Basilicata and Puglia Suggestions

Wendy, I will be going to Puglia and Basilicata in May on the RS South of Italy tour so my knowledge is not first hand (yet). This blog may be helpful for ideas: https://www.alongdustyroads.com/italy

I don't recognize the names of any of the towns directly between Alberobello and Matera, but Locorotondo and Maria Franca are just a bit SE of Alberobello.

For a longer drive, visit and eat lunch in the historic district of the white-washed hill town of Ostuni, seeing more trulli out in the countryside along the drive. But for a shorter drive, eat lunch in nearby Noci, before or after Alberobello, then visit Monopoli and maybe Polignano a Mare on your way back to Bari. The old part of Bari itself is also great.

I actually do plan on Ostuni. Thanks for the recommendations so far!

It's always hard to recommend restaurants because different people want different things, but here are some we liked the most in the area of Puglia you'll be:

Osteria Monacelle (our favorite in Ostuni --- tiny, interesting, not at all fancy, and very local) Ostuni
Vicolo 45 in Ostuni (it's in a cave)
Osteria del Tempo Perso in Ostuni (fancier, but fun)
Pizzeria Doppio Zero in Cisternino (different ancient grains used in the dough)
L'Antica Locanda in Noci (interesting vegetables like wild grape hyacinth bulbs)

When visiting Matera, we stopped at Bernalda where Francis Ford Coppola’s family is from and where he has a hotel and restaurant. We did not eat at these (too expensive for us), but we enjoyed seeing them and visiting the town. Many good local restaurants.

Maybe it's just me, but I can't imagine driving in and out of Matera on a daily basis for four days. The streets are very very narrow and twisting. Check out a street map of Matera leading to your hotel before you commit to this.

We took a train from Bari to Matera, spent 2 nights, then rented a car on the outskirts of Matera to explore Puglia. I highly recommend staying in a masseria ... there are lots of them near Fasano and Ostuni.

It definitely depends on where you stay. We parked on a street outside the ztl and never had any difficulty. If your father is of advanced age, you may want to pinpoint a place to drop him off and meet up after you park, but your hotel can help with that. You will definitely need the car for Accettura. Craco was a day trip that we found amazing.
For the Puglia day trip, look at your various route options--you can go along the coast, taking in Bari, Monopoli, Polignano, but I'd probably choose taking the fast road and coming up from Martina Franca and then going around the Itria Valley area.

We stayed in old Matera in a cave and parked and drove in and out with no problem. We were there only two nights and would have loved four nights (without any day trips, even). Great places to eat, just for a start.

Well, one tiny trip out of town would have been good--- I wish we could have gotten to the other side of the ravine so we could see the Matera caves from there. I wish we had more time to have seen inside the churches. Be sure to visit the cave museum with all the artifacts from before the people were moved out of their homes. We also quite enjoyed the upper town --- interesting churches there, too.

Did you mean that you would see some of Puglia as a day trip from Matera? I hadn't quite understood that --- I somehow thought you were looking for places in Puglia to visit on your way to and from Bari. But your plan is certainly doable if you enjoy driving and don't enjoy moving from one accommodation to another.

Thanks so much for all these suggestions! Sorry for my delayed reply. Yes, we will be doing Puglia as a day trip from Matera. I know it’s a busy schedule but that’s the way it has to go this time. Preferably, I’d rather be spending at least a week in the region but we don’t have much time this trip. My dad feels it’s going to be his only trip to Italy and we’ll also be cramming in the other big sites further north. My husband and I come to Italy every other year and use a slower pace so this will be more of a “tasting” for me to see what I’d like to revisit later. And thanks for the restaurant recommendations!

I'm with Charlene, check very carefully with your lodging. Have them send you a map. Even if parking is available there may be many many stairs to climb. If the lodging is near the upper town, use the parking garage a few blocks away.

I just wanted to update, in case anyone has a similar question in the future: We had no problem finding and pulling up to our B&B in Matera, using google maps. We were able to drop off luggage and have them take the car to the parking garage above town for us. We were transferred to and from the garage for our outtings and they brought the car to the B&B on the day of our departure.

We visited Accettura one day and the drive through basilicata was absolutely stunning. We ended up doing Alberobello and Ostuni another day and absolutely loved Ostuni, having lunch there. I'm so glad to have rented the car and get a taste of southern Italy. I definitely want to go back and see old Bari and spend more time exploring Puglia and make a return trip to Matera, as I missed out on the Crypt of the original sin.

Wendi,

i sent you a PM. Some of my roots are in Accettura as well.