Is it worth getting a rental car in Sorrento or is it highly difficult to get around Italy on our own?

Question

We're thinking of maybe renting a car while in Sorrento and heading to the Northern parts ourselves..to also take the ferry from Piombino to Elba Island for the beaches

Answer 1

We hired a car from Fiumicino after spending a week in Rome. It was great for travelling between cities - the autostradas were so convenient and not nearly as expensive as I had been led to believe. The superstradas (marked SS-- on maps) were also easy to drive on and were free of charge. However, once we arrived in a city, we usually travelled by foot or public transport to do sightseeing. It was cheap, we didn't have to worry about parking and negotiating narrow streets and one-way traffic. We also took the car on ferries - from the mainland to Lido in Venice, from Genoa to Palermo, and from Catania to Naples.

It was good not to have to struggle with luggage on and off trains etc, and I would recommend using a car for long distances. We went in winter, so I'm sorry I can't make any suggestions regarding beaches.

Good luck and buon viaggio