My husband and I will be heading down south in May/June with our baby, who will be 9 months old when we leave, and my mother (we are fluent in Italian). We have family in Bari and would like to go visit them for a few days. Afterwards, we would like to find a base or two in Puglia to enjoy the beach, food, and generally take it slow. After all it will be a bit more difficult traveling with a baby. All together we are thinking of going for a month. I have heard many great things about the Gargano, but also Lecce. Any recommendations on specific locations as well as places to stay. We have looked at Homeaway.com for apartments with a kitchen. Any other websites? Thanks!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Okay, this may be obvious, but have you asked your family in Bari for suggestions?
Posted by
OP
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
41 posts
Yup- they had said maybe a small beach town called Santo Spirito. We will rely on their recommendations of course, but I would also like to do some research on my own. Have been burned before when relying solely on family...
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Ryan, we usually use Homelidays.com and VRBO.com for our apt. rentals in the EU, and have had excellent results. We found that a rental car was our best option to see the area. Public trans is sporadic (exept for the major towns) Lecce is a mini Siena. It is college town with a great Passigiata, wonderful shops, and great restaurants. But beware; without a GPS you will never be able to navigate this town. Check out Otranto for your beach fix. A couple of years ago the NY Times did an excellent article about Puglia. http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/travel/06Puglia.html?pagewanted=all Pick up a Lonely Planet guidebook. It has some great info about the area. We tried to stay out of Bari; especially at nite. Please check with your relatives and ask them about your safety in that town. Everywhere else is wonderful. When you get back do not tell anyone how wonderful the area is.....let's let them jam into the 5 Terre, Rome, Tuscany, etc.
Posted by
OP
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
41 posts
Thanks Steve!! Never heard of homelidays, so I will check it out!! Excited about the possibilities!
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
Puglia is absolutely amazing. I was there late last May and it was already hot, with those Florida-esque late afternoon t-storms a few times. Whatever you do, you've GOTTA make it to Antichi Sapori in Montegrosso, which is not far from Castel del Monte which is not terribly far from Bari. Best meal of my life, without exaggeration. Booking far in advance is a necessity, I believe. But worth all the effort and more. Anyway, Lecce is fabulous. Not a whole ton to do there, but I would think it's a good base. I also liked Trani but did not stay there. Polignano a Mare is very cute and has a little beach, that could be a good idea for a base. The number of amazing little towns is nearly endless... Ostuni, Locorotondo, and on and on. You even hear some negative things about Bari itself but I found the old town kind of neat and quaint. And I had some focaccia that has to be among my top 10 bites ever. A month in Puglia, can't even imagine how amazing that would be. you will have a beyond amazing time. Think it's a great idea to take it slow there. They don't mess around with their 2 hour lunches and afternoon siestas, Lecce is literally a ghost town from 1-4 pm or so, and then you are elbow to elbow on the same streets at night after dinner. My tour guide in Puglia told me that there are lots of vacant vacation homes there now, especially around the water. I am sorry that I can't help with specifics but based on what he had said you should be ble to find places that are willing to rent to you for a week or two. Good luck and enjoy this gem of Italy!!
Posted by
atlanta, ga, usa
9 posts
I visited Lecce and Puglia this year after many trips to Italy. Contact Yle at [email protected] yltour web.wmv is a commercial on the travel services she can offer. She can help you with anything to do with Puglia: she found me a great Trulia to rent in Alberobello, an apt in Lecce and even helped me find a Nonna who would teach me how to make pasta. I have an interview with her posted on my blog: http://www.hometoitaly.com I am starting a series tomorrow with her: Sunday with Yle: Food, Family, Freinds..... I am sure she can put you in touch with rental companies.
I found some short term rentals on the Remax.it web site also.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2129 posts
We will be spending the month of October on the eastern coast of Italy. There are so many interesting places to see that we had thought about doing an extended road trip, stopping off for a day or two in various spots along the way. Then we decided that we'd rather have bases to settle in and do day trips from there. So our preliminary plans are to spend 4-6 days each in: . La Marche (on an agriturismo near Urbino) . Vieste (on the Gargano peninsula) . Polignano al Mare
. Otranto All of these places have a lot to see in the surrounding areas. I have found B&B's on Trip Advisor with kitchens, so you might check that out. After you are home from your trip, I would be very interested in hearing about it and any suggestions you might have! Hope you have a great time.