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Puglia Input for upcoming trip in May

Hi forum friends,

I’m finishing up the locations for my upcoming trip in May back to Puglia. I just removed Alberobello & Locorotondo while working on this yesterday - two 1-night stays that I did last May & absolutely loved! But sometimes memories of two fantastic days should be kept as special. And, sliding Ostuni up two nights & adding Lecce (I was there last year) will greatly simplify the itinerary, so that’s my new plan. This also avoids any transportation now on a Sunday which I’ve experienced is important for reliable arrivals! ; )

I’m planning the Bari FAI trains thru Altamura to reach Matera.
To reach Ostuni, I’m taking the train & the added Ostuni Citta bus link.

Any thoughts for Lecce? I took the Awaiting Tables cooking class, a city tour, and the self multi-cathedrals ticket visits last year. Still thinking possibly about a day trip to Otranto my 2nd/last day in Lecce.

Trani, Matera, Giovinazzo, Ostuni & Tivoli will be new cities for me.

Fly to Rome
- Rome - for a jet lag night after 3 flights
- Trani
- Matera - I have a guide for the 2nd day
- Giovinazzo - 1-night. This small town is in my Puglia coffee table book acquired last year, and I want to stay there overnight to photograph.
- Bari - returning to attend the San Nicola Festival again. Bari’s dates are set because of the festival.
- Ostuni
- Lecce
- Polignano a Mare - shifted some dates around & was able to reserve my favorite room again with the amazing balcony!
- Caserta - 1-night to go back to the Caserta Reggia & gigantic gardens.
- Tivoli - meeting up with a forum friend. : )
- Rome - just a non-refundable 1-night for a little visit back in Rome.
- Rome Hilton Airport Hotel - my typical last night spot to have that extra 1-2 hours of sleep for the three flights home.

Posted by
1682 posts

Since you are the Queen of Public Transportation, you might enjoy the transportation museum in Lecce (Museo Ferroviario della Puglia) --- my whole family did.

I look forward to your report on Giovinazzo --- it's been on my list every time we went to Puglia and we never made it there. Returning in October, though!

Posted by
5627 posts

We stayed a night in Giovinazzo due to its proximity to the airport. One of the more robust passeggiata I have experienced!
You probably saw this previously in Lecce, but it's the kind of small unique museum that I just adore so just in case: http://www.museofaggiano.it/en/home/

Posted by
3730 posts

When you arrive at Ostuni train station, the bus stop for the bus up to town will hopefully have been restored to just outside the station.
Last October, they were redoing the area outside the station.
We were directed to walk straight ahead to the street, turn right and walk about 6-7 minutes slightly uphill to the next corner.
There was a very old mini bus waiting there.
The driver said no need to pay as he had run out of tickets!
The bus drops you at the carpark where all the tour buses park.
You then take some steps up to the street to walk to your left up into the town.
It's quite hilly.
We loved Ostuni...we were there just for the day from Lecce.

Posted by
8187 posts

Tinac, I don’t usually do day trips, but I was thinking about taking the quick 5-minute train from Polignano a Mare over to Monopoli my second afternoon. I see you mentioned it in your link. Or should I head over there late morning to eat lunch & walk around before places close during the day?

This is my second time to Polignano a Mare. I won’t do the cave boat tour again, but I love walking around the old center in the quiet early morning before the day-trip visitors change the atmosphere, and I also enjoy the center so much in the evening. So, I could head over to Monopoli as early as 10am since I will probably do a sketch from my room balcony again that morning.

Posted by
8187 posts

Nancys8, which cities are on your Puglia trip in October? I keep seeing more that I would like to visit that are on the tip, but I will probably switch over to visiting France again next year instead of a third trip to this area.

Posted by
1682 posts

Staying in Lecce for a week for a week-long cooking course at Awaiting Table

See the frescoes in the Basilica di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria in Galatina

Would like to go see the floor of the Otranto cathedral again --- it was mostly covered with chairs the last time

Eat at Antichi Sapori in Montegrosso for the second time

Would like to stay in Giovinazzo for a few nights, but at least visit it

Maybe Molfetta?

That's all so far --- I've been too busy planning the upcoming Sicily trip to focus on Puglia. Last night I had what I think of as a "boring anxiety dream" --- in my dream, I woke up in a hotel room in Rome to discover that I'd accidentally flown to Rome a week too early and had also neglected to get on the plane to Palermo, but the dream itself was all about just getting ready to leave the hotel room and figuring out what to do about the apartment in Palermo. So boring and ordinary that it seemed still real when I woke up.

Posted by
1269 posts

Nancy, I had to LOL about your dream. Last night, I dreamed that for some reason, I packed without my list and arrived in Europe with no underwear or socks. It's crazy what our brains do when we spend too much time planning trips!

Posted by
452 posts

Hi Jean, the train only takes about 15 minutes so it's an easy trip. Unless you have somewhere specific to lunch you could even just go in the afternoon. Monopoli is a place for wandering the streets and the little harbour and the sea so it doesn't matter if shops are closed etc. I would decide according to where you find somewhere the most suitable for lunch - Polignano or Monopoli

Posted by
1527 posts

Gallipoli seems to be a tourist site more popular with Italians than with foreigners, but it's a beautiful place with spectacular views and some of the best seafood you'll ever eat. Hard to get to, though, if one limits oneself to public transport.

Posted by
8187 posts

The ”Queen of Public Transportation” (LOL!) is running into some issues trying to see more of the churches in the Salento bottom tip of Italy. Partially it’s an issue because half-day tours want at least two people for signing up, and I am traveling solo. And the train connections from Lecce south pretty much will limit my choice to just one city - Otranto, or Gallipoli.

Posted by
8187 posts

Valadelphia, ohh, I am looking forward to Giovinazzo’s passeigiata now! The one at Martina Franca last year was exceptional!

Posted by
8187 posts

S J, hopefully the bus up into Ostuni will be a smooth process. I will be buying the train ticket that includes the bus link into town - the Ostuni Citta destination vs. Ostuni.

Posted by
3730 posts

Hi Jean,
There will be others looking for the bus stop in Ostuni….that’s how we found out where it was, as there were no signs!
Going back to the station, the bus stop is across the road from the tour bus parking lot …at least that one is marked as an actual bus stop.

You can see the Croatian Coastline on a clear day from the viewpoints in Ostuni.
It’s a delightful town, I was sorry we were only there for the day.

Posted by
8187 posts

I’m currently weighing my three options for those two Lecce placeholder days:

  1. Stay overnight in Lecce two nights and take a day trip to Taranto just for their archeological museum - sounds like a fantastic museum, and I considered it last year.
  2. Stay in Lecce and do a day trip to Otranto to see the ancient mosaic floor and another tiny church. The city doesn’t sound that interesting for staying there at night.
  3. Skip staying at Lecce and stay at Gallipoli two nights OR do it as a day trip or 1-night and spend the other night in Lecce.

I stayed in Lecce three nights last year, so I don’t feel a need to stay in Lecce other than for convenience for public transportation.

I don’t like day trips. I much prefer arriving in a new city with my bag and not needing to watch the clock the rest of the day.

Posted by
452 posts

I haven't been to the Archaeological museum in Taranto yet but Dusibello over on TA thinks highly of it so am planning to.
Gallipoli has a newer part which offers nothing much and the historical centre which was packed with groups, souvenir shops and generally tourists when we visited end September. I visited Otranto many years ago, and hope to return. I remember it as better than Gallipoli.
Talking about churches in the Salento area, the Basilica in Galatina is special but I expect is a challenge by public transport.

Posted by
288 posts

I'd love to stay in Taranto!!

Nancy, oh, that dream!!!! I've had ones like that, too.

Great to see another fan of Antichi Sapori!!! We've been a couple of times over the years, and returned in fall 2023 on our way to the Gargano. It's as great as ever and Pietro was there, as usual. It's one of my favorite restaurants in southern Italy, without a doubt!!! Last time we even stayed at a hotel close by so we'd have an easy drive at night.

Posted by
8187 posts

Making more changes - none of those options seemed like they were clicking for the perfect solution after watching lots of YouTube videos & looking at reasonable transportation options.

Instead of staying in Lecce two nights, I am staying one night at Monopoli & one night at Alberobello. It’s a bit of back & forth because after Alberobello, it’s Polignano a Mare, but that will give me a coastal city after Ostuni and an inland city between two coastal cities. I strongly considered Conversano after Monopoli and even found a very nice hotel, but I think that town would be too lonely during the day - although very nice at night.

Alberobello gets a bad rap on this forum, but I stayed overnight there last May and loved the experience! It’s an amazing location late afternoon/evening and in the morning before the day tourists arrive. Last year I rented an ebike and rode in the countryside during the afternoon.

Posted by
452 posts

We like Alberobello very much too, it was actually quite easy to get away from the busiest parts.

Posted by
1682 posts

Thought you’d like to hear that we are right now using the patented Jean-overnight-in-Alberobello-strategy to enjoy heavily touristed Erice in Sicily. It’s a fantastic town (like Alberobello is, for sure), but so much quieter and more atmospheric to walk around in early in the morning and late in the afternoon and evening. As we returned from our daytrip at 4:00pm, tour buses full of people were streaming out of the town. So, thank you!