Do a little research to help you decide where you want to go. Buy or check out an up-to-date guidebook on Southern Italy from your local bookstore or library. Guidebook brands range from Fodor's to Lonely Planet to Let's Go! Each has their own style; take a minute to flip through pages and find which appeals to you. If you have an idea of the places you want to visit, read up on those areas to make sure your tour will spend enough time in the regions you wish to experience the most.
Create a checklist of all the sights and locations you want to see. For Southern Italy, this may include places such as Pompeii and Herculaneum, Capri, Sorrento, Positano, Reggio Calabria, as well as a number of other locations. Decide whether you would rather spend your time soaking in a specific region of Southern Italy or taking a whirlwind tour of the most famous sights and monuments. Consider the small out-of-the-way destinations that might interest you: the national parks of Abruzzo, the Greek and Roman ruins of Basilicata, the beaches of Puglia and mountains of Calabria. These unusual destinations are usually more affordable and less saturated with tourists, and can provide you with a picture of daily Southern Italian life. One often-overlooked but vital part of travel is tasting the varieties of cultural and traditional cuisine in each given area. Make a list of local foods you wish to try out, such as buffalo mozzerella, the famous lemons of Amalfi, and of course, Neapolitan pizza.
Select your tour. Most tours are tailored to specific areas of Southern Italy, while some are "grand tours" of the region. For some travelers, tour selection is entirely a matter of funds: can you afford the two-week tour of all Southern Italy, or the one-week tour of just the Amalfi Coast? Time and pace may also be a factor: do you prefer to squeeze all the sights into five days, or spread them out over nine? Account for your personal interests: do you want a tour that emphasizes nightlife and clubbing or the one that specializes in ancient Roman ruins? For travelers with only a day to spend in a specific region, local tour companies provide one-day excursions to everywhere from Sicily to Capri and the Amalfi Coast with groups or private tour guides. Take time to research all of the different tours and different companies (see Resources), keeping in mind that sometimes the best deals can be found from small local tour companies that do not have websites.
