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Southern Italy for our Honeymoon- Help with the itinerary!

Southern Italy for our Honeymoon- Help with the itinerary!

Old Sep 22nd, 2015, 07:39 PM
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Southern Italy for our Honeymoon- Help with the itinerary!

Hi There,

My partner and I will be traveling for 5 weeks starting mid May next year. We fly in and out of Rome. We have been to Italy twice in the past but have only been as far south as Amalfi, we loved Amalfi and would like to go again, this time heading further south and finishing in Sicily.

Our aim for this honeymoon is simple- relaxing. We don't want to change hotels every 2 nights, we want to settle in, enjoy the town, enjoy the food and enjoy the beach and sun.

So my very rough itinerary so far:

Rome to Sardinia -by plane or ferry- it would appear its best to go to Sardinia from Rome
6 nights in Sardinia

Sardinia to Rome/Naples
4 nights in Naples

Naples to Amalfi
6 nights in Amalfi

*Hard part*- I would like to stop somewhere on our way from Amalfi to Sicily- Maratea? Tropea? Is there a coastal town that people might suggest to stop in? Is it worth going across to Puglia? Could spend 4-6 nights in this location.

*Stop over town* to Sicily -these Sicilian towns for us to base in are yet to be decided, again any suggestions would be great 10 nights in Sicily total
5 nights Taormina?
5 nights Palermo?


There is not a lot of information to find on the south, so your suggestions and past experiences would be appreciated! Thanks
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Old Sep 22nd, 2015, 10:31 PM
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You might find mid-May is too early for beach weather in Sardinia, so check out the possibility of flipping your itinerary to begin in Sicily. I'm not sure it is possible to rent a car in Sicily and take it onto the mainland, however. So you might need to drop one off in Sicily and rent another.

I was in Puglia in early May and found most of its beach areas deserted, and I don't think that would pick up much by the end of May. I've not been to Calabria or coastal Bascilicata, so can't help out with a suggestion.

Most people I know who go between Sardinia and Rome fly rather than take the ferry.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2015, 11:40 PM
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May in Puglia and Basilicata will be quiet from a tourist point of view. Beeches will be empty but restaurants will be running as normal.

Both would be pleasant. There are a bunch of masseria type hotels across the area in the country while towns like Ostuni or Lecce will have some nice city hotels, check for heated pool perhaps as they are unusual.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2015, 01:16 AM
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forte village in sardinia is the best...very expensive but the best,sicily is full of homes hotels and i suggest to you to moving rome-sicily by plane ...it's 8 hours by ferry.the best is going in the area of the small island like vulcano or pantelleria or lampedusa...enjoy your trip
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Old Sep 23rd, 2015, 08:50 AM
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It is a 4-hour drive from Positano to Bari in Puglia, so not all that far and completely different.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2015, 09:22 AM
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I was in Puglia in late May this year and the weather was mostly fantastic--perfect for walking or just sitting on the beach. The towns that are solely beach resorts were empty, but the towns that are not season-dependent were lively. I had a wonderful day along the coast just north of Gallipoli.
When I was on the Amalfi coast in late May of 2013, the weather was much less cooperative, but still mostly fine. If you intend to swim, then the later the better. I would not have been swimming on either of those trips--the sea being too frigid for me. However, the lack of crowds make late May ideal as long as you won't be sad to not swim (and on a hot day you could perhaps brave it).
I would definitely try to make Sardinia the last stop after all I have heard about its beaches. Maybe scope out from where you could fly to Sardinia--Bari?
I have heard wonderful things about Maratea. On my 2013 trip to the Amalfi coast I also ventured south to the Cilento coast, so I'd include that in your list of places to research. I saw really lovely sand beaches, and some very find coastal scenery in the Bay of Infreschi. I know you could pick up a train to Sicily along this coast.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2015, 09:44 AM
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This is what I think might be the optimal ordering of your trip, weather-wise

Fly to Palermo
Bus to Taormina
take train to mainland and pick up rental car and drive to Maratea
or
fly from Catania to Bari or Brinidis, pick up rental car, stay in Puglia
drive to Salerno, drop off car, bus or taxi to Amalfi coast
Bus + train to Rome
Fly to Sardinia
Fly home

or (first half is the same)

Fly to Palermo
Bus to Taormina

a) take train to mainland and pick up rental car and drive to Maratea
b) drive to Salerno, drop off car take train to Rome
or

c) fly from Catania to Bari or Brinidis, pick up rental car, stay in Puglia
d) Drop off car in Bari, take train to Rome
Go by rail + bus/taxi to Amalfi coast
Taxi transfer to Napoli airport, fly to Sardegna
Fly home
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Old Sep 24th, 2015, 03:07 AM
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thank you so much for all of your responses... its hard to figure out what the weather will be like from looking online!

But from what I am hearing... The further south you get- the hotter it will be in May??

So perhaps flipping the trip to Fly straight to Sicily or Puglia when we arrive? Make our way up the coast through Calabria (I'm thinking Tropea looks incredible for our stop) to Amalfi, then onto Naples and end the trip in Sardinia..

Thoughts?

Also...a good base for Puglia that will also provide some beautiful beaches? Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Old Sep 24th, 2015, 03:11 AM
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http://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/...in-puglia.aspx

Gallipoli is pretty far south but if you want anything else to do you might prefer Lecce's port.
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Old Sep 24th, 2015, 05:29 AM
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I agree with you that weather is very difficult to assess online and can't be a perfect guide when it comes to what will happen on your actual travel dates. But my overall impression is that if you want beach weather in May, Sicily is the place to start, followed by Puglia -- although it is not clear to me from your post if you are now thinking Sicily OR Puglia or if you thinking Sicily PLUS Puglia.

Italy is really made up of microclimates, so the fact that someplace is "horizontally" as far south as Sicily doesn't automatically equate with who gets cool or hot on their coasts in May. I'm sure you will figure it out (TripAdvisor is also a good place to ask questions), but if you really want to suntan and swim in May, you need to double check you don't end up on a cooler beach that doesn't really warm up until later.

Also, I do not know a great deal about Sardegna's beaches for swimming (make that 0) but I have heard that some beaches in Sardegna can be quite windy, even at the nicest times of year. So that might be something to ask about in picking a resort stay.
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Old Sep 24th, 2015, 06:12 AM
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Lecce was the perfect base for us--a beautiful city to enjoy in evenings, with many restaurants (plus stuff to do if it rains, plus lively in May when the coast can feel a little too quiet), and in close proximity to the coast. It also has very nice accommodations for a honeymooner. We drove the Adriatic coast one day and visited the Ionian coast the other. We did not make it to the most southern tip. You have quite an assortment of coastal scenery to choose from. The tourist office had a helpful beach handout with photos, plus a map showing you which were rocky or sandy. Our visit to Porto Selvaggio nature park was a highlight, but I wish we had made it to the sandy beaches north of there--they looked stunning. That was a neat area--lots of grand old villas that look to be crumbling, but if were restored could make someone a mint.
I skipped Ostuni, but I know it is also quite stunning, and it is quite close to some excellent sandy beaches.
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Old Sep 25th, 2015, 10:03 PM
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Thanks for the advise sandralist I am thinking Sicily plus Puglia.... they both look too beautiful to miss!

So, straight away fly Rome-Sicily 8-10 nights

Sicily - Puglia (perhaps Lecce as a base, seems like the way to go) I think you can fly? 5 nights

Puglia - Calabria (I'm thinking Tropea as the base)
Don't know the best way to get from Lecce to Tropea though...???? Train takes forever! 5 nights

Calabria - Amalfi ..Im thinking by car? 5 nights

Amalfi - Naples by car 4 nights

Naples - Rome fast train

Rome -Sardinia by plane 6 nights

I do want to avoid driving if we can, we have driven in Europe before and whilst its convenient I hated the stress of having a rental car to park ect, can't imagine how ill feel the way they drive and park in the south!
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 11:34 AM
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Puglia is difficult with public transport though not impossible. There is a trip report here by someone who did it, but she speaks Italian and had several weeks there. Believe me, I am quite pro-public transport, but I relented for Puglia and was glad to have done so. In May, traffic is light (and parking issues not bad like summer would be).
You will have similar issues in Sicily. You could drop the car in Salerno, because one place I would not dare drive is on the Amalfi coast (and not a great need there).
If you do go the public transport route, be sure to check buses as well as trains. Rome to Rio is a good site for finding connections between towns. For Lecce, check flights into Brindisi, but Bari is not terribly far.
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Old Sep 28th, 2015, 12:56 PM
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You can fly from non-stop from Bari to Cagliari on Ryan Air, so you might consider another Puglian idyll closer to Bari than Lecce. (Maybe Ostuni?).

You can also fly non-stop from Rome to Tropea on Alitalia and Ryan Air, so I would consider ordering the trip this way if you don't want to rent a car for much of the time:

Fly to Rome, go directly to Tropea
Train to Messina (Sicily), bus to Taormina
Train or bus to Palermo
Fly to Naples/Amalfi
Rent a car in Salerno, drive to Puglia (Ostuni, Monopoli?)
Fly from Bari to Cagliari (and you will need to rent a car in Sardegna to access best beaches)
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Old Sep 30th, 2015, 07:43 AM
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Have you researched Sicily a bit by now? 5 days in Taormina and 5 days in Palermo would not be most people's choice. Sicily doesn't lend itself to hub-and-spoke travel, where you come back to a base at night. A car and a linear route is really best. But it all depends on what you want to see.

Do you want to just sun yourself on the beach or do you want to swim? It may be warm enough for sunbathing in May but the water's still cold.
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Old Oct 1st, 2015, 04:57 AM
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Enjoying swimming in the water would be a bonus- but its more the idea of relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere on the beach ...

I have not had a chance to research Sicily thoroughly... but different bases for exploration or more stops along the way is fine with me -

Still not too much out all day on our feet and more time relaxing in our focus- oh and great food- thats another focus!
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Old Oct 1st, 2015, 07:17 AM
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If beach time is focus for Sicily, maybe you could try this. Alitalia and Blu-Express fly non-stop from Rome to Lipari off the coast of Sicily. So

Fly to Rome and immediately change planes to fly to Lipari
After Lipari, use public transportation to get to Taormina
After Taormina, public transportation to Tropea
Next, train to Salerno/bus or Taxi to Amalfi Coast
Return to Salerno to rent car, drive to Puglia (Ostuni, Monopoli, Trani?)
Drop off car in Bari, fly to Cagliari (and you will probably need to rent a car in Sardegna to access best beaches)
Fly from Sardegna (Olbia or Cagliari) to Rome

In that scenario, I might spend 8 nights in Sicily instead of 10, and give yourselves 2 nights in Rome at the end, not to sightsee but just to re-group and have some lovely dinners and do a little shopping.

Also, I would make sure that one of your mid-trip stops is longer and lazier than the other stops. I would be inclined to give the Amalfi or Puglia an extra day, and take away a day from Sardinia if you are not interested in sightseeing in Sardinia (which requires a fair amount of driving to be interesting).
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Old Oct 5th, 2015, 01:42 AM
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i am happy to give Puglia 6 nights but- has anyone travelled extensively there? Is 6 nights in one base like...Ostuni too much?

Or would it be better to do 3 nights in Ostuni and 3 nights somewhere further south closer to Lecce (making it easier to get to the beaches down that way)?

I have been staring at trip advisor for hours on end I just can't figure out where to base us!
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Old Oct 5th, 2015, 02:52 AM
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In Puglia, only Taranto is really big, for historical and naval reasons mainly, the city has a certain amount of gritty charm but most tourists would pass it by.

Then comes Bari and Lecce as larger towns. Nearly all the towns in this area have a pretty, old, centre with modern 'burbs and industrial add-ons ringing them, sometimes attractive but normally not. This can lead to a certain dissapointment when you first arrive, however, press on a jewel will be found in the very centre.

I'd chose a two centre holiday, with 3 days in each. You also need to factor in the dead middle of the day but for me Lecce and Ostuni would be 2 good bases. But neither offers pure "port".

Extensively? Well I've cycled for a few weeks from Gravina south (Gravina has amazing underground churches BTW) and I got married in Lecce a couple of years ago (follow my name back for the story) which does not make me an expert but let's say I've stuck my nose in loads of churches and castles, and had to sort out a lot of transport.

Ostuni offers a range of hotels and out of town "Masseria", it sits on the side of the Murge and the views down to the sea can be wonderful. It now operates as a tourist town which helps a lot.

Lecce is far bigger, if you are staying in the old centre then you may need help from your hotel to find somewhere to park, if you are staying in one of the more international hotels outside the old town but inside the ring road it will be much easier but maybe not as romantic as say an old walled house converted into a B&B. Generally low prices in Lecce do not mean staying in a dump, just a small family type B&B, the owner will speak excellent English and be a real help.
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Old Oct 5th, 2015, 02:53 AM
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If you have any doubts, just put up the hotel links on this page and I'm sure we will all chip in our opinions.
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