Cheap Getaway Within Italy

April 13, 2019 7:56 AM

I found a cheap fare to Rome at Easter and booked an overlong 13 day trip. Even cheap AirBnbs add up (yikes)...and I'm too fussy for bunk beds in youth hostels. I'll mostly be in Rome/Naples. Where can I go via train for 4 days to save a few bucks where lodgings/eats are less expensive? Just want to chill and blend in (i.e. more digital nomadism than tourism).

I guess I could endure a cheap Ryan Air flight to a whole other economic zone (leaving my big suitcase in Rome to avoid luggage charge). But I think I'd prefer to stay in Italy, and to travel via train (if not such a long trip that it defeats my money-saving purpose).

posted by Quisp Lover to Travel & Transportation around Italy (10 answers total)

I found Northern Italy quite reasonable - we drove, but I'm sure there are trains to the cities. I'm thinking the Emilio-Romagna region like Parma/Piacenza. Plus it's truffle country and the food was amazing and cheap.
posted by DoubleLune at 8:03 AM on April 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

I got back from Italy on Tuesday (I’m American). We spent a few days in Faenza and its outskirts. It’s a city on the eastern side of the hills, about a 3 hour train ride from Rome. It’s a big enough city to have hotels and restaurants and buses/trams, but not a real tourist-only city, so prices are a bit cheaper (we didn’t go to Rome, but were spending 75 euro for nice dinner for 2 in Florence or Milan, and the same dinner was 60 euro in Faenza). It is kind of agricultural and relaxed, no designer shops, but several all day cafes with WiFi.
posted by holyrood at 8:08 AM on April 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

Cheaper than Naples?

I've heard Basilicata is interesting, and a quick peek at Tripadvisor suggests that even quite cute lodging can be very cheap.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:03 AM on April 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

Maybe Puglia? Lecce, Otranto? Lots of other nice towns but far less tourist-swamped than the north, and cheaper.
posted by Segundus at 9:04 AM on April 13, 2019 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Basilicata (specifically, Matera) looks great, but it would be a 4 hour $50 trip back to Rome (the trip out from Naples would be easier). Not horrible, but borderline.
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:12 AM on April 13, 2019

nomadlist.com highlights cities in Italy for digital nomads based on cost of living, internet access and a few other factors. Their list might be helpful!
posted by golden at 11:33 AM on April 13, 2019 [3 favorites]

It sounds like you should just stay in Naples, honestly.
posted by Segundus at 2:45 PM on April 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

Take an hour ferry ride from Naples to Procida. It is a tiny island and one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been in the world. There is not too much to do other than walk around the island, eat (I recommend La Pergola), and lie on the beach, stunned by your fortune at being in this place. I am not sure about the lodgings—it’s a small island. I stayed at Albergo La Vigna but not sure they’d have deals over Easter.
posted by sallybrown at 5:26 PM on April 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

FWIW, many hostels have private rooms (with private bathrooms!) if you are feeling really stuck.
posted by ananci at 5:57 PM on April 13, 2019

Someplace in Abruzzo maybe? It’s a couple hours from Rome and less touristed, so cheaper. Use Welcome to Sulmona as a jump off point for your research.
posted by romakimmy at 1:02 AM on April 14, 2019