Rome to Sicily in 14 days — the grand southern descent that most tourists are too scared to attempt

Days 1–2: Rome — not the Rome you think

Skip the Colosseum queue on Day 1. Go to Trastevere at 7am. Get a cornetto at Pasticceria Valzani on Via del Moro — baking since 1925. Walk to Campo de’ Fiori while the market is honest. Afternoon: Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, the most underrated gallery in Rome. Day 2: Colosseum underground + arena floor tour (€24). Then Appia Antica — rent bikes for €6/hour. Dinner in Testaccio. Felice a Testaccio for cacio e pepe.

Days 3–4: Naples

Frecciarossa from Roma Termini to Napoli Centrale: 1h10, €19 booked early. Naples will assault your senses in the best way. Walk the Spaccanapoli. Pizza at Sorbillo or Starita. Museo Archeologico Nazionale (€18). Day 4: ferry to Procida (25 min, €15) — more photogenic than Capri at one-fifth the price.

Days 5–6: Amalfi Coast

SITA bus to Positano via Sorrento. Walk the Sentiero degli Dei: 3 hours, free, the single most beautiful hike in southern Italy. Day 6: Amalfi then Ravello. Villa Rufolo €10. Stay in Maiori or Minori — same coast, half the price.

Days 7–8: Matera and Puglia

Train to Matera via Potenza (3h, €12–15). Cave dwellings from 9,000 years ago. Day 8: car to Alberobello (1h15) — conical trulli, UNESCO. Continue to Ostuni.

Days 9–10: Calabria

Stop in Tropea: cliff town above a Caribbean-blue beach. Riace Bronzes at Reggio Calabria (€8).

Days 11–14: Sicily

Ferry to Messina: 20 min, €4. Taormina's Greek Theatre with Etna smoking. Catania's fish market. Arancini at Savia €2.50. Syracuse — Ortigia island, Cathedral built into a Greek temple. Fly from Catania (CTA), from €25.

Real costs

Transport: €350–450. Accommodation 14 nights: €900–1,400. Food: €500–700. Entrances: €150–200. Total: €1,900–2,750 per person.

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