A guide in Matera? Lecce comments

Hi we used Amy Weideman as a private tour guide in Matera last October. We spent a great half day with Amy and really enjoyed it.

I sent her an email. Thanks!

We are staying in Lecce and Bari in September and plan to do a day trip to Matera from Bari. I would love to hear how you enjoy the Matera tour and any tips for Lecce. We have never been to Southern Italy. Grazie!

we have spent the last 5 days in Lecce. We flew into Brindisi and took a shuttle here. Did not rent a car. We are staying at La Bella Lecce. It is decent, basic and Roberto (the host) is great and very helpful. It is a 5-10 minute walk from just about everything. Very quiet. We did a cooking class at Awaitingtable. This was 145 euros each and involved visiting a couple of markets to buy fish, vegetables and bread. Then we went back to their place to cook everything and try 3 excellent Rosatas. Highly recommend it. Silverstro is very knowledgeable about food, nutrition wine and the local culture. He has some excellent information on his website. The churches are very nice. You need to buy a pass to visit them and there is an app that provides information about them. We also did a Lecce walking tour for !5 euros each. This was available at a storefront that looks like a real government sponsored touring office, but isn't. We had dinner at a restaurant called Arrosteria dell'Itria. They specialize in meats. I had the pork roll ups and they were very good. The steak was flavorful, but chewy. Vegetables - eggplant casserole was great. Dinner for two with an appetizer and a carafe of house wine was $82. Oh, maybe everyone else in the world knew this, but WhatsApp seems to be the way to communicate at least in Lecce. Sort of like FaceTime. For a good selection of wine, Roberto suggested Enoteca Linciano, not fancy but a lot of wine. (English is not spoken by everyone!). For pizza and pasta, Boccon Divino has great pizza and pasta very good. (Note, I am not an authority, these are just our opinions). We also went to the Jewish Museum and did the one hour tour. It is an interesting story, mostly about how, after WW 2, the area served as sort of collection point for survivors many of whom went on to Israel. On our tour there were two people who had been born in Italy in the transit camps. We teamed up with another couple and, using the "tourist agency", hired a driver who took use around the Salentino (Salentina) peninsula. This was a 8.5 hour trip. was 60 euros each. The driver, as we had been told, spoke no English, but dropped us at four different sites including Gallipoli, and Otranto. It was useful. Beats driving but do your research. We head to Matera tomorrow. We have lined up a guide for a tour, will post what happens. Rick Steves does not cover Puglia in his guidebooks. We are having a great time. Bread and pastries are excellent and the wine is very reasonable. Not too American touristy.

Oh, I forgot to mention La Bottega di Toto, which is a market just outside the Porta Rudiae. They have vegetable, meat and a very nice selection of local cheeses. It was a stop before our cooking class.

Bill…… was it easy getting a shuttle from airport to Lecce? I’m having trouble figuring that out. Please advise

The best option is www.airshuttle.it
They need all your flight details.

The number I have for them is + 39 339 2800328. They worked out fine, but their English was a a little weak. But the ride worked out fine.

It took me a while to find my notes. Lecce was great!

Did anyone eat at a restaurant in the caves in Matera? I have a few suggestions but would like to see other options

When we were there, all the top rated restaurants were booked. Make a reservation early.

We ate at Osteria Pico. It is carved into the cave but there are supporting arches. The ambiance is quite nice as was the food. It is on the Via Fiorentini.

This info is so helpful Bill, thank you. We go next week!

Matera, Matera, Matera. In all my travels this town was the most fascinating, what a story. I would not do it without a guide because you would not hear "the story." If you have a chance read the book "Christ stopped at Eboli" It would give you a sense of the poverty and neglect that existed. The town went from being "the shame of Italy" in 1952 to the cultural Capital of Europe in 2019! Our guide was Anna Maria Tamburrino and her story was amazing. Her grandmother grew up in the Sasso, so she had first-hand knowledge.
We stayed on the older Sasso Caveoso at La Casa Di Lucio Relais, an original cave. We at up high at Baccus.
Enjoy!

In Leece, visit the Jewish museum.

Loving all of this information - thank you! We’re there next month!!!!