This fall we're going to be going to Bari & vicinity. We want to have a car in the Bari region, so the options are get the car once in Bari or partway there. There are some 4-hour train trips from Rome to Bari, but unfortunately they leave before we're in Rome or hours afterwards. So the train Rome -> Bari seems to be out.
Arriving in Rome, tentative plans are to take the train to Naples and then either a bus to Bari, or ride the Circumvesuviana out of Naples to a smaller town and pick up the car there. Does anyone have experience with either of these options and can tell us how it worked out for you?