I am in the very early stages of planning a trip for next September/October. My idea is to split the time between the Amalfi Coast area plus either Capri or Ischia, and a less discovered region.

One option might be to fly into Lamezia Terme in northern Calabria, rent a car there, and drive up the coast, stopping for the night of arrival in Calabria (near Cosenza? in Amantea??). Would also love to read comments on the Cosenza area, as I have found what looks to be a nice agriturismo that might make a good overnight stay..

We would then make our way toward the Amalfi Coast, spending a few nights in Maratea and a few more in the Cilento region south of Salerno.

My question is: How is the drive from Lamezia Terme, along the Calabria coast to Maratea? There is not much point in taking the main autostrada since we want a leisurely drive with great coastal scenery. If those who know the area foresee any issues at all with this general plan, please let me know.. Please suggest towns for stops of a few days that would allow us access to picturesque coastline, interesting towns, great eating, and a very good hotels.. (Maratea fulfills all these criteria but I am hard pressed to decide upon other stopping points..)

How is the drive from Maratea north toward Salerno?

Which parts of this coastline offer beautiful scenery?

I asked some questions on this Cilento thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-long-trip.cfm

Thank you to anyone who can offer opinions/help on this area which is not often discussed here..

Hi eks --

I'm also planning a trip to Calabria, but for this spring. I have been there before, but it was almost forty years ago! It's difficult to get information but I've purchased a few books: Travellers Calabria http://tinyurl.com/36sa7ch, My Calabria (a new cookbook, the author also gives advice on local restaurants and runs culinary tours) http://tinyurl.com/39qq3sk, and an earlier cookbook called Cucina di Calabria http://tinyurl.com/3xxp7e2, which also has advice for the tourist. I also found this website http://my-bellavita.com/

The author of My Calabria also has a website http://www.cookingwithrosetta.com/, which has information on her tours.

Travellers Calabria recommends this hotel in Amantea http://www.palazzodelleclarisse.com/default.asp. This is the town my grandfather immigrated from a little over 100 years ago. It's quite beautiful, with a ruined castle overlooking the old town. I spent four or five days there walking the hills. etc, but I think a night or two would be enough.

I hope this helps get you started, and that further responses will also help me!

Thanks so much! Clarisse is the reason that I first heard of Amantea and now I cannot remember how I heard of it. It is possible that Vicenzo, who used to post here, mentioned the restaurant.

What a coincidence that your grandfather came from that town!

Let's hope we get some good info here, and meanwhile I will put the Cook guidebook on my list, along with My Calabria..


This is the agriturismo near Cosenza that sounded good; it looks near enough to Lamezia for a first-night stay..

http://www.agriturismolefarnie.it/index.php?p=39

You probably know about the book STOLEN FIGS..I read it again recently and recommend..

http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Figs-Ot.../dp/0865476969

ek: You definitely need to research, then report on, Calabria.

I will then steal all your ideas and take exactly the same itinerary a few months later.

Please specify restaurants that I will enjoy. Also attractive beaches and nice coastal scenery.

Thanking you in advance, I remain,

TG

I have taken that drive years ago and found it interesting---especially Maratea. The drive south from there was slow and just a bunch of beach towns with tons of sandy beaches. We stayed in Aquafredda at a very nice place named Villa Cheta Elite. I admire your spirit to get off the path.

Hi there eks,
Unbelievable - I am planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast during October 2011. Maybe we can get to meet???

eks... if not too late, one more for the pot?

As with almost all of Italy's regions, there are parts of Campania that see few foreign visitors (even fewer than Ischia!), and one that might interest you is the "Regional Park of Roccamonfina - Foce Garigliano", in the northwest of the Regione.... roughly between Caserta and Campania's borders with Lazio and Molise.

It's centred around the extinct Roccamonfina volcano, which is larger than Vesuvius - and easily visible from here on a clear day!

They've a website, rather more extensive in Italian, but with an English section too, here....
http://www.parcodiroccamonfina.it/

Of their leaflets, this makes for a good general introduction....
http://www.parcodiroccamonfina.it/fi...rale%20Eng.pdf

.. the local food and wine...
http://www.parcodiroccamonfina.it/fi...%20inglese.pdf

.. and a bilingual map...
http://www.parcodiroccamonfina.it/img/mappa.pdf

Other than when on the train, we've so far got no closer than Mondragone ourselves, and a car's probably necessary to getting around, but it's on the list!

Peter

Dear Mr. Tedgale: The truth of the matter is that you did not even have to make this request, as Ekscrunchy has been known to reveal any and all minutae that is even vaguely related to her travels down to the description (and often, exact recipe) for every last morsel consumed, to any and all who will lend an ear. Or eye. Since most of us are bored to distraction by the recounting of her meanderings, we welcome your request and assure you that it will be fulfilled. Yours truly, alter ego for ekscrunchy

Brit in Ischia: You were so helpful to me when I was planning my Ischia sojourn. I have never even heard of Roccamonfina and if this is within easy driving distance, it may be of great interest to myself and my travel companions. I will come up with a basic plan for the entire trip and see if and how I can fit it into the itinerary. (My friends have never been to the Amalfi area. they have charged me with planning the trip but do not yet realize that we will be diverging quite a bit from the typical Amalfi Coast jaunt..)

Bob: Many thanks. I know that Villa Cheta gets good reviews but I think we will stay in the town of Maratea at Donna Monache. For one thing, they have a pool for this rabid swimmer, and I think we can walk to restaurants at night..but I will consider any and all options before booking. Villa Cheta seems isolated from what I've read and might be good for an overnight which is what I believe you did, but we want to stay longer to explore the area..

Flame: That would be great! I think we will be in that area the first week of October, and part of the second week....do you know your dates and where you will stay yet? I have many ideas even this far ahead of the trip..

There are a few people who sporadically post on frommer's who travel to Campania and Calabria nearly every year.

Zeppole you are a wonder! I just checked and found quite a bit on Calabria on that site. Unfortnately, nothing on the northern coast of Calabria. (The area around Tropea and Vibo Valentina seems to be the draw)

But I will keep checking on Frommer's for threads on both areas..


http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...bate-acciaroli

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/842/

Not sure what you'll have found, but there is an overall site for the National Parks...

http://www.parks.it/indice/EParcNat.php

Peter

Sorry, that site's front page is here, and you'll perhaps need it in order to find Regional ones (such as Roccamonfina), as well as the National ones...

http://www.parks.it/Eindex.html

Nothing's simple, is it?
Peter

bookmarking and looking forward to more ...

Ditto

eks,

Do you know this blog?

http://my-bellavita.com/

Ummm, you might stay at Donne Monache, but I don't suggest you eat there. Only a few hours ago, I read this in Matthew Fort's Eating up Italy:

"That night, over an indifferent dinner at La Locanda delle Donne Monache..."

Eks-
I LOVE that you've barely gotten home from Italy and you are already planning your next Italian adventure! I always feel the same way when I return.

Unfortunately, I have not been south of Positano (and have only spent time in Positano and Capri, south of Rome), so if you end up there, I may offer some advice.

Until then... Happy Planning!

dina

eks - not sure just yet but we can touch base when the time gets closer and see whether it works out for us. Happy planning. I love this part !!!

Zeppole: That blog I have seen but will read it in more depth soon.

Zerlina: I looked that book at lot but would hardly have remembered that comment. Thanks for the tip!

Once I get this trip worked out, I will have to sell my friends on the portion south of the Amalfi Coast! I will try to be my most persuasive and want to gather as much ifo as I can beforehand. There is not much i the guides, although I will order that Calabria book mentioned above. Cadogan has a bit about the area, too, in their Bay of Naples/southern Italy.

Dina: Thanks! I have a trip planned BEFORE then to Puglia/Matera in the spring, for one week. So I might just make it to Italy twice next year if all goes well. I will certainly consult with you on the Amalfi/islands part.

Peter: Many thanks! But I think the area is out of the way for this trip, although I will certainly keep it in mind for the future. It might even be worth starting a new thread since it is so close to well-traveled routes and yet few people here have even heard of it, I bet.

FraDiavolo: Since info in English is rather thin on the ground, I thought you might like to know about another book with a short chapter on the region; it is a cookbook with lots of travel info and you can probably find it for a few dollars used, as I did:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159...F8&me=&seller=

I did receive the Calabria guide from Thomas Cook..thanks for that tip. As it turns out, we will not spend much time in the region as the current plan seems to be to fly into Lamezia Terme in the north of Calabria, and drive north to Maratea and Campania..so we would have at most three days in Calabria..