1 month in Italy itinerary questions

It just depends on personal preferences. I would want more time in Puglia (and Matera), and I would be reluctant to interrupt a pleasant, meandering pace with a flight to Sicily--which I would want to save for its own, more exhaustive trip. But those are all just opinions! I can't see I see any glaring misconceptions of time and space, but mull over what things you wish to see and do in Puglia to evaluate if you have given it enough time.

After Lecce, I suggest you pick one base in northern Puglia as a base, combing May 5 & 6.

I am not sure I would go to the expense of flying to Sicily for 6 nights, but it is your trip.

Four nights in Florence plus two in Siena. I would day-trip to Siena from Florence and stay the 16th and 17th in Monepulciano. Day tripping to the Cinque Terre is ill-advised. Day trippers are why it is so crowded during the days. Staying NIGHTS is the way to enjoy the CT. Maybe skip Lucca and stay in the CT? Maybe drop Sicily in favor of giving more quality time to the portion in Tuscany. An agriturismo stay could be the cure for too much time in churches.

I would definitely not go to Sicily for such a short time. Even with a car, there's easily more than two weeks' worth of stuff to do; I think three weeks would be better.

Much of the time you have allotted to Sicily could be happily spent in Puglia. For example, Lecce is a beautiful baroque city where I think you'd like more than a partial day. The tourist office offers a good walking tour. Don't skip Alberobello. Matera could use more than a half-day.

If there's still time left over, make the trip to Orvieto.

I too would skip Sicily for this trip and give that time to Puglia, specifically staying a masseria (the Puglian term for agriturismos). We stayed at Masseria Montenapoleone during a one-month Italy trip, and it was a wonderful break from hotels. It had a pool, and a community kitchen and was just a short drive from the Adriatic. There are many other masserias in the area between Bari and Ostuni. You can use your masseria as a base to see Alberobello and the other trulli villages, and the Adriatic towns (Polignano a mer and Monopoli), and just to catch your breath. There are several nature preserves in Puglia, if that appeals.

If you have seen enough churches, I would also skip Lecce. It is famous for its churches (over 100 of them!). While the baroque architecture is stunning, the town itself closes down daily from about 2 pm until 6 pm, and the restaurants (even pizzarias) don't open until 8 pm. We left Lecce burned out on churches and turned off by the ghost-town atmosphere. We visited Gallipoli on a day trip and found it beautiful ... it might be a good base to explore the heel of the boot.

Thank you for all the responses. I think we will skip Sicily and spend some extra time in Puglia and Tuscany areas. We may even skip Lecce and focus on the northern part of Puglia and then make our way (driving) up through Umbria onto Tuscany. Any suggestion on the route to take from Vieste/Bari to Orvieto? Places to see / towns to stay overnight on the way to Orvieto? Should we ditch the car and fly from Bari to Florence?

Orvieto and Assisi are both worth at least an overnight.

Salerno or Sorrento? Both are good choices, neither is perfect.

Salerno is significantly more budget-friendly (rooms and restaurants). I stayed in a B&B a block from the old city gate, very central, and in 10 minutes or so, could walk to the train/bus station, the ferry pier and the large, sandy beach (lovely waterfront to stroll at sunset with lots of locals as well as tourists). It's easy to get there on the high-speed train from Rome. Even though the centro storico is well-preserved, Salerno feels more like a modern city. You can day trip to Paestum by bus or train to see the Greek temples - maybe a good choice since you aren't going to Sicily this time (wise decision). You can take the regional train to Pompei (city), then a longish walk or a short taxi ride to the sight. Or you could rent a car when you leave Salerno and drive to Paestum, with a stop at Tenuto Vannulo (buffalo farm) for fresh mozzarella, and really really good cannoli and gelati.

In Sorrento, if you're near the main piazza, it's less than 10 minutes uphill to the Circumvesuviana station (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples). But it's a long drop down to the water (pier, ferry). I never walked down (stairs, lots of them) so I don't know what the beach is like. It's more of a schlep to get there - train to Naples, then the Circumvesuviana. Sorrento definitely has more charm. BTW the Circumvesuviana is a really a metro.

The SITA buses run from Sorrento to Amalfi and from Amalfi to Salerno. The most scenic part of the coast is from Salerno to Positano. Much of the road between Sorrento and Positano is inland. You'll want to take both the buses and the ferries for different views of the beautiful coastline.

Lastly, since you now have "extra" days after nixing Sicily, consider spending a full day in Naples. The National Archaeology Museum is a Wow.

The Gargano Peninsula is really pretty later in the year--greener than many other parts of Italy. I don't know what it's like in April.

ViaMichelin suggests three possible routings between Vieste and Orvieto. The northernmost is the one passing places I've heard of (Spello, Todi, Perugia--and I enjoyed brief visits to the last two), but that doesn't necessarily means it's your best option. It is not the fastest one.