bjamie

Hi! We are going to be in Southern Italy next summer and are looking for one more place to add to our itinerary. Here is what we have so far:

2 nights Naples
4 nights Sorrento with day trips around rest of Amalfi coast
3 nights Matera ( we are driving from Sorrento and will have a car for the rest of the Italian portion of the trip)
Drive thru Alberobello on the way to Bari, then overnight ferry to Dubrovnik
3 nights Dubrovnik

We basically have 2 extra days to add in somewhere, and would prefer to add them in Italy rather than Croatia. Thoughts? We like small towns, hiking, and doing rather than seeing. Thanks!

ekscrunchy

A location within the belt of towns running from Noci southeast to Carovigno....including Locorotondo, Cisternino, Ostuni, etc.

A location in or near Andria/Trani/Minervino Murge.


A bit of a detour: Village within the Pollino Park, or environs of Senise, Bernalda, and nearby places within Basilicata.

Michael

I would add a night in Naples and visit Pompeii and Herculaneum from Naples. You might want to take a look at my trip report; click on my name to find it.

Vttraveler

Capri from Naples

Approach_Guides

I would recommend Trani as well. It's a cute town, with great architecture, and a great place from which to explore several of Puglia's famous Romanesque churches.

kja

Like Michael, I think you might consider adding at least one night to Naples.

You might consider cutting one or even two nights from Matera - I thought one day sufficient to see Matera itself (which is, indeed, well worth seeing IMO). You might want another half or full day if you plan to visit the caves outside the city.

Staying overnight in Capri is, as Vttraveler suggests, worth considering - it is magical after day-trippers leave.

Like ekscrunchy and Approach_Guides, I thought Trani worth a stop.

And I loved Salerno, with its lovely lungomare, cathedral with extraordinary ambos, and easy access to Paestum.

Enjoy!

isabel

I would add the nights to Sorrento. In fact I'd skip overnighting in Naples and do about 8 in Sorrento. That's how many we had and it was one of our 'best ever' trips. Naples is great but I had had enough after one long day trip (took train there and boat back) and Pompeii is equal distance from Sorrento so just as easy to do as a day trip from there as Naples. We also did day trips to Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, etc. I will have multiple bases rather than spending endless hours 'commuting' for day trips but on the Amalfi Coast the 'getting there' is part of the fun. The Amalfi Coast drive is itself a three star attraction, and the ferries are great so I didn't mind going back and forth to Sorrento each night.

I would add any other extra nights to Dubrovnik. Three is plenty if all you want to see if Dubrovnik itself but there are several very worthwhile day trips you can do from there (Mostar, Montenegro, etc).

We actually did the AC and Croatia on the same trip a couple summers ago. Here's my trip report, might give you some ideas. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rful-weeks.cfm

yestravel

I loved Naples and thought it a great city with much to c so would not take time away from it. Adding another night would be perfect. We liked Naples so much we never made it to Paestum as we had planned to do. While the Amalfi Coast is beautiful, sadly we found it overrun by tourists this past October and find that detracts from its beauty. Its worth seeing, but I wouldnt stay any more there then u have planned.

Matera was fascinating and a tour with Nadia greatly enhanced our visit.
I would think about more time in Puglia -- lots to c there and not crowded. The area around Ostuni, Martina Franco, Cisternino & Locorotondo are worth exploring. U can read about our time in Puglia, Naples & Matera here
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...a-short-tr.cfm

sundriedpachino

I agree with poster above, 2 nights in Matera.
See Puglia and Basilicata welltravelledbrits Travel Notes for her blog ref to the Crypt of original Sin in Matera, and food in Puglia.
Will bring ttt for you.

Also, we found the touristic character of Alberobello made it the least attractive of the places we visited in Puglia. We liked Locorotondo, Polignano and Martina Franca. Didn't get to spend much time in Ostuni.

bjamie

Thanks you for all of the thoughts. We were planning on doing Pompeii en route from naples to Sorrento, not as a day trip from either one. If we are driving from Sorrento to Matera ( probably arriving early afternoon?) would the rest of that day and then the next full day be enough time? I had read a lot of posts about people "wishing they had allowed more time in Matera" so I didn't want to make the same mistake. We will be in Italy late August - unfortunately how the timing worked out this year - so I know we are facing a lot of crowds and heat.

Would it be worthwhile to stay in Amalfi town for one night after Sorrento and then rent a car from Salerno instead? Is it easy to get from Amalfi Town to Salerno via public transport?

yestravel

Polignano a Mare is beautiful and was one of our favorite towns. Agree that Alberobello is a bit touristy, but still worth a look. Actually driving the countryside around it has some beautiful views and lots of trullis more in their "natural habitat."

kja

> If we are driving from Sorrento to Matera ( probably arriving early afternoon?) would the rest of that day and then the next full day be enough time?

I arrived in Matera during the early afternoon as I recall, spent most of the rest of the day in the sassi, and had time for a quick visit to the archeological museum and one of the upper town churches before they closed and before a wonderful dinner. I spent the next morning visiting the upper town and saw everything I wanted to see in town in time to take a train the next afternoon. I think I only took one brief break each day. So for my interests and travel pace, a 2nd night was not necessary. I'm sure other people would have appreciated extra time.

> Is it easy to get from Amalfi Town to Salerno via public transport?

There are buses and I believe ferries. Getting on (and getting on with luggage) can be a challenge during high season.

pizzocchieri

If you are going to Matera, and you have a car, it is highly rewarding to visit The Crypt of the Original Sin (La Cripta dei Peccato Originale), for which you must make a reservation.

If you are not drawn to the idea of spending more time in Napoli, I highly recommend either Paestum or taking a more leisurely drive through Basilicata to see more of its absolutely stunning scenery. Google up towns like Accetura, Castelmezzan and Pietrapertosa.

The choice is between a fabulous Greek architectural site surrounded by mozzerella makers, or a unique landscape and culture inside the pristine Basilicata, filled with folklore and drama.

pizzocchieri

Correct spelling: Castelmezzano

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelmezzano

sundriedpachino

pizzo, how is the road to Pietrapertosa? We bypassed it because on google maps street view, it seemed the road was not open, and I read it is sporadically open/closed.

It looked very interesting from pictures I saw, but it is a drive off the main road, no?

pizzocchieri

Pietrapertosa is 45 minute drive from Potenza, which is the administrative capital of Basilicata, and it is an hour's drive from Matera. I'm not sure what you mean by the "main road", but it is a village inside a national park, and it is not immediately off a highway. It is dramatically perched in the mountains, like Siena or San Gimignano or many other hilltowns in Italy. The road going there is switchbacks.

If a road is closed it is closed, but there are people living in Pietrapertosa year round. There is skiing there in winter and a "zipline" summer tourist attraction, so people do go there regularly. I'm not clear why you would bypass places based on Google Street View, which is a snapshot of streets taken years ago.

http://www.borghitalia.it/html/borgo...dice_borgo=397

sundriedpachino

Probably true, google is pretty up to date here but not everywhere!

I was kind of hoping you'd say you've been there recently and the road is fine!

ekscrunchy

I'll take this oppoprtunity to recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Seasons-Basili.../dp/B000GG4FF4

zoecat

Thank you for the book recommendation ekscrunchy. I've been thinking about a trip next May into the Basilicata region, so this thread is of interest.

To those of you who have visited the area- what guidebooks do you recommend?

ekscrunchy

I have not found a great guidebook in English. There is some helpful info however, in both the Lonely Planet PUGLIA AND BASILICATA, and the Cadogan BAY OF NAPLES AND SOUTHERN ITALY.

And take a look at the book I linked above....if you have the time, you can read about the author's stay in the region. Gives a good idea of daily life, lots of anecdotes about his experiences, etc.