Let me start by saying this: this itinerary is not for everyone.

We love road trips. C likes to drive and I’m a good navigator. He is not afraid of curves, switchbacks, or dirt roads. I don’t get carsick as long as I sit in the front. We can be in the car for hours as long as there is nice scenery or interesting stuff around.

It helps if you do not have an overactive bladder.

Another important thing to consider: we do not mind changing hotels often. We actually prefer advancing from place to place than using a location as a base and driving backwards to go visit stuff. We travel light(ish) and pack efficiently.

We also like our drinks so staying out of town where 'basing' would be easier, is not a good option for us.

There are 15 hotel changes to this trip report. Most were pre-booked but a few remained open so that we could wing it. We are getting to old to enjoy winging it as much as we did in the past.
As I said, this itinerary is not for everyone.

I tried to make this a slow trip. It did not quite work but in a way it was a slower trip than others we’ve had in the past.

Before the road trip, we started our vacation with two weeks in Rome. This is the link to that Trip Report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...wanderings.cfm

After Rome we headed south for the ‘Ferry Boat’ segment of our trip with a Week between Naples, Capri and Amalfi:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ing-amalfi.cfm

Since I’m notorious for not finishing long trip reports, I will post the basics and then we’ll see how far along I get with the detailed story.

*Paestum – 1 night: Loved the ruins. Go there if you have a chance. Lovely at night.

*Somewhere close to Scalea – 1 Night: An act of desperation while winging it.

*Matera – 2 Nights: Beautiful and very different from anything we had seen before. It is kind of out of the way from everything but it was very much worth it.

*Martina Franca– 2 Nights: Very pretty, one night would have been enough.

*Otranto– 1 Night: Picture perfect town. Lots of nooks and cranies to investigate.

*Lecce– 2 Nights: We expected to love it but did not. Ate very, very well.

*Castellana Grotte – 1 Night: Don’t even ask. We were supposed to stay in Ostuni. But it wasn’t that bad.

*Polignano al Mare– 3 Nights: Loved it. LOVED IT. Loved it.

*Vieste– 2 Nights: It was supposed to be a single night, but we liked it so much that we overstayed. Could have stayed another night. But I suspect that it can be completely overrun during the summer. The coastal drive to get there is SPECTACULAR.

* Somewhere along the coast - Where is not even important. Don't go there. We (eventually) got a good little hotel. The story is not funny yet.

*Ascoli Piceno– 2 Nights: This is a gem of a town. I don’t know why it’s not talked about more.

*Urbino– 2 Nights: Gorgeous. And steep. Very Steep. I cancelled our stay in Gubbio after this town.

*Sant’Angelo in Vado which is close to Piobbico which is also close to Urbania – 4 Nights: At Agroturismo La Tavola Marche. LOVED IT. We also stayed one more night than originally intended with the night we stole from Gubbio. And it goes with the story of why you should always have a bag of dried soup in you backpack.

Perugia– 2 Nights: We had a rough start. HA!!!! Of course there is a story to this. This is where we dropped our rental car off. I was ready to bail out and head straight to Rome but C convinced me otherwise. So glad we stayed.

Rome - 1 Night: Just spend the night before our trip back home. Sort of ruined by the suspicion that there was something wrong with the booking of our return flights.

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So let's get this started by telling you about the drive from Salerno to Paestum...

Yay I have been waiting for the Le Marche bit...how did you like La Tavola Marche??

Loved it. LOVED IT. Jason and Ashley were awesome. The food was superb. The view... I'll get to the details eventually.

I spent four nights in Ascoli last summer and loved it, we did daytrips from there. I have an extra four days between the Dolomites and Rome next month, so will be reading with avid (selfish) interest.

YEAH>>more from Marigross!

<<* Somewhere along the coast - Where is not even important. Don't go there. We (eventually) got a good little hotel. The story is not funny yet. >>

I know that feeling when the story "isn't funny yet"! ;')

I'm looking forward to more details marigross!! Sign me up for the ride. (Just stay focused so you can finish it!)

<b>Road Trip Day 1: Friday, May 5th

<i>The Road from Salerno to Paestum</b></i>


We started our day in the town of Amalfi and made our way to Salerno via ferry boat without much effort. Forget buses, trains or taxis; boats are the way to move along the coast.

The Europcar office was a 3-minute walk away from the dock.The rental car package I had selected included basic insurance (Thank You Lord!!!!!!!) so we were spared the 45-minute sales pitch (and $15K hold on the CC) we have had to endure in the past when we have rented from them without subscribing to their insurance.

Within an hour of disembarking we were driving away from Salerno. I had read this is one of the most underrated cities in Italy and I have to admit that the small part we saw, looked quite nice indeed. In my theoretical trip redo I would spent at least a night in town.

The road from Salerno to Paestum is one long, straight shot. Though it is close to the ocean, we barely caught glimpses of it as the view is obstructed by thick vegetation and it is not scenic at all.

It is a very heavily trafficked and it is what I call, in no uncertain terms, a Hooker Road. I have flip-flopped many times wondering whether I should mention this or not. But it made such a big impression that I will go ahead and write about it...

<b><i>To Continue Reading: </b></i> https://stellasspoon.com/2017/06/25/...no-to-paestum/