Sorrento for the first day. I'm in a quandary about Amalfi vs. Positano for the second day.

 

Thoughts would be appreciated, as well as comments on not-to-be missed sights or things to do. We're in our late 50s and reasonably fit if that matters.

We had potentially exactly the same itinerary (on Marina) 2 years ago but high swells meant we had to dock at Naples for both days. If it comes to a straight choice between Amalfi and Positano then I would say Pos has more to offer, especially if you get a sunny day, as it has nicer beach, more shops and some great views if you walk down to it. However, Amalfi is not far from Ravello, and I believe that is a spectacular walk, so half a day at each is an option. Choices, choices :)

This was my view of all 3 them. All the best, Tony

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Do you like hiking? I posted this review last year of our port day in Salerno, when we took the ferry to Amalfi and hiked towards Ravello. Because of the ferry schedule, we were unable to hike all the way to Ravello, but if you're docked there you could probably complete this circuit.

After stopping in town for our obligitory cup of cappucino for fortification, we walked up the main street of town to find the entrance to the hike in the Valle delle Ferriere (http://www.valledelleferriere.it/p/blog-page.html). It begins just opposite of a paper mill museum, which we skipped because it didn't open until 1000. The hike is fabulous! It begins with an ascent adjacent to lemon groves and continues through the shade next to a flowing river, past ruins of old paper mills which were previously an economic foundation of the area. At a fork in the trail, we veered right toward Pontone through the Valle dei Mulini. Pontone is a charming town situated high above Amalfi with amazing views up the mountains and down to the water. From Pontone, we walked down, down, down hundreds of steps back to Amalfi, where we stopped for excellent pizza at at local Trattoria and were serenaded by an accordian trio.

Good question. Some might call me the King of DIY since both DW and I really dislike tours (and hate cruise line excursions even more). We have spent 2 one-week vacations on the Amalfi Coast (we stay in the small town of Praiano) and love this part of Italy. But the Amalfi Coast is not well suited for DIY on a port day as there are no trains and the SITA bus is not always the most efficient way to get around the region.

As to the cities on the Amalfi Coast we would rank them (in order of preference) 1. Positano; 2. Ravello and 3. Amalfi. Even when we stay on the coast we only stop in Amalfi if we happen to be passing through as we just are not big fans of this city. Getting to Ravello by public bus is a real pain as you have to change in Amalfi and might find yourself waiting over 45 min for the next bus. When we vacation on the Amalfi Coast we always have a rental car for convenience...although parking in or near Positano is a true challenge.

Hank

After stopping in town for our obligitory cup of cappucino for fortification, we walked up the main street of town to find the entrance to the hike in the Valle delle Ferriere (http://www.valledelleferriere.it/p/blog-page.html). It begins just opposite of a paper mill museum, which we skipped because it didn't open until 1000. The hike is fabulous! It begins with an ascent adjacent to lemon groves and continues through the shade next to a flowing river, past ruins of old paper mills which were previously an economic foundation of the area. At a fork in the trail, we veered right toward Pontone through the Valle dei Mulini. Pontone is a charming town situated high above Amalfi with amazing views up the mountains and down to the water. From Pontone, we walked down, down, down hundreds of steps back to Amalfi, where we stopped for excellent pizza at at local Trattoria and were serenaded by an accordian trio.

I'm curious - did you notice any bus service that goes back to Amalfi from Pontone? I do great on uphills, but my knees have politely requested that I refrain from walking down 'hundreds of steps.' Thanks so much!