Hello:
I am planning a trip with my 85 year old mom, in Sept 2019. (Her wish is to go back to Italy one more time while she still can). We have been to Italy several times but never down the East Coast. I would like to Fly into Venice, Stay a night or two and the go South ending in Sicily and returning back to NY from there. As my mom has some trouble walking long distances, I thought it would be a leisurely trip to rent a car and drive some of the trip. I would appreciate any and all information as to where to fly into, where to take the train from and to and then where to rent a car and drive.
The towns on my list are Venice, Rimini, Trani, Bari, Alberello, Lecce, Matera, Sicily (not sure where in Sicily yet)
Thanks in advance for your help.
Ginny
Posted by
11671 posts
For Sicily, fly into Catania and stay in Siracusa/Ortigia. You can fly non stop from Bari to Catania on Volotea Airlines. Otherwise, take Alitalia via Rome FCO , Bari to Catania.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
For Sicily, although Palermo is the larger city, Catania has the larger airport with more flight options. For seeing a larger part of Sicily, it works well to fly into Catania and out of Palermo, or vice versa.
For your return home, it's easiest to spend a night in Rome, Paris, Munich, etc., then catch a flight to New York from there. Flights from Sicily that connect to flights back to New York all in one day will be few, and they will probably leave very early in the morning.
In September, there should be a nonstop from JFK to Venice on Delta and a nonstop from Newark to Venice on United. This will definitely be easier than a connection. Look at the flights for next week - not for prices, but to get an idea of connections and options for September (it's a bit too early to see flights for September 2019).
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2191 posts
Hi Ginny --
If your mom wants to visit a beach town, I'd replace Rimini (pop. about 150,000) with the smaller, charming Senigallia (pop. about 45,000). This would make a nice, relaxing stop after busy Venice. Really good restaurants.
I like your other stops but I'd skip Lecce unless she is really fascinated by baroque churches.
Now your itinerary is Venice> Senigallia> Trani> Matera> Alberobello> Bari. You can easily do the Venice to Matera legs by train or bus. Senigallia, Trani and Matera are all small and very walkable and you don't need a car. You don't WANT a car in Matera. But then, when you leave Matera, rent a car and drive to Alberobello and back to Bari. Depending on how much time you have available, you might want to stay in a masseria or a trulli for a night or two and drive around this lovely area of Puglia.
Now return the car in Bari and fly to Catania. If you have a week for Sicily, I'd spend it in a nice b&b in Ortigia. This is a small, walkable city, with a great market and gorgeous views. You could take a bus from Catania to Ortigia or rent a car, in order to have it available for day trips. If you have more time, choose another destination depending on her interests. If she wants to see Palermo, you definitely don't want to drive in Palermo. You could drive to the Palermo airport, drop the car there, and shuttle into the city.