Bari, Puglia

Stay in Polignano a Mare instead of Bari!

We stayed at 200 Rooms & Terrace in Bari. Much smaller than the name sounds ... just a few modern rooms in a somewhat older building in the Murat neighborhood, about 4 or 5 blocks from the train station. Nice large room, large bathroom, rooftop terrace, nice breakfast and an easy 1/2 mile walk to the San Nicola (medieval) neighborhood. Modest price! You might want to check and make sure they have an elevator; I think so, but I do not specifically recall.

I see Suki suggests Polignano a Mare as a place to stay, but that entirely depends on your larger itinerary and your interests. Sure, Polignano a Mare is a charming, smaller coastal town. But Bari's medieval city, cathedral, tomb of San Nicola, and the Aragonese castle all have historic significance and emotional depth that you'll likely not find in Polignano.

As to Matera, we strolled down from the newer city ... along streets that had no traffic (to speak of, anyway - car free in my memory) to the sassi. Via d'Addozio, then Via Madonna delle Virtu. Along the way, we stopped at a restaurant with a view and we had a lovely lunch looking out to the sassi. I think the restaurant was Baccus. We continued to stroll down (no steps) to the sassi and we went to the Rupestrian Church, San Nicola dei Greci. There may have been a limited number of steps to get into and through the church - but not many. the walk back up the hill was a stroll, not a hike. Anyway, we had a lovely and rewarding three hours in Matera that afternoon, as we were driving from Lecce to the Cilento.

Thank you soooo much!

I spent a month in Puglia. Stayed in PAM as well as Matera. All lovely, delightful but of course, cobblestones are a nightmare! Bari and PAM are flat while Matera is somewhat hilly. Has a lovely Sat Market.

The upper town of Matera is flat and easy to walk. But the most intreating part, and the part that draws tourist to Matera, is the two sassi areas, below the main, "newer" town. It would be a shame to miss seeing the sassi. It is easy to get around from place to place by taxi and there are parts of the sassi that are manageable and do not require stairs.

We are in Matera now for our fourth visit, and we never tire of the city, although my partner is unable to walk very far without pain. If you choose a hotel with a view, you can stay put for hours and just gaze at the views and the parade of people passing by.

I also spend time in the upper town; the piazza are great for people watching; there ie also a covered food market.

In Bari look for a hotel in the Murat district, close to the sea and to the entrance to the old town, Bari Vecchia.
Take a look ago the DILMAN HOTEL LUXURY STAY.

I can’t give a personal recommendation yet, but in about 3 weeks we are staying at the Dilman Hotel in the old city. It looks wonderful. I can report back if you’d like.
And also report back on Matera. We are staying 2 nights there and taking an Ape tour when we get there. It looks like a 3 wheeled golf cart and should make navigating the area easier. As far as walking around after that, I don’t how that will be. I can report back in that as well.

There are three main ways to get from the bottom of the sassi to the upper town of Matera; one, the middle one, which begins at the HOTEL SEXTANTIO LE GROTTE DELLA CIVITA, consists mainly of sets steps, but most of them are fairly shallow. Some have iron handrails but some do not, and you have to grip the stone walls to the side of the steps. If you want to avoid many steps, you can walk to the right or left, following graduated inclines that wind around the bottom of the two sassi areas.

There are no cobblestones; the pavement here consists mainly of marble blocks but there are spaces between some of them and they can be slippery if wet.

If you have trouble walking, I recommend staying in a hotel in the Upper Town; you will have wonderful views of the sassi and of hills, pockmarked by caves, across the gorge. From there you can take a taxi or an Ape tour to see the various points of interest In the sassi. And you can find good restaurants in the upper town, as well as in the sassi....Matera has become a great restaurant city. There are many nice hotels in the Upper Town; many of the hotels and B&Bs in the sassi are the famous "cave hotels," which vary a lot in amenities and comfort levels...

I'm happy to give you a few restaurant ideas here if you are staying long enough for dinner...

I strongly recommend against visiting Matera on a day trip.

It's pretty easy to get lost in the sassi but locals tend to be very tolerant and helpful to tourists, at least that's been my experience here.

Thank you all. Great suggestions!

In Bari, the Feast of St Nicholas is great. May 7th to the 9th.
Opened with five aircraft.
Flying in from the ocean.
Altitude about 25 metres.
Flying inverted.