Puglia itinerary help

Hi, I hope you’re including a stop at Paestum if you’re at Salerno - amazing Greek ruins!

I didn’t stay in a masseria in Puglia because I just travel by train or occasional bus. So I can’t give recommendations for those. And I had Otranto on my list for a long time but didn’t go there. Otherwise, I did stay in each of the cities you mentioned, so I will add my links to the two trips - May2025& May 2024. I did cooking classes on each trip, no wine tours but an olive oil tasting.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/3-week-italy-trip-to-puglia-plus-tivoli-rome-may-2025

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/my-1-month-independent-trip-to-southern-italy-tribute-to-my-husband

I liked Monopoli, but for your quick stay, look up the specific room in the B&B hotel where I stayed both times in Polignano a Mare - an amazing balcony & view that I let dictate my dates last May, so I could stay in it again.

Jean

I think you can consolidate a lot of those moves and still do a lot of the same things as day trips. I'd skip the Martina Franca one-night stay and do three nights at the masseria or in Monopoli, or do two nights in Matera (whichever you find most appealing).
Is your flight out really early? If you don't want to deal with the car in Bari, we stayed in Giovinazzo, and it's less than 10 minutes drive to the airport. I like Bari and I am sure there are places that offer parking, so that's a "just in case" bit. If the flight is not super early, you can get from Monopoli to Bari airport in about 45 minutes.

Thank you both for your quick replies. Jean- thanks for linking your trip reports, they were very enjoyable to read, sounds like a wonderful time. I will consider the apartment you noted in Polignano a mare, it looks lovely.

Valedelphia- I can consider skipping Martina Franca but I like the idea of experiencing each town in the evening. The last week in October, the clocks are already set back and the sun will set before 5pm. I would rather not have to drive back after dinner in the dark. I think I am going to catch a night flight from Bari at 7:25 to Rome, spend the night in a Rome airport hotel and fly out early the next day but appreciate the suggestion to stay near the Bari airport.

On a couple of the days you list it may be a challenge to visit two towns. In rural southern Italy such as Puglia shops/churches/museums close about 1pm until around 5pm and restaurants close by 2pm for the riposo pomeridiano. Tourism mainly happens before lunch or in the evenings.

Thanks John, I forgot about that. These short days are throwing a wrinkle in my plans.

Yes, I’d skip the Otranto & Lecce area, as it’s lots of driving. And Lecce effectively turns into a ghost town between about 1 pm and 6 pm. Everything closes except a couple of churches. We were also there in October and it was a bit frustrating.

Some thoughts about enjoying the afternoons in Puglia. There will be some restaurants open for lunch at 1:00pm, so eat then --- a few times we were the only people eating, but the food was still great and the places welcomed us. Do your driving in the afternoon and see some of the not-renovated trulli dotting the countryside or the views from seaside towns or the olive groves. In Puglia, it's almost always the facades of the Romanesque and Baroque churches that I want to see, not the interiors, so it doesn't matter that the churches are closed (the floor of the Otranto cathedral is one example of an exception). It's a little strange to be walking around a town with no other people, but in Puglia it's often the town itself we want to see and photograph rather than going into any museums. And when the afternoon is done, shops are open in the evening and towns are lively then, with people strolling before dinner and maybe a fish market or street food or gelato. Evenings in Italy are very different from where we live, so we like all that.

Cooking classes. My husband enjoyed his at the Awaiting Table in Lecce so much that we are returning to Puglia for maybe the fifth time so he can do a weeklong course. I believe they do tours, too.

I found that sometimes museums were closed and sometimes not, so it's best to check for anything you are especially interested in. We missed the Otranto cathedral for example.
Sometimes all the restaurants were open, but sometimes we encountered ghost towns (this was May so I assume more open than October but not sure). I always had a plan for lunch after almost getting caught without one twice.
We typically did outdoor stuff during the pausa, or did our accommodation moves during those hours and did scenic drives.

For those familiar with logistics in coastal Puglia...

For March 2027, we are thinking of basing for a few days in Bari, after spending 2 weeks in Rome chilling out, and taking the train over. Reason for staying in Bari is that at the end of our stay we'll fly to Malta for a few days, fly to Rome, and back home to Chicago.

Cursory looks at transportation look like the train can take you from Bari to Lecce in 1 hr, 24 min, and from Bari to Polignano a Mare is about 42 minutes. From the train stations, is it a lot of walking to where we want to be in each of these towns?

At most, !0 minute walks from both train stations into the town centers.

We spent 8 days in Puglia in April. You could easily see the sites of your days 2-4-5-6 by staying in one location. We stayed right outside Locorotondo at Masseria Grofoleo — fabulous and special place — the owner will give you great recommendations and directions. We spent an evening in Martina Franca — stunning. And then you can take day trips to all of the other villages. We enjoyed seeing the Salento region (Lecce, Otranto) — but it adds a lot of driving. Masseria Longa Boutique Hotel is very nice — right outside Otranto. Matera is an amazing place — get a 2 hour tour to understand the people and history — Dimore dei Mercanti is great place to stay in the old sassi of Matera — the owner will meet you and give you tips — and he can book a tour and restaurant reservations for you. We loved Puglia! Driving was easy and people wonderful.

Thanks Susan CB- Masseria Grofoleo sounds wonderful, appreciate the recommendation! I think it will work out nicely.