What would you do/Where would you go

[Piaa]

So we are booked on SD II next October (2020) Rome to Rome alas only for 7 days so we are thinking of flying in 1 week earlier but the question is to where ?  

 

We have spent 3 days in Rome prior to a cruise in the past and as much as I would love to repeat the experience we are thinking of trying something new .. maybe fly to Switzerland, Austria, Spain or ??? so my question is what places have you visited that left an impression - we are open to catching a flight to Rome or the train and we are open to train hopping or even renting a car as well.

 

Any suggestions are welcome ~ thanks everyone 

 

 

[JES4845]

I would stay within Italy and do some places by train such as Bologna, Florence, Milan, Lake Region and/or Genoa.

[knotheadusc]

We had a wonderful time visiting the Piedmont region of Italy, up near Turin.  It's beautiful there, and not overrun with tourists.  There's also wonderful wine.  Find a nice, small town, like Pinerolo, and get a taste of the real Italy.

[swixpat]

In October, I would be heading south of Rome rather than to the north of it. It will be autumn time, and the weather will not be as benign in the lakes region, nor in the piedmont which is my favourite italian region.

If your previous cruise did not take you to Naples, I would start there and head further south to Calabria and the Basilicata. Rental car. Matera, in the Basilicata, is European city of culture this year, not in 2020, but this will have given it a big push for renovations and cultural developments. Then maybe over to the Puglian coast, with Lecce that seems to be overlooked by cruise companies as the main focus, and eventually from Pescara (in the Abruzze region) back to Rome, there is a good road network for the transfer. If the weather is clement, you could even go via the national park Gran Sasso rather than use the tunnel.

There is so much to see in Italy, not only in the big towns, you cannot go wrong.