Itinerary feedback

You sound like pretty seasoned travelers, so you may disagree, but there is far too much bouncing around to my eyes. You’re touching some pretty disparate regions. And yeah, the flight from Naples to Milan isn’t a big deal in of itself, but that will still boil down to a day spent traveling. You have traveled with this large group before, was all the intra-country travel smooth? Because you have a lot of it here.

Nine nights is not all that much. To me, if you’re interested in Puglia then focus there and then Amalfi Coast. You’ll get a lot more out of your time the less you use it moving from place to place, settling into and out of accommodations etc. Your proposed stay in Capri is a good encapsulation of this: It will take you a good chunk of the day just getting there and getting settled. You’ll have a day there. Great. Then you’ll do everything you just did a day prior in reverse, and with 9 people to manage through the process. You’re basically trading two days of sightseeing for one. IMO, if you’re going to go through all the effort of getting there, you ought to make it worth your while.

An easy answer is simply to drop Dolomites and Capri. Then put those days wherever you like. I would make any 2 night stay into a 3 then go from there.

I agree with awrzesinski: too much bopping around.

Late June = hot hot hot in Naples, Puglia, and Capri. Are you really wanting that? Beaches will be getting crowded, although "high season" is July and August.

Verona, "the Dolomites" (big area, need to decide exactly where), and Lake Como will be less warm. (Be sure you stay up in the mountains, not in a valley city like Bolzano which will be warmer.) June is still a little pre-high season in the mountains. It is not easy to get to the mountainous communities so less than 3 nights is not worth it. In fact, I'd say for the effort required to get there, 4 nights is a minimum. The mountains definitely have a "wow factor!" Totally different culture, community, approach to hiking (so civilized!) than we have anywhere in the US.

Late June can be quite hot in southern Italy, especially in Puglia (which I love).

My first thought as I began reading your itinerary (before the weather issue occurred to me) was that 4 nights is short for Puglia. I definitely don't think it will be a disappointment, possible oppressive weather aside, but I sure wish you didn't have to drive across Italy twice. Have you checked on flights from London to Bari? I don't know your exact travel date, but RyanAir has one flight to Bari and one flight to Brindisi on at least some days. Both depart from Stansted Airport. BA Euroflyer also has a flight to Bari; it departs from Gatwick. I don't know how much a one-way car rental from Bari or Brindisi to Naples would cost.

You could probably figure out a route from Puglia to Naples that would allow you to see Matera, saving a few miles over treating it as a day trip from your Pugliese base.

Hi all,

Feedback is fair. We moved around a fair bit on the prior trip with this group, but the distances were shorter. In the case of Capri, there are ferries involved which add complexity. I should simplify a bit.

The goal when I started planning this trip was to do southern Italy. Initially, I thought a week in Puglia and a week in Sicily. Worried about the heat in Sicily, plus it is tough to get between those two destination, so I thought a flight up north to get to Como could be the easier option. I want to make the flight from Naples up to Milan worth the trouble, so I was trying to find another spot in the north that would be interesting, hence the Dolomites. Verona just got added last minute.

If I cut Verona, then I can get to:
5 nights in Puglia
3 nights Capri
3 nights Dolomites
3 nights Lake Como

Another option is to eliminate the Dolomites. New itinerary would be:
5 nights in Puglia
4 nights Capri
2 nights Verona
3 nights Lake Como

3rd option
5 nights Puglia
6 nights between Capri/Amalfi
3 nights Lake Como

I fear you'll find Puglia isn't much cooler than Sicily, but I definitely agree that traveling between those two areas is a major-league slog. Plus Sicily really, really calls for a lot longer than one week.

In June I'd favor your first or second option over the third because of more time in the north and less in the south.

I think your new itineraries look much better, nice work. I think the Dolomites should still get the axe, it’s a much more amorphous destination where you’ll have to figure out driving, etc. Feels like three nights is not enough, and I wouldn’t want to peel any off from elsewhere. So, I’m going with option 2 or 3.

Regarding Capri: It’s beautiful and worth visiting for sure. There’s debate over staying there. Some folks say it’s magic. I felt like a day trip there was plenty. The main drawback of staying there four nights is you will be fairly stuck there on Capri. This may be exactly what you want. But I feel like staying four nights in a coast town gives your group better, more varied options. Like, Amalfi town has ferries and busses going everywhere. Worth considering.

And forgive me if I said this already, but it’s kind of late in the game if you’re booking Amalfi Coast for this June/July. I’d see what’s available, your hand might be a little forced in this regard.

The goal when I started planning this trip was to do southern Italy. Initially, I thought a week in Puglia and a week in Sicily. Worried about the heat in Sicily, plus it is tough to get between those two destination,
3rd option
5 nights Puglia
6 nights between Capri/Amalfi
3 nights Lake Como

If you look at the weather last June in a town in Puglia at https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@3173131/historic?month=6&year=2023 you can see that it generally was in the 80's with a days in the 90's. So expect heat and pick a place with A/C

For option 3 I'd spend only 3 days on the Amalfi coast plus perhaps a day to get there. A daytrip to Capri, a day taking the bus and/or ferry to see Positano and Amalfi, a day to see Pompeii. Not sure what you'll do on the remaining 3 days you have budgeted. Puglia, by contrast, stretches almost 200 miles long so plenty of towns to see. Keep in mind that in Puglia stores will be closed from 1-4pm or later so a typical day is go somewhere in the morning, have lunch, then go relax on a beach or take a siesta.

One other comment is be sure you've accounted for travel time. Each switch of location, by the time all is said and done means you'll be out and about in the new location at 2-4pm.