tishkb

I have booked my 3 bases to explore Puglia the first three weeks of May. We are flying in and out of Rome and will pick up the car at the airport.
1 night Benevento to break up the first days drive
3 nights Lama di Luna in Montegrosso
4 nights La Rascina outside Ostuni near the coast
4 nights Mantatelure in Lecce

We will have 8 more nights before flying home from Rome. Our flt leaves Rome @ 12:50pm
The 8 nights does include the night before our flt home. We are on the fence about wether we should spend the last 2-3 nights in Rome. If we do this we will definitely return the car at the airport before checking into a hotel in the city and then take a cab to the airport. If we don't stay in Rome we would maximize our time down south and that last day maybe stay somewhere within a 30 -45 minute drive to the airport .

Some of my thoughts have been;
A) Lecce to Materra for 1 night then to Ravello 5-6 nights( we have been before and loved it
never revisited)
B) Lecce to Ravello for 5 nights then Rome for 3 nights, the problem I foresee with this plan
is 2 long driving days at the end of a 3wk journey and both days are within the same
week. We definitely prefer slow travel.
C) Lecce to Castellabate for 2 nights @ Palazzo Belmonte, as a base to see some of the
Cilento coast and pit stop to Paesteum en route to Ravello, Ravello 5 nights then last night
near the airport. I was looking at a nice B&B in Marino a small town over looking
LakeAlbino that seems to be only a 1/2 hr from the airport according to google maps.
D) any fodorite suggestions that sound better then the above three plans!!!

We have never been to Puglia Basilicata or Cilento. We've only spent a whirlwind 2 nights and 1 day in Rome many years ago at the end of a 6 week journey from Venice to Rome by car. We are ok skipping Rome this trip but also open to 3 nights 2 days if someone wants to convince us to include the big city on this intinerary!

Looking forward to fodorites feedback especially eskcrunchy and those who live or are well traveled in the south of Bella Italia��
Grazie Mille

kja

I spent 5 very full days in Rome and did not see everything I would have liked to see. If you decide to include it in this trip, you would do well to decide on your priorities in advance, as every moment there could seem exceedingly precious.

Matera is easily worth a full day, or even better, day and a half. Whether that means one night or two depends on when you would plan on arriving and departing.

I also loved Ravello, although I had only 2 nights there. If you include it in this plan, please raise a glass of whatever to its breathtaking scenery for me!

"pit stop to Paestum en route to Ravello" -- IME, it makes sense to plan on 2 hours for the archeological site, another hour for the museum (which has some very unique and special pieces) and at least an hour for a tasty treat of locally produced fresh buffalo mozzarella.

And if you do visit Paestum, consider stopping in vastly under-rated Salerno. It has a stunning Lungomare, a cathedral with some outstanding treasures (oh, its ambos!!!), and a few other treasures.

Are you committed to holding on to your rental car once you leave Puglia and/or reach the Amalfi Coast? I don't think there will be many advantages to having car along the Amalfi Coast or in Rome and I am sure there would be some disadvantages to having a car in those areas.

Hope that helps!

bilboburgler

Found you, there is a greek temple at Metaponto, you can drop off the train to see it then get back on the next one.

bilboburgler

And Gravina (which is technically in Puglia but only just over the border. The town is surrounded on three sides by a gorge where the locals built cave churches to avoid the Saracen slave traders.

tishkb

Kja thanks for your advice we are not committed yet to keep the car for our last week. I'm trying to figure out if we drop the car in Salerno and then use car service to get to Ravello and then Rome would it be about the same cost as the wk of the rental car ????? Even if it's slightly more for car service it might be worth it as my husband has chauffeured us all over Italy including Sicily and the only time he was trembling behind the wheel was driving along the Amalfi coast from Vietri to Ravello. This was in May and not even the busiest time of year yet so it would be nice to drop the car in Salerno I think.

As far as Rome if we do head there for a 3 night 2 day stint we would not be going with the expectation to see all the high points. We prefer slow travel so we'd likely look into a private tour guide for one day of sightseeing and take a day just to stroll, relax and people watch.

As for a visit to Materra if we include that we would arrive in time for dinner for sure and maybe hire a guide for a sassi tour the next morning before moving onward. I'd rather not spend 2 nights there.

Bilboburger thanks for finding me ! I am going to research your suggestions!

ekc

IMO you should definitely drop the car in Salerno, then ferry or bus or driver to your stop on the AC.

Ravello would be too quiet and remote for me for 5 nights, but it is your vacation, not mine.

Definitely end with 3 days in Rome - the city is chock-full of amazing sights!

bilboburgler

I guess you have read this
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...d-go-wrong.cfm
and
http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Puglia_Guide.php

ekscrunchy

Definitely include the stop in Matera. I would spend the two nights there. You could then leave early in the morning after the second night, and make the 2.5 hour drive to Paestum. Alternative, make the 3 hour drive to the hill town of Pisciotta in the Cilento, an spend the night there. (I think that in early May, it might be a better choice than Castellabate. It is scenically beautiful, and there is at least one excellent seafood restaurant on the coast just below the town. I stayed a few nights in Castellabate and a few in Pisciotta) Then you could make the drive to Paestum the next morning..1 hour 20 minutes according to Google maps) Either way you get to see a bit of the Cilento.

You then leave early in the morning after the Cilento night, and go to the mozzarella farm (action is in morning only), and continue to Paestum site. The only bad news with this is that you see the temples in bright sun. After Paestum, continue to Salerno and drop car, maybe have lunch, and take public transport to Ravello. I've just driven through Salerno without stopping and thought it looked like a good place to spend some time..I would like to have a night there, so maybe do just that, before heading on..(see KJa's advice above)

Then you can decide how to split the nights between Ravello and Rome. That depends on if you want sheer relaxation or real sightseeing....but since you mentioned La Posta Vecchia, maybe you do want to just relax....Ravello certainly is beautiful! Which hotel are you considering?

This is just an idea.....hope I am not confusing the situation even more.

tishkb

bilboburger: thanks so much for your link especially the biking info, we were considering a bike hire once we are in Puglia your info was very helpful!

eskcrunchy; There is no way you can confuse me anymore then I already am. I like the idea of staying over in Matera but I think not more than 1 night there. Have dinner and the next morning maybe an early tour with Nadia, then a quick lunch bite then only 2.5hrs from Pasetum en route to Ravello. This would hopefully afford us time to see the ruins for 2 hrs or so. Do you know how late the ground stay open??? Thinking maybe dinner in Cetara at one of your 2 picks and then continue on to Ravello, or will research an overnight stop in Salerno to see if it appeals to us to stay there for a night before heading north.

My concern with the stop in Pisciotta is the car issue in the small town and having to park in the town center and lug the luggage. We wll be traveling light but not that light as we are going for 3 weeks. Thanks for the input on Castellabate I was starting to think that it would be too sleepy there in May.

In Ravello we stayed at the Hotel Giordano. It is the sister hotel of the Villa Maria and a bit more reasonably priced. The pictures on TA do not do this hotel justice! They are one of the few hotels that has free parking on site. I think we may lean towards keeping the car and staying here for 5 nights. We absolutey loved being based in Ravello on our last trip to AC. We enjoy hiking the Valley de Fiere, the classical music at the Villa Ruffolo in the evenings, and the easy walkability down to Amalfi ( we always bussed or cabbed back uphill). I would love to stay at the Sasso or the other Palazzo hotels but I dont think they offer parking and are considerably more expensive especially if we are there for 5 nights. Last visit we were content with happy hour or after dinner drinks at the Sasso! They do a great Bellini!

So if we give up on Rome this trip;
1 night and a partial day in Matera and time permitting stopping at Paestum en route to AC
5-6 nights Ravello ( pending on if we stay over in Salerno or Cilento) when leaving AC to head north maybe stop and visit Caserta to break up this driving day before
1 night outside of Rome within 30 min to airport

Was looking at an old TA thread about quaint cities to stay in within short reach of FIO airport. Someone raved about a Hotel near Lake Bracciano, and another about a B&B in Zagarolo which is 15 min north of the Castelli Romani wine region. I am currently researching both. I think the question you posed about relaxation vs real sightseeing was a good one and our answer was relaxation. If the weather however is not favorable to enjoy the AC then this whole plan will be scrapped and I will be scrambling to put a Rome intinerary together! Where do you like to stay when in Rome and what are your top restaurant picks there???

I had one question for you about my Puglia trip. We will have 2 days to day trip from Lama di Luna one day we definitely want to go to Trani. I was wondering if you would weigh in on the second day . I am torn between heading north to the Gargano and Monte St Angelo or Vieste, or south to spend the afternoon in Altamura. The thought of visiting a town recognized for outstanding bread and bakeries is most intriguing but is there much to see in the old town center or another spot to combine with a visit here?

Thanks all for your input!

bilboburgler

The whole bike thing is waking up in Puglia, I was online to an American who rents a farm in Puglia last year and she asked where was the nearest bike lane (just past her door would you believe) and the there is a fine new path just painted onto the road leading into Lecce from just inland from Casalabate which (going the other way) should reach Brindisi soon.

But of course the back roads are very suitable for biking on.

Puglia is also very big in orientering and diving.

Gioia has a Norman castle built into the central square and a large roman camp just on the outskirts (tickets from the Norman Castle or Gioia tourist info if I remember, but not the camp). I liked Martina Franca

ekscrunchy

I've also asked about those hotels in Bracciano, but the responses I got did not encourage me. I think there is at least one thread about staying in the Castelli Romani/Colli Albani--let me see if I can find anything for you..

From Lama di Luna, you can see Trani in one morning, have lunch there if you like seafood, and then spend the afternoon at Castel del Monte.

I think Gargano is too far, but we can check this again... The owner of Lama di Luna is extremely helpful with ideas for daytrips. There are a few towns on the coast not far from there, including Barletta and that he recommends to guests. We did not take time to visit them, but you might want to do so.

http://www.lamadiluna.com/itinerari/.../old_rome.html





I would have loved to visit a mozzarella/burrata/stracciatella maker in or near that area. (We did visit one near Fasano, and the taste of that freshly made burrata will never be forgotten!) Andria is said to be the home of burrata, and I bet Lama di Luna could set you up if this is of interest.



http://youngandfoodish.com/london/st...ata-let-loose/

There is a maker of sheep cheese close to the hotel, and they serve the pecorino from there at the breakfast at Lama di Luna.


What are you doing for dinner on the two nights you will be at Lama di Luna?


I did not see much of Altamura, as we had a terrible time parking and had to be content with visiting a break bakery outside the walls that I had read about. I would like to return to see the actual town, but keep in mind that parking might be a pain. You might also do this in a detour from Lecce to Matera. OR, in a circuit that also includes Minervino Murge, as recommended by the hotel:


http://www.lamadiluna.com/itinerari/...o/5/murge.html


Also keep in mind that Matera is just about as renowned for bread as is Altamura, and you can find exceptional bakeries there, too. I wish I could post the photo of my carry on bag, stuffed to the brim with bread, taralli, friselle, etc etc from Matera. What I am trying to say is that although Altamura would be interesting, I would not lament skipping it on this trip. You can include it on a future trip when you take in Bernalda, Senise, the Pollino park, etc. OR, since you may have that extra day at Lama di Luna, you could weigh your options once you speak to Pietro at Lama di Luna and see which coastal towns he recommends in addition to Trani.

Pisciotta is out of the way for you, but if you did want to go there, I would not worry about parking, as the agriturismo we chose has plenty of parking and it is at the entrance of the town, which means you do not have to drive IN the town, which is quite small, anyway.


http://www.amachina.it/brown/index.html



Castellabate has a hill town that overlooks the marina area where most of the hotels are. It is very pretty, but will be quiet. I think you are ok skipping Cilento and hewing to the itinerary you posted in this most recent post.

The Sasso in Ravello (now named Palazzo Avino, does have parking, but it is expensive, as you might imagine). The prices for that one, and the Caruso, have gone through the roof in recent years, as you know.

Here are a few ideas for a stop outside Rome...I never pursued them, though, so cannot report first hand:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-near-rome.cfm

Last time in Rome we stayed at Albergo del Senato; it is very convenient to many sights, but the location facing the Pantheon draws huge hordes of tourists. Which hotels would you consider in the city? My last visit was around 2007,, so I fear that my restaurant recommendations are out of date.....you can see the trip report I wrote from that week if you like....for example, we liked Trattoria Monti but now I think it has become overwhelmed by tourists. Not sure about this but worth checking...

Love helping with the planning for a trip to these fabulous areas!!!

annhig

bmk

yet more ideas for trips to Italy - thanks.

tdk320n

bookmark

vinoroma

For your drive Paestum-Roma, consider a lunch stop at the one michelin star Casa del Nonno 13 in Mercato San Severino, called italy's best autogrill (bcs it is close to the highway) with a surprisingly cheap and delicious menu in a beautiful & cool setting.
For mozzarella, don't miss vannulo. It is touristic, but still the best mozzarella we have ever eaten.

ekscrunchy

Agree about Vannulo, near Paestum. They offer tours in English; I wrote a short report about my experience a couple of years ago:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ar-paestum.cfm


If you cannot make it in time for the tour, I believe you can walk around on your own.

There are many cheesemakers in the area; on an earlier trip we visited one very close to the Paestum site:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...and-naples.cfm

tishkb

ekscrunchy : Thanks so much for your link to your thread on the Castelli Romani Lazio region, very interesting but I can almost see why you chose Ischia in the end. There is a country estate Loncanda del Pontefice in Marino that I keep circling back to as our final nights destination looks nice, rated #1 in the area on TA, and saw it linked to icastelli.net website which I thought had some ,other very nice higher end recommedations for this region. Hoping the food here in town will not disappoint, and want to check again that is is within 30-40 min reach of FCO. I am just curious though, if you were to chose this area, which town and or hotel would you pick for your last night on this itinerary and why? It is a shame that none of them strike me as a place I would like to stay for 2 overnights. Not the lodging just the cities themselves. Part of me wonders if I should stop fighting adding a stay in Rome for some awesome sight seeing, strolling, eating, and people watching our last 2-3 days of this trip.

We are arriving at Lama di Luna on a sunday not sure if I want to comit to lunch at Masseria Barberra that day. I want to book Antichi Sapori for the following mon or tue night or maybe even both thinking one night price fixed and one night ala carte.

We definitely prefer peschi to carne so one day will be centered around a seafood feast in Trani. My husand is much like your travel partner in that he want gorge for lunch and dinner in the same day. So I too plan one meal a day around where we are eating our big meal whether it be lunch or dinner and the other is usually a lighter bite. The other coastal villages around Bari seem interesting and I agree with you that Gargnano would prove to be a lot of driving and we prefer slow travel.

Will definitely try to include a visit to a mozzarella farm and as my husband is a huge fan of burrata I think I should strive to do this while in Andria!

I will put Altamura lower on the priority list and make sure we go to Matera for at least a night and one day before hitting the AC. If we even make it to the AC. The more I re read your old trip reports on Puglia the more I think we may just spend that last week continuing to explore Puglia!!! May even have to spend some time at Torre Maize!!!!

What would you say were your top 10 dining experiences over your 3 visits to Puglia???? And I would love to know where your top seafood spots were.

bilboburgler; thanks again for the biking info we are now certain that we will pack our biking gear and at some point while in Puglia do some road biking in between gorging ourselves on the delicious food and pastries this region has to offer! I was wondering if you had any suggestions for day hiking based on my current itinerary beside the Amalfi Coast Trails.

Happy trails all!

bilboburgler

Sorry I know little about the Amalfi Coast except it has been a tourist region since about 100AD.

tishkb

Bilboburger Sorry to confuse you, I was actually looking for hiking suggestions in Puglia.