please advise - Eastern Sicily, Amalfi Coast, Rome - too much?

That can be done. Sicily to Naples is a long trip and slow by ferry (10.5 hours), but you'd be traveling through the night and can sleep. http://www.viamare.com/snav-palermo-naples.html . There's also the train: http://www.fsitaliane.it/homepage_en.html . A day train is about 9 hours, but the night train

(10 hr) would allow you to travel while you sleep. I wouldn't drive, but it can be done.

When you get to Naples, you can get to Pompeii and Sorrento on the Circumvesuviana train: http://www.eavcampania.it/web/ . From Napoli Centrale (Napoli Garibaldi is another part of the Central Station) take the circumvesuviana train in the direction of Sorrento to the Pompei - Scavi Villa Misteri stop. It takes 22 to 35 minutes depending on the specific train. Naples to Sorrento is a little over an hour.

You can get to Capri by ferry from either Sorrento or Naples: http://www.capri.net/en/ferry-schedule

What's a "must see" should really depend on your interests. There are tons of guide books that cover the places you want to visit in depth. Personally, I particularly like the Munthe villa and Garden of Augustus on Capri. In Rome, I always make it to the Pantheon, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church and Mouth of Truth. The major attractions are all worth seeing.

If you are in any way nervous about driving in another country, I would advise AGAINST driving in Italy. Italians are lovely friendly people, it's true, but they are total road hogs, ignore traffic lights, and will mow down pedestrians who might attempt to cross at a pedestrian crossing, and think nothing of reversing out of driveways into busy rush-hour traffic. Driving in Italy is more of a spectator sport, and there is no stigma attached to using public transport. Trains are very fast and comfortable. I would consider the ferry to Naples.

3 days is nothing like enough for Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento AND Capri. I would suggest just Naples and Pompeii. You don't want to miss Pompeii. I found Taormina to be overrated, but then I don't like chi-chi touristy places anyway. Taormina is pretty, but best visited out of season.

Naples is brilliant. It's a lovely city to look at and walk around, and the locals are just so charming and friendly - and were CONSTANTLY warning me and my other half to be careful of our belongings. The people of Naples don't let a little thing like a language barrier get in the way of a conversation, they'll just talk to you. It's seriously underrated, which is very sad.

Sure.,,,,,that sounds very reasonable, compared to most "I want to see it ALL in 5 days" plans, I often see here.

Capri is definitely worth a peek.......the Blue Grotto is lovely..........bit of a tourist trap.....but stilll very nice, none the less.

Very wise of you to allot half the time to Rome alone..........excellent choice.........

and my "Must Do" adventure, that I always recommend, is to take the Vatican DOME tour.

As you filter out of the Sistine Chapel, which is the last stop on the Vatican MUSUEM tour....... you are herded like cattle, to an EXIT.....that will deposit you, right in front of St. Peters.

BUTTTTTTTT before you go thru that exit.............LOOK for it...or ask............for the Vatican DOME tour. It's seperate and will cost you another small fee......but definitely do it. You will get to stand at the top of the Vatican dome! Do NOT miss that chance!

Because once you go thru the exit, and realize you've walked right PAST where you needed to get that seperate ticket..........they will NOT let you back in......because many people who didn't buy the tour ticket try that, and the guard doesn't CARE. The answer is NO.

You have to ask, BEFORE you exit the little roped off area........

Also........if you have dinner in Rome.............find a restaurant that has "Lamb-The Roman Way"

don't ask.........just do it. It was delicious!

Within the last few couple of years Naples is becoming one of many favorite destinations for anyone Italian and foreign tourists who love spending their breaks in cities of imaginative fascination and if you should be one of them well...this is the area hotelbye to begin planning the next holyday. Unlike cities where art is kept in museums and daily life occurs on the roads, Naples's unique level is its folklore: persons living and working on the list of imaginative beauties of the city. In Naples, you are prone to find an artisan picture-framer than a store of Benetton, and a fantastic pizzeria than a part of McDonald's. Naples is just a place where in actuality the cult of opportunity and death continues to be very much living in churches such as Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio. The church's cellar is full of shrines to the not known useless – people still come here to pray inspite of the practice being banned by the Vatican. And all of this things are making from Naples an special city.

Rome is unquestionably one probably the most lovely cities on the planet; each year an incredible number of tourists result from around the world to appreciate the secrets and efforts of Roman artwork and architecture and to be one of them you will need to begin with Hotelbye . One of the very most popular of Rome's several pieces is Piazza Navona. This place preserves the form of the Stadium of Domitian that when stood here. Piazza Navona was builted by Emperor Domitian in 86 AD and has three superb fountains.