Long term stay on Amalfi or Adriatic,..traveling solo

If painting idyllic villages is your objective I'd choose Positano.

Some magical towns are in Puglia, less touristed, some are challenging to reach by public transportation, but you have time. Ostuni comes to mind, also Locorotondo, Lecce (relatively big city but some beautiful neighborhoods), Otranto.

If you decide on Campania, there are wonderful places near Naples as well - Cumae, the ancient site of an oracular Sybil, is just outside of Naples. The Amalfi Coast (especially from Positano to Vetri sul Mare) has beautiful cliff-hanging villages and some great trails with views of the coastline. Paestum is further down the coast and worth a visit.

Perhaps you could split your time between the two areas?

Hi Roberta,

If I were to choose between staying in Bari or Sorrento for a month, Sorrento would win hands down. There are some nice areas on the Adriatic side of Italy, but Bari wouldn't be my first choice. It does have a nice old historic center, but it's mainly a port town. Other towns in Puglia are further away to see as day trips (Vieste, Matera, Lecce, Alberabello) and public transport isn't as good as other parts of Italy. Sorrento is easily accessible by public transit to Naples, Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvias and Herculeneum by train, and the Amalfi coast by boat, bus or taxi. I agree with Roberto and Zoe, Positano is very picturesque and is my favorite town in the region. Check out www.vrbo.com or www.airbnb.com for rental options.

Thank you , thank you!! This is all sooo helpful. I can dig for days on the internet but there is nothing like hearing from people with experience answering my specific ?'s. Leaning toward Amalfi. Sorrento seems to have more going on but I would prefer Positano for beauty....hmmmm, ...My understanding is they are approx. 1 hour away from each other....thanks again...

Any feedback on the weather in March on the Amalfi coast. I have looked it up and it says average is 54 with 15 days of rain...kinda rainy...

We stayed on the coast last month. We stayed in Atrani, about a 5-10 min walk to Amalfi - beautiful sunrises...sigh. Of all the spots we saw (Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Atrani, Ravello)...Ravello was our fav...of course, you don't get the 'right by the water' sights and the beaches, but the views of the coast were lovely from 'up there'. Make sure you take a day or two to see Ravello.

We took the bus from Sorrento to Amalfi both ways - it took from 90-110 min. I think an hour is what they say...and of course, in March, there will be a lot less traffic then there was in early Sept. It was our first visit to this part of Italy, and I'd love to go back for another 4-5 nights...

The Amalfi area is beautiful so you won't go wrong there. However I suspect many of the replies are from people who have never been to the Adriatic side of Italy. There are wonderful towns such as Trani and Barletta, and also take a look at some of the pictures online from the Gargano Peninsula.

We had a car when visiting that side so I can't comment on public transit, although the train does run along the coast so you could use that for coastal towns, and there is also a bus system. Frankly, though, English is going to be less common on that side of Italy since it isn't visited that much by English-speaking tourists so if you're not comfortable with that then Amalfi area would be a hands-down choice.

Let me clarify.

Puglia is beautiful and it has certainly quaint spots for the painter to depict on a canvas, however Bari probably would not be Botticelli's or Leonardo's choice for inspiration.

Of course if the choice were between the Amalfi Coast and the Gargano Peninsula (or the Salento coast), then it would be a tough choice.

Zoe may have been on the right track....maybe I go for three weeks to one and three weeks to the other...certainly enough time to get to know both coasts with an excursion here and there...I could initially travel to a coast by the train. Then bus across the country to the other coast and from there take the train back up to rome???? Hmmmm,,,,,,getting excited about that. Just like backpacking 30 years ago!!!

Keep er coming.....thanks !!!

OK, I just looked at images for the Gargano Penisula! Wow! The Adraitic has ,well, and an Adriatic feel and very different from the West coast. The landscape and water forms are stunning. Thanks Roberto for your suggestions...What town would be in the optimal location if I want to do a couple of day trips out from a home base?

Some other areas you might want to check out...

Reggia Caserta, Casertavecchia, the old village above Caserta, Capua Amphitheatre, short 12 min. metro ride from the Palace and Pozzuoli a cute seaport just to the west of Naples.

All of these are less than an hour from Naples via train or metro.

Explore...http://www.campaniartecard.it/ for info on the many attractions around Campania.

Metro Naples http://www.unicocampania.it/files/mappe/rete_metro.pdf

Transportation Naples http://www.unicocampania.it/files/mappe/principali_collegamenti.pdf

Circumvesuvian http://www.eavcampania.it/web/content/orario-ferroviario

Sita bus Amalfi Coast http://www.sitasudtrasporti.it/public/tpl/campania/5070.pdf

Ferry Amalfi Coast http://www.coopsantandrea.com/en/servizidilinea/servizi.asp

Ferry Capri http://www.capri.com/en/ferry-schedule?path_id=11

Ferry Ischia http://m.traghettilines.it/results.aspx?Pdestinazione=42&Pdata=10/11/2014&Ptratta=&AID=216375&UID=0&language=en

After 8 trips to this area, the longest 10 days, I have still not touched the surface. A month sounds heavenly.

You will have a great time wherever you decide to go. Matera is a great place to spend some time, it's in Basilicata, not Puglia. I have a terrific B&B rec if you want it, and a very special excursion - PM me if you want names!

Agree with Zoe, whichever you choose both areas are wonderful and quite different.

Trains for the Puglia region...

http://www.fseonline.it/SearchResults.aspx?SearchResult=9250165&type=f&best=true This shows bus schedules also

http://ferrovieappulolucane.it/tratta/linee/ This will get you to Matera.

So much great info and generosity in making the effort to share! Mille Grazie!!

Leaning toward 3 weeks in each area,...why not! I have the time and will work harder to get the money ;}} !

If you wanted more "real" and depending on what you wanted to focus on completely, but Salerno is a good hub, easy connections to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Caserta, Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum....

If I were you and decided on the Amalfi coast area, maybe 1 week in Sorrento (to access the Sorrento coast, Naples, and the ruins) 1 week in Amalfi (or any of the cities on the Amalfi coast) and then 1 week in Salerno to tackle the interior (Paestum, Caserta, etc)....

The Mediterranean is considered to be more beautiful than the Adriatic. The Mediterranean is cleaner because of miles of rocky coastline. The Adriatic has miles of sand on its coastline.

Last year I spent the whole month of November on the Adriatic in Le Marche and as the weather got cold, the Sea turned brown as it churned and littered the beaches with tons of wet dark brown driftwood. On calmer days the Adriatic was blue.

But I'm torn, half of my family is from the Tirranean Sea, half from the Adriatic. But if I wanted to paint, i would go to Amalfi coastline..

If I were interested in painting, these are the towns that would be most inspiring:
Positano or any village on the Amalfi Coast.
Vieste on the Gargano Peninsula (Puglia)
Otranto in the Salento (Puglia)
Alberobello or Locorotondo (Puglia, in the interior)
Matera (Basilicata)

The Adriatic Sea in Puglia is very clean and mostly rocky, especially the Gargano and the Salento.
It has very little to share with the Northern Adriatic between Romagna and the Veneto. The Conero mountain area near Ancona is also rocky and beautiful, but that's too far north for you.

Thank you for all of the great info!! I will investigate all of the wonderful leads everyone has shared. Many thanks!!

You've got a good chunk of time here, and you might want to add Sicily. Not painted as many times as Positano/Amalfi, and Very Beautiful and less expensive. But I'm the Sicily enthusiast on this website! Just discovered it a few years ago after years and years of going to Italy.