Help with Southern Italy itinerary

We go to Naples annually for Christmas (yes, we are here now). It is fabulous for day trips. Sfogliatelle for breakfast, then a fabulous day excursion by rail or boat, then back for pizza for dinner. Rinse and repeat!

Sounds wonderful Abby! What day trips (without a car) do you recommend?

Hi, sounds like you have some wonderful locations planned! Just a comment- you mentioned that stairs are a problem. Lovely Spello is very steep and has inclined brick platform type steps on several lanes. Look up photos of it as my description is probably hard to follow! ; ). I love the little city and am returning there next year; I’d hate for you to be there a week and struggling walking its lanes.

Thanks Jean. Yes, I looked at the hills in Spello and was a bit worried, but I think it will be ok. I hoofed it all over the hill towns of Tuscany, but was a bit younger then! Was in Greece recently and did fine, even in Santorini, until the climb down from the Acropolis! I found a place to stay in Spello that is only a few minutes walk from the parking lot so hoping it won't be too bad. I'm curious though... would you recommend another nearby town?

the plan is to stay in the Monopoli area for 5 nights and then stay in Lecce for 6 nights.

I would pick something a bit further north than Monopoli. It's only a little over an hour drive between them which IMO is daytrip distance. Vieste, Trani, or an inland town would be what I'd choose instead to allow seeing more of Puglia

Instead of Spello how about Perugia? They have a minimetro to get from the base by the train station to the top, and once at the top the town is relatively flat (and quite a bit larger than Spello, more to see & more places to eat). Staying in Perugia a few years ago they had parking outside of the ZTL a little ways down the hill.

I would agree that Perugia may be easier than Spello which is nothing but up up up.
Bari is a good base for day trips to Matera and many other places. It’s got a great old town by the sea. Lots to see and do in the greater Naples area as well. Six nights in Lecce seems long.

I agree that Matera can be challenging for those of us who have problems with stairs, but nevertheless I would recommend staying at least 2 nights. There's a lot to see, both in the upper town and down in the "caves" area. When we were there with the RSE South Italy tour, we had a great guided tour in the old section that didn't involve any stair climbing at all. I would love to do that part of the tour again, taking even more time to explore the oldest part of town.

Thanks all! I had considered Perugia, but the week we are there is during the Eurochocolate festival and I think it would be really crowded. We had planned on just spending the day there. Has anyone been there during the festival? I chose Spello because of its convenience to so many other small towns, as well as Perugia and Assisi but may rethink this choice. Has anyone stayed in Montefalco?

The cities near Spello are all pretty hilly, too. Spoleto has some escalators, and I think some of Assisi was less hilly than Spello….but it’s been several years since I was in Assisi. Perugia would have worked with the minimetro access; too bad about the timing.

I stayed a few nights in Salerno -answering your other question. If you stay there, be sure to take the train or drive over to Paestum to see the Greek temples. We were there during September, so we took the ferries along the Amalfi Coast. For your time of year, it will be buses. Ravello is wonderful!

While planning your time keep in mind that in Puglia shops and churches typically close around 1pm and reopen at 4pm or later. Restaurants serving lunch may stay open until 2. So it can be a challenge to visit more than one town per day.

Also since you mention a problem with climbing I suggest taking a look at walking tour videos or aerial photos online to make sure a destination isn't too hilly. Otranto, for example, is built into a hillside so there are plenty of stairs and inclined walkways that hopefully aren't more than you'd be comfortable with.

If you will be arriving on an overnight flight from the U.S., you may want to reconsider driving as soon as you arrive. You will probably be tired, sleepy, jet lagged, and you'll be on new roads to boot. Those things might not have an effect on you, but I don't need to be behind the wheel under those conditions. Just something to think about as a minor fender bender at the start of the trip will color the rest of the trip.

Good tips from everyone! @John, we will definitely look at some walking tour videos, etc right away! Would love to see more comments regarding spending a few nights in Salerno. I'm also looking at splitting up the time in Umbria between 2 areas (maybe Ovieto) although I really hate the whole packing and moving scenario.

I used to live in Salerno, so I'm a little partial to it....

It is easy to use as a base to get to Capri, Amalfi/Positano, Paestum, Vietri, Naples, Caserta for a far way, and if you wanna take the SLOOOOOOW train, you can get to Herculaneum and Pompeii (with just a bit longer walk/taxi ride from the stations). Though if you want to just sit on the coast and relax in "resort feeling world", it might not match up to that idea. To me, Salerno seems like its not overrun by tourists and where Italians outnumber the tourists. There are large areas to explore and wander about. Real stores are along the corso, Via Mercanti and the historic center is so charming and has some great smaller shops and restaurants. The lungomare is LONG and beautiful to walk along with the rest of the city for a nice "passeggiata" at most times of the day. The duomo and the giardino delle minerva are some of the more notable attractions and if you can manage the bus schedule, Castello Arechi above the town is neat too!

Nettuno is probably the best/most famous gelato and its right on the lungomare which is perfect for your walk along the sea! My favorite pizzeria is Pizzeria Trianon, and the only place I get my wurstel e patatine :) My other favorite place closed where I get my favorite diavola....so I need to go searching for a place....favorite place for fancy is CiCi Rinella, right behind the duomo.

My friend who went with me to Italy for 2 weeks 4 years ago said that out of Salerno, Lake Garda, Florence, and Rome, said that she liked the ambiance of Salerno more than the more touristy cities.

Wow! Great info Katherine! Thank you. The reason we decided to look at Salerno is because we would be able to drop of the car there (rather than Naples) and can easily take the train to Naples for the remainder of our trip. This would put us there in the middle of November though. What do you think about the weather at that time and accessibility to a boat tour?

We have been in Italy for the past two Octobers and early Novembers. The weather was very pleasant. I usually wore what was only a light merlino wool sweater and my Gortex raincoat when it was cool and/or rainy. Always able to walk around and even ate or drank outdoors.

oooof, I don't know about a boat at that time of year, but your timeframe makes me think of the Luci d'Artista in Salerno! If I could get back to see that I would be so happy! They are the Christmas lights that decorate the whole town and they are SO NEAT! They started this year on Nov 24th....so maybe not when you are there.....but definitely the coast will be quieter. The bus starts from the Salerno train station if I recall, should be way less busy than the summer! I think you will have way more options for dining and "openness" in Salerno during November than on the coast.

In Matara we stayed near the Piazza Vittorio Veneto. We were able to walk to several plazas with many steps. The sassis are another story, i did not walk in them, but enjoyed seeing views into the sassis, especially at night.

We are traveling in Puglia in early March. Upon following advice, we're staying 2 nights in Matera at La Corte Dei Pastori BnB (after a long drive day from Sorrento). Someone suggested APE tours as a way to see the sights without so much walking. Just google "APE tours Matera" and several choices will pop up. We've used "Get Your Guide" successfully in several countries and we're considering an APE tour for creaky bones in Matera. We're also spending 3 nights in an AirBnB near Martina Franca, 2 nights in (AirBnB) Lecce, 2 nights (Hotel Adria) in Bari.

KayC, I will be looking forward to your reviews. I looked at the same B&B in Matera and have already planned the APE tour (great minds....). We will be following a very similar path, but I'm thinking about staying in Monopoli and Lecce to avoid so many moves. Very excited! Just bought our plane tickets last night, so now it feels real.

Please send some itinerary/ideas/reviews/expirience... sound great (this trip itinerary)

We enjoyed our ten days in Puglia, staying in Polignano a Mare. We preferred it to Monopoli. Splitting your time with Lecce is a very good idea.
This was a very poor part of Italy which is being revitalized.Loved the local wine.
We spent a day in Matera and that was enough for us. We climbed down into the Sassi, did it all. Knowing the history was somewhat depressing.

I also am planning southern Italy in November 2024 for the month. S, F 70+ and only travel by bus/train/ferry. Naples to Sorrento for a few days, then train to Maratea for 3 nights, then Tropea for 3 nights and from there to Cosenza which is just a one night to break up the trip to Matera. Lecce 4 nights, Monopoli 4 nights then almost 10 days in Naples. Since I would be traveling in November 2024, checked in November 2023 bus/train/ferry schedules to get a sense of how feasible travel would be. I've checked out apts as like you, like to stay put rather than one night it, plus I only bring a carryon so always get apts with washing machines or at least figure out when I can do without one.