braindoc
100+ Posts
Thinking/fantasizing about a trip of a couple of weeks in early spring 2022. Sorry if I ramble a bit.
Our twice-cancelled 2020 trip is scheduled for this coming October. That will be three years without a vacation - a combination of an expected staffing gap in my office extended by the virus. We will be starting up north, and I’ll probably be seeking some itinerary help soon for the second half of the trip.
However, Alitalia has extended its current awards program through June 30, so I wanted to book something for next year in case the threatened devaluation of their frequent flyer miles takes place. Right now, 80,000 miles gets you round-trip business class (aka Magnifica), US-Italy. That is one of the best rates for business class from the US to Europe. Certainly, Alitalia is quirky when it comes to booking award trips, and their policies for pandemic-related rebooking of award trips was atrocious - but that is a topic for another day.
We have been thinking about Calabria for a while. We might want to go back to Matera and Puglia, where we spent part of our April 2018 trip. This will not be a beach trip; we are not sun worshippers. I realize the distances can be deceptively long so we will be cognizant of driving times. In that light, if we decide to spend a little time in Rome at the end of the October trip, we might not return there in early 2022. That could mean saving some travel time with an open jaw itinerary, say Boston to Lamezia going and Bari to Boston returning.
If we do decide to spend time in Basilicata, I know there is a very highly rated guidebook available.
My main question is when to go? We need to be home by early April. Alitalia is showing direct flights from Boston to Rome, beginning in mid-February. Or should we be thinking more about a mid or late March start. I’m concerned about the weather and wondering if things are going to be closed during the winter. Wine and food are our focus.
What do you all think? Thanks.
Our twice-cancelled 2020 trip is scheduled for this coming October. That will be three years without a vacation - a combination of an expected staffing gap in my office extended by the virus. We will be starting up north, and I’ll probably be seeking some itinerary help soon for the second half of the trip.
However, Alitalia has extended its current awards program through June 30, so I wanted to book something for next year in case the threatened devaluation of their frequent flyer miles takes place. Right now, 80,000 miles gets you round-trip business class (aka Magnifica), US-Italy. That is one of the best rates for business class from the US to Europe. Certainly, Alitalia is quirky when it comes to booking award trips, and their policies for pandemic-related rebooking of award trips was atrocious - but that is a topic for another day.
We have been thinking about Calabria for a while. We might want to go back to Matera and Puglia, where we spent part of our April 2018 trip. This will not be a beach trip; we are not sun worshippers. I realize the distances can be deceptively long so we will be cognizant of driving times. In that light, if we decide to spend a little time in Rome at the end of the October trip, we might not return there in early 2022. That could mean saving some travel time with an open jaw itinerary, say Boston to Lamezia going and Bari to Boston returning.
If we do decide to spend time in Basilicata, I know there is a very highly rated guidebook available.
My main question is when to go? We need to be home by early April. Alitalia is showing direct flights from Boston to Rome, beginning in mid-February. Or should we be thinking more about a mid or late March start. I’m concerned about the weather and wondering if things are going to be closed during the winter. Wine and food are our focus.
What do you all think? Thanks.
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