Southern Italy is the real Italy. Or so southerners say — and after 7 days from Naples to Puglia, you'll probably agree. The food is better (cheaper, fiercer, more honest). The archaeology is older (Pompeii, Paestum, Matera). The coastline is more dramatic (Amalfi, Cilento). The people are more intense (louder, more generous, more suspicious of northerners). And the prices are 30-50% lower than Tuscany. This itinerary goes: Naples (2 days) → Pompeii + Amalfi (1 day each) → Matera (1 day) → Puglia (2 days).
Day 1: Morning: Spaccanapoli walk (decumano inferiore) — the street that splits Naples in two. Cappella Sansevero (the Veiled Christ — book ahead, €10, 15 min visit that changes your understanding of marble). San Gregorio Armeno (presepe street). Lunch: Pizza at Da Michele (margherita or marinara, €5-8, queue from 11am) or Sorbillo (more variety, same queue). Afternoon: MANN — Museo Archeologico Nazionale (€15, the Pompeii frescoes, the Farnese collection, the Secret Cabinet of erotic art). Evening: Lungomare waterfront walk, Castel dell'Ovo, dinner in Borgo Marinari. Day 2: Morning: Napoli Sotterranea (underground tunnels, €10, 2h) + Pio Monte della Misericordia (Caravaggio's Seven Works of Mercy — one painting, one altar, €7). Afternoon: Certosa di San Martino (€6, panoramic terrace + Neapolitan art) OR Catacombe di San Gennaro (€9, frescoed early Christian tunnels). Evening: Vomero neighbourhood for aperitivo with city views, dinner in Centro Storico.
Day 3: Pompeii + Herculaneum. Circumvesuviana from Naples Garibaldi to Ercolano (20 min, €2.60). Herculaneum first (2h — smaller, better preserved, carbonized wood and organic material). Continue to Pompeii Scavi (20 min, €2.20). Pompeii is vast — minimum 3h. Combined ticket: €22. Return to Naples or continue to Sorrento to base for Day 4. Day 4: Amalfi Coast. From Sorrento (or Naples): SITA bus to Positano (50 min hair-raising ride, €2.50). Walk down to the beach, lunch at a terrace. Bus to Amalfi (30 min). Amalfi Cathedral (Arab-Norman, €3), Paper Museum (€4.50). Bus to Ravello (25 min uphill). Villa Rufolo (€8, the infinity terrace that inspired Wagner). If time: Villa Cimbrone (€8, the Terrace of Infinity — the best view on the coast). Return to Naples by evening. Alternative Day 4: Capri day trip from Sorrento (hydrofoil 25 min, €22). Blue Grotto + Villa Jovis + chairlift Monte Solaro.
Train Naples→Matera (FAL Ferrovie Appulo Lucane from Bari, or direct bus Naples→Matera ~3.5h). Matera's Sassi are the reason you came: 9,000 years of continuous habitation in cave dwellings carved into a limestone gorge. UNESCO since 1993. What to see: Sasso Barisano (the more touristic Sasso — restaurants, cave hotels, shops). Sasso Caveoso (rawer, more authentic). Casa Grotta di Vico Solitario (€5 — a preserved cave house showing how families lived with their animals in one room until the 1950s). The Belvedere from the opposite side of the gorge (Strada Statale 7) — the panoramic view of the Sassi that makes photographers weep. Cave churches: Santa Maria de Idris, San Pietro Barisano — Byzantine frescoes in rock-cut chapels. Where to eat: Oi Marì (cave restaurant, local cuisine, €20-30), Baccanti (refined cave dining, €35-50). Stay overnight in a cave hotel (€80-200) — Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita (luxury), La Casa di Lucio (budget). Sleeping in a cave carved 800 years ago is the most extraordinary accommodation experience in Italy.
Day 6: Morning bus/train Matera→Bari (1h). Drop bags. Bari Vecchia (old town walk — the women making orecchiette on Via Arco Basso, Basilica di San Nicola, focaccia barese from Panificio Fiore). Afternoon: drive/bus to Alberobello (1h — the trulli, UNESCO, Rione Monti district has 1,000+ cone-roofed houses). Continue to Locorotondo (10 min — the round white town, drink a glass of Locorotondo DOC on the circular promenade) → Ostuni (20 min — the white city, sunset from the old town walls). Stay in Ostuni or return to a masseria nearby. Day 7: Morning: Lecce (1.5h from Ostuni by train). The baroque Florence of the South — Basilica di Santa Croce (the façade is a delirium of carved putti, garlands, animals), Piazza del Duomo, Anfiteatro Romano. Olive all'ascolane for lunch (wait — olive LECCESI here). Afternoon: Polignano a Mare (1h north — the cliff beach, Lama Monachile, the Grotta Palazzese restaurant visible from above). Or Otranto (40 min south from Lecce — the cathedral mosaic, the easternmost point of Italy, the crystal bay). Evening: return to Bari for flight home, or continue south.
Budget 7 days (per person): Budget: €600-900 (B&Bs, pizza/street food, selective museums). Mid-range: €1,000-1,800 (3-star hotels + 1 night cave hotel, restaurants, all sites). Luxury: €2,500-4,500 (masserie, fine dining, private drivers). Getting around: Trains connect Naples-Bari-Lecce (Trenitalia/Italo). Within Puglia: car is best (€30-50/day). Amalfi Coast: SITA bus only (no train). Matera: bus from Naples or Bari. When: May-June or September-October. April is lovely but cool. July is hot (38°C in Puglia). August: packed, expensive, everything booked. The southern Italy truth: It's messier than the north. Trains are sometimes late. Restaurants don't always accept cards. Google Maps occasionally lies about opening hours. But. The grandmother making pasta in the doorway is real. The €4 pizza is better than the €15 one in Milan. The sea is cleaner. The people are warmer. And after 7 days, you'll understand why southerners say "il Sud è il vero Italia" — the south is the real Italy.
I walk past the Colosseum on my way to the grocery store. I've eaten at hundreds of Rome's restaurants and know which ones feed tourists microwaved lasagna and which ones have a grandmother making pasta in the back. Here's the Rome itinerary I'd build for a friend visiting for the first time — honest, tested, no sponsored nonsense.
Get a personalized version →Rome is not a city you can "do" in 2 days. People try. They sprint from the Colosseum to the Vatican to the Trevi Fountain and leave exhausted, having seen everything and experienced nothing. The minimum for Rome is 3 full days. Four is better. Five lets you breathe.
The single biggest mistake tourists make: trying to do the Vatican and the Colosseum on the same day. They're on opposite sides of the city, each requires 3+ hours, and by 2pm you'll hate Rome, your shoes, and whoever suggested this trip. Don't do it.
8:30am — Colosseum. Book tickets in advance on the official site (€18, or €24 with arena floor access — worth it). Arrive at opening. By 10am the line wraps around the building. The arena floor ticket lets you stand where gladiators stood. The underground tour (€24 extra) is fascinating but not essential for a first visit.
10:30am — Roman Forum + Palatine Hill. Your Colosseum ticket includes both (valid 24h). The Forum is where Roman public life happened — temples, courts, markets. The Palatine is the hill where emperors lived. Don't skip the Palatine — most tourists do, and it has the best views and the most peace.
1:00pm — Lunch in Monti. Walk 10 minutes to the Monti neighborhood. This is Rome's coolest area — vintage shops, wine bars, cobblestone streets without tour groups. Eat at La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali (Via della Madonna dei Monti 9) — classic Roman pasta, honest prices (~€13-16 for a primo). Or for street food: La Proscutteria on Via del Boschetto — taglieri boards with local cheeses and meats.
3:30pm — Wander Monti. Via del Boschetto, Via Panisperna, Via Urbana. Pop into vintage shops, get a coffee, sit in Piazza della Madonna dei Monti and watch Roman life happen. This is not wasted time — this IS Rome.
6:30pm — Aperitivo at Ai Tre Scalini (Via Panisperna 251). Wine + snacks on the cobblestones. €6-8 for a glass of wine with free nibbles. The vibe here on a warm evening is everything Rome promises.
8:00am — Vatican Museums. This is non-negotiable: book the 8am entry online (€17 + €4 booking fee). The museums open at 8, the crowds arrive at 10. You have a 2-hour window to see the Raphael Rooms and the Gallery of Maps before it becomes a human traffic jam. Follow the flow toward the Sistine Chapel.
10:00am — Sistine Chapel. The guards say "no photos, silence" — nobody listens. Look up. The ceiling took Michelangelo 4 years, lying on his back on scaffolding. The Last Judgment on the altar wall is even more powerful. Take 10 minutes to just sit and absorb it.
11:00am — St. Peter's Basilica. Free entry. The scale is almost impossible to process — the cherubs on the holy water fonts are 2 meters tall, but the basilica is so vast they look normal-sized. Climb the dome (€10 with elevator, €8 stairs only — 551 steps). The view from the top is the best in Rome.
1:30pm — Lunch in Prati. The neighborhood north of the Vatican. Avoid any restaurant on Via della Conciliazione (the boulevard leading to St. Peter's) — they're all tourist traps. Walk 5 minutes into Prati proper. Pizzarium Bonci (Via della Meloria 43) has the best pizza al taglio in Rome — thick, airy, creative toppings. Expect a line; it moves fast. ~€5-8 for a generous serving.
4:00pm — Castel Sant'Angelo. €15 entry. Originally Hadrian's tomb, then a papal fortress connected to the Vatican by a secret passage (Passetto di Borgo — you can see the elevated walkway from outside). The rooftop has a superb 360° view and a café.
8:30pm — Dinner in Trastevere. Cross the river. Skip Piazza di Santa Maria and the main streets — tourist prices. Walk deeper: Da Enzo al 29 (Via dei Vascellari 29) — the quintessential Roman trattoria. Cash only, no reservations for dinner, expect a 30-45 minute wait. The cacio e pepe and the carciofo alla giudia are textbook perfect. ~€30-35/person with wine.
9:00am — Galleria Borghese. Book 2 months ahead — this is not optional. The gallery limits visitors to 360 people per 2-hour slot. It sells out. €15 entry. Inside: Bernini's Apollo and Daphne (the marble looks like it's actually moving), Canova's Venus, Caravaggio's David. The building itself is a masterpiece. This is the best museum experience in Rome, possibly in Italy.
11:30am — Villa Borghese gardens. Stroll through Rome's Central Park. Rent a rowboat on the lake (€3/20min). Walk to the Pincio terrace for a panoramic view over Piazza del Popolo.
1:00pm — Piazza del Popolo → Via del Corso → Piazza Colonna. Window shopping and people watching. Grab a quick lunch at Pastificio Guerra (Via della Croce 8) — fresh pasta for €5, eaten standing at the counter. It's a hole-in-the-wall that's been here since 1918.
2:30pm — Pantheon. Free entry (reservation required since 2023, €5 booking). 2,000 years old, unreinforced concrete dome, still the largest in the world. The oculus (hole in the ceiling) lets rain in — on purpose. Stand in the center, look up, and try to comprehend that this was built in 125 AD.
3:30pm — Piazza Navona → Jewish Quarter. Bernini's Four Rivers fountain, street artists, baroque facades. Then walk south to the Jewish Quarter (Il Ghetto) — Rome's oldest continuously inhabited Jewish community. The Synagogue and museum are worth visiting. The restaurants here serve Roman-Jewish cuisine: carciofi alla giudia (deep-fried artichokes) were born on this street.
8:30pm — Dinner in Testaccio. Take a taxi or bus to Testaccio — this is where Roman cuisine was literally invented. Flavio al Velavevodetto (Via di Monte Testaccio 97) is built into the ancient Roman pottery dump. The carbonara is made with guanciale from the market across the street. ~€30/person. Or for budget: Trapizzino (Via Giovanni Branca 88) — pizza pockets filled with classic Roman stews, €3.50 each.
Walk to everything. Expensive but you save on transport. Stay near Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori, or Largo Argentina. Budget €120-200/night for a decent hotel, €80-130 for a good B&B.
Charming, central, cheaper than Centro. Great bars and restaurants. 10-min walk to Colosseum. My top recommendation for couples and solo travelers. €80-150/night.
Beautiful, lively, great food. But noisy at night (cobblestone = amplifier) and slightly disconnected from major sights. Best for people who prioritize nightlife and atmosphere over logistics. €90-170/night.
Quiet, residential, near Vatican. Good for families. But boring at night and far from Colosseum/Forum. Only choose this if Vatican is your main priority. €70-140/night.
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