A few Puglia questions

If I'm reading your post correctly and you're thinking of spending a single day in Lecce (not adding on to a Lecce stay) then I think you can find plenty to do in Lecce itself for that day. We spent several days in Lecce and used it as a base to visit Otranto, Gallipoli, etc

As a general comment when we were in Puglia (Sept) shops/churches/museums closed around 1pm until around 5pm and restaurants closed by 2pm for the riposo pomeridiano. So tourism mainly happens before lunchtime or in the evenings. I don't know if it will be like that in March but I suspect it will.

Sorry John, it seems I wasn't clear at all. I thought it made sense to start a new post rather than carrying on my previous one since it was getting a bit convoluted, but I guess not.

My trip is currently as planned: Arrive in Rome in March, take a train to Puglia. 2 nights Trani, 2 nights Matera, 4 nights Locorotondo/Alberobello/Martina Franca area, 3 nights Lecce, 2 nights Polignano a Mare, 1 night Bari, 3 nights Rome.

I'm now thinking of just spending 1 night in Trani and adding an additional night to Lecce. I'm also wondering if it makes more sense just to visit Bari from PaM rather than staying overnight there.

I appreciate your input!

Hi KRS,

Thanks for that clarification.

Trani - I stayed there two nights. It was during a weekend, and there were two concerts - last minute, didn’t know about either ahead of time, that I absolutely loved! The city is beautiful & serene. If you’re looking for lots of sites to see, this isn’t your city. But, if you love a gorgeous harbor, photography, some art in a castle setting and a nice park along the shore, you will want that second night. If you like photography, hop over to nearby Giovinazzo for an hour or two, also.

If you want to reduce a night somewhere in your itinerary, personally I would take a day away from the four in the valley. But, if you like to bike, this is a fantastic area to enjoy the many trails & see lots of trulli & olive trees in the countryside. Also, I might drop the one night in Bari, but I did like the contrast of Bari to the other cities.

Seeing Bari from Polignano a Mare: if you could pull me away from Polignano a Mare…I would head to Monopoli vs. Bari. Monopoli has a different vibe than Polignano a Mare and an amazing cathedral. Skip the castle exhibit which doesn’t really show you any of the castle interior.

I thought I would like Lecce more than I did - still nice, but I didn’t have a rental car to explore farther south. This would be a good use of your extra day.

As you probably already know, I’ve spent two trips in the Puglia region. What a special gem! Have a great time!

Thanks for the clarification. Several years ago we stayed in Trani for a few nights and thought it was a nice place. But we had a car and used Trani as a base to explore. And 2 years ago we used Lecce as a base for several nites, another enjoyable town. Since you won't pick up your car until you leave Trani I think moving a day from Trani to Lecce might be a bit better.

BTW Trani has a nice passeggiata so I hope you can do that. Lecce has a great one as well, we enjoyed sitting and having an Aperol spritz before dinner.

Alberobello or Locorotondo doesn't make a difference much. They are 5 min drive from each other, and both are very quaint. In March they won't be crowded at all (actually they weren't that crowded, at least to my Florentine standards, even in June/July/September, which are the only months when I visited Puglia all the times I went). Since you have a car, just make sure you choose accommodations judiciously, preferably with parking or close to parking, because the historical centers of both are ZTLs closed to traffic. I have no recommendations for B&B, I've always stayed at this resort, because in the heat of summer when I went, I need a pool. Matera is only 75 min drive from Alberobello, in case you want to visit Matera for a day, rather than stay in Matera overnight.

Lecce is very beautiful. You need a full day to see the basics. Parking is restricted in or near the city center, so unless your city center accommodation have parking, I would look for accommodations outside the city center, and maybe drive to the parking lot near the city center. I recommend the Parkejoo near the Justice Hall, a very modern multilevel underground parking structure only 10 min walk to the city center.

Of the coastal towns near Lecce, Otranto is my favorite. Gallipoli has fortress that is interesting to visit. Gallipoli was the capital of lighting lamp oil (made with olive oil), or "olio lampante", before the invention of electricity. Before electricity was invented, the most famous European capitals (including Paris, the City of Lights) were illuminated using oil imported from Gallipoli.

This is all helpful information, thank you. My idea for Lecce (as of right now anyway) is to either find a place with parking included somewhat away from the city center, as I don't want to get anywhere near a ZTL zone or to park further outside the city, then walk into the city if necessary.

I'm actually looking forward to a little more time to explore the smaller towns and villages inland, and I don't feel so nervous about driving in that part of Puglia since I'm used to little country roads rather than big, busy cities.

Jean, I definitely plan to visit Monopoli as well as Bari, but I'm happy to be based in PaM for that portion of my trip.

Thank you everyone!