Rome to Amalfi and then some - questions

[Talent312]

I cannot disagree with the no-car approach.

I did drive the Amalfi Coast... South to North, hugging the inside lane.
But then, that was _20_ years (and another marriage) ago.

We also drove to our hotel in Rome. What can I say. We were young+foolish.
I'd only drive country roads in rural areas, like Tuscany, in Italy these days.

 

[Margariet]

I cannot disagree with the no-car approach.

I did drive the Amalfi Coast... South to North, hugging the inside lane.
But then, that was _20_ years (and another marriage) ago.

We also drove to our hotel in Rome. What can I say. We were young+foolish.
I'd only drive country roads in rural areas, like Tuscany, in Italy these days.

If you are a male could you please explain this no car attitude of American males to me when they go outside the USA? Is it just the manual driving? Because there are millions of European males who would give up everything but their car!

 

[Passepartout]

If you are a male could you please explain this no car attitude of American males to me when they go outside the USA? Is it just the manual driving? Because there are millions of European males who would give up everything but their car!

I would rather drive a standard any day, but I think most American men just don't want to appear timid, and have another driver honk a horn at him. Plus, (imo) most American drivers are not used to driving in fairly close quarters and simply don't know where the corners of their vehicles are when sitting in the driver's seat. Obviously there are exceptions, but for most American drivers (men or women) an automatic car on a wide road is more comfortable.

Jim

 

[Talent312]

Oh, it doesn't really make a difference to me.

I've driven in several interesting situations in Europe -- city centers in Rome & Florence, narrow Irish lanes, bumber-to-bumper on motor roads, the Loire Valley, Amalfi Coast, the Riviera, and Austrian Alps. I've also driven thru mid-town Manhatten.

But I agree with those who say that, for tourists, letting someone else do the driving lessens stress and allows better concentration on what you came to see.

 

[hibbeln]

Hi Ellen! How exciting it's getting with your trip planning!

Here's my 2 cents on things.....

I think your decision to not rent a car is a good one. The really nice thing about the Rome to Amalfi Coast trip is that there is no NEED for a car. Public transportation is EXCELLENT so why not "When in Rome" and do like the Romans/Italians do and use the public transit? It's fun and easy (truly, REALLY easy, I NEVER use any kind of public transit in the USA, but had no trouble figuring out the trains/busses/boats).
Driving on the Amalfi Coast drive....meh....I think the danger of it is really overstated. It's a winding road. OK, whatever. It really didn't strike me as dangerous. BUT....as we were on the bus and my husband was relaxing and looking out the window he commented "I am SO happy to not be driving so I can actually SEE things!" and I (as the family designated navigator) was also glad to be able to sit back and enjoy the view from the public transit without having my nose buried in a map.
If your husband isn't 110% comfortable with a stick, he would be MISERABLE trying to drive when in southern Italy. Not just the winding roads, but having to back up in narrow confines to let a bus by, tight maneuvering in villages, everyone driving fast and confidently and CLOSE to each other, lots of going up hill and around corners......imagine your husband trying to stop the car and then put it back in gear when you're stuck behind a bus on a narrow mountain road and you have another car sitting impatiently 2 inches off his back bumper. Boy, that would be a total trip buzzkill and I guarantee you he would be sweating and stalling and rolling back into the car behind you.
But probably the SCARIEST thing about having your own car is TRYING TO FIND A PARKING SPOT! When you get to these towns you'll see what I mean. I cannot even imagine the heartburn (and in-car fighting) that would occur with trying to find a parking spot in the towns and villages, especially hampered by one way streets. It would border on impossible. This alone would be reason to NOT rent a car!

I also think you'll get more of a true Italian feel for the area by using the public transit. You'll be less isolated and living more the way the locals do.

The discussion that if you want a car for a specific day (the one that pops to mind is driving from Ravello to Paestum) is an excellent one. That might be the one day that you might want it.

 

[hibbeln]

Margariet, I think you're painting millions of American males with a very wide brush in stating that they "don't want to drive overseas". I have to say I've found the exact opposite to be true. Usually Americans are roundly criticized for failing to use available public transportation overseas and instead doing our usual American-car-driving-fossil-fuel-burning thing and renting cars and driving everywhere. If you had to characterize Americans (which is a mistake, there are millions of us) I would tend towards the "you can't get them out of a car!" portrayal as being most accurate.
And if someone CHOOSES that they don't feel comfortable driving under certain situations (be that in downtown Manhattan or in a foreign location where they aren't familiar with the traffic signs or laws) then, my goodness, let them make decisions based on their personal comfort level.
We've rented cars (stick shifts) and driven them all over Greece, Sicily, Spain, Germany, Austria, France, Mexico, Aruba, Venezuela, Sudan..... The deciding factor really needs to be whether having a car makes more sense than using public transportation. It's simply a matter of efficiency. I would never rent a car for Paris, but we did rent for seeing Normandy. Andalucia in Spain we absolutely drove, but used public transit in Morocco. For Munich or Salzburg, we used public transit, but rented a car for the mountainous areas of Bavaria where bus connections were sketchy. Same thing in Italy: For Sicily we rented a car (and I would feel the same about Tuscany) but it would have been more of a hindrance than a help for Rome or the Naples/Sorrento/Capri/Amalfi Coast area.
And yes, we're all "packing heat" here in the USA! :hysterical: