We have decided we think ?? To go from Florence down to puglia way where we will have 6 nights before going to Salerno to base. Which place or places do we base at puglia. Budget is not massive. Many thanks
With or without a car? That is the first factor to consider. Without a car it is probably best to base yourself in a city along the coast where the main railway line is (maybe even Bari itself).
But also the other factor to consider is which places you intend to visit. I’ve always had a car in Puglia the times that I have been (2023 most recently) and it doesn’t take long to realize that the size of Puglia is massive, especially in length. It takes me longer to drive from the Gargano Peninsula in the north to the southernmost point of S.Maria di Leuca, than to drive from San Francisco to L.A. (that is the same distance as Canberra to Melbourne). Therefore research first what you intend to see, then one can decide the best base, 6 nights is not enough to see it all, so you need to make a selection according to your interests.
Florence to Bari is a long distance which requires at least 6 hours by high speed train (or a bit less by air, although flights FLR to BRI tend to be seasonal and not every day of the week).