I am looking for experiences or suggestions for a base in Southern Italy for a couple of weeks around Easter. Doing the retiree Rail Pass thing and had a great time similarly in Sicily last year.
Don't really want a honey pot, but interesting provincial town. Harbour and beach possibly to read a book would be a bonus although realise that beach time for the Italians themselves doesn't start until July.
Any ideas how far south you need to be for things to be warming up a bit, without the extra stretch and ferry, or train carriage on boat to get to Sicily. Then again we have heard good things about Catania, and I fancy having a look at Etna this time.
Went to Sorrento a few years ago, but right at the end of the season rather than the start. Weather was nice. I'd go back again in a heartbeat, they have a decent volcano too, plus all the Pompeii/Herculaneum stuff.
You'd need to check on the train though, they have a station but I think you'd have to transfer at Naples for anywhere regional.
My son and I visited Altamura in Puglia, in March 2024, it was still fairly chilly, especially in the evenings. The local bread is sublime, very chewy, and keeps for days https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pane_di_Altamura. Visit Forno Antico Santa Chiara (original v. old bakery) if you go, even if just to look at their bread oven!
We went to Matera, which is one of the oldest towns in Europe, having been continuously inhabited since the Palaeolithic period. Warm days are good, cold ones are bloody cold!
Easter is quite early this year. We've been to Naples area twice in May (early and mid) and that was pleasant in the day, chillier in the evening. So early April would need jumper and jacket on an evening but ok in the day if you are lucky with weather. The floods typically happen as the Med warms up, summer into autumn, we've always been lucky with minimal rain. We did head into the mountains last year looking for wildlife and there was still snow on the walking trails.
Sorrento and the Amalfi coast, and Pompei, is a decent shout, using the train, buses and ferries. Don't drive, it's mental. And try to avoid travel / tourist hotspots around Easter weekend - our friends tried to drive us to Amalfi on a public holiday and it was quicker walking!
The beaches will be empty, and the atmosphere that goes with it, the restaurants being largely closed in 'beach towns'. But Amalfi has constant tourism, the ferries to islands, the area has everything from Roman ruins, Caserta European history, Montecassino, volcano hikes, wildlife if you go looking for it, etc.
Liguria might be an option if you want to cut down in travel time. Also more options to hire a bike and go for a ride.
Bit of a microclimate thanks to the sea and mountains. Usually much warmer than the rest of northern Italy.
Many thanks everyone, we will have 4 weeks. Will probably be coming from Germany on the OBB train and have already pencilled Venice for a couple of nights and possibly Bologna for the food ...so thinking of a longer stay, hopefully near the sea after that.
Keep 'em coming
As others have said, Naples (which can be insanely busy) & the Amalfi area can be navigated on public transport. It's all amazing, Sorrento, Amalfi Town, Positano, Maiori but they can all get very busy.
Capri is worth a trip too but, on the advice of a friend who was born & raised in Naples, we took a small, private tour including the Grotta Azzurra - small boat, early start & not cheap but it got us in before the madness of the bigger tour boats & queues that can last 4 hours! Capri itself is a massive tourist trap however, Anacapri is both quieter & less expensive.
If you make it to Sorrento & want some seriously good local food try Tavern Allegra - you need to book in advance but it's one of the best meals I've had in all our trips to Italy. Don't be put off by the location.
Lecce - In the heel. Lovely place. Very pretty and very authentic. Easy day trips to the beach too.
If you don't want a honey pot then you might want to give the Sorrento / Amalfi bit a miss
Syracuse in Sicily was pleasant in late March 2025. Bus from Catania is quite quick if you're too early for the train and is more regular. More ancient Greek and Roman remains than you could shake a stick at on a stick shaking holiday. Plus the train goes on the ferry!
Absolutely love italy.
One thing to point out is quality of train service drops off massively as you get further south.
Northern/mid italy its fab… Milan, Brescia (a good cheap base), Bologna (gorgeous), verona, garda, como, venice, all easily doable by fast regular trains.
Pisa- Florence too are regular and you can easilt get to bologna, modena, parma via train too, and much cheaper than UK.
3 years ago our family hols was a train tour…. Fly to pisa, florence, bologna, parma then 4 nights Brescia as a base for lakes and even a day trip via train too Venice.
A little further south, Rome is naturally well connected, though only time we went there as a couple we only broke up the city visit with a trip to Bracciano as Rome itself has oodles to see!
Naples/Sorrento is lovely. Sorrento is very touristy. Personally we love Naples, a bit grubby but cheap and so much history in the old town. There is a local train called the circumvesuvia that takes about 50 mins to go from naples to sorrento via herculaneum, pompei, vesuvius and other locations on the bay. In future we would stay Naples as a base and take trips to Sorrento etc as desired.
Then even further south, Puglia… Lovely, but worse trains than even North of England 😉
IMHO you need a car in Puglia.
If looking for some great places:
Monopoli, beautiful old coastal town south of Bari
Matera… stunning old town that is rapidly being restored/commercialised but is probably the most romantic location we have been, love it!
Lecce… lovely old Roman town.
Ostuni… old white building hilltop town, visually lovely!
Locorotundo and Martina Franca…. deceptively gorgeous places and slightly off the normal tourist route.
We have not done the toe of italy yet, or the dolomites or the area round Sienna…. need another trip soon as I love the country, its food and people.
Many thanks CHB, and everyone else...There looks to be some gems in that last post. Wondered what time of year you travelled?
After time with family in Germany, we are thinking of a few days in Venice/Bologna then really want to stay put somewhere interesting for a couple of weeks maybe with some day trips out
Not xenophobic and reasonably well travelled but feel a bit apprehensive about Naples - so many friends seem to have been pickpocketed there in very clever ways. Having said that parts of Palermo felt "edgy" but turned out ok
And adding to that, do fancy our base to be somewhere with sea or harbour interest, although we realise from Sicily last year that full Italian beach season in July and August
Give Sorrento a miss. Went there for 10 days in October 25. Incredibly noisy and busy. Mopeds are a right PITA. Very surprised how run down alot of the area is, especially between Sorrento and Naples. Didnt sleep for 10 nights due to traffic noise (and we were away from the centre).
First time to Italy and it was a bit of a shock. Naples is pretty rough.
Pompeii is worth a visit. We took the train, hense seeing all the shitty bits of the area. Spent a day there. Trains cheap, run on time etc but are a dump.
Sorrento is OK for a short visit. I was expecting a relaxed holiday especially out of season. Nope
We went to Tropea a few years ago and it was great. There's a train station there as we got the train up and down the coast a few times. I don't know Italy super-well but Tropea struck me as a really nice local holiday spot with very few foreigners. Quite rustic though, the apartment we stayed in was what an estate agent would call "charming" if you know what I mean. Had a great view though.
I was down in the south this weekend in La Conca for work. Strayed in Maglie, beautiful hotels that are cheap, very intersting town -food superb as always. Popped up to Lecce for a few hours as well - very clean city.
Lovely, but worse trains than even North of England
Use the bus/coach services instead, not as cheap as the trains but if your airport bus from Lecce fills up another one will be organsied immediately for the rest of the queue! (As happened for one of my workmates last year).
There's also more than one other train operator in Puglia and timetables are not a joined up as here or Germany. Use the DB website to work out what's happening as they usually show all the services operating in one place.
For Venice/North of Italy have a look at the line that runs from Milan to Venice and maybe pick a base along there? We stayed in Brescia as a base in 2023 for a few days. Easy from there to reach Garda, Verona, Venice (about 2 hours and €30 on train from memory).
Last year we did Verona and Garda to the full… lots of boat trips (buy a 3 day freedom pass).
Other holiday recomendation is Lake Como. Como is basically upside down Y shape. We stayed in a small guesthouse in Olcio which was right next to the rail station. Though Lecco is even more convenient for trains. The train line runs all the way up the eastern shore and goes on to Tirano where you can catch the Bernina express. From Olcio we did a long day trip to St Moritz… fab scenery if you are a train buff.
If doing Venice its best if you can stay over as it feels very different early morning and into the evening as most of the tourists and cruises have left or not arrived.
Appreciate all the views and experiences that have been posted here.
Really do fancy some sea/beach of some description after Berlin/Bologna/Venice without travelling too far south so will follow up on some of the suggestions above.
Thanks again, but happy for more !
There are some lovely bits on either coast side. La Spezia north of Pisa is supposed to be lovely, and some of the other little coast towns there.
I also fancy, on the other side, the coast near Rimini.
Let us know how you get on if you visit any of these lovely coastal spots!