Puglia Base Town Suggestions

Lots of the Val d’Itria towns have Trulli accommodations, so you don’t have to limit yourself to Alberobello for that experience. I suggest you scope out what you want to see, then use viamichelin, or similar, to figure out driving times. If you can avoid another lodging change, that’s a big plus, though as I recall, we stayed in 3 places; Matera, Martina Franca, and Lecce.
Here’s a tip from our experience. Many of the towns are on hilltops. We did not realize that our B and B, though close to the center of Martina Franca, was down a very steep road. We actually needed our host to drive us in for dinners and pick us up afterwards because it just was not walkable. The parking problem, at night in town, was appalling.
That is not the case with Lecce, however. It’s flat. We stayed at a lovely place outside the walls, but it only took about 5 minutes walking to be inside the historic area.

Having a car tends to dictate where you can stay. For that reason, you need to be really careful about choosing accommodations. We stayed in one of the cave inns in Matera, for example. Though quite lovely, its drawback was that it did not have its own parking. The described “free public” parking was full a couple of the nights, and we had to drive around searching for alternative locations.

@rosalyn. Great advice!! That's what I'm looking for.

Last spring we stayed in an apartment in the old part of Ostuni for a week. Yes, you have to park down the hill in the newer part of town, but we took lots of day trips quite easily. So many great places to eat in Ostuni! It is relaxing to be someplace without cars or motorbikes, and most of the "streets" are stairs.

On the same trip, we stayed in our own rented trullo outside of Cisternino for another week. We did visit Alberobello (for the second time) just so our grandson could see it --- he was not bothered at all by the shops full of trinkets spilling out of practically every trullo on the touristy side of the road (he loved that, actually), but for us, it robs the place of its charm. On that side of the road, it's hard to even take a photo of an interesting trullo because its front is so cluttered with souvenirs and signs.

A few years ago, we loved staying in one of the trulli at Masseria Aprile outside of Locorotondo ---- good breakfasts and good people and very easy to do day trips from there.

Lecce and Matera are both excellent choices!

Just start looking at accommodations in the Itria Valley--noting locations as advised above (I prefer to not drive to dinner so I stayed in Cisternino on one trip, Monopoli on the other, as it was close enough to access Bari airport as well as the trulli area). You might want to look at your arrival and departure locations given those consideration: Matera is 45 minutes from Bari, Lecce is close to Brindisi (unless you are driving in from another part of Italy). All of the hill towns are relatively close together, all are pleasant with restaurants, so just choose the accommodation/town you like the looks of. I felt like the others about Alberobello--don't like cheap tourist shops, but it is different in the mornings and evenings, and I sure did enjoy the food from a bakery I found there.
We have stayed in Matera twice and never found parking a problem, but you do sometimes have to look. Lecce is the only place it is remotely challenging to drive into. If you sty in the old town, just make sure it has assigned parking. Sounds like a perfect trip--I can't wait to go back third time really!

We visited Puglia (and then Matera and Naples) a couple of years ago. We spent a couple of nights at Masseria il Frantoio outside Ostuni. (https://www.masseriailfrantoio.it/en/) It was convenient for drives to see Martina Franca and Alberobello, and of course Ostuni. But it did cost more for lodging than we typically spend.

In Lecce, we had an extraordinary experience staying at Roof Barocco B&B. (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g194791-d2160726-Reviews-Roof_Barocco_Suite_B_B-Lecce_Province_of_Lecce_Puglia.html) They just have 2 rooms/suites that sit above the palazzo where the family who runs the B&B lives, in the historic part of town. The breakfast basket that we were brought each morning was stunning. And sitting out on the big patio in the evening was perfect.They provided us with a parking space in a parking garage on the edge of the old town. And I recall the price as being really good.

To vary the experience, I'd suggest adding Trani. A pleasant seaside city with a lively port area, you'd be close enough to visit Bari and/or the Gargano on a day trip.

We absolutly loved staying in Polignano a Mare overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Monopoli is another good choice on the water.

Thanks for all the suggestions!!! I finally have my itinerary and hotels booked!! I had to flip flop my itinerary based on hotels we wanted to stay in....but, that's ok, the area is not THAT big and we'll have a car. Logically Lecce, Alberobello, Matera.....but it didn't work out.

Fly into Bari and pick up our car
Going to stay in Alberobello 4 nights....although just off the beaten path at Grandi Trulli B&B. The draw is parking right across from the B&B. Plenty of time to do side trips to all the wonderful towns mentioned above!

Move to Lecce where I found (what looks like) a cool place to stay: La Suite di Martina for 3 nights. From here we will go south for day trips.

Move to Matera - Thymus Residence nei Sassi 3 nights - we like to stay awhile in places. I don't like moving too much. We really enjoy going back to places for a drink, dessert, etc.

Then onto Paestum for a night. Hotel dei Templi
Dropping our car at Salerno and staying in the Sea View B&B for 3 nights before fast train to Rome.

We are back from our trip including 11 days in the Puglia & Basilicata region. We've been to Italy 4 times and these areas have become favorites. There's a different feel and vibe to this area. Matera was just magical. In fact, I would recommend it to first times in Italy if there's the time. Alberobello, while being more touristy - is unique and a don't miss IMO. The beaches along the Adriatic coastline are, again IMO, more spectacular than the Amalfi Coast. Certainly more accessible beaches. The Cave of Poets and surrounding areas did not disappoint. Polignano al Mare had breathtaking views. All in all we were quite thrilled with our itinerary. I prefer this area to Cinque Terre (which I loved) and certainly to the Lake Como area.

Thanks for reporting back!

Jennifer,
Your questions, itinerary, and post-trip insights are so helpful. We're planning a similar trip. When did you actually go? How was the weather at that time? Thanks.

I thought I'd post my answers in the Thread for others to read.
First, I have to say this was an AMAZING trip to Italy. My fourth time, but first time in Puglia. LOVED IT!

1) what time of year did you go? How were the temps?
We were specifically in the Puglia region from September 23 - October 10th. The temps were perfect!! Upper 70's & lower 80's. We had a tiny bit of rain on one day only.

2) best places you visited?
MATERA!! Technically Basilicata area I believe. Lots of walking uphill, but this town has it all. Breathtaking views, the most ancient buildings and in the newer town, shopping and strolling with the best of big towns. The history of this place fascinates me. I definitely want to get back here.

Alberobello - yes, very commercial......but, because we stayed here for 4 nights and used it as our base, we really got to love the vibe at night. Again, you can walk up into the newer part of town and it's very different from the heart of the Trulli area. We stayed in a Trullo and I would definitely do this again! Just because it's unique. There are other towns to stay in - Polignano a Mare was beautiful and would be a good choice as well. I thought Martina Franca was the dingiest little town. Sorry....but every place we went was bursting with flowers - not one SINGLE flower in the whole town! Boring! We had a car and found Alberobello to be very convenient as a base.

Our Itinerary:
1 - Flew into Bari - got our car and drove to Alberobello
Alberobello 4 nights - during this time, drove to: Polignano a Mare; Locorotundo; Martina Franca
2 - Drove to Lecce - on the way to Lecce we stopped in Ostuni - stayed in Lecce for 3 nights and visited: Roca Vecchia and the Cave of Poets - breathtaking!! Must see. We also visited Otranto after Roca Vecchia.
3 - Drove to Matera - stayed 3 nights. Bus to Parco Murgia with amazing views of Matera
4 - Drove to Paestum - again, so glad we did this! Just stayed for one night.
5 - Drove to Salerno - dropped our car - stayed 3 nights. Used this as a base to go to Amalfi Town (too touristy) and Ravello - great views. (we had stayed in Sorrento on a previous trip and explored the Amalfi Coast ie Positano, Capri and Pompeii, etc.) Not too much to do in Salerno, but a good place to get rid of a car and get a direct train to Rome (bypass Naples)
6 - Train to Rome - 3 nights - we love Rome and this was just our relaxing 4th time to revisit sites and restaurants. Had a fabulous 5 hours of roaming the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill - I think there's much more open than in 2012 when we went there. So, really a good addition this time.

Definitely need a car!!!
Driving was pretty easy. Be sure to have a GPS. Parking is always tricky, just go slow and don't freak out! LOL! Follow signs and you'll be good.

In hindsight, probably one less night in Salerno - just because we had visited the area previously for a week. Maybe 2 nights in Polignano a Mare. (one less in Alberobello & one less in Salerno to make it work) But, it was so close to Alberobello that it's not like it was really necessary.
So, all in all, the timing was really good for us. We like to relax and unpack. I like being in a place 3-4 nights so that we can re-visit restaurants/bars that we liked, so that we actually remember where things are, etc. I don't like to rush through and "see" a bunch of things, but not really "feel" them.

We are not beach people.....depending on what time of year you go, this is a great area for beaches! So much more accessible IMO than the Amalfi Coast and I think even prettier. We like sightseeing, ruins, sitting in Piazzas with drinks, shopping and meeting people and chatting.

I hope that helps! There's a LOT of information online in various blogs, etc. about this area. I just started reading and making lists of what I wanted to see.

Great summary, Jennifer. Thanks so much!

Thanks Jennifer. This is excellent information. After the Greece portion of our trip in April this year, we will be in Monopoli and Lecce each for 4 nights with a car (into and out of Bari) and the information you've provided is very helpful. Fifth time to Italy, first time in Puglia and really looking forward to it.