Puglia Input for upcoming trip in May

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!

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/

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.

Giovinazzo is a delightful small town by the sea! https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2022/08/puglia-in-may-giovinazzo.html

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.

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

Nancys8, yeah! I’m glad this strategy worked well for you! Some of those towns turn completely into the atmospheric quaint place (after the day tourists leave) that originally made them begin to be noticed.