My husband & I recently returned from a trip to Italy. Our itinerary:
5 nights Rome
4 nights Naples,
3 nights Salerno
further 5 nights in Rome.
It was my 5^(th) trip to Italy & my 3^(rd) time in Rome. Naples & Salerno were new to me. We are both 70 & I have some mild mobility issues so we made concessions. I took a folding cane & a medical boot, hired private guides so we could go at our own pace & used subways or taxis (instead of long walks) & split the Rome visit into 2 different neighbourhoods (Trevi-Pantheon & near Santa Maria Maggiore) so we’d be closer to attractions. The last 5 nights in Rome were more relaxed.
Here are my impressions.
Rome: As expected, was the most crowded I’ve seen it, esp in the Trevi-Pantheon area. We got up 3 am the 1st morn to see the Trevi & there were very few people there. When we returned to Rome, we stayed at a hotel near Santa Maria Maggiore, we went there before breakfast to avoid the crowds. The highlight of our Rome stay was the Domus Aurea, Nero’s Golden palace which is the largest underground ruin I’ve ever seen.
Naples: We loved the energy & the people. There was less English spoken & Neapolitans love their pastries. We stayed on the edge of Spanish Quarter, near the beautiful Toledo subway station. If you cross at marked crosswalks & are assertive, the cars will stop for you. The highlights of Naples were the pizza, the Archaeological Museum (private guide), the Sansevero chapel & day trip to Herculaneum (we paid for private transportation & a private guide which were well worth it).
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