Hi All,
my husband and I are fit 60 yo, looking for suggestions for our itinerary.
After spending time in Puglia and Matera in September 2026, we have approx 2 weeks before heading to Naples and Ischia. We may get a car. I’m looking for suggestions on where to spend this time, ideally just 2 spots to base ourselves. We enjoy quieter, lesser known places with beauty, great food, walking and chilling. The Gargano area has been suggested, along with the Tremiti islands(honestly, they don’t look all that spectacular?) The Cilento coast also comes up. Even just a gorgeous B & B somewhere. (I’d love a washing machine) TIA.

Check out our trip report. We enjoyed Sicily!Southern Italy and Sicily May, 2024

I thought Vieste in the Gargano was a beautiful, white town...there are sandy beaches stretching north off the town.
You have a good combination of sea, coastal views, and forest trails. (I've never heed there, though)
From there you could head north to Termoli or Vasto and then inland towards Naples.

Look, too, at Maratea--both the hull town and the stretch along the coast, below.
And Pisciotta, in Cilento.

How long are you staying in Puglia? And what will you see? there is a lot to see in Puglia.....
You may not need to go much further.
I found the Cilento area disappointing coming from Puglia....

You will have a car for Puglia and Basilicata, correct? There's much to see in these areas (best explored with a car), and as just_tina indicates, it's hard to make recommendations without knowing how long and where you will be in Puglia.

That said, this past summer I spent a couple delightful weeks in Molise and Abruzzo. Drove to Isernia in Molise from Naples--a short journey.

Thank you for the suggestions.
For more detail- we fly in and out of Rome(from Australia) and have 6 weeks total in Italy. After 2 nights in Rome, we take the train to Bari and after 2 nights there we start a cycling tour for 7 nights(hubby cycles and I do non riding activities) and we make our way down to finish the tour in Lecce for 2 nights.
then I’ve booked 3 nights in Matera.
After that I have nothing booked. We are open to hiring a car.
ekscrunchy- I read your trip report, Thankyou, and the place you stayed at in Vieste looks inviting.
I’m trying to decide which area would be best for walking,beautiful scenery, great food and not too busy. We have previously stayed in Positano and Capri.
The island of Ischia and Naples have been recommended- so I thought we could finish over there.
sometimes a recommendation for a special B&B will be enough to draw me to a particular area. I’m also considering Sicily or Sardinia.

In Naples, I really like Orsini 46 for accommodations. Location is great (very walkable and near the water), the family is lovely, and breakfast is excellent.

For your criteria I would have spent some time down in the southern Salento area of Puglia, but it wouldn't make sense to backtrack again from Matera.
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...f-salento.html
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspo...of-puglia.html
Vieste and Gargano are some of my favourite places but you will definitely need a hire car, and there is more to see and do in Southern Salento.
If you really don't want to spend longer in Puglia, you can't go wrong with Sicily.
"walking,beautiful scenery, great food and not too busy.": Sicily or Sardinia?
Sardinia is better for walking and seascapes, the scenery in September after the summer heat is not as beautiful as in the spring, but there will be fewer tourists than in sicily
Walking is ok in Sicily, actual hiking not so much, if scenery includes historic villages and towns then that's fantastic. Food is better than Sardinia.
Both islands are large with a lot to see, so you'd be looking at a small area of either

Hi! On a trip I did with my sister and parents to Bari, we spent a short stretch on the Tremiti Islands. They’re not dramatic, but that’s kind of the point. Very little going on beyond eating and swimming. I think going to SIcily or Sardinia would be a better option (since you want to visit Naples afterwards). I've been to both. We are usually getting inspiration from several blogs (like fodors here, rick steveves etc) also some sites that upload useful tips like this for the tremiti islands or this for Sicily for example.

Vieste

Vieste

Vieste

Vieste

I see that several people have now mentioned Sicily. FWIW, I adored my time in Sicily, but it's a HUGE island with magnificent ruins from multiple civilizations and ages and any number of glorious natural sights. Even a cursory visit can take 3 weeks and so it might not be the best fit for this trip.

Would you like to share the Puglia itinerary? A week is not a long time there, so you could definitely add something else before Matera (since that would be in your general direction back toward Naples).
I found Sardinia extraordinary, but it would take the wherewithal to fly there and back, which wouldn't be difficult.
I loved my time in Cilento.

I agree that Sicily is a large island. That is why we limited the area we visited as you can read in our report. It was a good amount for the time we decided upon.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your input. The photos do look gorgeous neckervd.
However, We are now leaning towards flying to Palmero after Matera and perhaps staying in Sicily 2.5 weeks. I’m slowly making my way through the trip reports and thinking about whether to hire a car or not. And thinking of staying in Cefula and Ortigia and somewhere in between.

The Rough Guide to Sicily is among the best guidebooks covering that amazing place. If you don't already have it, I'd encourage you to get it or to find a copy at your local library.

For the place in between -- maybe Agrigento? Spending a night there drastically simplifies one's visit to the un-missable (IMO) Valley of the Temples. Look for someplace with a nighttime view of the temples.

I can see the appeal of Cefalu, but would note that there is SOOooooo much to see and do in Palermo that I, personally, would prefer staying in Palermo with a day trip to Cefalu rather than staying in Cefalu and traveling into Palermo several times. YMMV.

You won't need a car in Palermo, nor will you need one in Ortigia / Siracusa. You might want one for your time between them. It really depends on what you decide to see and do.

Enjoy!

The buses are good and the trains are now much better, the Roman villa needs a car but just about every other major site can be reached by public transport.

We agree that it is best not to have a car in Sicily, as the towns you may want to visit are very hilly and with limited parking.