SOUTH OF ROME
 

We will be in Italy in early March. Plan is to do 3 nights in Naples, 3 nights in Amalfi and then 2 nights in Matera. We will then have 3 days and 2 nights before proceeding back to Rome for flight home. Recognizing there is so much to see what would be recommendations for filling this time ??

I'm sorry but there is no way I would do the Amalfi coast in March I know some people like beach resorts in off season - but at that time of year there are so many hotels and restaurants closed - and the scheduled ferry service is so limited (and may not run at all due to rough seas) but to me a beach on a chilly, rainy day is simply too boring.

I would visit Pompeii and the Archo Museum in Naples and then head north to Rome - which will have so much more to see and indoors that bad weather won;t matter.

I should have mentioned, we will have 5 nights in Rome prior to heading south. We have had 3 prior trips to Rome so am looking for options Naples and south.

Your trip sounds wonderful! From Matera you could visit Puglia and stay in one of the following cities:
Bari or one of the charming small towns along the coast, like Trani (fantastic Romanesque architecture; about 1-1.5 hours from Matera)
Alberobello (although I preferred visiting for the day rather than overnight)
Lecce (a vibrant city with beautiful Baroque architecture; about 2 hours from Matera)
Have a great trip!

Lemons are harvested along the Amalfi coast in February and March -- which is a fair indication that nytravelers' travel fears and fantasies are not reality. If there are particular hotels and restaurants that for you are absolutely the point of being there, then of course you should check to see if the are open. But most will be open.

(By the way, you may have noticed that the mayor of NYC, who is of Italian heritage, spent his July vacation on Capri -- where it was chilly and rainy. So never a guarantee. Anybody who thinks they can predict the weather in the Amalfi is nuts and most short-visit tourist don't go to the beaches there anyway.)

With only 2 nights heading back to Rome from Matera, I would pick an easy route heading back north, and enjoy what's there rather than attempting to go further south. Consider heading back to Salerno and visiting Paestum and Pompei, then leaving car in Salerno and taking the train back to Rome.

I would also not go to Puglia for that short amount of time. It took us over five hours to drive to Rome from Polignano which is kind of in the middle of Puglia, too far to be worth it for only two days. I second the suggestions of Paestum and Pompeii/Herculaneum. I'd spend the extra nights in Sorrento. Never been to the area in March (but would like to try sometime, please write a trip report if you do go).

Here is an album of pictures taken in the Amalfi in March 2011 (not by me!) As you can see, balmy weather and clear, dry skies, beautiful vistas.

http://www.obiettivofotografia.com/g...na-marzo-2011/

No guarantee you won't get rain and storms -- but you could have gotten that traveling in summer.

Is the best way to get to Lecce from Matera by train, to go to Bari and then south?

Here are pictures taken of carnival celebrations in Positano on March 9, 2014. Sunshine and the whole town dancing outdoors, many people down in the beach, open jackets, no hats, some flirty young ladies in short skirts and sleeveless dresses

http://positanomylife.blogspot.it/20...carnelale.html

Like I said, could storm while you are there. Nobody knows.

"No guarantee you won't get rain and storms -- but you could have gotten that traveling in summer."

I DID get that this summer. Very strange weather this year, the locals referred to it as "angry weather from Germany".

Thanks for those photos, maybe we will try the area in March some year soon.

It's perfectly true that there is no guarantee of weather in any place at any time. And I'm sure there can be some very pleasant days Amalfi area in March.

However, rather than looking at photos from a few days of one year I prefer to look at long-term averages. And for March the averages for the Amalfi coast are highs around 50 degrees and lows of 42 degrees and 14 days of rain.

What weather the mayor of NYC finds in July does not seem to have anything to do with what you are statistically likely to get in March.

I know Sandralist has a mania about weather in Italy - always quoting experience from a specific trip or a few days that someone experienced. In terms of weather I think it's better to be realistic - and look at third-party long-term stats - and not assume you will get only the best weather other people have ever had.