Puglia base for touring

Puglia is really spread out so it is hard to see it all from one base or in 3 days. Is it 3 FULL days, i.e., are you staying 4 nights? I hope you will have a car.

We did 2 nights in Lecce followed by 2 in Polignano al Mare. We used our full day in Lecce to take the drive around the heel, then explored several small towns (Martina Franca, Otranto, Alberobello) on our way to Polignano. From Polignano we visited Castel del Monte and a couple of other small towns. That was about all we had time for as we moved on the next day getting to Abruzzo.

I would prefer more time in one spot. If you only have 3 nights, pick one place as a base. I think either Lecce or Polignano al Mare would work. You will at least get a taste of Puglia and the food is fantastic!

You might consider staying at a masseria (the Puglian term for agriturismo). There are lots of them to choose from. We enjoyed Masseria Montenapoleone, near Torre Canne. We used this as a base to see Locorotando, Alberobello and Ostuni, as well some of the coastal towns. This was in the middle of a four week trip so it was a welcome break from hotels ... we loved sitting by its gorgeous pool at the end of a busy day, with a glass of wine, just soaking up the silence.

Bob,

Which place to use as a "home base" will probably depend on which towns or sights you're planning to see. I presented your question to a young lady that has recently moved to Vernon from Puglia, and she suggested getting a place either in or near Bari. She also said that for touring that area, having a car will be necessary (anything except a Fiat Panda).

For planning sightseeing, you could download a PDF copy of the Puglia chapter of the Lonely Planet guidebook for that area. Individual chapters are only $3.46 at the present time (a real bargain!).

We stayed in Trani and thought it was a good base. A large enough town to have a choice of restaurants and places to visit, a nice harbor, and easy access to the rest of the region. We visited Polignano al Mare and thought it was a nice place as well. I'd avoid staying in Bari. We visited it, the core is a nice place and you should go see it, but for a tourist Bari is a much larger town (really a small city) and navigating/parking isn't going to be as easy as in a smaller town. Also there are some areas guidebooks suggest avoiding, and you don't want to be driving home and accidentally drive into them.

I too would avoid staying in Bari, especially since there are so many picturesque little towns nearby. I think most of the most interesting sights in Puglia are south of both Trani & Bari. But I think Lecce is too far south. I'd suggest somewhere between Bari and Brindisi ... lots of great little towns along the coast if that's more to your taste than a masseria.

I'd suggest doing some reading on the sights you'd like to see in Puglia, find them on a map, and select a base in easy reach of them.