Wondering if this is feasible or too ambitious. We are taking the train from Naples to Salerno and picking up a car at the station. We are staying at Vietri al Mare overnight before leaving for Matera the next morning. If we pick up the car by midday and drop it off at our hotel, can we then get to Ravello (Amalfi) by ferry and then a bus back to Vietri at a reasonable hour for dinner? Or perhaps bus there and ferry back, whichever works with the bus and ferry timetables. I read someone’s post that each of the two villas in Ravello warrant at least 90 minutes. Keep in mind that in May the days are longer so it won’t be dark before 8pm or so. By picking up the car no earlier than 12 Noon, it will be due back at Noon at the time of drop-off at Rome Airport.
I would say it’s doable. The bus from Vietri sul Mare to Amalfi takes 1 hour. The Amalfi-Ravello bus takes another 30 minutes. Let’s add 30 minutes of waiting time between the buses. So, that’s ~2 hours from the moment you get in the bus in Vietri until you get off in Ravello. Same for the return trip. If you leave Vietri by 1PM and want to be back by 9PM for dinner, that would give you ~4 hours in Ravello.
The villas can both be visited until the sunset. They’re not very far apart (less than 1km, a ~15min leisurely walk). The bus stop is close to Piazza Duomo and Villa Rufolo.