A week to Kill in Italy

“A week to Kill in Italy”
Well, the Mafia is hiring.

I will keep that in mind!

Got a library where you live?

You could see if they have the Rick Steves Italy Guidebook. Very informative.

Or order online via Amazon.

Or use either your computer or the library’s to research such topics as “ hiking in Southern Italy,”
Or “ Budget travel Southern Italy.”

https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-guides/italy-travel-tips/
https://www.italia.it/en/italy/things-to-do/best-hiking-trails-in-italy

Hi Claudia-

I actually have several of Rick's books already. I like to come to the forum when seeking specific experiences of other avid travelers. Not only does it inform my future travels but it's a wonderful way to connect and enjoy the stories of others. Italy has 1000s of places where I could go and spend a wonderful week- I would love to be inspired to travel somewhere based on a story I read here and then be able to come back and tell that person they helped in the creation of wonderful memories. I don't find the same reciprocity in books, blogs or listicles.

If you love the sea and plan to rely on public transportation I would consider the Gulf of Naples.

The Camorra (Neapolitan Mafia) is also hiring, in addition there are plenty of sights in the area to keep you busy for weeks. You can visit Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, and the islands (Capri, Procida, Ischia). Plenty of historical sights all over the place there.

Naples airport (NAP) has several non stop connections to BCN, with Easyjet, Vueling, Ryanair.

Florence is amazing, also Cinque Terre.

Going overland means committing a full 2 days to travel so I think your first decision to commit to flying or to taking the train.

If you choose to fly then book a flight and plan a week getting to that airport. A quick check shows that Naples and Milan both have multiple options while Florence, Bologna and even Venice also have daily flights so you have some options. You could head south and do Naples area, you go north and do Florence and Venice flying out of either of those or Milan is a just a few hours by train as well.

Going by train you need to work your way north towards Genoa and the border. Florence and the Ligurian coast might be nice but after that you're looking at probably a solid 8 hours getting to Nice and another 8 hours from Nice to Barcelona so an overnight somewhere like Nice makes a lot of sense.

If you stay on the ground I would probably opt for making more of rolling visit through Italy and France taking my time and making the journey the thing. A couple of days in Florence or the coast and then a couple of days in Nice, explore Marseille or do an overnight in lower Provence and eventually end up in Barcelona.

Or if you want a really off-piste suggestion there is a 20ish hour ferry from Genoa to Barcelona a couple of times a week.

My $.02,
=Tod

Have you been to Venice and the Dolomites? Those were my 2 favorite locations on our trip to Italy last summer. Then you could fly to Barcelona from Venice or Milan.

I am linking the Man in Seat 61's train options from Barcelona. Between Barcelona and Italy, he suggests overnighting in Nice, Marseille or Lyon.
https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Barcelona.htm#Spain-Italy

Actually, on 2nd thought, there might still be too much snow in the Dolomites for hiking in late April. You could consider Puglia? I haven’t done this, so take this with a grain of salt. I think you could take the train from Rome to Caserta, then from there to Bari. You could base in Monopoli or Polignano a Mare. Maybe see Alberobello and Matera? Then fly from Bari to Barcelona. People say Puglia is not easy by public transport but I think with careful planning you might be able to do it.

If you want to go overland then my thoughts would be to train along the rivieras stopping about 3 times before Barcelona. For example train from Rome to La Spezia is a little over 3 hours. You could stay in La Spezia or go to Portovenere which is a pretty little town. Then you could head up to somewhere along either the northern Italian Riviera ( San Remo area) or into France. Finally head to the Western part of France, Collioure is a lovely spot, would be very quiet in April, some nice hikes there too. Finally train to Barcelona.

With 7 or 8 nights you could have 2-3 nights in each spot.

I agree with Lisa, take the train along the Mediterranean coast. Rome, Santa Margarita, Monaco, Cannes, St. Tropez...

Both Florence and Naples are worthy candidates for several days exploring. Naples may be a bit more for the adventurous/stout of heart but really it might just tick all the boxes with plenty of public transportation options. You could go to Pompeii and/or Herculaneum for the day, head to the archaeology museum in Naples, ferry to Capri, Ischia or Procida (all should be 'open' by then).
Getting to the Naples airport from the center is quick and easy (shuttle bus was 5 euro in 2022).
My daughter (age 27 at the time) spent a few days exploring the city by herself in June 2022, before we met up with her and she didn't mind being a solo traveler there. She stayed near the train station, and traveled everywhere on foot, but typically doesn't stay out late or go to clubs by herself in the evening (she's more of an early bird, heading out each day by 8am.)

“I would love to be inspired to travel somewhere based on a story I read here and then be able to come back and tell that person they helped in the creation of wonderful memories. “

Fine. Then train and bus to Chiusi and hike to and around Lake Chiusi.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/my-1-month-independent-trip-to-southern-italy-tribute-to-my-husband

Here’s some inspiration in the Puglia region. : )

I just travel by train & an occasional bus. …and I’m going back to this special area in less than a month.

Fly to Barcelona from Bari or Brindisi. One week will whet your appetite to come back to this area. There’s lots of ebike group day tours in this area, along with hiking.

@CK-“Actually, on 2nd thought, there might still be too much snow in the Dolomites for hiking in late April.”

You’d be wrong. Here’s a link slope depths to ski resort info which clearly shows that major skiing areas in northern Italy, such as Bressanone, are already closed for the season, along with several others. There are a few that are still open, but with an average of 165cm top, it won’t last long. Aside from this information my father-in-law, who lives near Lecco and hikes all over the place, when he snd his wife went skiing a few weeks ago in the lakes region in Switzerland, he said he could clearly see the Dolomiti getting ready for spring.

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate your thoughts and will dive into the planning process now