Southern Italy

Boni, presuming that you will have a hire car, may I suggest that choosing several locations in which to base yourself for day trips. The south is so different from the north, and has far less tourists. Puglia is my second favourite region after Sicily. The whole toe and heel are well worth seeing., particularly if you are interested in ancient history( Magna Grecia). There are cave towns in both Puglia and Basilicata, and wonderful castles. Dependent on how late in autumn, beautiful beaches for swimming.

Pat: I assume "hire car" is Australian for "rental car"? We here in America are just going to have to work harder to get Australians and those from the UK to speak standard English. When I'm in the UK, the locals have the nerve to talk about my accent--and usually their comments come after I have gone out of my way to compliment the locals on their English, even when their accents are atrocious.Seriously, I have Australian in-laws and they're very patient with me about my English, and sometimes they just have to ask me to speak...more...slowly.:)

Boni,
Have you looked at the Amalfi Coast? We spent a week in Amalfi town and loved it. You can take ferries and buses up and down the coast. Also, Pompeii is close, too.

Check out Ravello! It is situated high above the other towns of the Amalfi Coast. With its ex­ceptional landscapes it has earned Villa Cimbrone's terrace the name of "Terrace of Infinity". Great ceramics shops, too!
You can see pictures and all the details for our Southern Italy trip at our personal blog at: http://gadtravel.blogspot.com/2008/07/palermo-naples.html

Our vacation home is on the Campania/Basilicata/Puglia border - halfway between the Amalfi coast and Bari. I'm happy to answer any specific questions! There's tons to see in So. Italy...so don't know where to begin really... Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, the Norman Castles in Basilicata and Puglia, Caserta, Matera

Boni,

If I could make a suggestion - the very BEST way to see a part of Southern Italy would be with the RS South Italy 13-day tour! I took the tour in April/May and felt that we covered a lot of ground during the tour. It's an incredibly efficient way to travel, and so much better to have a Guide along to explain all of the sites we visited.

Just a thought.....

There’s so much to see – Paestum, charming Maratea, Matera and the sassi, Alberobello and the trulli, Castel del Monte, Ostuni, baroque Lecce, the National Archaeological Museum in Potenza…
Here’s an older, but good article. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E3DC1E31F930A3575AC0A9669C8B63

Giovanna,
(I think I inadvertently sent a message to you that was not complete!!)

Thank you for the information on the article. I will definitely look at it.

Boni

Giovanna - thanks so much for the tip! I've never been to the National Archaeological Museum in Potenza and will check it out in Nov. when I'm over since it is fairly close to me!!

I never received a message Boni.

I hope you enjoy the museum.