chopslot

Quick info: My wife and I are fortunate to have been to Italy twice: Cinque Terre, Venice, Florence, Bologna, Lucca.
We have two full weeks in Italy this early June. My wife’s amazing, and is full on recovering from breast cancer (six months, able to maintain a moderate pace) ; she is wearing a wig…which can make significant temps/heat a problem. While the north is cooler, we’ve never been south of Lucca and want to experience this together. In some ways the logical answer to at least part of this trip would be Rome…yet we’re leery of significant crowds and a chaotic pace. In some ways what is more appealing, is a combination of coastal towns that are safe, slow, have milder temps, and have charm/beauty… combined with possibly Capri and Ischia. Please advise…Are we making a mistake not going to Rome? (we plan on returning one day and making it the primary focus of a future trip) Should we combine some time in Tuscany i.e. .Siena and go in a different direction with something like Sardinia? Or Sicily? Where would you go for two weeks in central/Southern Italy if Rome was not on the itinerary? We’re not just seeking a beach scene, we really want to take in the culture. We generally stay in AirBnb’s unless a nearby hotel offers something remarkable. Thanks so much for any insights offered!!

yorkshire

Lovely--anywhere you go will be a celebration!
I always travel in late May. While the sun is fairly intense, I have never felt like the temps were very high in early June. You might want to look at some weather stats to get a better sense of what will be uncomfortable. I suggest choosing one area for the entire two weeks--Sicily would fit the bill. Puglia and Basilicata could also easily fill two weeks. When I visit cities, I try to balance the crowds by pacing myself with the sightseeing and staying in a residential area, so I would not necessarily rule out Rome. Rome and then a drive through Lazio and southern Tuscany would be nice.

bvlenci

Will you have a car for at least part of this trip?

If you want milder temperatures, the seacoast, the mountains, or a lakeside are your best options. We once visited Lake Garda in July, and found mild temperature and manageable crowds. You can get around the lake by boat.

We spend part of every summer, usually in August, in a little house in the Apennines, and we need a blanket at night there. We don't take seaside vacations, because we live very near the Adriatic coast, and I can say that the temperatures are bearable there also. For the mountains, and for most seaside locations, a car is advisable.

If you go to Rome, and want to avoid crowds, you should skip the most famous sights, or else visit them in off hours. For example, you can visit the Vatican Museums on a Friday evening, when the number of visitors is limited to people with advance reservations. Usually there are evening reserved visits also to the Colosseum. Apart from these, there are many wonderful things to see in Rome that don't attract hordes of visitors. There is a risk of oppressive heat in Rome, but even there, it's often cool in the evenings. A car is only a liability in Rome.

You could perhaps combine a visit to Rome with a less frenetic stay in a cooler, quieter spot.

StCirq

Just down the coast from Rome are some very pleasant seaside towns, most notably Spoleto, Anzio, and Gaeta. Plenty to see inland around there, too.

bilboburgler

I'd pop to Puglia, very quiet at that time of year, beach holidays have hardly started and many hotels half empty. Fly into Bari or Brindisi and either use public transport or car to get about. Lovely people and food.

TDudette

Here's a bunch of info on point: Follow-up to Original Thread-- Umbria Assistance Appreciated - Part DUE!

I think early June will be before school is out so you may be OK with crowds. Everyone is different but IMHO Rome is fabulous. There is so much to see. You could even take quick train/bus trips to Orvieto, Tivoli, Ostio if you did run out of things! Get tickets ahead (or take tours) so you won't have to wait in lines.

kja

You have many wonderful options before you!

Even though the Amalfi Coast can be crowded in early June, it can be a thorough delight – and not just the coast itself, but Capri and Salerno and Paestum and Pompeii and Herculaneum and – if she’s up to it – perhaps a few days in dynamic and energetic and vibrant Naples (which can be crowded and chaotic, but more because of the life of its residents, not because it is is mobbed with tourists – and to me, that’s a major difference).

I adore Sicily! One potentially relevant consideration is that it doesn’t lend itself very well to base cities, and so can involve a bit more moving around that might be ideal in your situation.

Milan and the Lakes; or Puglia with a stop in Matera, or ...
Good luck with your decisions! And congratulations to your wife and to you.

chopslot

Thank you all so much for your responses! We'll spend some time researching and narrowing the field and come back with a few more questions along the way. Genuine thanks. On our first trip, we rented a car in Zurich, made our way over to Cinque Terre, and later dropped the car off in Nice...it was fairly straightforward, similar experience to renting a car in the US. Should i expect a similar experience in Bari?

whitehall

A couple years ago we flew into the very modern Bari airport. Rented a car from Hertz (a mistake since AutoEurope, the broker, would have provided better rates and prepaid full insurance for a fraction of the counter cost and we still would have had a Hertz car). Anyway, easy driving. Puglia "autostrade" not the most glamorous road in the world but driving is easy. In the fall, there was virtually no traffic. Here is our trip report: 7 days/6 nights in Puglia

We eventually went to unique Matera (not in our trip report because it is in Basilicata not Puglia), perhaps our favorite village in Italy. It's where they film many old Bible movies, and Ben Our re-make. They don't have to change much. Then we made our way to Naples, where we got rid of the rental car. Ferry to Ischia where we were able to get around with their buses that circle the entire island. Stayed in a great airbnb (that's also our firs choice of lodging) overlooking the iconic Aragonese Castle. After that, we took a ferry to Sorrento and enjoyed a car-free re-visit of Capri/Anacapri and the Amalfi coast.

bvlenci

StCirq must have mistaken Spoleto for some other seaside town, maybe Sperlonga. Spoleto is in Umbria, far from any sea. Another town, near Anzio, is Nettuno. Anzio and Nettuno are easily reached by train. Sperlonga is a bit more of a problem, requiring a connection to a bus from the train station. I don't know about travel to Gaeta.

Rome itself has a seaside, Lido di Ostia . I haven't been there, but cousins of mine stayed there a few years ago in June and enjoyed it, although they said there were glad they had a car. It would be very crowded in August, but in early June the kids are all still in school, and the beach will not usually be at all crowded.

On the Adriatic Coast, Senigallia is one of my favorite beach towns. We live near there, so I may be a tiny bit prejudiced. However, I like the fact that the town has a lively cultural life, and isn't just a beach resort, like so many other coastal towns. Inland of Senigallia, there are many charming hill towns. Another spot on this coast is the Riviera del Conero, just south of Ancona. Portonovo has an especially charming beach, at the foot of Mount Conero. While Senigallia has a broad sandy beach, the Riviera del Conero has mostly narrow pebbly beaches. (Many people prefer these, because they don't get sand all over.)

The Adriatic (east) coast is usully several degrees cooler than the Tyrhennian (west) coast. I would recommend having a car in that area, to be able to visit the scenic countryside inland, and the hill towns.

StCirq

Oh gosh, yes I meant Sperlonga!

bilboburgler

Yes renting anywhere in Italy is pretty much the same, hence our advice to use AutoEurope as the local and international brands in Italy are frankly not to be trusted, still do all the usual things like take photos before and after etc. Zurich to Nice is a whole different thing.

Michael

About 25 years ago we did a trip of central Italy. Drove from FCO to Tarquinia and then around Tuscany and Umbria but included Urbino. No trip report, but here are the picture albums as per itinerary:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYPRAt
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYPf3H
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYNAUB
https://flic.kr/s/aHsjoYQoCx

chopslot

So our thought process for the trip is evolving from what we were initially considering.
After considerable research on this forum and discussion, we have decided to skip a trip of Rome, Sorrento, and the AC…and instead seek out the pace and experience of Ischia, Puglia, and Tropea. We have 16 nights in Italy beginning in the first part of June. Our itinerary is still a work in progress. Could you please provide perspective on the pace and practicality of this itinerary. Any suggestions that come to mind?
Basic Itinerary 16 nights
· Arrive in Naples June 9 arrive at 11:30 am
· Day one from Naples airport Ferry to Ischia
· 3 nights in Ischia (day trip to Capri)
· Day four: Return to Naples and fly to Bari or Brindisi (rent Car)
· 7 nights in Puglia (Monopoli, Matera, Lecce)
· Day 11 drive from Puglia to Tropea
· 5 nights in Tropea
· Day 16 spend the day driving back to Naples for one night, (possibly Pompeii Along the way). Depart the following morning.

bvlenci

I don't think it's easy to make a day trip from Ischia to Capri. I think you have to go back to the mainland by ferry and take another ferry to Capri.

I also don't think you can realistically visit Pompeii on the day you drive back from Tropea to Naples. It's about a five-hour drive without the stop in Pompeii and Pompeii itself is a huge archaeological site, which you can't see in an hour or two.

I myself would want to stay in Naples the night before the flight to Bari or Brindisi. The ferries depend on the weather and are sometimes delayed or cancelled altogether. Maybe that would give you an opportunity to visit Pompeii, but it would cut short your time in Ischia. Consider taking a day from Puglia or Tropea and adding it to Naples.

whitehall

Here is a link for a day trip from Ischia to Capri:
Ischia Cruises, Ischia Capri, Procida, Amalfi, Positano, Sorrento, Pompei, Vesuvio, Ercolano, Ventotene

Further info here from Ischia Review, a terrific website we used when we were on Ischia:
https://www.ischiareview.com/ischia-to-capri.html

bilboburgler

Naples to Bari, Brindis by air, certainly works. Alternatively you might look to take the train to Tarranto. The route takes you around the volcano and then up into the mountains down to the coast in Basilcata and then stops outside the little ancient island of Tarranto, though you could travel further into Puglia certainly to Brindisi by why bother? The route includes tunnels and fantastic vistas and well worth the journey.

Tarranto is a bit "gritty" like Naples but certainly interesting, you can hire a car at the station or in the new town. The fast train also stops at other towns. Have a look.

parisnorway

I agree. I've been to Puglia/Salento in June and temperatures were manageable (maybe a little worse in the inland cities like Lecce).
Suggestions: Torre Sant' Andrea, Gallipoli, Molfetta, Giovinazzo, Monopoli, Polignano a Mare, Santa Cesarea Terme, Bari, Santa Maria al Bagno.

chopslot

You make good points regarding staying in Naples the night before Bari, and the time involved with Pompeii....thanks!

chopslot

We'll look into the train to Tarranto...thanks for the great suggestion. We have enjoyed train travel, and seeing the countryside. It will be interesting to see how long the train route is. In terms of traveling further in to Puglia...we want to experience the different locations, and we're planning to drive down to Tropea.