Italy travel east coast

how many days are you planning to be in Puglia? we are planning a 2.5 week vacation in May and have settled on the following, which may (or may not!) be helpful to you:

Otranto: 4 nights. this is our first stop after overnight travel, so we're building in time to relax and get over jet lag. will use this as a base to visit the coast south of Otranto, and perhaps spend an afternoon in Gallipoli, and visit Galatina. staying at Masseria Longa, which is just outside of the town limits
Lecce: 2 nights. we went back and forth about whether to stay 3 nights here, but ultimately we want our vacation to be less city-focused. staying at Palazzo Charlie
Martina Franca: 3 nights. staying in a private trulli home a short drive from town. we'll use this as a base to visit other Valle d'Itria towns. have booked a half-day e-bike tour and also visit to a dairy farm
Matera: 3 nights. okay, not technically Puglia but I have long wanted to visit. staying in an Air BnB apartment in the Sassi area. half-day walking tour booked, and we're hoping to do some hiking.
Vieste: 2 nights. we were waffling on 2 or 3 nights, because we want to do some hiking in the Gargano and possibly some birdwatching but we weren't thrilled about the accommodation options, so we settled on 2 nights. staying at B&B Cumma Mari
Trani: 3 nights. staying in a private trulli home south of Trani, along the coast, with access to a pebbled beach. will probably do some hiking, visit Trani itself
last day we fly from Bari to Milan, with an overnight stay near the airport before morning flight home.

@milgreen2, which ebike tour business are you using for your bike day? I am trying to decide between some that have decent reviews.

We spent ten days in Polignano a Mare at Hotel Covo dei Saraceno,a beautiful place with sea views.
We visited Trani, Otranto, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Lecce, and Bari as day trips. Beautiful area, delicious fresh seafood.

In addition to the locations mentioned in the first comment I also recommend to visit Alberobello and Locorotondo (they are 5 min drive from each other so you can choose either as a base). I know Alberobello is one of the top destinations of Puglia and therefore it gets touristy especially during high season, but on the other hand how can one go to Paris and not see the Louvre or the Eiffel tower because they are touristy? Places are touristy because lots of people like to visit them, and for a good reason.

Roberto’s comment is why I am staying overnight in Alberobello. Photographing it in the evening and early morning can be the perfect time to enjoy a touristy location when the day crowds are gone.

I can’t give feedback, yet, because my trip will be in May, but here’s where I am staying in May. I am traveling solo and much prefer moving locations vs. day trips, so some of these could definitely combined:

Polignano a Mare - planning a boat tour of the coastal area and caves. I reserved the amazing POSEA room with the large balcony, amazing view!
Bari - attending the San Nicola festival
Alberobello - staying in a trullo, hoping for a countryside day-time bike ride
Locorotondo & Martina Franca - currently have a reservation for each one night. May consolidate these.

Lecce - architecture and an Awaiting Tables Cooking Class.

Originally I was starting with a few nights in Trani and ending with PaM, but the timing for other regions dropped Trani.

Jean: I booked through ebikepuglia.com. saw a recommendation in Lonely Planet 'Southern Italy' for bike tour with Damiano and then did a web search to find their website. their location, website, and communication were determining factors, as well as the small group size (maximum 8, I believe).

putting together our itinerary and getting the right number of nights and dates for places we want to see and where we want to stay has been like putting a puzzle together. I love the research and planning, but what's hardest for me is that for every decision we make, saying 'yes' to one option means saying 'no' to so many other options that would likely be equally as good, interesting, lovely, delicious, etc. so I tend to second-guess everything........drives my husband crazy, but after so many years of travel together, he has learned to overlook my neuroses, and I have learned to laugh at them :~).