My husband and I are fortunate enought to spend 5 weeks each spring just south of Florence.
This year we are arriving in Rome on Feb 26th and would like to explore areas to the South. We have never ventured further South than Rome but we have a car and we love to explore the food, wine and arcitecture moving from place to place. We tend to like smaller town.
Any ideas?
Jeannie
Posts: 62 | Location: Idaho | Registered: 15 January 2002
I would recommend Abruzzo, while it is not very south, the autostrada makes it an easy and beautiful ride from Roma. We spent a few days there last fall and can't wait to go back...we stayed in Silvi, at the agriturismo Le Macine (there is a review on this site). Atri is a beautiful and ancient small town nearby, and Chieti was a great place to explore, just a short drive away.L'Aquila is another great stop, as is Sulmona.
Abruzzo is full of beauty, huge mountains to breathtaking seacoast. It is also full of very friendly people and great food...just be prepared to practice your Italian!
The only downside we found was that many of the seacoast towns we full of high rise hotels and souvenir shops, not very pretty, but pretty typical of beach resorts the world over, it seems.
We also drove as far south as Molise, and really enjoyed exploring Termoli - a quiet but nice town right on the coast, with again, very friendly people and a wonderful seafood restaurant a few blocks from the beach.
I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Kate
Posts: 609 | Location: Rehoboth, MA USA | Registered: 30 August 2003
Jeannie, I envy you. Kate has mentioned Abruzzo and Molise. Here are some more ideas.
Have you ever looked at Carole Roach's photos of Latina Province of Lazio? Carole's photos are part of the Lazio section of Bill Thayer's website. I just love looking at these pictures. Bill's site includes Northern Lazio too so, since you want to concentrate on areas to the south of Rome, you would need to sift accordingly. But that should be easy to do, as Bill's site is so well organised.
In this lifetime I would love to see the Ninfa Gardens in Latina. But you'll be going there at the wrong time, as they're open to the public only April through October (and even then only the first weekend of every month, by reservation).
As to Campania and Sicily, there is quite a bit about them in the Slow Travelers Trip Reports. While the material on Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia is not as abundant, there is some. Bob the Navigator's trip report on Southern Italy springs to mind.
In a discussion about the possibilities of visiting Puglia that took place not too long ago, I recall more than one person saying they were going to use Blue Guide Southern Italy as a resource.
Best of luck with your trip.
Posts: 613 | Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada | Registered: 26 October 2003
Hi, when you say "south" how far south do you want to go? You have half a country to explore.
However, I would say that going down South of Naples to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast can be done. Or I like the idea of going to the east to Abruzzo. In one hour time you are in the mountains with snow and some excellent scenery.
Good luck, Brian
Posts: 39 | Location: Roma, Italia | Registered: 31 December 2003
Hi there, and thank you Judy for the reference. It seems to me that between them, Bill's Lazio and Bob's southern trip has it pretty well covered in the middle section. You may beat Bill to Abruzzo but he has strong intentions to visit on his trip starting end Feb. I might put in a further plug or two for my little area of Lazio, by saying that I would be hard pressed to make a decision about which I enjoyed more, between all of those places on the coast that I spent time at. Each has a little of everything that anyone may be looking for.
As for Naples, I loved it but just wandered aimlessly around totally soaking up the Napleness of it all........LOL.
Caserta would be another.......do try to get there place..... It will take your breath away.......magnificent palace, gardens etc., etc., They even have an avenue of statues that I photographed this way and that. As for Amalfi........I had the most wonderful day there in company with a bus load of Italians on a one (doesn't go regularly there), and I take the point of one other writer who said that when the hair-raisingness of the coastal trip got to him he just looked forward. There was one corner where the bus had to go backwards and forwards to get its great bulk around a corner........I must admit that at this point I prayed. Having said that and on reflection, I would do it all again for the magnificent views.
Wire me if you have a burning desire to see any more photos of Sperlonga, Terracina, Gaeta, Formia (Cicero had a villa there), Minturno, Trivio, Maranola, Itri, Caserta, Amalfi (of course.....actually I think that there is one floating around on slowtrav) and Naples. I can be medium helpful on the train in the area......some bus knowledge from Formia.... and quite a bit about old rocks. Feel free to be in touch. Carole.
I so envy you! We were just talking about how wonderful it would be to go to Italy in February (lower air fares...lower tourism). Anyway, my favorite city in Italy has to be Rome with Naples a close second. If possible I would try to fly into Rome but out of Naples. So....I would suggest definately exploring Lazio (we love the area around Lake Bracciano) and then heading south to Naples (there's enough in Naples to keep you busy for at least 5 solid days and more...we stayed in the Parteno B & B situated in an EXCELLENT area on the Bay of Naples and good walking distance to almost everything), see Pompeii, Herculaneum, Caserta...pick up the Blue Guide to Southern Italy and you will find more than enough wonderful places to explore in the South. I wouldn't try to do Sicily at this time...maybe save Sicily for it's own trip if you can. And, some may not agree with me but I think the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Ravello, Capri etc should be done when the weather is more conducive to driving the coast line and savoring the beauty of this whole area in the warm sunshine. Have a great time planning your trip and enjoy!
Posts: 809 | Location: Berkeley, CA USA | Registered: 07 August 2003
Rest a couple of days in Rome, then base yourself in Fiuggi (a great spa town) for a week which will enable you to explore the towns of Anagni, Ferentino, Alatri, Palestrina, Genezzano and Paliano. Take a look at this site to get an idea of these towns in the area: www.romeartlover.it. Once at the site navigate to "Walks in the Roman Campagna" and click on the town names.
Depart Fiuggi early in the morning after a week or so there and drive to Campania, but stop first at the Montecassino Monastery. Then head for the Agriturismo Seliano where you could easily spend a week or ten days. Seliano (www.agriturismoseliano.it) is just outside of Paestum. Seliano would be a lovely place to spend 10 days or so. It has been very favorably reviewed here and from others I know who have stayed there. From there you could explore Naples, Amalfi Coast, Pompei, Paestum etc.
The natural itinerary should take you to Calabria and Basicalata but I have never been to these Regions so I can't knowledgeable comment. However,I would recommend driving east to Puglia and then south to Lecce. It is 250 miles from Paestum to Lecce so you could plan a stop at Andria to see the famous fort (Castel del Monte) and have lunch there or closeby. Andria is about halfway between Paestum and Lecce. Five or six days there then head up to Monopoli or Polignano a Mare for five or six days. Drop the car off and take the plane from Bari to Rome.
That is a barebones itinerary which you would need to refer to maps, guide books and especially "Google". But, if I can be of any help please let me know.
Peter
[This message was edited by Pecepe on 05 January 2004 at 07:16 AM.]
My husband and I are in the process of moving to Abruzzo (with some helpful advice about international money transfers from Doru to keep our spirits up as we encounter the inevitable relocation snags)and I would certainly recommend the area - especially the National Parks. Apart from much of the coastal strip it is largely unspoiled and uncommercialised.
However one of my favourite places is the Gargano Peninsula. Fabulous wild flowers in the very early spring. I recommend the small and modestly priced family-run Hotel Elisa in Peschici. According to the UK papers Nicole Kidman stayed there with her parents last year while touring Italy. Sorry I don't have a link but I originally found it via a search engine having seen it featured in an up-market holiday brochure.
Posts: 6 | Location: Brighton. UK and Abruzzo (Ch) Italy | Registered: 30 December 2003
quote: This year we are arriving in Rome on Feb 26th and would like to explore areas to the South.
As mentioned previously, "areas to the South" of Rome give you lots of options. If you tell us how far south you are interested in and how much time you have, it would help us give you more informed responses.
Having said that, if you haven't been to the Amalfi Coast yet and have limited time, I would make that a high priority.
We will have a car and we love to do "road trips". We are thinking about going as far south as Sicily. Since we will be in our apartment for such a long time....we like the idea of staying in a different village each night. I know that alot of people like to concentrate on citys such as Roma and Naples, BUT we really prefer small towns and out of the way places. Our passion is food and wine....so anythink wine oriented is great.
Posts: 62 | Location: Idaho | Registered: 15 January 2002
If you were interested in Sicily, you might consider spending your ten days there; it will give you enough time to hit the most of the highlights of that island and whet your appetite for a longer stay later on. But I would recommend that you fly from Rome to Palermo, spend a couple of days in Palermo, then rent a car and hit Taormina and Siracusa before flying out of Catania back to Tuscany. You could reverse the order--flying into Catania, renting a car and ending up in Palermo for a couple of days.
Otherwise, southern Lazio and the Amalfi Coast would be a good ten day trip or crossing the peninsula and meandering around Puglia is an attractive alternative. If you want to limit your driving somewhat, check out a route that takes you east to Abruzzo and north into Le Marche before looping back into Tuscany.
Dunno why I only landed on this thread today, but Peter, you're hired: your itinerary is wonderful. It combines originality, good places, variety, you name it.
My only 2 bits to add is not a change, but to remark that your unifying focus is that you'll be following the ancient Appian Way (OK, loosely); so I'd make sure you included a half-day's walk of the Via Appia near Rome (and in your investigations, do follow the link to my diary there); that your drive from the Naples area to Puglia stopped at the Arch in Benevento (again, follow links there); and maybe that you'd see the column at the end of the road in Brindisi. One column mind you is pretty much like another, and Lecce has one too, even if it's not as neat a "finish" since the Appia ended at Brindisi not Lecce.
Bill, I understood that the base question of this thread was for a five-week journey in Italy but in the are south of Rome. That is why the backbone of the itinerary covers five weeks. So I wasted my time responding with a suggested itinerary. But, I am pleased that at least you appreciated my approach to general trip planning.
Of course good maps and "Copernic" are essential tools for the travel planner. By the way, I don't charge; but, it is nice every once in awhile to get some acknowledgement
Your suggestions would greatly improve the itinerary. The Egnazia ruins and its museum on the Adriatic coast, just a few miles north of Fasano, would also make good additions.
Peter
Robert Frost: I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
Jeannie, nothing at all to apologize for; quite on the contrary: one of the best parts of the interaction here is that visions get sharpened and clarified. It's happened to me quite a few times -- I'm still rolling around, for example, various critiques of my own fuzzy thinking about some excursions on my upcoming trip.
If the "via Appia" connection looks like it might amuse you -- and by the way there is very little of the Roman road left, so you need not be an archaeologist to enjoy the very approximate guiding thread -- there is a truly wonderful book out there that I warmly recommend, written by two women neither one any kind of professional historian:
The Appian Way, a journey Dora Jane Hamblin & Mary Jane Grunsfeld. New York, Random House [1974] 308pp., illustrated
Out of print of course, but pretty widely available in libraries. Full of interesting stories, background info, maps, anecdotes about both Antiquity and 20th-century Italy.
(And Peter, speak of sharpening etc., I'm paying attention to more than just your general approach: I'm rooting around the places you suggested to see what I can add, while maintaining some sort of cohesion, to my explorations of the Lazio this time round.)
quote:Originally posted by livecell: ..please consider Calabria...
If you want to tell us about your vacation rental in Calabria, please post a Paid Classifed Listing or have the link to your website in your message board signature, but do not answer questions by suggesting your vacation rental. Thanks!
quote:Originally posted by Rar: Anyone know anything about that town featured in the movie Cristo si e' fermato a Eboli? Looked so beautiful and solitary.
Google search suggests Matera in Basilicata was used as the film crew's base.
Posts: 613 | Location: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada | Registered: 26 October 2003
Now you have gotten me started....As Carlo Levi fanatics, we spent five days in Matera several years ago on a Carlo Levi pilgrimage. We visited the town he was exiled to (Gagliano in the book, Aliano in reality) and I am pretty sure that the film was shot in Aliano. But I am having a hard time documenting it.
Judy, I am guessing that your information about Matera refers to the province, not the city....but I am now committed to tracking down the information. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, here is a link to the Aliano web site (in Italian) with some wonderful photographs of the town where Levi was exiled during the '30s and where he is buried.
I guess my question would be...going south from Rome (10 day car trip) what is the best direction. Along the coast by Naples then on to Sicily OR along the coast by Naples and then over to Bari? We are mainly interested in food, wine, rolling hills and little towns AND we prefer to really move around for this period of time.
Posts: 62 | Location: Idaho | Registered: 15 January 2002
I am a little unclear about what you want to do...do you plan to visit Sicily and then Puglia? Or is either/or? Are you planning to stop somewhere else (like the Amalfi Coast) enroute?
I spent over two weeks in Puglia and Basilicata in 2001 and didn't get a chance to do everything I wanted. There are three or four distinct areas to explore in Puglia--most of which meet your desires...although some of the areas of Puglia lack the rolling hills. They do have a lot of seacoast to make up for that lack and on the plateau, the countryside is just the rolling hills and small towns that you specify.
Areas to consider--the Gargano peninsula (a possible replacement for the Amalfi Coast on this trip), Trani (for the seaside cathedrals, Bari and Castel del Monte), Martina Franca (for the trulli area and hill towns of Ostuni and Locorotondo) and Lecce (a beautiful town in its own right and gateway to the Salentine peninsula).
Re: Sicily. My recommendation is to devote more time to the island; there is so much to see and do. Make a special trip sometime in the future.
I would love to be able to share it with you also....but on that trip, I dropped my computer off a desk in a hotel in Lecce and it was out of commission for the whole trip. I do have some handwritten notes somewhere and I have been meaning to reconstruct the trip for the record. Maybe your request will motivate me...but I still owe the last three days of our Fall trip.
But I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the area...it is all filed in my personal memory bank.
Jim, I'll take you up on that office. I'm beginning to plan our next trip and we'll be visiting Puglia for a week. I'd like to go longer but Chris has his heart set on a week in Montalcino too.
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