Puglia -- how to split 4 1/2 days?

Have you made a list of places you want to see that you could share?
What is your departure time from Bari?

The cathedral in Bari is very interesting. The main church sanctuary is Roman Catholic and then on a lower floor there is an Orthodox Church where the relic of St. Nicholas ( Santa Claus) is located. It is a Russian Orthodox pilgrimage site. The statue of St. Nicholas standing in the cathedral square was given as a gift by Putin( whoops!) . I wonder if it’s still there?
You will see many older women making
Orecchiette, the pasta of Puglia, in the windows of their kitchens. And, of course they will sell you some too.
I would take a day from Bari and do a day trip north to Trani or south to Polignano a Mare. Or stop in Polignano on your way to Lecce. Go for a walk in it’s old town, watch the waves crashing on the large rocks below, have a wonderful lunch sitting outside. We were in Puglia 9-10 days and enjoyed it so much.

I'd make that decision based on what towns I wanted to see and the availability of public transportation to reach them.

Check in Lecce to see whether someone is still doing small-group van trips covering a bunch of different towns in a single day. That's how I managed to see a lot of places from Lecce. The trips were not tours; we just had a driver--who spoke barely enough English to communicate when and where we should meet the van to move on to the next stop. I can't find the website where the trips used to be listed. The cost was around 60 euros for a full-day trip covering 4 to 6 towns. Unfortunately, the trips ran on demand, and as a solo traveler I couldn't, on my own, create "demand". I had to just let the folks in the tourist office/travel agency know what I was interested in and cross my fingers. It helped that I was spending all my nights in Lecce.

Puglia can be very hot in June. Be sure the reviews for your selected lodgings do not indicate an air conditioning problem.

Lecce is a great city. However, Bari is not as great. It has a small and fabulous old town, but it doesn't compare to some of the other towns a bit more south. I would suggest Polignano a Mare, Monolpoli, or the beautiful city of Ostuni. You should be able to reach each by train or bus from Bari. We did one night in Bari because we flew in there late that afternoon. It was enjoyable, but we were done after a great night and an amazing dinner.

I agree with Emily, the poster above. I would not stay in Bari that long after touring Old Town but give it to a more interesting area, Polignano or Monopoli or a hill town.

We’re headed to Puglia next week. Also using public transportation upon arrival in Bari.
One night Polignano Mare, then on to Lecce for 4 nights. Next stop Grottaglie, couple nights. Then Ostuni four nights. Fly out of Brindisi.

Thank you all for your comments. So, we're (sadly) home. Upon arriving in Bari, we caught a cab to the central train station and purchased tickets to Lecce. Two nights in Lecce were great. Simply beautiful, and oddly reminiscent of our time in Valetta (without the stairs). We then trained up to Bari for three nights, and it exceeded our expectations as to interesting things to do, the low number of tourists (at least English speaking), and and easy 15 minute walk from the train station, around a beautiful water fountain to our apartment. I had an opportunity to try spaghetti all’assassina
which I had read about, and it was quite good, and very different too.

We took a train for a day trip from Bari to Monopoli -- and what a beautiful town to wander around with gorgeous views of the Adriatic Sea. And as an aside of sorts, we had a light lunch and it was my first time to have a Peroni "Cruda" and it was noticeably smoother that the usual Peroni.

Back on the train, we stopped at Polignano a Mare, and when my wife turned a corner and saw the vista she gasped loud enough for me to hear. When I moved around to see why, I was able to see one of the most stunning views I have ever seen.

Pulia needs much more time; however, I am so happy that we at least stayed a short while. And I did more than stick my foot in the Adriatic, I was able to swim in it for 10 minutes or so (it was a bit cool).