After traveling since April 1 on our own my friend and I joined the Rick Steves 17 day Best of Italy Tour on Sunday April 12. It ended on April 28.
It was my 4th RS tour and I loved it. I will probably do a separate post on the tour.
Rome; 4 nights (2 on our own after the tour). A highlight for me was seeing the amazing Pieta again after so many years and seeing Pope Leo on Wednesday when St Peters square was bursting with other folks that wanted to see him. It was a glorious weather day and because he is driven around in his "pope mobile" it was easy to see him. So many babies were passed to him for a blessing and that really tugged on my heart strings. I also loved seeing so many people gathered in one spot and I saw no ill behavior in the crowd, everyone seemed to be enjoying the occasion and were very respectful. It was a great experience.
Another friend flew into Rome and joined us for the last few weeks of the trip. We then headed to the Puglia region; this was new to all of us.
Polignano a Mare; three nights. Took Jeans advice and stayed at POSEA, Polignano Sea Suites. Probably lucked out with her favorite room, was up on the top floor with a separate very large rooftop terrace. Views were amazing. We were happy to spend three nights here. One day we took a short train to Monopoli and enjoyed exploring that town as well.
Alberobello; 2 nights. Loved wandering here. Loved where we stayed enjoying the truli experience.
Lecce; 2 nights. This was not easy to get to from Alberobello. Loved where we stayed and the ease of wandering, but was not enamored with the town as much as I thought I would be. But I'm glad we went. One night I went off by myself to attend a rosary in one of the churches and I got a better feel for the area.
Matera; 3 nights. This was an amazing place on so many levels. Starting with the place we stayed and the owner. Her and her family have lovingly restored 4 rooms in an old cave area. Called Torretta ai Sassi. The view was magical, at all times of the day and night. The history of this place is beyond amazing and well worth looking up.
Salerno; 5 nights. From here we were able to visit Pompeii one day, Pasteum another, a full day with a private driver all along the Amalfi coast, a bus ride I would not like to repeat and other explorations.
Naples; 2 nights. I enjoyed Naples way more than I thought I would. Gritty, noisy, chaotic, graffiti everywhere but somehow it works! The archeological museum is not to be missed and loved seeing so many artifacts from Pompeii.
So altogether it was a fabulous adventure. 20 different lodgings (including the ones on the tour), multiple trains (including one only 3 minutes long), toooooo many glorious churches to count, fabulous art, delicious food, a new appreciation for Italian espresso, more steps than I could ever imagine from metros with non working escalators to lodging without elevators, and everything in-between, lots of ancient ruins, really good weather, excellent traveling companions, new friends (from the tour), and so much more. Fantastico!
Traveling with three has some limitations. Not as easy to find lodging but we managed. None of us need fancy or high end, just clean and preferable the old part of towns/cities because that is where most of what we want to see and experience is located.
Thanks for listening! It helps to review and brings back great memories.