Input for my next Puglia trip appreciated

We also do not like to stay in AirBnB type places and prefer small family owned hotels and BnBs. This is where we are staying in Ostuni. Our rate includes breakfast.

https://www.laterrahotel.it/

I've been vetting restaurants for our trip. You didn't ask, but this is what I have for Ostuni:
*Osteria Monacelle (Nancy's favorite place on this trip, very very small)
Vicolo 45 (it's in a cave), Nancy
Tami Cucina e Pizza.
*Osteria del Tempo Perso, Nancy, Frommers, Via G Tanzarella Vitale 47, cave, beautiful local ceramics, Tegamino di funghi (bread, mushrooms, zucchini flowers), closed Monday

People do rave about the Otranto cathedral and its unique features (the floor). We will be doing it as a day trip from Lecce. The Otranto cathedral is free, hours of the cathedral:8-12 and 15-18. I know "St Paul" Nancy really enjoyed it. She's currently traveling, but perhaps she'll add some comments.

Thank you so much, Jules! I looked up your Ostuni lodging, and it’s on Booking. I dropped it out of the running because it’s non-refundable, but it’s exactly what I would like. So, when my dates are firm, I will switch over to it, if still available.

And thanks for restaurant recommendations! : )

I just have the Otranto Duomo, Chiesa di San Pietro, and the castles for Otranto, so I’m hoping to find out much more about this location if it is the route I go.

Jean, I booked directly with the hotel, and I can cancel up to three days prior to my stay.

Jean, I consolidated my notes with things to do in Otranto. It also sounds like there are many scenic vistas just outside city limits:

Basilica Cattedrale di Santa Maria Annunziata free, 8-12 and 15-18
Chiesa di San Pietro,
Argonese castle built by Ferdinand I, has moat, 3euro
Alimini beach, dunes, pine forest
Grotta della Poesia (poetry cave), natural pool surrounded by limestone cliffs
I Faraglioni di Sant'Andrea, crevices/limestone stacks/coastline and blue water

So, I have to admit, I'm a bit confused on the churches which seem to have different names depending on the website. I think Santa Maria Annunziata is the one with the animal mosaics. I can't find much on Chiesa di San Pietro, I find on the same website as the cathedral. I think it has frescoes, and it may be closed for me in January.

• Matera - I’m still very much on the fence with Matera. It seems depressing, and I don’t want that mood on this trip.

It has a painful aspect to its history, no denying that, but where really does not? I found it utterly inspiring the way the residents have transformed the city from shame to a shining jewel. The university gives it a youthful, vibrant vibe. I know we all have to include what strikes our fancy, but I just wanted to share that impression. In May it will be green and lush with wildflowers in the area.
Just as a contrasting example, I found the rows of shops in Alberobello much more depressing--that ton of plastic junk was an affront to the beauty of the town (which I enjoyed aside from that).
If you decide to include it, I can practically guarantee a lovely stay at https://www.torrettasassi.it/index.asp!

I found it utterly inspiring the way the residents have transformed the city (Matera) from shame to a shining jewel.

We felt the same way when we visited.

We loved Matera this past September.
It was easy to navigate, and we also found it inspiring as it regenerates.
Taking a walking tour is a must to learn the history from a person who lives there.

Admittedly, it was 2009 when we were in Puglia. We took the train on a daytrip from Lecco to Otranto with the change in Maglie. No problem there. Although I know others love it, I wasn't impressed with Otranto, perhaps because it was a drizzly day. My husband's journal notes say that we visited the cathedral: "huge mosaic floor." I have no recollection of a "wow" there, though I'm sure I enjoyed seeing it. I'm leaning toward your alternative itinerary.

Jules, yes the Santa Maria Annunziata has the floor mosaic, and Chiesa di San Pietro has the frescoes.

I appreciate your help with the solution for the non-refundable B&B/hotel - book with their site and use their second option for a refundable reservation. Let’s hope there’s no reason to refund/cancel next year! : )

I just arrived home tonight from my month in southern Italy. Will provide answers to questions by the weekend as I went to Trani, Otranto and Ostuni.

Jean, this is the reply that I got from my email:

Good morning ,
on the opening of the church of San Pietro there is no news yet, we must update later.

Not sure if they are saying that its under renovation, or if they are saying they are not sure what the winter hours will be. I guessing the former.

Also, regarding your last night, have you been to Ostia Antica? Just outside of Rome proper.

Ciao, Jean

We also stayed at La Terra Hotel in Ostuni. Very nice hotel. High up on the hill and quite walkable for taking in hilltop sights and churches and the Piazza slightly down the hill is quite close.

As for Otranto, I found the floor tiles in the Cathedral to be somewhat primitive. Extensive yes, but on the crude side. This was very much a medieval work - after the fall of the western Roman empire and long before the Renaissance. For me, some of the frescoes in the crypt were more moving, though again - to me - these were not as artistically great as they were either pre-Renaissance or, to the extent that some were from that time period, the Renaissance did not leave much of a mark on Puglia.

I think you should come down from the fence about Matera. Though we were there for a mere 3 hours or so, it was a remarkable place to visit. Yes, the history of its poverty and living curcumstances of its people for centuries are sad, but as Valadelphia points out, there are tributes to the human spirit there. We quite enjoyed a lovely lunch with a view of the centro storico (at La Nicchia Nel Sasso) and we went through some of the sassi (particularly, San Nicola dei Greci), caves carved out stone a thousand years ago where people lived, prayed, pressed wine, and housed their animals until 1950. The religious art in San Nicola shows how central religion was for those impoverished residents of Matera. In hindsight, I certainly wish we had spent more time there and seen the museum and the art work by Carlo Levi there - even if it might not be great art, it would have completed the circle on the enjoyment that I had from reading his book Christ Stopped at Eboli.

Finally, as for the train from Lecce to Otranto, our one-time experience was taking the train from Maglie to Lecce - we had biked from Otranto to Maglie when an overrcast start turned into a torrential downpour. The best thing I can say is that the largely unstaffed train station at Maglie (one employee did show up on the tracks when trains came through) had decent bathrooms that did NOT require a euro coin to use. There were two types of trains along the route ... smaller ones that we could not take our bikes on and a larger one that we could. Our train trip to Lecce was delayed for about 20 minutes en route for reasons unknown. But otherwise, that day, the trains seemed to run on time.

HI Jean
I would definitely not describe Matera as depressing. If I had to come up with some adjectives - unique, magic, stunning, especially at dusk/night. Also, you'll be there in May, the gravina full of green and flowers, most probably sunny.
I first visted Matera I think in about 2005 and was not impressed, we were en route somewhere else and I just crossed it off my list, I think then I might have described it as depressing. Then in 2021 a good friend visited and he was SO enthusastic, we decided to give it a second try, booking ten days nearby as a base for Matera but other places too. Fantastic! Totally different after 15 years.

I join those who recommend keeping Matera on your itinerary, definitely with a walking tour. It’s an especially amazing place to walk after dark. There is sadness in its history but also renewal.

We had no issues with the train to-from Lecce & Otranto. In both cases the second train was waiting when the first arrived. Be sure to purchase return tickets in Lecce, as we saw no ticket office in Otranto. We enjoyed wandering through Otranto and seeing the mosaic floor but I would not make a special trip to see it and would lean toward your revised itinerary.

Has anyone taken the trains from Lecce to Otranto?

When we were in Lecce the majority of times shown were via bus, some direct, bookable thru the Trenitalia site/app. The bus stops right at the foot of the Otranto train station. There were several runs per day. Actually in the end I'm glad we went by bus because a considerable part of the route was along the coast.

Wow, I really appreciate your replies so much! After reading through them and also corresponding with one of our Italian forum residents, here’s my next iteration. I am going to drop the Lecce and Otranto stays to be able to make this one work. Lecce was low priority because I was there for three nights last May.

I added Orvieto because it keeps me in the vicinity of Rome in case of train strikes towards the end of my trip. From the lodging options left, Orvieto is booking up quickly!

Cities in bold are new ones for me. I stayed in all of the rest listed in May 2024.

Rome - near train station - Friday
Trani - Saturday/Sunday
Matera - Monday/Tuesday (a maybe)
Giovinazzo - Wednesday
Bari - Thursday/Friday for the San Nicola Festival again; these dates are firm.
Alberobello - Saturday
Locorotondo - Sunday
Ostuni - Monday/Tuesday
Polignano a Mare - Wednesday/Thursday (I can’t have the amazing balcony room, but I am in the same tiny boutique hotel with the same view)
Caserta - Friday
Tivoli - Saturday/Sunday- Meet up for a day, hopefully, with one of our Italian forum residents!
Orvieto - Monday. I visited Orvieto briefly in 2006 during a RS tour stop - mostly a church & gelato stop.
Rome Airport Hotel- Tuesday

S, F, Solo, 70+, public transport. I try to stay in as few accommodations as possible and day trip out. 95% of the time book apts through booking.com and works great for me as I travel for 30-40 days at a time. I wrote my answers as I read the posts so will still give my input in case of another change of plans.

Lecce to Otranto: yes a change in Maglie but with such small stations you just use the underpass or the connecting train is on the same track. I believe there was a ticket machine in the station. (I was in Maratea and that station had no personnel and no ticket machine but fortunately knew that ahead of time). So any other station I was in had machines.

Some trains had the specific departing and arriving station and times on the ticket. Other tickets just had the departing and arriving station and you had 4 hours to use the ticket. I never knew which ticket was going to print with what info, so I always bought my ticket one way to give me the flexibility to return when I wanted.

Mosaic encompasses the whole floor, hours were 8-12, 3 to 715pm.

Ostuni called the White City. I had read residents were required to paint every 2 years. Either they are at the end of the cycle or some folks didn't get the memo! A tad shabby.

Chiesa San Pietro: closed. Folks at the tourist office in the castle had no info on when it would be open.

Trani: cathedral is lovely.

Matera: must be seen even if you just stop and take a tour.

Polignano a Mare or Monopoli: choice put to me as beach versus historic city. To visit the places I wanted I choose PAM. Nice, lovely PAM when Monopoli would have been better for my soul! Both very nice and really can't go wrong with having stayed in either.

Bari - Thursday/Friday for the San Nicola Festival again

Next May, I will be visiting Rome and Puglia for the first time. Before joining a multi-day group tour, I will be in Bari for those days as well. The festival seems to be very interesting (like the Italian feasts in my home city).

https://www.stnicholascenter.org/around-the-world/festivals/bari-festival

Staynsavor, excellent timing! Here’s the schedule of the typical program:

https://www.bariexperience.com/en/saint-nicholas-celebration/see-the-statue-of-saint-nicholas-in-bari-program-7-8-9-may-celebrations-with-tricolor-arrows/

I am staying at small Palazzo Calo again in Bari Vecchio which is a good location for all of the activities. They also have a very nice breakfast- more options than normal.

Jean, thanks for the schedule. I have attended and photographed numerous Italian feasts at home. Looking forward to this one. The B&B I booked is very close to Palazzo Calo.

In some past trips, an included festival would turn out to be the highlight. Gaucho Festival in San Antonio de Areco, La Mercè in Barcelona, May 2 uprising reenactment in Madrid ...

I often wonder why the tour companies don't have festival specific trips.

(Can you picture my colorful Post-It handmade calendar on my office
desk with each day ready to be moved around?)

Ah, yes I can! And your amazing travel style, not unpacking, using the Tom Bihn basket I have yet to find (!?) for all the clutter, and winging your way through new adventures in Puglia! Delighted to hear you're heading there again.

I haven't been south of the AC, so just to add I adore Tivoli. Could easily spend 2 nights there, if you haven't been before, you might enjoy a longish day to savor Villa d'Este gardens and Hadrian's Villa.

I made a note from another RS Forum member about a guided tour of Orvieto Underground Etruscan ruins. “A labyrinth dating back 2500 years lays beneath today’s Orvieto. Dovecotes line passageways, cisterns held rainwater. Most of the old city has not been excavated and it’s thought that caves are beneath most buildings. After a bit of wandering the city walls with tour members, I saw Pozzo dell Cava, a restaurant with excavated caves below. I was too late for lunch so explored the small museum.” Enjoy the planning!!

Sandancisco,

It sounds like you know me well! ; )

Thanks for the details for Tivoli & Orvieto! I was supposed to be in Tivoli last May for a couple of days after the Abruzzo area and before heading to the Spello Infiorate. This will be my first time there.

Here’s my magic travel tray/bag. It comes in two sizes. I made both sizes out of paper to check which dimensions worked best for my needs before ordering it. Since I place my phone in it at night, the larger one works perfect. I even use it on my bedroom end table at home. The stiff perimeter ring keeps it from collapsing.

https://www.tombihn.com/products/travel-tray?variant=44593581555901

Jean, I apologize for the hijack.
@Sandancisco, we will be in Rome in February. Do you have any opinion on whether Tivoli would be worth the trip at that time of year? I understand that at least some of the appeal is gardens?

Thanks, Jean (the Enabler via Mardee?!) Will order the larger size you recommend, we all have electronic clutter when we travel.... (Now they're back in stock.) For those of us who like much more detail, you might enjoy Monty Don's Italian gardens & his visit to Hadrian's Villa & the Villa d'Este. (The first part is about Italy.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjRABTtw8VQ

Jules, Yes, it's the gardens but it's really all about the water! I would have gone to Tivoli in December if we hadn't been so tired from walking in Rome, we had fabulous mid 50's F weather with only one day of rain. Hadrian's Villa would be great in the quieter season, as long as you have clear weather for the day, I would just go!!

Sandancisco, thank you for the link! I love gardens, and this just adds to the anticipation! Also, it was very nice to see you today through CWsocial’s Zoom monthly meeting, : )

You're so welcome Jean! I really want to visit ALL Monty Don's Italian gardens....Not to digress too far, but Ninfa looks particularly amazing, how have I missed this?? https://www.giardinodininfa.eu/