Finally ready to head south of Naples for about two weeks. Will be doing all travels by train or bus.
Not too interested in doing all the tourist things but love exploring smaller less traveled places. Looking for the opportunity to compare the south to the Tuscany areas.
Single senior who loves seeing new sites as much as sitting in a Piazza with a book.
Posted by
3122 posts
Given that you are "not too interested in doing all the tourist things but love exploring smaller less traveled places," I'd recommend investing in a guidebook like Lonely Planet that covers the more out-of-the-way destinations. The RS guide might serve as a source of tips on places to avoid, in that case.
Here is a list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in southern Italy -- whether this constitutes a plus or a minus for you, I'm not sure. https://www.tripsavvy.com/southern-italy-unesco-world-heritage-sites-1547761
Do you want to stick to the mainland, or are you also considering Sicily?
Posted by
Chicago
1944 posts
For our next trip, in my sights I've got Maratea--in Basilicata along the Tyrrhenian Sea--as a two night stop on the train line between Naples and the tip of Calabria before going across to Sicily.
Check it out, it looks fabulous.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15156 posts
In addition to investing on a guidebook for the area (Rick Steves doesn’t cover southern Italy south of Naples) I recommend investing in a rental car. The type of trip you are envisioning is more efficiently done with a car, especially in Southern Italy.
Puglia (Latin: Apulia) is the region you should focus on.
Don’t compare with Tuscany. Different climate (hotter), different landscape (drier), different history (the Spanish Kingdom of the two Sicilies). Enjoy the region for what it is.