I recently started a thread about our inability to travel FATly even though we can afford it, and got some interesting replies, as well as some points worth thinking about. Thank you all who took the time to post their thoughts.

Our next several trips don't lend themselves to FATness very much. We have a quick trip to Riviera Maya next week where we always stay in one particular place that wouldn't be featured in this sub, Warsaw-Baltics-Helsinki in June, possibly Azores in July, and Mongolia/Seoul in August. Not a lot of opportunities to live it up in Ulaanbaatar.

However, in early October we plan to be southern Italy. And if there is one place to FAT it out, it's Italy. So hoping to draw on the collective experience and wisdom of the group.

We have been to Italy at least a dozen times, but somehow never this part. Preliminary plan is to

• fly into Rome (not sure if we stay yet),
• hop over to Sardinia for 3 nights
• get back to mainland and spend 3-4 nights in Naples/Amalfi,
• drive over to Puglia and spend 3-4 nights there.

We like being active and on the move. We are not big beach loungers, and long leisurely breakfasts infuriate me. A cup of coffee, shove some dairy/egg/bread product in my mouth, and hit the road.

We are also not big on overbearing service. Prefer privacy and solitude over staff on beck and call. Clean our villa, make our breakfast, and see you tomorrow. Or not. I can pick up some groceries on the way and make my own coffee. For those and other reasons, we tend to select very private and secluded villas over high-end resorts. Many require a 1-week minimum stay, but perhaps will be more flexible in October.

So, what would be a FAT itinerary for a couple who

• prefers their lodging to be of highest caliber but NOT hotels - private villas with a lot of privacy,
• wants a few good meals but NOT too many Michelin-starred restaurants (one or two at the most)
• has a keen interest in history, archeology, culture, oenology, local customs.
• strongly prefers multiple private guides for a few hours every other day rather than one person for multiple days
• very experienced travelers and does not need any hand holding of any kind.
• enjoys wandering road trips and prefers to do their own driving
• Budget - no reasonable constraints. I would expect up to $15-20K for 10 days, excluding airfare. No problem if more. Fine if much more and is worthwhile. Not big fans of spending money for spending sake.

Looking forward to your suggestions!