G'day Joe,
I have driven
Italy a few times, and it seems that you have
had reports
about most everything I was going to suggest. You could easily spend a
lot more than two weeks just in the
area of
Rome and the Amalfi coast,
plus a few places either
side.
Because we
had our own vehicle, we stayed a little further from the centre
of town (wherever we were) and saved a lot on hotels and restaurants.
They also tend to be less touristy, and you can get more of a 'local' feel
for things, and experience a broader range of things.
A few times we just went for a drive, followed our noses, and worked out
where we were going when we got there! We ended up at
Tivoli by using
that method of blind navigation. Plan-free, care-free fun!
Capri is worth the ferry ride from
Sorrento, but make sure you have your
walking shoes on to get to the top. As a big, fat fellow I struggled a
bit. I
made it, but I struggled. Once up there it was great.
Do
BOTH Herculaneum and
Pompeii. I actually stayed near the site at the
Hotel Ercolano, a quaint little place that was
cheap when I last visited.
Paestum/Poseidonia is not too far away from
Naples, and there are other
places around Naples as well, like
Baiae,
Oplontis,
Pozzuoli, etc.
In
Rome,
Monte Testaccio is fascinating, the
Circus Maximus, all the big,
well known places will be on the
maps, but I just went walking and came
across a lot of small 'sites', most of which are not on the tourist
maps.
eg: There is a movie theatre not far from the
Pantheon that has its own
underground mini-museum from when it was excavated during renovations
and rebuilt. A few small, easily-missed signs are pretty much all that guides
you to this worthwhile attraction. There are scores of places just like it, and
the more you talk to people, the more you will add to your list. Two weeks
will not be enough! Have a great trip.
- Walter