Hi all. Planning our first trip to Italy and thought about focusing on the Puglia region and ending with a week in Sicily. Hoping to get some feedback on the itinerary. It'll be two of us for most of the trip (we're meeting two friends for a week in Sicily at the end), and it's our first time in the country. We're trying to travel at a bit of a chill pace.
Dates: May 22 (landing in Bari) – June 14 (flying out of Palermo)
Puglia
May 22: Land in Bari evening of May 22, sleep near airport. Pick up car the next day
May 23–29 - Cisternino
Drive to Cisternino area and stay for 5-6 nights, using it as a base to then make day trips to:
- Locorotond
- Ostuni
- Alberobello
- Martina Franca
May 29 – June 1 (3 nights)- Monopoli
Walking about the area, day trip to Polignano
June 1 – June 5 - Lecce
Using as a base for:
Lecce itself, Otranto day trip, maybe Gallipoli or beaches
June 5- Transition to Sicily by flight from Bari to Catania (a bit unsure here)
Drive Lecce to Bari
Return car
Stay 1 night in Bari and fly out on June 5, or drive there the same day and catch a flight.
Goal was to avoid a stressful traffic/airport day, so arriving in Bari a day early and flying out the next day. But not sure if this is necessary.
Sicily
June 6 – June 10 (4 nights) Ortigia (Siracusa)
Base in Ortigia.
June 10 – June 14 (4 nights) Palermo
Drive to Palermo.
Palermo itself + Cefalù day trip.
Fly home June 14.
Some questions:
car rental
I'm planning to rent cars in both regions. Is it better to book online ahead of time or just grab something at the airport? I can drive manual.
transitioning to Sicily
Does it make sense to route back to Bari and overnight before flying to Sicily? Or just drive in and fly same day? I heard about flying from Brindisi, as it would be closer to Lecce, but the flights have stopovers.
pacing and locations
Does the flow make sense? I'm trying to minimize the amount of times we check in and check out of accommodations, and the time spent on the road. I'm also not sure how many days to spend in each location, or if I should be avoiding some places and checking out others (such as Matera)
Appreciate your perspectives! thank you.