travel to Matera

I am confused as to where you want to go. Do you know where you are going? Matera and Tricarico are in the arch of the boot. No where near Naples. In fact a long ways from Naples. Matera and Tricarico will be tricky to get to using public transit.

teri, There are many possibilities, but I'd suggest using a combination of transportation methods. One option would be..... > Train from Roma Termini to Potenza station (~5 hours with 1 or 2 changes). There is a station at Grassano-Garaguso-Tricarico, however the car rental options may not be as good in that area. > Taxi from the station to car rental firm. > Drive to Tricarico. I've never travelled that route but MapQuest indicates driving time should be about an hour. > Drive to Matera. Driving time appears to be about an hour. If you're going to be staying in Matera, I'd highly recommend Hotel Sassi. I believe they have parking available (€10 per day?), but you'll have to check with them. When you're finished, simply reverse your route back to Rome. My suggestion would be to stay in Rome at least one night when you first arrive, so that you can make the trip to Tricarico when you're well rested. A few important points.... For driving in Italy, EACH driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Also, you'll have to be careful to avoid the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato (restricted traffic) areas which exist in many towns in Italy (I've seen them in the south as well). A GPS along with a good map would also be advisable. There are also a few "caveats" when using trains and buses in Italy. If you need more information, post another note. It IS possible to reach Matera via public transport, but it's a bit of a convoluted route, and I can't remember the details (I'd have to do some checking). Buon Viaggio!

Teri, it all depends how much time do you have. Matera is served by a regional railway, Ferrovia Apullo Lucane (http://ferrovieappulolucane.it/). The way to get there by train it to travel to Bari (with fast-ish train links from/to Roma and Napoli) and then take the 1h45 trip to Matera. If you want to explore the region, a rental car is the best option. No need to hire a driver, unless you want to blow money away. There is, though, a strong recommendation for you to get GPS navigation (preferably your own GPS device with ITalian maps, so that you know how to operate it). The area near Tricarico doesn't have many freeways, but it has some expressways (2-lane roads built to modern standards mostly graded-separated) that makes travel to/from Matera easy. Bari and Napoli are good pics to rent a car and start or end your driving. There are train rental agencies around Napoli Centrale station, and the highway starts right there at the side of the station.