Sorrento

This was a highly successful trip, years in the planning, with straightforward walking and some fantastic hotels.

It was difficult to get to Pompeii from Corpo di Cava as the train is out of service, meaning quite some extra expense on taxis.

A word of warning too. Amalfi and its coast are understandably suffering ill-effects of mass tourism, now being a destination for tourists from more far-flung countries. Service and food are consequentially expensive and the crowds in Positano were in stark contrast to the quiet trails used to get there. Thankfully our hotel with its smiling staff was away from the throngs and therefore most appreciated.

Two recommendations: don't bother with Capri and its crowds but look to Ischia - much more relaxed and less queues. Same too with Herculaneum. We stayed in Ercolano on our route back to Naples - it's a pleasant town in itself and the Roman site even better than Pompeii in our view.

Highlights included the dining at Hotel Bonadies in Ravello overlooking the ocean, the food at Hotel Due Torri Bomerano being overlooked by 4 large coach parties surrounding our table in the middle, the remoteness of Valle delle Ferriere paths, a meal at Caruso in Sorrento and a visit to Herculaneum. Can I suggest you try to build that into the Sorrento trip more formally?

The walking itself was well planned but beware, there are steps, steps and more steps on most days. It hurts the knees making the descents somewhat unpleasant so take your time!

Stunning walks and good hotels.  You could recommend the Mar museum in Positano. A small museum with excavated Roman remains. We had a superb guide, well worth a visit. In Sorrento it is worth going to Marina Grande , especially in the evening for dinner. We had excellent fish at 'O puledrone. 

What a fantastic holiday! The scenery is amazing, the paths and waymarking generally good. The amount of ascent is daunting, but the mileages are quite small, so we could pace ourselves with lots of stops to enjoy the scenery and flowers. The contrast between pathways among the lemon plantations and on the high wooded hillsides, and the busy seaside towns, is vivid. Amalfi in particular is horrendously busy in May, but a few steps away up the hill and you can leave it all behind. We highly recommend the add-on to Sorrento, which is a very pleasant town; and the train trip to Pompeii (pre-book the Campania Express) is very easy.

Another good holiday with Inntravel! Superb scenery while walking and away from the crowds in the resorts. The weather was kind, not too hot and it kept dry except for a couple of hours when we were forced to shelter and have a beer in Ravello! The flowers, especially orchids were amazing at this time of year. An extra night in Ravello is a really good idea to be able to relax and see the gardens and Duomo without rushing. Another recommendation is to visit the archaeological museum in Positano, near the cathedral, to see the stupendous Roman wall paintings that have only recently been discovered along with the rather gruesome monks' chairs.You have to take a guided tour, but it was amazing. If planning on visiting Pompeii from Corpo di Cava, do double check travel arrangements as I found on the internet that the railway station in Cava dei Tirreni closed and an apparently complicated replacement bus service is in place, pushing travel time to Pompeii out to about an hour, not including transport from the hotel to the station. We had added on the Sorrento option, so decided to leave our visit to Pompeii until we were there, which proved easy and very enjoyable. We did the Option A2 walk on Capri while in Sorrento which we really enjoyed, quiet with stunning views and sites to visit. We had a couple of hiccups with luggage and taxi transfers but these were readily sorted out by the hotel and Inntravel. Purchasing bus tickets in Amalfi was tricky as the tabacchi sellers recommended by Inntravel seem to have stopped selling tickets. Look for a bus driver selling tickets from the steps of a bus on RHS of bus station looking out to sea. Eating wise we enjoyed two visits to the Babel Wine Bar in Ravello as recommended by previous customers. We didn't enjoy the Cumpa Cosimo in Ravello which we found to have average food, a strange atmosphere and my credit card was scanned before I had even seen the bill. The bill was correct anyway, but take a look on Tripadvisor. In Sorrento we ate a couple of times at Inn Bufalito which is close to the hotel, and specialises in buffalo. It was reasonably priced and had good food.

Some lovely hikes around Amalfi coast. Walks from Sorrento were ok but needed some travel to get to and from rather than from the hotel direct.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk The Amalfi Coast & Villages with our Sorrento add on

The walks were all good but the highlight for us was Valle de Ferriere. The Museo Nazionale in Napoli is a very useful introduction to Pompeii. The MAR Positano Villa Romana is a must see in Positano. It gives a fascinating insight into the task of excavating Roman ruins in this area, as well as showing the layers of history built on top. We recommend Osteria Ravello on Via Madonna where we ate twice. We had the best pizza of the holiday in an unprepossessing local pizzeria, A. Gradillo in Ravello. The stand out meal in Sorrento was at La Lanterna. We also ate at its sister restaurant, L'Abate, where the food was also good but the service was more pushy. We had beautiful pasta at Ristorante Le Grazie in Sorrento.

We travel with Inntravel as your walks are so interesting and diverse. The walking notes are excellent and the accommodation is always so interesting and of a great standard no matter what the star rating is. For us, as older walkers, it was challenging with the climbing up and down but that was explained on your website so we were prepared. All the information in the walking notes is up to date and the facts provided are interesting and add to the experience. The add ons, especially Sorrento and Naples, made it a lovely extended holiday.

Highlights:

The staggering dramatic scenery. The genuine welcome of hotel and most restaurant or cafe staff. Be prepared for many, many steps whilst walking. 

Restaurants:  Ravello, Mimi Bar/Pizzeria was brilliant. Booking advisable. Sorrento, La Lantera was disappointing. Very average food and on the expensive side. La Cazzarola, recommended by the Hotel Regina receptionist was very good and not expensive. Many restaurants in the centre of Sorrento have "whippers in", to me always a sign of indifferent catering. 
Picnic supplies, Corpo di Cava. There is a grocers immediately down the hill from the Scapolatiello run by an American. Chatty and willing to let one sample the cheese etc. before making up sandwiches. Ravello, Soon after leaving the hotels on the day 4 route there is a grocers on the left (Via Lacco?). Good for picnic and be prepared for decisions on type of bread, cheese, salad and garnish.