Sorrento & the Breathtaking Amalfi Coast

This trip was amazing! And our guide Alessandra Sarappa did a wonderful job guiding us, keeping us together, and finding alternative activities when the weather was very bad for two of our vacation days. I know we were both being well cared for as first-time European travelers. It was easy to get overwhelmed! But she set an excellent pace for us to follow, properly introduced us local artisans and experts, and pointed out things of interest as we traveled from place to place. I particularly appreciate how she met us at the airport. It took over 30 hours to get from northern Maine to Naples (no fault of your booking: we lost a major local airline Sept 1)and we were exhausted. She got us fed and rehydrated and safely to the hotel. But the Amalfi coast region was beautiful, its history grand, and we almost want to go again! A lot of my dreams came true. I even was able to return to the town where my grandfather and his father immigrated from in 1890 (Torre Annunziata). And of course, Pompeii. That was amazing even with lightning flashing across the sky! We will never forget this trip! We made a lot of memories!

I adored my trip with Road Scholar. They organized everything wonderfully and kept us constantly busy which I wanted. The people in our group were lovely, friendly, warm, open and intelligent. I couldn't have had a better time. Our tour leaders were outstanding.

This was an awesome trip! Alessandra Sarappa was wonderful. She is not only knowledgeable of the content of our trip, but used humor and compassion to relate to each individual participant. I found her very approachable and willing to listen to any concerns and look for best solutions. She was definitely concerned for our overall safety and satisfaction. She put her heart and soul into her leadership and I couldn’t have wished for more. I’d love to have her as a group leader again in the future! Camilla, her daughter, is following her mother’s fine example and was also very helpful and diligent as a leader. She was sweet and also always willing to answer questions or find out the answer and get back to us. For the most part, our Tour Guides did a nice job of leading us through our specific sites. I know there was some tension with Nino on Wednesday as we were headed to Capri. We were late as a group because of witnessing an accident right in front of our bus on the way to the boat dock. As a group, we decided it was too dangerous to get out of the bus to walk and voted to stay on the bus until the accident was cleared a bit. This got the day off to a frustrating start as we missed the planned boat departure. Later, Nino made some insensitive remarks and the tensions increased. I felt that Alexandra did her best to calm the emotions of those involved, while still validating that tension existed—truly a difficult task for a group leader. Both hotels were very nice facilities, with adequate rooms and delicious food. Staff were polite and helpful. Personally, I’d have preferred to stay closer to the “main drag” in Sorrento, but was thankful that the shuttle bus was free and on a regular schedule. I was glad to have the opportunity to walk to the beach and put my feet into waters of the Mediterranean at our hotel in Paestum. This trip was about as perfect as one can expect in a group-oriented experience. Thank You!

Charming tour but needs to be taken before or after peak tourist season. Sorrento is an absolute gem and is the real star of this trip IMHO

Fantastic program! I will definitely do another Road Scholar adventure.

So glad I choose the Amalfi Coast for my overseas visit! Flavia, our travel guide was so helpful and patient! Always a smile for us and you can tell she really enjoys her work. I especially loved Sorrento and Positano...both beautiful places and people were so friendly. I was also impressed with the knowledge of each of the other tour guides. Especially enjoyed Nino...he made things fun and interesting. Only a few things I would like to see different. 1. Would be nice to have personal options for some of the days. The churches were beautiful and the ruins of Pompeii and Paestum so interesting, but I would have preferred to visit only one church and Pomeii, vs. two churches and both ruin sites. On these days, it would have been nice to have options of possibly visiting something locally, or just do something on my own. 2. I felt we weren't given as much free time as I had expected from the itinerary. As we usually returned to our home base no earlier than 4 o'clock (with the exception of maybe one day), we didn't have much time for personal leisure and/or exploring (as mentioned above). 3. I would suggest the last day of the trip should be eliminated or moved to the second last day (I think that was originally how it was planned). We were on the bus 5 hours that days, plus had two, four course meals, and the next day we left on our many hours of travel home. Just got to be tediuos with so little movement and so much food! Other than these suggestions (which are simply my preferences), all was great! Thanks for showing me the beauty of Southern Italy and the Amalfi coast.

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is an experience I can highly recommend. If you enjoy beautiful scenery, history that dates back over 2,000 years, wonderful food and wine, and vibrant towns that wear their history in their architecture that is hewn out of solid limestone, this program will delight you.

Amazingly beautiful trip! The activity level was a little more than I anticipated, but our kind and patient group leader was encouraging and understanding. I’m kind of glad I didn’t know how much I would be physically challenged because I might have thought twice and missed the trip of a lifetime. Many fellow travelers were Road Scholar veterans who’ve been all over the world with them. This was my first experience in international travel. I am so glad I booked the trip through Road Scholar. I traveled solo and felt safe and well taken care of the entire trip. And…I might have been alone but did not feel lonely for one minute!

This was our first Road Scholar program/tour and we hope will be the first of many Road Scholar programs/tours.

This experience provided me a wonderful foundation of understanding about the communities we visited. The fellow travelers were equally interesting and I felt safe and welcomed as a solo traveler.

Do visit the Beautiful Amalfi Coast.

The Sorrento and Amalfi Coast trip was magnificent. November was a great time to avoid the crowds. The guides were amazing. The trip size of 20 was perfect!!

The tours of Pompeii and Naples Museum were a lifetime highlight of my international travels, First Roads Scholar trip and I was impressed with it. Will sign up for others. Great value for the costs

If you are considering a trip to Southern Italy with Road Scholar - DO IT! Truly got the flavor of the area, guides were excellent and wonderful participants made it the trip of a lifetime. Everyone was so friendly and as a solo traveler, this was important to me.

I had wanted to see Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast for many years and thought I would do it on my own, taking day trips from various companies. When I saw the trip offered by Road Scholar, I decided to sign up. It exceeded all expectations! I never would have had the quality of experience doing this on my own. The staff and participants and the wonderful attention to detail was exceptional. I also made many new friends! Worth every cent!!

The scenery was breathtaking and unforgettable. So many details such as the lovely, immaculate hotel, the interesting tours like a coffee roaster and a woodworking artist, the Prosecco at the top of Capri and the bus rides up twisting cliff top roads; each of these could be a review in themselves. Our guides were young, enthusiastic and well educated. Everything ran smoothly and was obviously well planned. Only one small suggestion for improvement comes to mind, which would be to offer at least two choices on the menus at included meals. It was my fourth RS trip and the first with no choices offered. I would gladly take this trip again tomorrow!

Loved the comprehensive tour of Pompeii and gorgeous mosaics at the Archeological Museum in Naples. What a treat! The vistas of the Amalfi Coast and visits to Capri ( does get crowded), Positano and Amalfi were also highlights. The Plaza Sorrento is centrally located, attractive and has an amazing rooftop bar and pool from which you can see Mt. Vesuvius in the distance. And I will always remember, and savor, the amazing pistachio cake at the breakfast buffet most mornings. You can eat cake for breakfast! Lovely trip.

The program provided information along with printed materials about the program you would experience! The stops in Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Naples & Pompeii were worth the price of admission! The historical information enriched the actual sites we visited.

It was very nice to have a wide variety of activities. The hotel was excellent. The farm lunch was a welcome highlight. The guides were great! We could hear them well, through the tiny listening devices. But I cannot recommend Amalfi coast in general. The crowds and traffic in April were unbelievable. This affected our schedules and enjoyment. Several of us felt Capri was a waste of time, because of so many transportation delays, leading to not a big enough block of independent time. Extra Note: if you have heard that Amalfi is not a good place to drive on your own, that is a VAST understatement! Parking and driving on crowded narrow cliff roads would be dangerous or impossible. Thank goodness we had drivers. It takes an experienced local to negotiate the turns, and to understand the traffic conventions and parking rules. Even walking across the street is dangerous, and takes getting used to.

Excellent trip. Really enjoyed it.l

A wonderful chance to see a beautiful, unique part of Italy and enjoy the people, food and lovely weather without the crowds of the "season." Guiliana and Nino were marvelous guides and took excellent care of our compatible group.

Simply put, we had a wonderful time! This was an excellent trip to have as our first Road Scholar program. The length was just right, the pace was just right, and the destination was perfect. Giuliana was wonderful. She kept everyone organized, informed, on time, and happy. Nothing seemed to phase her. Everything went according to plan under her watch. She was very helpful, friendly and accomodating with arranging the glitches we had in our flight and transportation. I was so impressed with our guide Nino--he was above excellent. He was very knowledgeable about the area, being a local. Nino was friendly and easy to get along with. He seemed to know everyone in the area and that made it easy to imagine ourselves as travelers rather than tourists. Wherever we went, he made us feel welcome and helped us understand the full experience of Sorrento, Capri, and Amalfi. Nino truly seems to love his job and his home. Our other guides in Naples and Pompeii were also excellent. Super knowledgeable, friendly. They both went out of their way to share their passion for the area and their particular expertise. The Hotel Plaza Sorrento was also great. The service by the staff was welcoming and professional. Breakfast was amazing! Our hotel room was cold, but they went out of their way to provide a heater. The gym and rooftop deck were added bonuses. The location was central to the town so walking and exploring on our own was easy and convenient. Finally, the other guests were so much fun to get to know. A fabulous mix of all sorts of people who were eager to learn and travel together. Thanks so much for an A+ time! We will definitely be recommending Road Scholar to everyone. We hope to be traveling with you again soon!

Wow, what an amazing adventure we had in Sorrento and along the Amalfi Coast! Simone, Nino, and Nina all worked as an excellent team to show us the finest sights, introduce us to the most wonderful Italian foods, and help us best understand the Italian culture and the local community. I loved seeing the truly stunning coast and most especially enjoyed touring the ruins of Pompeii. We stayed in an excellent hotel with a rooftop pool, too, which was the icing on this Italian wedding cake! Bellissimo! I highly recommend this adventure!

I enjoyed every minute of my trip. I would recommend "Road Scholar" to anyone wished to take a trip with educational qualities.

I really enjoyed this trip. The girls made it just wonderful, as there was always a friend to do things with. We had a fantastic time getting to know one another. The country was just breathtakingly beautiful. The guides were wonderful. The food was beyond my expectations. I met a true craftsman which is rare in this time and age who makes beautiful music boxes all by hand.

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast was the trip I took, spectacular tour with great site visits, food, good company and tour guides. I highly recommend this trip!

This was a delightful trip! The Amalfi coast is breathtaking. Pompeii is fascinating. The food is delicious. We loved being based in beautiful Sorrento and exploring that in our free time. And our guides, Mick, Nino and Nina were fun, patient, kind and informative.

If you want to learn to live La Dolche Vita, this is the trip for you. Lots to do and see enhanced by the wonderful people of Italy who want you to love their country and their lifestyle as much as they do. We certainly do as a result of this wonderful introduction to all that Southern Italy offers, and are already planning a return trip to the very special town of Sorrento.

Our Road Scholar trip to the Amalfi Coast was our best vacation ever. The guides were knowledgeable about the history, and knew all the best spots to go. It was nice to have a base in Sorrento, which was convenient to Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi, and Naples. And the food was just wonderful! Fresh mozzarella for breakfast. This trip was so great that I would do it all over again. Thanks Simone and Nino!

We had such a wonderful time on this trip. Our guides were local people who were organized, fun and provided us with what felt like a complete experience. We had time to explore with tips on places to go and we got to the main attractions as well. Every day was a highlight, but one treat was a trip to a local farm with an incredible meal. I've told everyone I know not to attempt driving in the Amalfi area, not just along the coast, but anywhere. I think going off-season made a big difference in accessibility to these locations without a lot of traffic gridlock. The other travelers on the trip were just amazing people. I would love to have them on other trips - smart, kind, calm and considerate. Would recommend this trip highly. Thanks to Nino and Giuliana for taking such good care of us.

My wife, daughter, and myself took the tour to Sorrento and we loved it. The guides, Giuliana Gargiulo and Nino Aversa were most helpful and informative. Nino, who introduced us to the Amalfi culture was amusing, enthusiastic, and informative. Guiliana was always available and made sure we ran smoothly and on time, which is always appreciated. Our guide to the Museum and the city of Pompei gave us a broad view of the historic time and place. Perhaps more time could have been devoted to the Roman and Greek elements of the area, but maybe there was too much to see in so short a time. The one place that was a problem was the Museum of Capri (I believe this is where we were), where we watched a presentation but the sound of the device was very poor, and we could not hear what was being said. The Museum did offer a pleasant snack and had a nice view from its patio. Overall, it was a pleasant, informative trip that went without a hitch as far as we were concerned and we would recommend it to anyone who was considering visiting the area. Thanks to RS and our guides for your efforts. Preston Rose

This was a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it! The tour guides were excellent and so friendly. And, the restaurants they selected were outstanding and provided an insight into the local cuisine which was delicious. The activity level was just as stated and the Mercedes van was very comfortable. I will be taking another Roads Scholar adventure in the future!

Out of season is an excellent way to see the lovely Amalfi Coast and Pompeii without the tourist hoards but some shops and restaurants are closed. Sorrento is a good base for exploration of the area. Overall an excellent tour.

Road Scholar guides are the best!! No worries about understanding them (if you speak English) or hearing them due to the "whisper" devices each participant has available.

This was our first Road Scholar trip. I was very disappointed. First, the good part. This was a good tour. It was well organized, was flexible (changed schedule because of weather), and the guides were very pleasant and helpful. The Pompeii guide was very knowledgeable. I expected more. I expected formal learning with historical background, cultural background, etc. There was very little of that. Apart from the Pompeii guide, the backgrounds of the guides were not what I expected. I was particularly disappointed by not including the Naples museum. I booked this tour because of Pompeii. Most of the artifacts from Pompeii are in the museum. The actual tour of Naples was weak, with little of any interest and the time could have been spent in the museum. I paid a premium for the expected scholarly portion. Perhaps I didn’t understand what Roads Scholar provides.

Don't miss the opportunity to visit Sorrento, Naples, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Pompeii in only 6 days! And leave the driving to Road Scholar.

This is an excellent program for solo travelers who want to see the highlights of the Amalfi coast. The tour is based in the charming and walkable town of Sorrento. I enjoyed the conviviality of all the particpants and the wonderfully enthusiastic instructors. The views of the coast are breathtaking even in winter.

We could not have asked from more from the Winter In Italy experience! Sylvia ensured the experience was memorable from arrival in Napoli through the final event. Nino was and outstanding guide providing insights with respect to the culture, architecture and history of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. The entire team supporting the tour was focused on making the most pleasant experience. We look forward to future Italian adventures!

Excellent tour! I would recommend it to everyone!

The Group Leader, Silvia, and Tour Guide, Nino, made this an interesting trip but also a very fun trip for our entire group. There were 19 people on this trip which was a good group size. This was my 4th Road Scholar trip and it was a blast to go to beautiful southern Italy

Just returned from the Road Scholar, Sorrento, etc. tour. It was just a great time.

Lots of walking, but you get to see neat stuff.

Educational component was not as thorough as I anticipated. The day on Capri lunch was not provided, just a light snack which was fine but no opportunity was provided for group to buy lunch on their own. The group was dehydrated and hungry for the last walk and not everyone was able to complete the walk. Lovely trip overall despite these criticisms. I'm grateful the trip was not canceled despite the small group size. Beautiful time of year to see this part of Italy off season when it was not so crowded. An excellent bus driver made touring on narrow precarious roads a pleasure that allowed us to sit back and enjoy the beautiful vistas. Our guide Nina for Naples and Pompeii was excellent as was our organizing guide Allesandro who was responsive and attentive to group needs. The local guide, Nino provided us with some interesting As enjoyable excursions to local businesses and activities but was less effective interacting with and accommodating this "senior" group. I understand he usually guides hiking tours and this was not that type of tour. The hotel accommodations were very nice but a bit far from town limiting opportunities to explore on our own without arranging for transportation . This was my first Road Scholar trip. I've traveled with other tour groups and found it to be comparable. Very enjoyable trip overall but not the Road Scholar educational difference I was anticipating.

Wonderful trip with many delightful experiences. See the area when it's not crowded!

The trip could not have been more perfect! Erika, Nino and Michelo were all absolutely wonderful. They had many exciting and wonderful things to do for us and were flexible so that if someone wanted some extra shopping, they got it! The food was the best! The wine was wonderful! The Amalfi Coast was beautiful and full of interesting things to see and do! I loved it!!!