Traveling with 5 adults for 3 weeks in April 2025 and attempting to develop an itinerary for Southern Italy. Some places we’d like to visit are Matera, Alberobella, Sorrento and Sicily. We spent a week in Positano a few years ago and have been to Capri and Amalfi a few times. This trip is about finding new places in the South. If anyone can share a possible itinerary including the 4 places outlined above, as well as some places you’ve really enjoyed, I’d be most appreciative. I’m pretty familiar with Venice, Tuscany and Rome and I’ve not had trouble identifying places to visit for past trips, hence wanting to see other regions. Thanks in advance.
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4713 posts
I would start by playing around with the airfare options, including multi-city flight plans. Airports to check would be Naples, Bari, Brindisi, Palermo, and Catania. It looks like you already have a rough itinerary, you just need to sort out the logistics--and I always start that by checking every possible of in and out flight combos.
You might decide to pare down and just do Sicily, or just do Sicily + Puglia/Basilicata. You will find no shortage of things to fill three weeks. I'd delve into Sicily first and see how much everyone wants to see there, then see what else you can include (or vice versa)--but I am allergic to moving too much and skipping over things. Just based on crowd levels, I would try to go to the mainland first and end on Sicily, but that is just a hunch.
Will you be using public transport only or will you use a car in portions?
Posted by
OP
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Thanks for the reply. I appreciate your thoughts. As far as transportation, we plan to rent a car for the Puglia/Bascilica portion of the trip and again in Sicily. I’m with you on limiting the number of places we stay and figuring out where would be a home base for Sicily and Puglia/Bascilica. It looks like Alberobella is closest to Bascilica so perhaps there for one week.
Posted by
4713 posts
That's helpful to know. It really just depends on how much you wish to drive per day. I'd recommend staying overnight (at least) in Matera, as it is really magical at night, and there are nice places to visit in its vicinity. It could break up a drive between the Sorrento area and Puglia.
Many say Alberobello is "touristy" because of the bus tours, but I say pick the place with an accommodation and restaurant vibe you enjoy. If you stay there, you get morning and evenings without crowds, but any of the surrounding villages make a nice base, so I would lean toward one of the places that does not have a train station since you will have a car. The trulli are found all over the area (in less dense concentration). The valley is lovely, and the coast is nice too, Lecce is a place I would add.
You can check train and flight options for hopping over to Sicily. I'd also lean toward picking up a second rental versus driving, unless you especially wanted to stop in Calabria. But I avoid things like taking a rental car on a ferry if I can help it.
The Sorrento area is well covered on the forum, but if you have already seen the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Pompeii, then you might want to focus on the other areas.