Best of South Italy - A few Questions

I was on this tour in mid-May 2019. It was a colder, wetter than usual spring, even the locals were complaining. To answer your questions:
1) Although I was in pretty good shape for riding my horse and mucking stalls, I was not in as good of walking shape as I should have been. I worked up to 3 miles including hills. What I didn't do enough of were stairs. So my prep for South of France tour in 2022, I walked 3 miles a day, adding 150-200 stairs up and down. I also added Zumba, stretching exercises learned in physical therapy for my back and weight lifting. This combo worked great. This year I did the same without Zumba but because some meds were off, I didn't do quite as good as last year. I'm now prepping for September 2024, going back to 2022 routine. Takeaway: Work on stairs, you will encounter a lot. Edit: thought I should add that I was 68 and DIL was 71 when we did SofI. I’m turning 73 soon.
2) I used everything I packed: 3 leggings, 7 shirts, 5 sets undies. What I wished I had packed was an extra sweater. It was cool enough that I wore my cashmere cardigan almost every day. An extra sweater would have allowed drying time so I could wash mine. I took a lightweight jacket. I don't have to worry about rain in AZ so only took throwaway rain coats. Not a good choice. Too light. I bought a good packable rain poncho in Sorrento and still travel with it.
An extension cord was handy, some hotels had out of the way plugs. Now I travel with face masks, covid tests and thermometer.
To save weight, I now take and wear one pair of walking shoes and pack a pair of walking sandals. The extra pair of cute walking shoes didn't get worn enough to warrant the weight/bulk. Because I have problem feet, I take silicone toe protectors and BandAid blister bandaids. I do hand wash on the first night of a two night stay, so pack folding hangers and laundry soap sheets or Forever New powder. I'm changing to solid shampoo to save 311 bag space. Dramamine is a lifesaver on bus days and any boat rides.
3) I researched and booked our independent days pre- and post-tour. I assigned tour research to my sister-in-law, but that didn't happen so we winged it. I now travel solo so being organized is very important. I research tour free time, buying tickets when needed. I also preplan independent time pre- and post-tour, about two weeks total. I don't take guidebooks or pages; I don't want the added weight, almost everything is online and I haven't needed to refer to them.

It's a great tour. You will have so much fun.

Weather varies a lot from year to year, so I don't think there's any substitute for looking at actual, historical, day-by-day weather data for your destinations. I use timeanddate.com, and I check the most recent five years.

Rome weather Sep 2023

Matera weather Sep 2023

Use the pull-down box at the right above the graph to change the month and year displayed. (October could cool off quite a bit, or not.) Use the Search box near the top right to change the city.

I often just use the climate-summary charts in cities' Wikipedia entries for monthly-average precipitation data, but they are not adequate for the temperature information a traveler needs. Given that the averages are based on a period ending in the year 2010 or 2000, I'm not sure now useful even the precipitation data is. However, I always travel with a waterproof rain jacket and folding umbrella, so the Wikipedia stats on rainfall don't affect my packing decisions.

I naven't taken that tour or any other, but here are two general tips:

• Arrive early so you've recovered from jetlag before the tour begins. Personally, I'd go at least two days early. The tour gives you just about one day in Rome, so you'll have plentymof sightseeing optionsmthat won't duplicate tour activities.

• Pay particular attention to shoes. You need supportive shoes with grippy soles for walking on cobblestones, broken pavement, etc. I prefer well-cushioned shoes so the soles of my feet don't get sore from the pounding on hard surfaces, but that may be a matter of personal preference. There's no substitute for trying shoes out. Buy from a source that allows returns so you can at least put the shoes on and walk around your house for a day.

janet,

I did that tour in the spring and the weather was good for the whole trip. The weather should also be good in September but of course not guarantees.

A few thoughts.....

• As the others have mentioned, it's a good idea to get used to walking and dealing with stairs. I don't recall any of the walks being too strenuous, but some conditioning is always a good idea.
• It's also a good idea to pack along some rain gear. I've experienced some torrential downpours in various parts of Italy. They arrived unexpectedly and only lasted a short time, but the rain was extremely heavy.
• I try to pack clothing for "layering" in case the weather is either too hot or too cold.

That's a great tour and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!