Trip report: 12 cities in 12 months in Italy

For the second half I had a car, which made the trip 10x easier and more fun. Still me and my dog, and also starting from Berlin.

August

• Home: Lecce, Puglia
• Driving: Berlin > Munich (sleep) > Modena (sleep) > Lecce
• Heard horror stories about going to Puglia in August (too many people, school holidays, etc), but it was fantastic and lively and lots of things happening and mostly had no trouble with over-crowded places
• Food in Lecce is amazing and we were never bored
• Easy to drive to the beach at the end of the day

September

• Home: Vibo Valentia, Calabria
• Loved Calabria, very underrated, but Vibo Valentia was a bad choice (rundown, depressed city, isolated and not much to see or do)
• Ran away from Vibo every weekend and had wonderful stays in the region: Tropea, Capovaticano, Palmi, Reggio Calabria, Gerace, Cosenza, Pizzo

October

• Bosa, Sardinia
• Drove up to Civitavecchia and took the overnight ferry to Olbia
• Bosa is beautiful although a bit isolated (need a car)
• Weather was getting colder but swimming was still possible
• Traveling around Sardegna is super easy if you have a car, quite tricky without IMO
• Visited most of the north, the area around Cagliari, and the east

November

• Home: Sanremo, Liguria
• Took the night ferry from Porto Torres to Genova, then drove west to Sanremo
• Parking was hard to find or very expensive (known issue in Liguria)
• Fantastic food, environment, city, loved it
• Easy weekend trips to the French Riviera, Monaco, Genova, Cinqueterre
• Swim season over

December

• Home: Perugia, Umbria
• Small and accessible, lots of interesting food options
• Travel around needs a car IMO
• Good region to travel with parents: was with my mom and thanked every city that had escalators or elevators
• Had a Xmas lunch in a local farm, wonderful experience
• Wonderful trips to small towns: Assisi, Spoleto, Spello, Todi, Orvieto,

January

• Home: Bologna, Emilio-Romana
• Final month, Winter, sunny but very cold
• Lots and lots of delicious comfort food
• Weekend trips to Modena, Parma, San Marino, all doable by train

That's it. Can't recommend any of these locations enough. I have to say I prefer the smaller towns, and Otranto and San Gimignano were my favorites throughout. From the larger cities, loved most Palermo and Torino.

Again, AMA. Dog tips, restaurant recommendations, itineraries!

Sounds like a wonderful year, with lots of places I have yet to see. I don't have any specific questions right now as I have too many incoming visitors to plan trips away from Abruzzo, but I love your travel style and choices. I guess I do want to ask about lodging and restaurants in Bologna, as I think that will be my next getaway. Can you recommend your apartment, and your favourite 3 restaurants? Thanks!

Awesome! Thank you so much for this wonderful post.

What a fun adventure, and thank you for sharing your itinerary! I haven’t been to any of the islands beyond Sicily but love many regions of the mainland. Thanks for the reminder of the heating issue as I think of winter options for the next few years, too.

I prefer the smaller cities, too, so I was surprised how much I enjoyed Bari & Palermo on my recent trip. Can you give us more detail about your Otranto stay? I didn’t go farther south than Lecce.

What an interesting year! I love your consice breakdown of pros and cons, but mostly I love the thought of a year like this.

Can you give us more detail about your Otranto stay? I didn’t go farther south than Lecce.

Otranto was delightful. I recommend staying in the old town as it is car-free. We had the most beautiful townhouse tucked away on a piazza with a little medieval church. It was the best stay on all 12 months of Italy, by far. We were lucky that the owners were just starting to airbnb it, and we got it for a great price for the month. Now it is considerably more expensive, but worth it: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/50184142

The town is tiny but I never felt bored. Lots of restaurants, different swimming areas, wonderful gelato. In May the city was starting to wake up for Summer, but when I visited again in August, it was much more full, but still wonderful. In May there was a single train (it was actually a single-wagon!) connecting the city to Maglie, where I could catch a connection to Lecce. In Summer, there were direct buses from Lecce multiple times a day, so I would recommend for a day trip, if you don't manage to sleep there!

Don't miss the pizza at Bella Idrusa, the best ice cream at Gelateria Fisotti, ArborVitae for a romantic dinner, Martinucci for your pasticiotto, and Blu Bar for breakfast (a classic).

Thank you, Dan, for the quick reply! The photos look wonderful. My mouth started watering when you mentioned Martinucci‘s, too. Their Pasticciotti were amazing!

It’s good to know the frequency of the public transportation changes, depending on the month, too. I just travel by train or occasionally a bus.

Hey Dan, GREAT & concise TR and what a wonderful adventure! Interesting you liked Turin so much, anything else you'd like to say about it?

About Palermo - You said, ‘Rundown and dirty but fantastic history, food, people.” May I check just how run down you found Palermo LOL compared to, for example, Naples, where I’ve spent some time? We've got it on our short list of places we'd like to visit, thanks again!

Thank you for this fabulous trip report! I loved the easy- to - read and concise summaries.
We are getting ready to retire and dream about spending months in Italy! Your experience was so valuable to us- thinking about the ins and outs and everyday. All of the thoughts- very much appreciated.
I love that you brought your dog! We bring our dog everywhere here in the United States but have a very nice young lady that watches Sage when we are away in Europe. I wish so much we could bring her. You might want to write a report for dog lovers- just an idea.
Again thank you- a year in Italy! What an adventure and so happy you were able to partake in this wonderful time. And thanks for posting this! (And I hope you get to warm up next winter! ; ) blessings sent your way!
Lisa

Interesting you liked Turin so much, anything else you'd like to say about it?

I feel Torino is underrated. It has a beautiful urban fabric with the old center, the river, and mountains around it. A great food scene with several outstanding restaurants, both Italian as well as international. Nice museums, shops, cafes. It feels like a calmer and smaller version of Milano. Also, the proximity to the Alps is a big plus: in a 1h drive you reach wonderful landscape, small villages and hiking trails.

May I check just how run down you found Palermo LOL compared to, for example, Naples, where I’ve spent some time?

Some parts of Palermo were as dirty and messy as the dirty and messy parts of Naples, like the area around Kalsa. But still I loved it. Palermo is also much smaller and less crowded than Naples, so it makes moving around much easier. As for dogs, had less issues with dog poop on the streets, there were more and better parks than Naples where dogs were actually allowed, and the many pedestrianized streets of Palermo made it nicer to walk around. It is a hard choice, but I'd say I liked Palermo more than Naples in most areas. But keep in mind, this is a very subjective evaluation!! ;)

Thanks Lisa!

I love that you brought your dog!

Yes! it was also one of the main reasons to be in Italy. Italians love dogs and you can take them anywhere with you. Some supermarkets even had special carts where you could put your dog in to shop with them. I could not imagine traveling around Italy without him by my side :)

But still I loved it. Palermo is also much smaller and less crowded than Naples, so it makes moving around much easier. As for dogs, had less issues with dog poop on the streets.

OK, great and thanks! Turin had been hovering on our list & you've tipped us over to making it there sometime soon, and Palermo is definitely staying on it.

Wow, this is a great summary, thanks!

We're considering a 2–3 day stay in Sanremo in mid- to late November. Did you find that the city was "open" and lively at this time of year?

We'll be in Nice for a few days prior, and deciding where our next stay should be.

Also, i know you weren't traveling with children, but curious about your impression of whether a 10-year-old might enjoy it.

Thanks in advance!

So interesting, thanks for sharing.
Someone mentioned photos…but I don’t see a link?

We're considering a 2–3 day stay in Sanremo in mid- to late November. Did you find that the city was "open" and lively at this time of year?

Yes, it was lively and everything was open. Weather is mild, there were some public events going on, and felt in general very nice.

Also, i know you weren't traveling with children, but curious about your impression of whether a 10-year-old might enjoy it.

I really can't answer that! But I guess so, there were lots of young people around, and 2-3 days is not enough to get them bored, is it?

Someone mentioned photos…but I don’t see a link?

I think they were referring to the Airbnb link I posted....
I only have a few photos on IG if you wanna check (handle is @danroc)

Yes thank you for this wonderful and helpful report! I have heard Perugia is wonderful! Hope to get there someday!

Your flat in Palermo reminds me of a week in Trapani in March of 2012. Great flat, 5 flights up, excellent views but so cold! Heating was non-existent despite the presence of some radiators or space heaters.

We like smaller towns, too. Everywhere.

Thank you so much for this fantastic trip report! My husband and I are travelling for the first time to Italy and are thinking of spending 3 nights in San Gimignano. We will not have a car. We would like to visit Siena and Volterra from there on day trips. Do you think that this is a feasible plan? Thanks so much for your thoughts, Pam

Without a car things get harder. You’ll have to rely on buses. There is no direct bus to either Siena or Volterra and you are looking at a 2h trip each way, with connections. You might be able to get a bus from SG to Poggibonsi, which has the closest railway station and try to catch a train from there to Siena for example, but it will still be a long journey.

Car would definitely be the best option!

You could also look at organized tours in Get Your Guide or similar, they might have “day trip” tours from SG to these other cities.