My husband and I will be in Italy for a month from September 16 to October 15, 2015. We rented an apartment in Trastevere, Rome for the first 8 days and would like to spend the remaining 19 days going north from Puglia to Le Marche and maybe to Florence (the only place we have been before) for the last 3 days before getting to the Rome airport where we fly out on the morning of 10/15.
We are considering starting this 19 days with 2-3 days centered in Lecce and then spending 5-6 days in one beautiful spot (with kitchen) around the Locorotondo/Martina Franco area while we fan out from there for day trips. Then we are imagining heading to Le Marche—maybe a few days in Ascoli Piceno and then, again, centering ourselves in another area of Le Marche for almost a week further north.
We are not people who like to move every day or two. We like to plant ourselves in a well-located spot and experience the environment/people/culture and fan out from there to nearby areas. So this itinerary of 2-3 days in Lecce followed by 5-7 days in one beautiful more rural/hilltown area (it seems that the area around Locorotondo/Martina Franco might be good for this stay?) then 2 or so days in Ascoli Piceno followed by another 5-7 days further north in Le Marche (again rural/hilltowns, etc) feels like a good rhythm for us. Of course, if you dear readers tell us that we should spend more time in the south in/near Lecce or recommend some different plan as we go north, we are still wide open for planning this trip.
General costs: Because we will be funding our trip for a whole month, we hope to find lodging—hotels/agriturismo/masserie that cost $100 or less per night, unless there is something truly magnificent or an area that is more expensive. In this case we will go up to $150. We are spending more than this in Rome but that is expected.
We would love some help and advice! Here are some of our questions:
1) First of all, does this itinerary make sense—are we biting off too much? Are there fabulous places we would be missing by following this so-far very basic plan?
2) How should we get from Rome to Lecce: Flying to Brindisi or Bari and then renting our car for the trip? Renting a car in Rome and driving the long 6+ hour trip? If we did drive, is there a wonderful must-see place to stay along the way that would make the long drive worth it?
3) Can you recommend a hotel in the old center of Lecce? I saw recommendations for 8piuhotel but it is 20 minute walk into town. Is this the best and closest place for our budget?
4) Is late September/first half of October still beach/pool weather in Puglia and Le Marche? Should we be considering lodging with pools and plan trips to the beaches?
5) Can you recommend a wonderful place with kitchen to stay in the Valle D’Itria area near Locorotondo/Martina Franco. A beautiful, clean, aesthetically pleasing spot to hang out for a week or so? Or is there another place in Puglia where we have access to beautiful areas?
6) Can you recommend a place to stay in Ascoli Piceno in the old center of town? How long should we plan on staying in Ascoli? Are there day trips that would warrant a longer than 2-day stay?
7) Where should we park ourselves for 5-7 days of exploring the other parts of Le Marche? There are so many beautiful hill towns and places to walk—we don’t know how to pick one spot to have good access to the beauty in this area. Again, a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing house/masserie/agriturisimo (with kitchen) for this length of time.
8) Recommendation for a good, well-located hotel in Florence (center)?
9) Good place to stay very near the airport in Rome to fly out in the morning?
We so appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you ahead of time!