I was set to arrive on October 9th in Barcelona. Due to the ongoing events, After much consideration, I canceled the hotel reservations and have decided to visit Barcelona at a different time even if it turns out up that I lose the cost of the airfare and Familia Sagrada prepurchase. I currently have tickets on Ryan Air from Rome into Barcelona on the 9th and then return from Barcelona to Naples on the 15th. I am looking for suggestions for alternate destinations for the 5 day stretch between Rome and Naples. (I realize this is a very broad request but we have already been to Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Venice and Rome.) Preferably a warmish climate as I am already packed and ready to go.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23562 posts
Duplicate question in the Spain section. Responses are being posted in the Spain section.
Posted by
Washington DC
27644 posts
Five days is a day or two short of what I'd like to have, but I say: Puglia. I used the pretty Baroque city of Lecce as my base and found that in summertime (no clue about October) the tourist office arranged van trips to surrounding small towns. That allowed me to see more places than would have been possible by public transportation, but there is some rail and bus service that can get you to spots like Alberobello (for the trulli). You might consider traveling via Matera, though that won't leave much time for Puglia itself. There's rail service to Matera from Salerno.
Another possibility would be Umbria--places like Orvieto, Assisi, Perugia, etc. The first two have enough to keep you busy for more than a full day each.
Posted by
OP
32 posts
Thanks for the suggestion. I had been interested in the Bari region but did not know if there was enough there to warrant the time. I will definitely look into the logistics which would then put me closer to Amalfi coast which is where we want to be on the 15th. Do you have any ideas for the Lecce, Bari, region as far as lodging, sights, driving conditions, etc? I have very little time to research so any suggestions are welcomed.
Posted by
Washington DC
27644 posts
I have no experience driving in Europe, but I didn't notice anything that seemed scary as I was riding around in the day-trip van. Parking is likely to be challenging, of course, since the historic centers are often pedestrianized.
I haven't been to Bari, but I've heard that it is nice. In addition to my base in Lecce, I enjoyed short visits to Alberobello (pretty much a must-see for the trulli), Locorotondo, Monopoli, Gallipoli, Ostuni, Otranto, Polignano al Mare and Matera (caves, another top sight). Matera is in Basilicata (caves) but can be combined with Puglia. A lot of the towns are quite small and don't require more than perhaps 1-1/2 or 2 hours for a total walk-around; folks who spend multiple days in the small towns are probably doing so for the beaches. Some of the towns are Greek in appearance. Most if not all have an interesting old church. Otranto is a larger town; its cathedral has an important floor mosaic.
Here's a link to the Lecce tourist office's excursion page, which unfortunately is only posted in Italian. You can Google for pictures of individual towns.
The Lecce tourist office runs a good walking tour of the historic area, at least in the summer.