Hi,

My husband and I have a wedding in Milano in August and plan to drive south to Bari where a friend lives. We know the main cities in Italy pretty well, so we were thinking of stopping in Bologna and Siena (both of which we don't know) and maybe visit a vineyard - taking 3 to 4 days until we get to Bari.
Does anyone know the roads? I'm sure driving in Tuscany must be wonderful. But then from Siena to Bari, I'm not so sure... Any suggestions of stops between Milano and Bari will be welcome!

The second part of my request for help has to do with the return. We'd love to take a train on our way back, but how crazy is it to take the night train arriving in Malpensa (Milano airport) a couple of hours before the flight? Does it make more sense to take the train to Milano and then get a cab to the airport? Are trains in Italy punctual? We don't want to have to come back a day before just because of our flight back to NY...

Sorry if the questions are too specific... I'm trying to evaluate the most fun / less prone to disaster itinerary...

Thanks!

Why not fly from Bari to Milan for your return?

Even though I find Italian trains relatively punctual, I would never count on a long-distance train arriving on time so close to my flight time. I'd travel the day before. I have ridden the Bari-Milano train that travels along the east coast three times, though I got off in Bologna. It's a long ride (6 hours Bari-Bologna I think), though much of it is along the water and pretty.

Could you arrange to visit your friend first, and then rent a car to do a road trip back to Malpensa?

Otherwise, I second ellenem's suggestion to get a flight back. But if you have already booked your transatlantic air tickets, be aware that if buy a separate air ticket from Bari to Milan, and the Bari flight is cancelled due to bad weather and your miss your transatlantic flight, your transatlantic carrier won't feel obliged to re-book you. If you haven't purchased your transatlantic or are willing to change what you have already bought, then purchase a multi-city-ticket through Orbitz arriving in Milan and departing from Bari (it is possible you will be routed through Rome, not Milan).

You shouldn't have any problem driving in that region. Even the mountain roads are well engineered.

I think going to Siena takes you too far west, and as much as I love Bologna, I would not go there in August, where many stores and restaurants will be shut and it will be very hot and humid. However, if you have special reasons to want to go to those two towns beyond just standard sightseeing curiosity, by all means go.

But you might want to consider instead a route that takes you through Parma and on into Umbria, and then swing east to Ascoli Piceno, and then head for the scenic Gargano peninsula (or vice versa if you visit your friend first and do the road trip second). I've never attempted an August road trip along the Adriatic, but I would brace myself for lots of traffic.

One advantage of seeing your friend first before undertaking the road trip back north would be getting her local advice.

Finally, if you end up taking a train to Milan and then catching a flight, the train to the airport is always the fastest way (not a taxi, which can get stuck in traffic). I would not attempt to leave Bari with the idea that you can make perfect time to catch a flight in Milan. Spend your last night in Milan.

PS: I should add that while many restaurants and stores in Parma will also be shut, and it will be hot and humid there as well, the fact that is is a much smaller town, and much easier to access with a car, would make me pick it over a Bologna as a place to stop en route.

In Umbria, there are many wonderful small places to stay, and the town of Montefalco produces fantastic red wine.

One other thought:

It has often been the case in the past that there are inexpensive flights from Milan to Salerno during the summer months. Consider flying to Salerno after the wedding and renting the car there to drive to Bari. Then make your way back to Milan.

If you fly to Salerno, consider spending at least a night in the area to see some of local sights, esecially Paestum.

Hi zeppole and ellenem,

Thank you for your responses (and sorry for being late posting this reply). We'll definitely heed your advice.

We're now thinking of taking of train from Milano to Bari, then renting a car to explore the region, and slowly make our way back to Milano & spending our last night close to the city.

We'll iron out the details this week and I'll post them to get more of your good tips.

Thanks again.

There are three general options for the train from Milan to Bari. Interesting enough, the fastest one requires a change of train while the others do not. You might decide based on schedule. There are more departures throughout the day for the two faster options.

Fastest/Most Expensive:
Milano C.LE to Bologna Frecciarossa/ES/AV
Bologna to Bari C - 7:20hrs - Frecciabianca/EScity - 1st: 152€; 2nd: 108€

Less Fast/A bit less expensive:
Milano C.LE to Bari C - 8:00hrs - Frecciabianca/EScity - 1st: 115€; 2nd: 85€

Slowest/Cheapest:
Milano C.LE to Bari C - 8:51hrs - IC - 1st: 86.50€; 2nd: 64.50€