My husband (70) and I (64) are planning a month-long trip in October. We have been before - Rome, Florence. Naples and Venice. My itinerary looks like this -
Fly from Barcelona to Milan.
Milan - 2 nights
Como by train - 3 nights
Verona by train - 2 nights
Dolomites (Vipileno?) by train - 5 nights
Cinque Terre (Vernazza?) by train - 5 nights
Tuscan hill country (Pitigliano?) by train - 3 nights
Adriatic coast (Polignano a Mare?) - 3 nights
Alberobella - 2 nights
Matera - 3 nights
Amalfi coast (Cetara?) - 5 nights
Civitavecchia - cruise home (US)
I know it's a lot of stops but we have done this type of travel quite a bit and do okay. I'm just not sure if I should get a rental car for parts of it or try trains and buses (which we are pretty comfortable with). Also, I'm getting overwhelmed with where is 'best' place to stay, We are not foodies, history buffs, but love hiking and nature.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16102 posts
Como by train - Go to Varenna by train instead. Stay in Varenna, or Bellagio, or Menaggio (depending on availability of accommodations). Midlake is prettier than the city of Como
Dolomites (Vipileno?) by train - A car may be useful to visit the mountains.
Cinque Terre (Vernazza?) by train - 5 nights - I would get bored for that long, but it's up to you. 3 nights are more than enough for me. Which village is irrelevant. All are within minutes by train. See what you can find in terms of accommodations. Monterosso has more options.
Tuscan hill country (Pitigliano?) by train - 3 nights. No train in Pitigliano. Tuscany's small villages is another place where a car is necessary.
Adriatic coast That is a long way south (about 8-9 hours drive from Tuscany). A combination of trains/buses may be necessary, but if you rent a car in Tuscany, then I would drive there and visit Puglia by car.
Amalfi coast (Cetara?) - 5 nights. Try not to have a car in this area. Towns are connected by bus, but Salerno, Amalfi, Positano also have very convenient boat/ferry service.
Civitavecchia - cruise home (US) - If your cruise departs in the morning, you may need to spend the night in CIV or in Rome. It's too far from the Amalfi Coast.
Posted by
5038 posts
I'd consolidate somewhat--it's not the moving so much as the distances.
For Pitigliano, you would need a car, no train station in town and bus travel is not conducive to exploring this area.
You could drop the car before Cetara, but the location I stayed would be okay with a car--https://www.ilglicinebb.it/ (I would not want to drive it on the AC, but it could make sense to keep it parked and for heading inland, depending on the ultimate itinerary). You'd still have to get down to town for the bus/ferry, but it was not a bad walk if parking is scarce.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thank you, Roberto and Valadelphia, for the detailed ideas. I am considering renting cars, just trying to figure out where and when to drop off so i don't have to pay the drop off fees.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Any recommendations for car rental agencies?
Posted by
5038 posts
Many people recommend AutoEurope, a broker. They are probably good for comparing many different operators and locations.
I have used them successfully, but I have had several positive experiences with Hertz.
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
503 posts
I was in the Dolomites (Ortisei) this past Oct. 2-5, 2024. At least in Ortisei, some of the lifts were already closed for the season before I arrived and some others would be closing after that week; also some hotels and restaurants were about to close. I am not familiar with Vipileno other than I know it is further north. I would strongly recommend doing the Dolomites part of your trip as early in October as possible and/or carefully checking what will be open in Vipileno and other areas in the Dolomites that you hope to visit.
I can appreciate that going to the Dolomites first, would mean you have to backtrack to get to Lake Como and I don't have any suggestions of how to deal with that.
I will also mention that I stayed in Varenna (on Lake Como) in mid-October and I was totally and delightfully surprised at how wonderfully uncrowded it was. I should note that I had rain in both Lake Como and the Dolomites, but not all day or everyday.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
I didn't even think about how late in the year it will be for the Dolomites. I will see how the map looks if I rearrange the itinerary, I would think going from Milan to Verona (I decided to pick up a rental car) and going up to Dolomites. Maybe I won't go as north as Vipiteno. Then head over to Lake Como. You are the second person to suggest Varenna - so I am going to plan to stay in that area. What did you think about Ortisei? That was one of my first choices, then I saw a picture of Vipiteno...
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
503 posts
There are people on this forum with much more experience in the Dolomites than me. I have only been to Ortisei and only once. The advantage of Ortisei is that it is very easy to get to without a car (train from Verona to Bolzano then bus to Ortisei), you can easily walk to several lifts or take a free local bus (free when your lodging gives you a pass) to additional trails and lifts in nearby towns, and it has a choice of restaurants and hotels as well as an interesting small museum, shops, grocery store, pharmacy, gift shops. Some people with cars prefer smaller towns or more rural places to stay.
I'll note that I definitely had snow on one of my hikes in the first week in October (in the mountains but not in town) and there had been heavier snow a couple weeks before.