2 yrs ago husband and I did Venice, Florence, Orvieto and Rome. Our first time in Europe and we LOVED Italy! We are returning in April flying into Rome and plan to spend 4 nights in Rome, then we have 10 more nights. Itinerary suggestions? Tuscany towns?, Puglia?, Sicily? Help! Not opposed to renting a car somewhere but am worried it could be too stressful with the ZTLs. Also I have knee issues and worry about that.
Posted by
Phoenix, Arizona
86 posts
Our favorite base has been Bologna. Excellent culture, best food in the world, and easy day trips to Modeno, Parma, Ravenna, Padua, and others. There are frequent fast trains from Rome to Bologna, as Bologna is a railway hub.
Posted by
6665 posts
The car thing is no big deal, but it may not be worth worrying about if you choose an itinerary easy by train, such as Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Naples and Amalfi. I found Puglia easier with a car but it’s not a requirement like it is in some areas (rural Tuscany). Try flipping through some guide books to see what appeals to you.
Posted by
Washington DC
30365 posts
Ten days would be a bit short for Sicily but would give you time for a nice visit to Puglia even if you included Matera. You can get around Puglia pretty well via public transportation, but a car is considerably more efficient. Puglia, like Sicily, is typically miserably hot in the summer, so April would be a good time to see it.
Bologna would be a good base for a trip not requiring a car. It's hard to beat the range of easy side trips from Bologna. Verona could also be a good base, though April may not be ideal for the Dolomites. There are many other options; you should consider what sort of sightseeing you like to do and the types of scenery you prefer (coastline, lake, mountain?).
For folks keen on Roman ruins, Naples/Salerno give great access to places like Pompeii, the island of Capri and the (now extremely crowded) Amalfi Coast.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
9451 posts
For knee issues, some of the cities that are mostly flat are:
Northern: Torino, Cremona, Parma, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Verona, Padova
Southern; Lecce, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Martina Franca, Bari, Giovinazzo, Trani.
If you go south, a 1-hr train ride from Rome is Caserta. There’s a gorgeous expansive palace there with an amazing garden. They have golf carts that will take you out the length of the garden, so you could enjoy it without the long walk.