I will be in Puglia for 7 nights in September. I would like to split my time between the center/north (Bari area) and the south, and I prefer to have a home base in each area. I would like to know: (1) how to apportion those nights amount the two areas, and (2) the best towns to use as hubs to stay in. Im leaning toward Monopoli in the North and Lecce in the south -- three nights in one and 4 on the other. I will have already spent two nights in Matera prior to arriving un Puglia. Your help is appreciated.
Posted by
Freedonia
14944 posts
Lecce is a good choice.
Will you have a car?
Posted by
11133 posts
Yes to Lecce as it is a gem.
For a sea front town I highly recommend Polignano a Mare. we spent ten days there and enjoyed it tremendously. We took day trips all over Puglia from there. It has a beautiful coastline and a charming old town. We would love to return to this gem. It is 5 min by train from Monopoli.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
I will have a car.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16190 posts
We will (covid willing) be there in March. I chose Monopoli (3 nights) and Lecce (5 nights) together with a Masseria in the Valle d’Itria (3 nights). Some British friends advised us that Polignano al Mare was too touristy for their tastes. Although they were talking about summertime visitors, I heeded their advice and booked an Albergo Diffuso in Monopoli:
https://www.albergodiffusomonopoli.it/en/home/
About a month after booking, I had a very nice interaction with them on the telephone. They attempted to charge the initial deposit to the credit card I gave them at the time of booking, and it was declined. I got a very polite email from them about that. I realized that the card i used for booking was the one that was canceled du to a fraud attempt (from Estonia!) just days before I made the reservation. So I said I would call them and give them a new one. Had a delightful conversation with Stefania, whose English is excellent.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thank you for your reply. Your trip sounds amazing. If you had 7 nights (and already spent two days in Matera), How would apportion those nights between Monopoli and Lecce?
Posted by
11133 posts
I abhore “touristy” and did not find it in Polignano. We were there in October and then flew Bari to Palermo to tour Sicily. Puglia and Sicily pair well.