Hi everyone!
My husband and I are planning a trip to Puglia in September. We will have about ten days and I'm looking for info on the best towns to visit while we are there. We will be flying in to Bari and renting a car from there, but anything else is undefined at this point, including a "home base" town to travel from. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
Joan
That should be a lovely time of year there! Puglia is very interesting and has the best food! I am not a beach person, but the Italians love the beaches there.
You will need at least two and maybe three bases as it is a large region without high speed highways. Lots of small towns! We enjoyed Lecce as a base to see the heel, and Polignano al Mare to see the middle. I would add, with a stay of ten days, a third base. Matera (really in Basilicata) is unique, or in the Gargano Peninsula (which I have yet to visit).
You can spend a day driving the heel, another hitting smaller towns like Ostuni, Martina Franca (bellissima!), Alberobello. Don't miss Castel del Monte!
I agree about Castel del Monte. Nearby is a great restaurant, Madre Terra - down a dirt road but you can look it up for directions.
I stayed at a great little B&B outside of Alberobello for southern Puglia: the name is Podere Papilio, owned by two gracious people who will give you great breakfasts and tons of advice. They grow their own fruits and make preserves. It's ten minutes from Alberobello and about an hour from Bari.
Definitely visit Matera - it's a unique place with a long, sometimes tragic history. The passeggiata every evening is worth an overnight.
The Gargano Peninsula and Matera are two-night stops on Rick's South Italy tour, and Alberobello is a daytime stop. Of course you'll also want (or probably already have) a guidebook tailored to the region.
Hi Joan,
We're heading for Puglia in mid-April. So far, I've pinpointed Bari, Trani, Martina Franca, Ostuni, Castellana Grotte, Otranto, Taranto, and Locorotondo as places to visit. We're staying 3 nights in Bari, 2 in Lecce, 2 in Matera and 4 in Martina Franca. I'll be happy to give you a report when we return.
