tishkb

My husband and I are planning our fourth extended stay in Italy, we will have three weeks to explore the southern region of Italy as we are planning on renting a car and flying in and out of the airport in Rome. I used this forum several years ago to plan my itinerary in Sicily and was not dissatisfied in the least by the recommendations I took from fellow travelers and foodies. The trip was perfect! We like to get off the beaten path prefer smaller boutique hotels we are foodies, we like a mix of hiking and and exploring local architect and art , love to catch some chamber or opera music if possible. We have spent a few days on the Amalfi coast on a past trip and based in Ravello, and a few days between Tuscany and Umbria based in Pienza and Orvieto, we have by no means exhausted Tuscany and UMBRIA OR AMALFI but I'm torn between a redo of either of those regions versus exploring Puglia along the coast or Le Marche. We prefer to spend a minimum of 3-4 nights per stop and then Day trip from our base. I welcome any and all suggestion.

Tish

madamtrashheap

What time of year are you planning your trip?

bobthenavigator

Yes, time of year makes all the difference.

adrienne

I was intrigued by this trip report about the Basilicata region that was posted years ago and plan to get to this area one day.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...as-lucania.cfm

Also this NY Times article on Basilicata.

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/03/tr...l-untamed.html

tishkb

We are flying into Rome early on the 3rd of May and heading out on the 23rd. Hi bobthenavigator not sure if you recognize me but you gave me a tons of great Sicily recommendations and our three weeks there was amazing and flawless! Anxious to hear how you think we should spend our time in. Southern Italy!

bvlenci

A lot of the places you mention, such as Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche are not in southern Italy; although I live in Le Marche, I almost skipped over this topic because of the title.

With three weeks, you could really visit both Le Marche and Puglia. You wouldn't see all of each region, but you'd get a good taste of the two regions. I would start in Puglia, because there's a higher risk of unpleasantly hot weather there.

You might consider flying into Bari (BRI, I believe) and out of Ancona (AOI). This would save the drive back and forth from the east coast. I live near Ancona airport, and find that flights from there are rarely much more expensive than flights in and out of Rome.

I haven't spent much time in Puglia; I've visited Matera, Bari, Trani, and Alberobello, but the visits were all brief. I also visited Castel del Monte, where there is a 13th century castle/hunting lodge built by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. This castle, with very simple, almost modern lines, is one of the most fascinating medieval buildings I've ever seen. We also made a brief excursion into Basilicata to see Matera. Still, I wouldn't presume to give you advice on your Puglia visit, because there are surely people who are more qualified than I for advice on that region.

For Le Marche, however, I could go on for pages. It would help me if you could give me some more specific ideas of what you like to do, and the type of vacation you most enjoy.

kja

I was in this region in May a few years ago and was glad I visited before it got any hotter!

I only spent a few days in Puglia. Like bvlenci, I saw Matera, Trani, and Alberobello; I also spent some time in Lecce (a gem!) and Polignano a Mare.

Since you mention architecture, art, and music, I wonder if Naples is on your radar? (Or maybe you already visited there.) I know some people dislike its grittiness; I found it dynamic and energetic and vibrant. It certainly has some wonderful art and architecture and the concert series at its Opera House extends well into May.

And in case you skipped them the first time, you might also consider Salerno and Paestum.

tishkb

Naples is on my radar unfortunately my husband has been turned off by reports of crime in that city! Go figure as we did live in NYC for awhile. I'm on the fence as to how far south to venture as we don't want to be driving all the time we like to pick three to five lodging destinations over the course of our 20 day stay and settle into a region maybe day trip within an hrs radius not much more than that from our lodging points. The forums on Puglia have definitely peaked my interest not sure if it's too far south from Rome if we are not flying further south from Rome but will be picking up our car from the airport there. Le Marche has also intrigued me from various posts from foodies and folks who like to venture off the tourist path. Can give or take spending time in Rome we've only been there for a night at the end of a six week tour of Italy many years ago, I know there is a lot to see but definitely overwhelmed by its size and price points. I tend to prefer Venice and Florence to Rome. Bologna is another foodie spot we have not been too that sounds lovely. And the suggestion to check out Basillicata region is on my radar as well. I'm seeking input from folks who are familiar with Le Marche , Puglia, Bolonga, Basillicata and the small towns in between , to give an opinion as to which areas they would rate as preferential to visit and why. As I mentioned we like a little adventure hiking an exploring nature by foot, some urban culture music and art a good passigiatta and of course delicious food!

tishkb

Ok all you fodorite Italy experts I think in the last hour I've decide to narrow down how I want to spend our 20 days. Will save a redo in Tuscany and Umbria for a harvest season trip and tag the Florence revisit to that trip, and this trip hit the quaint seaside towns off season for delicious local seafood meals, wandering on foot thru quaint village type towns and taking in the local culture. Would also like to get to some nice scenic hiking destinations. On our past trips we enjoyed the hiking along the Ligurian and Amalfi coast trails, assuming the Adriatic would offer comparable vistas and hiking spots. Since we will be renting the car in Rome and the first day I usually don't like to make my husband drive too far a field looking for a quaint destination towards the coastline if not on the coast for our first night or two. Would like to spend at least the first ten days coastal as long as the forecast is favorable. I'm thinking maybe combining Le Marche then south towards Basillicata and then down to Lecce before heading back up north. Maybe 2-3 nights in Capri which we missed last visit but not sure what we could do with the car at that point if we do Capri. And after Capri trying to convince my husband to do Napoli for two nights but if not we could stay in Rome for 3-4 nights. Would love input on good locations to be based out of to day trip from each stop we make so that we can spend at least 2-4 nights in each place we choose to lay over in. From viewing recent forums on Puglia and Basillicata want to get to Materra , Lecce, Polignano a mare, ostuni or the other "white city" town, will need some input on the Le Marche part of the itinerary someone recently mentioned Gargano and Mafredonia as beautiful spots. We are foodies but prefer simple fresh fish veggies n pasta! We like to stay in higher end boutique hotels or B n B, or the beautiful massaerias & converted palazzos. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

kja

Oh, tishkb, I'm so sorry, but I am completely lost! Please repost with some clear paragraph breaks and clearer statements about what you now do / don't want to do and what you asking us! Maybe others followed you, but I certainly did not.

jamikins

You may be interested in our trip report - we did Le Marche and Puglia.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-do-italy.cfm

We spent Easter in Naples last year and we expected roving gangs of pickpockets everywhere...and we were fine! We felt just as safe as any big city. Apparently the government has really cracked down in the last decade and cleaned naples up. At least that was what our guide told us when we asked. So I wouldn't worry about going to naples if you want to. We carried our DSLR cameras around our necks the whole time with no problems at all!

jamikins

And here are my photos

Puglia http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7635047994978/

Le Marche http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7634528008046/

Naples http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7633185001263/

sssteve

Tishkb:
If you really want to get off the beaten path, Puglia is the place. We enjoyed Puglia very much.

Here is the URL of my page about that visit. Perhaps it will help you in your planning.

http://www.travel.stv77.com/puglia/puglia.htm

isabel

sssteve - very nice site with great links. We are planning a trip to Puglia for this summer and I've done a lot of research but had not come across your site. What we have planned sounds a lot like what you did. How many nights did you stay in each location? Did you find driving or parking difficult anywhere?

bobthenavigator

I too am lost. I found it hard to read your post,but you seeem to be shotgunning. I see no geographic continuity.

The Adriatic coast is nothing like what you have seen before and not that attractive. You can easily spend a week in Puglia and another in Umbria, but you need to put a stake in the ground---and to use spaces between short paragraphs.

bvlenci

There are some beautiful spots on the Adriatic coast, such as the Riviera del Conero, and I've heard that the Garfagna peninsula is attractive also, although I've never been there. If food is the main attraction, there are some great choices along the coast, but you would probably want to wander inland for scenery.

On the coast of Le Marche, the two prettiest spots I know are Portonovo, at the foot of Mount Conero (the Riviera I mentioned above) and Torre di Palme, which is a very little walled town on a cliff overlooking the sea. However, for food, I would choose Senigallia, which has two restaurants, Uliassi and Madonnina del Pescatore, which routinely make lists of the top ten restaurants in Italy. They must set the standard, because there are many other excellent restaurants in the town. Senigallia has an attractive and lively year-round town center.

There are many excursions inland to Renaissance cities, castles, and walled towns. However, you have only ten days, and you wouldn't have much time in either region, especially if you want to make a few stops on the way.

I would probably recommend that you choose either Le Marche or Puglia. If you really want to see both, I would spend four days in an attractive town near the coast in Le Marche, and four days in an equivalent town in Puglia, instead of trying to find three or four different places to stay. You could plan to take a whole day for the drive, and find some nice stopovers, one in the morning, one for lunch, and one in the afternoon.

sssteve

ISABEL:

3 nights in Lecce3
3 nights in Pezze di Greco (between Ostuni and Fasani)
1 night in Matera
3 nights in Trani

Driving in Puglia is like driving anywhere else in Italy. No real problems. The same goes for parking. I should add that we are frequent travelers to Italy, so we are very used to driving and parking there.

tishkb

Sorry for my lengthy and rambling previous posts, it was very late at night and I have been a bit stressed about planning this upcoming trip that we just decided to take, all we have book thus far is our airfare in and out of Rome.

After looking at jamikins photos and sssteves travel log of his Puglia trip that is where my husband and I will plan to focus our itinerary. For those that have been how does this sound;

3-4 nights in Leece to explore that city and also day trip around the tip of the boot

3 nights in Trani as this sounds like a beautiful seaside destination to base for a few days, any suggestions about day drips from here?

looking for a suggestions about where we should be based when visiting the Trulli it does not sound like we want to spend a night or even more than a half day in Alberoello. How many nights should we plan to spend in this area to see the highlights in this section?

2 nights in Savelletri de Fasano maybe at Masseria Torre Maizza

I'm looking for suggestions for a 5-7 day intinerary for Le Marche, and after my husband saw jamikins photos and posts about Napoli he is becoming more open minded about sepnding 3-4 days there. Does anyone have a recommendation for an upscale hotel in Naples? Also looking for information about guides to tour us thru the city.

The other piece I am looking for advice on is our drive from Rome to the south. I'm intrigued by bvlenci suggestion about taking a whole day with several planned stops for food breaks and stretching our legs. Any suggestions as to where I should plan to stop for a bite and maybe even a short stroll to break up our drive that first day? Also any suggestions on where to spend our first 1-2 nights?

Thanks all for your time and interest in helping me figure things out!

harriet_hughes

I'm not sure if you are still interested in visiting La Marche, but if you are, check out www.le-marche.com. We found their suggested itenaraies for short trips through the region very useful. Our only problem was choosing which routes to take with limited time.

jamikins

We have spent 3 weeks in le marche in the last 18 moths and are going back for two weeks this August. We have fallen in love with www.latavolamarche.com

You can read our three trip reports for ideas

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-dolomites.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rche-lucca.cfm

Enjoy the planning!