Itinerary advice please?

You forgot to ask his shoe size, CFC.

Or you may skip the visit of Tirano by boarding there the 13.00 train to Colico and go on by Lake Como boat up to Como (ar 18.49).

That's an attractive idea!

To me, it just makes sense to ask which days are spoken for, which days aren't and where OP needs or wants to fly out of.

Difficult to give itinerary advice w/o that info.

Yes I agree ... although to be fair to some OPs, they do often limit the information provided in order to try and focus the answer where they want it ... but that can be a futile exercise against the regular inmates indeed.

Well thank you for taking such a specific interest, so here goes:
We will spend the night of June 5 in Tirano, then take the train to Turin on the 6th. Our Italian friend is going to show us around that area from the 6th to the 11th. Our housesit in Nova Siri is from June 22 to July 5.

We will be traveling by train up until we pick up a car for the housesit. I’m finding rental cars horribly expensive, but the housesit is too remote to do without, I’m told.

So our “open” time right now is June 12 - 21, then again from July 6 until about . . . Let’s say July 16. We’re flexible because we’re on a long trip. We’ve been invited to the Netherlands, and I’d like to fly there about July 17 or so. As things stand, I’m thinking we might spend June 12 - 16 in Florence and the remaining 4 days in a smaller place farther south (maybe in Tuscany or Umbria) before heading to Nova Siri. Then July 6 we can pick a town in Basilicata, Puglia, or Campagnia to chill until about the 15th, run into Naples for a pizza and fly from there. We are SERVAS members, so I’ll be guided a bit by which host(s) offer us lodging.

Looking harder at the options, and taking into consideration some of the things that folks have said so far, I have to agree that it makes the most sense to leave Santorini for another year. Rushing off to go stare at it for a day does not fit here very well, even if it’s on my so-called “bucket list.” :) Having more time for Italy makes more sense.

Having the car July 21 (or 20) or 22 to July . . . whenever-we-return-it means we can go to Matera and spend the night either just before the housesit or just after it.

So that’s what I know right now. I’m happy to receive any suggestions you might send.
Thank you!!
P.S. My shoe size is 12.

Thanks for the info.

It sounds like you've got the first part--through the house-sit--pretty well figured out.

What strikes me as a little odd is that you've got about 40 days in Italy and it sounds like you'll spend about 30 of them "chilling." You've got the days after Florence in a "small place," the house-sit itself sounds pretty chill, and then you're going to chill another 11 days or so somewhere else in the south. You'll be chilled to the bone!

At the very least, I would suggest more than a quick "run" into Naples for a pizza. It's a vibrant, interesting city in it's own right, plus all those day-trip options. However, I'd also consider it as an option immediately after Florence, because it will certainly ruin your chill. Or make you feel like you've really earned a good long chill.

The other post-Florence option I'd suggest would be... Rome. I know you've been there, for "5 intense days." Just drop the intensity level. If anything, I find it easier to relax in a big city than on a beach or a small town, because if I do get restless, there's always something to do. Another coffee shop, another gelateria, another wine to sample...

"If I have to see another portly, middle-aged man in a Speedo on this beach, I'm going to pull my eyes out" is unlikely to be followed by, "but hey, at least we're not in Rome!"

And since you were thinking of going all the way to Santorini to see something you really wanted to see, I have to ask: isn't there anything else in all of Italy you really want to see?

Hello everyone,
We’re enjoying Savigliano a LOT. (When I said we had a friend in the Turin area, it turns out he’s in Santorini and he’s taking us around this whole area, including Barolo, Alba, La Morra, and yes Turin. Lovely. And quite honestly while Alba and all the rest is adorable, I really like little Savigliano.)

Tomorrow we’ll leave to spend three nights in Florence and then two nights with a host family in Rignano Sull’Arno. Then we’ll head to Napoli, or we might go to Siena for a couple of nights first.

Thank you for everyone’s suggestions!
Best regards!
Dawn

May be rather Savigliano than Santorini. Anyway, thanks for the feedback and have still a nice holiday.

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