Forget Rome and Milan as gateways. Fly to one of these two low-fare destinations and use them as the gateways to the Amalfi Coast and other top Italian spots, as well as the rest of Europe for not much more. Starting at $1,851 round-trip, and the lowest fare to Europe found the last few months.
One great side effect of a great Business Class airfare is that it can redraw your mental map of a country.
Travelers bound for Italy automatically think of flying to Milan or Rome, and why not? Both make good launch pads and they have long been Italy’s two major gateways.
Lowest Business Class Fares to Europe from the U.S.—
to the Most Underrated(?) Destination
As far as I can tell (going back four months), there are two that start at just $1,851. One fare is New York-Palermo, putting Sicily into the picture—now don’t change the channel because I’m about to tell you why this proves the point of my opening sentence—and the second one is New York-Naples. The fares are offered by Air France, Alitalia, Delta and KLM. It’s an extraordinary rate and some say that Palermo is the most under-rated great cultural spot in Italy, if not Europe.
Hello, Palermo
For centuries Palermo was a cultural crossroads, mainly driven by trade. Merchants, soldiers, and travelers from northern Europe, northern Africa, Greece, and the Middle East all came through and left their mark. Hence, the city is an accumulation of several centuries worth of culture and cross-culture, an urban equivalent of fusion cuisine. In particular, Palermo has one of the richest collections of Baroque architecture in Europe—and this despite the intensive bombing the city suffered near the end of World War Two. (See below on the top sights to see.)
Italian Springboard
But Palermo also offers a springboard to other places in Italy that you only think of as accessible from Milan or Rome. The Eternal City itself is only 70 minutes away by air, and from there you can fly to Florence (55 minutes and no explanation necessary), or take the Freccia Rossa, Italy’s government-owned train service, or Italo, Italy’s privately owned trains. Either way, the journey takes 80 minutes.
From Florence, you can drive to the gems of Tuscany and Umbria, as well as Siena, which has one of Italy’s most beautiful piazzas; Perugia, which is a delightful tangle of traditional architecture and has a great art museum; Arezzo (just watch the movie Life is Beautiful and you’ll be convinced), and San Gimigiano, whose hallmark is the tall, thin towers its noble families built for refuge when push really came to shove. Or, fly to Bologna, which has some of the best food in Italy, and then take the train to Verona (there’s much more here besides Juliet’s balcony), Vincenza, or even Venice. It’s easily done on the Freccia Rosa or Italo.
Low-Fare Opportunity #2
Business Class fares this low ($1,851) can also be had to Naples (you can also fly non-stop there from Palermo), the springboard to the Amalfi Coast, the Riviera of Italy. The drive along the coast to Positano, your destination, is spectacular. The village has two top resorts, Le Sirenuse (barefoot chic) and the San Pietro (Manolo chic).
This ticket has a 50-day advance-purchase requirement and a ticketing deadline of June 8 (50/50 chance of being extended; or buy time), so you have to get off the dime, but that gets you into an Italy, that you may not know—and the opportunity to revisit some old favorites.
Other Non-Stop from Naples and Palermo
to Destinations Outside of Italy
- Naples to Munich on Lufthansa, 1 hour and 40 minutes
- Naples to Zurich on SWISS, 1 hour and 50 minutes
- Naples to Paris on Air France, 2 hours and 20 minutes
- Palermo to Munich on Lufthansa, 2 hours
- Palermo to Barcelona, 2 hours.
- For more information on airlines and routes that fly from Naples go here, and for Palermo go here.
Top Sites in Palermo
The Palatine Chapel: A spellbinding space, an assault of Saracen arches and Byzantine mosaics, the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Italy when they reigned here in the 12th century. Every square inch of the interior is decorated.
Palazzo dei Normani: The palace of the Norman kings of Sicily in the 12th century.
The Palermo Cathedral: An astonishing assortment of architectural influences (Norman, Arab, Greek) gracefully integrated within one building.
Palazzo Gangi: Here’s your homework: The long, great, last scene of The Leopard was shot in the ballroom here. Watch it and then book an appointment to visit the ballroom.
The Cattacombe dei Cappucini: Granted, it’s macabre: home to 8,000 corpses, the oldest from the 16th century.
The Quattro Canti: It means “the four corners” and it is one of the city’s great showcases of Baroque architecture.
Don’t Live in New York?
To give you an idea of how good the fare is, consider this: from Chicago to Italy you can easily spend $3k+, and getting to New York only takes two hours. Same goes for Bostonians. Keep in mind that many domestic First Class fares don’t cost much. Chicago-New York can go for as little as $400 round-trip, and on short-haul flights, less than 500 flight miles, American only charges 15,000 miles round-trip in economy.