Why You Should Consider Traveling to Southern Italy with Your Family
Dreaming of visiting Southern Italy? You won’t want to miss this episode with Diane Barazoto, where she shares all of her tips and tricks for planning a family trip to Southern Italy!
As a travel advisor, Diane has a lot of experience with planning amazing family trips! Here are some of her thoughts on visiting Southern Italy
What areas are considered “Southern Italy”
Anything south of Rome!
This includes Naples and the Amalfi Coast, but even more south than this!
A benefit of visiting this region is that there are way less tourists visiting this area of Italy!
Best time of year to visit
Since the weather is pretty temperate, there isn’t really a bad time to go.
If you’re wanting to swim, you’ll want to go in the warmer months.
To miss the crowds, off-season is a great time to go. Diane recommends May or September.
How far in advance should I plan this trip?
Diane is a travel planner, and likes to start working with her clients one year before they want to visit.
This allows you to get cheaper prices and better deals!
Where should I stay?
There are not a TON of options of places to stay since it’s a less busy area.
Bed and breakfasts are a great option! They are so charming and authentic.
There are also other boutique hotels that are great.
Where should I visit? What are the must-do’s?
Diane loves the area called Puglia, on the eastern Italian coast.
The city Alberobello has beautiful white buildings and lots of charm.
A lot of the main places you’ll want to see are along the coast.
Polignano a Mare is the most picturesque town on the coast. The buildings are all up and down the cliffs.
Red Bull holds cliff jumping competitions here!
Matera is slightly more inland. This is one of the oldest continually-habited cities in the world. Here, you can walk through the town and see historic sites, charming pathways, and quaint shops.
Calabria is a beautiful region full of farms. It is so fun to explore! However, you will have a hard time finding English speakers here if that is important to you.
Sicily is an island off the very southern tip of Italy. In order to get here from mainland Italy, you will need to take a ferry. The island is beautiful and remote.
When traveling around Southern Italy, some days you don’t even need to have a plan! Simply driving around and visiting towns along the way can be a perfect day. There is so much to see!
What is the food like?
The people in Southern Italy pride themselves on their food, which makes for amazing dishes!
Everything is locally grown, organic, and served fresh.
Without the commercialism of Northern Italy, the food in the South is something special!
Most of their food is oriented around sea food and lots of tomato sauces.
You can expect to eat lots of pasta, pizza, and gelato.
What is transportation like?
In order to make it to Southern Italy, you will most likely need to fly into Rome or Naples.
To get to the eastern coast of Southern Italy, you will need to rent a car.
If you’re only heading as far south as the Amalfi Coast, you can take trains here.
Traveling around this part of the country is so beautiful! Don’t be worried about driving a car, it’s not too bad. And the road views are absolutely amazing!
Google Maps is the most reliable for navigation.
How much time do I need to spend here?
If you want to go from Sicily to Naples, you’ll want at least 10 days.
To see almost all of Southern Italy, you’ll want 2-3 weeks. But of course you can pick and choose your priority destinations to make it fit your schedule and budget.
Get in touch with Diane!