Hi All,
We're planning to travel to Puglia for 2 weeks in late April, 2025 into early May, and renting a car to travel around. I've read a lot of the great posts in this forum, and as a result we'll be visiting many of the towns recommended by people in the replies (e.g. Polignano, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Ostuni, Martina Fanca, Lecce, Otranto, Monopoli, Lecce, Bari) but I have a few additional questions to help with the planning of our trip.
- We currently plan to depart the US on April 21 or 22, right after Easter. We booked a tour in Ireland that starts on May 5, so if we chose to extend our stay in Italy, we have to depart the US sooner. Does anyone foresee any issue traveling to Italy on Easter Sunday, or the day before? I've been in Italy on Easter in the past so I know many places are closed, but never traveled to there on or near Easter Sunday, so I'm not sure what the plane and rental car situation would be that weekend. Any tips on what we could expect would be helpful
- We plan to spend a week in the southern part of Puglia in one place and then a week in the northern portion in one other place, and take day trips from those home bases. We prefer to stay in small, quiet towns, so if anyone has suggestions for good options in either of those areas, it would be appreciated
- My grandmother was born in Candela, and we will likely visit the town, but unfortunately I don't know much about it to know whether it's worth just a short visit (an hour or two to look around) or whether it's worth it to spend much of the day there. Is anyone familiar with that town or anywhere close to it?
- My grandfather was born in Ruvo del Monte, which is in the neighboring Basilicata region, so we will also probably visit there as well. But I have the same question about Ruvo del Monte as I do about Candela, if anyone is familiar with that area
I know this is a somewhat long post, so thanks to anyone who took the time to read it all and provide a response :)
Much appreciated,
-Phil