My old Rick Steves Italy books don’t really cover much (any?) of Puglia. If a new edition does, that’s great (but that tells me to go there quick…).
Bari’s old center is fairly compact - I only realized that on my way out of there, when we were wandering around in there it seemed larger, but as we were departing we figured out it’s fairly small (the rest of the city is larger, just the centro historico is compact). So anything in the old center is fairly close to anything else, and will be just a short walk (through the sometimes confusing, maze-like streets). Our place was just a couple minutes of zigzagging from the too-famous focaccia place that has been completely instajammed. There’s a bouncer to manage the crowd and keep order - he tries to look tough and basically tells unfocused tourists who don’t seem to understand the rules to just shut up and get in line. Posted rule #1: Do not speak to Reno (the bouncer) unless he speaks to you first…seriously. It’s kind of charming and humorous, as long as you are not easily offended. Think “the soup nazi” but on steroids.
There are places selling pasta on most streets (and tiny courtyards and little cul-de-sacs), you’ll have no trouble finding them. Many streets in the old center are pleasant for walking, though most are short and twisty, so you will find yourself doubling back or exiting the old center abruptly. I don’t recall any long, grand walking streets, it’s a bit of a jumble. Pleasant, but no long boulevards to promenade. There are plenty of those outside the nucleus of the old town.
Palazzo Maresgallo can be booked with (of all things) Hyatt points (a pleasant surprise) though it took more than a few of those points. It was a splurge but totally worth it to us. It is NOTHING like a chain hotel, one of the coolest places we’ve stayed. It’s location is literally at Ground Zero in the tourist-attraction-dense old center. I can’t imagine a more central location. It’s not really a “house”, it’s literally a “palace”, the former mansion of a llocal aristocrat, massively restored right before Covid hit, sparing no expense. The current owner smiled and told me, “the timing was inconvenient” and shrugged. Then she told me the bed I would be sleeping in, had been slept in the previous night by the head driver on the Ferrari formula 1 racing team, who had been staying there…okay, vroom vroom!!). The place is huge - we were invited to explore all of it, I got lost a few times as I wandered through one elegant room after another, all tastefully and expensively restored, filled with art and v-e-r-y expensive-looking objects. Just a few rooms are occupied by guests, most of it just looks like a mostly unused (but impeccably maintained) millionaire’s home.
If what you want to do is experience Lecce’s incredible architecture, history and cultural treasures (which are stunning and extensive), staying there you’ll be smack in the middle of all that. The management of Palazzo Maresgallo have had to put up a velvet rope across the entrance to discourage tourists from walking in and taking selfies.
It was a memorable stay for us, in a city that stole our hearts. Lecce is incredible. You’ll see.
