I plan to visit Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino and Ostuni on Monday, early June. I read that Monday could be a choice of closing day for many establishments in Italy. But I also read that Alberobello many shops and restaurants normally close on Wednesday.
Could you please let me know if Monday would be a good choice to visit those towns?
First off--my husband and I went to Puglia last Oct. and we loved it! They do have daily afternoon siesta in Puglia towns and shops, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. will shut down for several hours. Sometimes churches too close in the afternoon reopening later in the day. We were in Ostuni and Cisternino on a Monday--Ostuni earlier in the day and Cisternino later in the day. There aren't alot of sights in either of these places with the towns themselves being the sight. In Ostuni we went to the Cathedral, walked around the town, had lunch in Piazza della Liberta and headed to Cisternino which was shut tight when we arrived except for the churches. We visited the 2 churches in the historic center, walked the town and enjoyed the beautiful views over the countryside from the Villa Comunale gardens. In the main piazza at Cisternino we met an elderly man, Filippo 88 yrs old, who spoke English as he had lived in England for 20 yrs many yrs ago and married an English gal. He said in the summer months that the piazza would be full of people. He invited us up to his apt. that overlooked the lovely main piazza, gave us a tour, apologized for having his laundry hanging on his rooftop terrace, showed us his wedding pictures (wife Elisabetta died on Boxing Day 2012) and military pictures and then we took pictures together. Very sweet guy. We were staying in a Trulli near Locorotondo for 5 nights so we returned to Cisternino for dinner one evening and had bombettes and roasted potatoes at Al Vecchio Fornello, one of the rosticceria's (roasted meats) in the town. It was delicious! We visited Locorotondo on a Sunday and Monday arriving early evening after siesta was over and shops were open. Went to Alberobello on a Wednesday and all the shops and restaurants were open as this is a tourist hotspot. The Trullo Sovrano museum (the only 2 floor trulli) did close for siesta for several hrs. in the afternoon but may not in the busier months. Can check their website. Be sure to visit Rione Aia Piccola which is the untouristy area of Alberobello.
In Puglia we also went to Castellana Caves (amazing tour), Martina Franca, Monopoli, Trani (3 nights), Bari, Castel del Monte, Polignano al Mare, Conversano, Lecce (4 nights) and the Salento (heel) before heading to Matera (2 nights), Paestum(1 night) and A. Coast(4 nights). Sorry if I digressed off your original topic....Let me know if you have any questions I might be able to answer. Buon Viaggio!!
