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Saturday, October 7, 2023. After landing at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport at 20:20 (on a flight from Brindisi's Solento Airport), we planned to take a taxi to the nearby Fly Deco Hotel in Ostia. . At first, we had difficulty finding the airport exit, but we finally managed to exit and queue for a taxi. When we reached the head of the queue (15…

Our hostess suggested visiting Ostuni instead of Brindisi when we were checking out of our Hotel Palazzo Papaleo in Otranto. She said that Ostuni is much more picturesque and exciting than Brindisi's port. . . Although I had researched Brindisi and planned to stop there, I switched my plans to Ostuni, about 30 minutes away from Brindisi (by car). . . . The drive from…

Thursday, October 5, 2023. . . From Lecce (parked at the Parkejoo near downtown), we started our drive to Otranto at 18:20 (later than I would have liked, as I prefer to drive during the daytime). . . . . I programmed Otranto on my iPhone's Google Maps application, and we started our drive there. Traffic was heavy during rush hour, and I made a…

Thursday, October 5, 2023. On the long drive to Otranto (our next major destination), we decided to visit Lecce. . After driving from Matera over mostly one-way and some two-way roads, we reached Lecce in two hours. Passing slow-driving cars on one-way roads took a lot of work, as most roads were curvy and bumpy. . . When we reached Lecce, I parked at the…

Wednesday, October 4, 2023 . In the early morning, after a quick and delicious breakfast at our Aquatio Hotel, we returned to the Parcheggio Sant'Isodoro (Parking Garage) and set out on our drive to Alberobello. . . On the way from Matera, the roads were primarily single-lane and only sometimes well-paved. When we reached wider freeways, the roads were much better (and speed limits much…

Tuesday, October 3, 2023. After touring the Norman Steps at Castelmezzano, we returned to our Opel Corsa rental (Hertz), parked in the blue spaces on Strada Provinciale 13, and set off for Matera. . . . . I connected my iPhone 14 to the Opel's USB port, and Apple CarPlay started working! It was a great help in navigating the complex roads to Matera. The…

Once our Alilauro ferry docked in Sorrento, we rushed to the taxi area, hoping to catch a taxi. We needed to get to the Hertz Rental Agency ASAP (before it closed for lunch at 13:00). . Unfortunately, there were no taxis. This was a big surprise since taxis know the ferry schedule and should be happy for additional business. . . . . . After…

Inna reserved a private, chartered boat tour of the Amalfi Coast for my birthday. However, unfavorable marine conditions forced a change of plans one day before my birthday. Inna rescheduled the time for Thursday, September 28th, hoping the Tyrrhenian Sea would get calmer. . . . . Luckily, the weather improved, and we were first picked up by a driver from Corso Italia (flags). He…

Wednesday, September 27, 2023 . . . . . . Inna made reservations for a small boat tour of Capri from Sorrento. After reviewing multiple tours and companies, she settled on the following boat tour hosted by YouKnow: . . Capri & Blue Grotto Boat Trip-Prime Experience with max. 8 guests from Sorrento . We were picked up by a small tour bus at 7:30…

Inna booked Luciano, a private tour guide, for an 8-hour Amalfi Coast tour with stops in Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, and Ravello. . . . . We woke at 7:00, showered, and got dressed for the tour. At 7:45, we left our Bed and Breakfast on Corso Italia 185 and walked 3 minutes to Gentile Cafe, our favorite nearby cafe. . . We sat down and…

After visiting Pompeii, we boarded the local train from Pompeii's Scavi Villa Dei Misteri station to Naples' Garibaldi station. . . Inna had an idea to taste the best pizza in the world, which is supposed to be served at L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele. However, when we walked from Piazza Garibaldi to the pizzeria, the line was very long, and the last person was holding…