Salvatore or Marcello???

[jellytheory]

I am having the hardest time deciding who to go with for the Naples/Pompeii tour. Any advise????

 

Jellytheory-

[Susan-M]

We used Salvatore and had an excellent day .... but if you are reading great reviews on both of them, then you probably can't go wrong with either. Enjoy! :)

[jellytheory]

We used Salvatore and had an excellent day .... but if you are reading great reviews on both of them, then you probably can't go wrong with either. Enjoy! :)

 

Hi Susan,

 

The biggest difference between them is that Marcello is know for going off the "beaten path". Did you have flexibility with Salvatore? And did you see a lot of scenic views with him w/out a lot of tourists? I'm just hoping this is a fairly private experience....

[Welshlady]

We just did a day trip with Marcello in May. I wouldn't say he went off the beaten track at all. He stayed on the main road all the way around the Amalfi coast. Went to the restaurant and then over the mountain to Pompeii. Not really off road at all, just the normal main roads. Read my review to be warned though! I've read more good reviews of Salvatore than Marcello??

[MVPinBoynton]

Our tour with Marcello was marvelous. We got to see the less traveled and crowded villages. Just gorgeous places. Since this was our second trip to the Amalfi Coast it is exactly what we wanted to see. You can read what we did and see lots of pictures at our website www.thepreismans.com .

[PTC]

Either one will do a great job but you are the customer and paying for this so make sure you are very clear on exactly what you are expecting. 99.9% of unsatisfied customers is due to their not communicating clearly what they are wanting and expecting.

 

PTC

[llandaff]

I had the same dilemma and I think the only advice is to search these boards thoroughly (plus Fodors, Frommers, cruisemates, slowtrav, etc., etc.) and read every possible review of each of them! (Why yes! I did go without sleep for a week or two!).

 

The short answer is probably what PTC said above; examine exactly what you want from your tour, communicate thorougly and choose accordingly.

 

From what I have gleaned, if you are flexible, want to experience this area of Italy and are not fussy eaters, then go with Marcello. If you want to visit Sorrento, see the main tourist sites and do some shopping, go with someone else.

 

Having said this, we will not be touring until May next year so all this is just based on copious research. I decided on Marcello and I must say I've had the most friendly correspondence with him of any of the tour guides I've contacted.

 

Good luck! :)

[Cruise Junky]

All good advice, but you might want to contact both to see if they're available before making a final decision.

[Susan-M]

Hi Susan,

 

The biggest difference between them is that Marcello is know for going off the "beaten path". Did you have flexibility with Salvatore? And did you see a lot of scenic views with him w/out a lot of tourists? I'm just hoping this is a fairly private experience....

 

Salvatore was quite accommodating but with 4 random couples (we met on CC) we felt it was best to go with his suggestion which we were all happy with as our goal was to see the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. He took us on the drive along the Amalfi Coast, the towns of Positano and Amalfi, lunch at a quiet restaurant in a town overlooking the town of Amalfi and the coast (delicious food at excellent prices and a bottle of Limoncello on the house), Pompeii, and with 15 minutes to spare, a quick tour of Naples in the vicinity of the port. He was conscientious, personable, interesting, and responded to my emails in a very timely manner.

 

Most of the scenic views that we stopped at were along the Amalfi coast .... no lack of tourists there. :) We did stop at another one in the hills between the coast and Pompeii ... a quiet, scenic spot. The Amalfi Coast and Pompeii are very busy tourist areas, so when you say a "private experience", it would mean really getting off the beaten path and missing some wonderful highlights in this area.

[MVPinBoynton]

Susan-M,

I certainly agree with you that getting off the beaten path means missing some of the prettiest areas. I am so glad that I got to see Positano and Amalfi on our first visit. I would hate to have missed them.

 

With a visit to Pompeii, their isn't much time left to see some of the out of the way places Marcello took us to this time. One needs to decide what they really want to see with whomever they choose to tour with. The good news is I don't think there is a bad place to visit on the Amalfi Coast.

[Susan-M]

The good news is I don't think there is a bad place to visit on the Amalfi Coast.

 

Hi Mike ... yes, and definitely worthy of a second, third or more visits! Great job on your website!!

[212cruiser]

Who you choose to drive you won't make that much difference; what you agree to see and do with the driver will make all the difference. Either will accommodate your requests. Be pro-active about planning the day's itinerary and you can choose anyone you want. It's all over in just 7-8 hours.

[Debbierpof]

We used Salvatore 2 years ago and it was marvelous! We went to Pompeii first (his suggestion) because he thought the temperature was better earlier and the ship's tour buses wouldn't get there until later. It was perfect! When we left Pompeii it was 100 degrees and the tour buses were just arriving. We stopped at different places along the Amalfi coast and he told us all about the history of the area. His family has lived in Amalfi for generations and you can tell his love for the area. We ate in a restaurant in Rapallo that was amazing -- we were by ourselves in the middle of summer. Not many tourists in another little town we stopped at to shop for ceramics. He really managed our time wonderfully and it was one of my favorite days in Europe. Also, he recently provided me with info on another port (Palermo) -- he was even prompt with that! I would recommend him in a heartbeat.

[CarolC]

We toured with Marcello 3 years ago and I will try to book Salvatore, or someone else, on our next trip.

[Snackdaddy]

Greetings,

 

We toured with Salvatore last summer and he was very good. It seemed as if he knew most of the locals along the tour. He knew where the very clean and fully-equipped bathrooms were and he took us to a nice restaurant in Ravello--the Italians know how to eat. :p Salvatore is very professional and likes to talk about the history of his country. Since he is the boss, however, he does spend quite a bit of time on his cell phone.

[Juliadlf]

Since he is the boss, however, he does spend quite a bit of time on his cell phone.

 

So should we say that for our tour that all cell phones should be turned off?

I guess I would be a bit annoyed if I'm on a tour for which not only myself but others are paying for and the tour driver/guide is yacking on the cell phone regarding business calls. If he/she is getting calls to be alerted of traffic conditions, confirming restaurant arrival times for our tour or emergencies, then I can see the necessity.

 

Julia

[Debbierpof]

The calls never bothered anyone on our trip. Most I think were done while we were either in Pompeii, walking around Amalfi or Positano, or while we had lunch. Actually, I just loved hearing him speak in Italian (and he was dressed impecably -- in a linen suit in 99 degrees, yes, he is a handsome chap! ;) ). He spoke highly of the other drivers saying that they all know each other and are friends. While you are on that Amalfi Coast road, you don't really pay attention to what is being said -- the beauty of the coastline is overwhelming... plus the drive alone along the coast is an adventure!

[marazul]

We toured with Marcello a couple of weeks ago. He was smart, informative and very professional.

 

I have read some criticism about him from one person who wanted to go shopping and didn't like Italian food. Since we are not interested in wasting time shopping for souvenirs and we love Italian food, that was actually a great recommendation in our case.

 

As to how much you do with Marcello, it really depends on how much time you have on shore. If it is a short day, you may not be able to do both Pompeii and the Amalfi coast. We had the time, but wanted to spend a more leisurely day just on the coast. That allowed us to take the little boat trip in the Emerald Grotto. The grotto was not as impressive as the Blue Grotto in Capri, but the boat driver was hilarious!

 

Marcello does plan an excellent visit, but the schedules are packed due to time requirements (get you back to the boat!) If you have any special interests, do let him know and he will make sure you get there. We had a couple of specific stops we wanted to make and he would let us know how much time to allow so we could then go on to everything else. The lunch was excellent, in a small trattoria overlooking the sea. All dishes were prepared with produce from their own garden. Delicious!

 

As with any other guide, read the description of his tour, communicate any special requests ahead of time, follow his recommendations as to timing, etc, and have a great time.

 

As for the shopping issue, allow some time at the end of your tour near the dock. You can get all the "made in Taiwan" souvenirs you want without taking time away from the sights! If you are shopping for a very particular item, tell Marcello and he will make sure you get there.

 

We can highly recommend Marcello.

[High C's]

I have never read a post where a CC member has toured with BOTH of these guides, which after all would be the only way to compare them.

 

As I have only toured with Salvatore, I can tell you that our day with him was the highlight of our tour. Each time his cell phone rang (which was not often in our case) he was very apologetic, conducted his business quickly and got off the phone. It did not interfere with our enjoyment of the tour in any way.

 

We chose not to visit Pompei as we had been there the year before. Therefore we had a very slow paced visit all along the Amalfi Coast. Salvatore had the day planned, but was very flexible if we decided we liked an area so much that we wanted some extra time.

 

We are going next year again, and have booked with Salvatore to show us more of the area that we fell in love with (alas, Salvatore was already booked 14 months in advance so we will be taken care of by one of his employees, Roberto, who also receives rave reviews).

[Cruise Junky]

 

alas' date=' Salvatore was already booked 14 months in advance so we will be taken care of by one of his employees, Roberto, who also receives rave reviews.[/quote']

 

Sorry ;)

[High C's]

Sorry ;)

 

LOL!!!

[2serendip]

We also toured with Marcello a couple of weeks ago, an excellent day. But be forewarned -- he's very opinionated, and his English is a bit rough. Since we don't like to shop, we were quite in accord with his disdain for shoppers and for tourists who only want to shop and see Positano. We were a little less in accord with his contempt for wealthy Americans who are buying resort property in Amalfi and for wealthy Americans in general. Lunch was fine though not as wonderful as I had expected. So in sum, we really did have a fine tour with him, but I cannot give him an A recommendation, more a solid B.

[High C's]

We also toured with Marcello a couple of weeks ago, an excellent day. But be forewarned -- he's very opinionated, and his English is a bit rough. Since we don't like to shop, we were quite in accord with his disdain for shoppers and for tourists who only want to shop and see Positano. We were a little less in accord with his contempt for wealthy Americans who are buying resort property in Amalfi and for wealthy Americans in general. Lunch was fine though not as wonderful as I had expected. So in sum, we really did have a fine tour with him, but I cannot give him an A recommendation, more a solid B.

 

This type of tour would not work for me. I don't want to feel apologetic for enjoying picking up what Marcello may think of as "touristy" souvineers, or any other purchase that I wish to make with my own money. Plus, these tours are not cheap, so I'm not sure displaying contempt for anyone's financial situation seems like a double standard to me.

[marazul]

High C,

 

in all fairness, I think a lot more is being made over this shopping issue than Marcello does. He never made an issue of it. He never made any comments about Americans, wealthy or otherwise. He did point out that Positano is full of American tourists, which was the absolute fact as we found out during our walk through the town.

 

As for souvenirs, I walked past a t-shirt place and rememberd I had to buy something for a granddaughter. I bought one (in less than 5 minutes) and end of story. Also, I had to pick up a purchase for a friend and we simply told him and he made the stop while we went in and got the package. Again, no hassle and no comments.

 

My main objection to "shopping" is the obligatory shopping stops that many organized tours make. Plus, as I said before, I rather spend my time seeing new places or old favorites without sending time at the shops, especially when most souvenirs are not really authentic or local. I really don't feel like spending time going from souvenir shop to souvenir shop when I could be visiting the cathedral in Amalfi or the Villa Cimbrone in Ravello.

 

Marcello did say that he feels he has something to offer as a tour guide, more than just taking people from shop to shop and I agree with that. I believe he (and all other tour guides) sees this board and he was a little upset about some of the comments.

 

So really, this may be more of an issue on the board than it is in reality. If you go with him, just tell him of anything special you would like to do and he will fit it right in.

 

As for his English, yes, he does have an accent and every once in a while he is at a loss for the right word, but how many of us speak Italian as well as he does English?

 

In any case, there are plenty of good tour drivers and some people click better with each other. Marcello has many repeat users and so do the others. So relax and have a good time. Seeing a beautiful part of the world is the important thing and you will have a good experience with whoever you feel is best suited for you.

[joan24]

We toured with Marcello and had a wonderful time. We were fortunate to have our ship overnight in Sorrento so we had almost 12 hours with Marcello. We went to Pompeii first where Marcello had arranged for an absolutely wonderful guide. We stopped for lunch high in the hills and it was a hightlight for the six of us. Marcello is charming and he does have strong opinions. It was one of the things that made him interesting to us. We booked far enough in advance that both Marcello and Salvetore were available. Each guide has something special to offer. I'm sure that whoever you choose, you'll have a wonderful day seeing the spectacular Amalfi coast. Have fun!!

Joan