We will be in Puglia the second half of January. We are brainstorming things to do from about noon to 3 or 4 when many places are closed. We thought about doing dinner midday, but that sucks up precious daylight. I'm interested in any winery tours, walking tours of Matera, Alberobello, Lecce and Bari, nice easy to moderate hikes, and scenic drives.
I'm planning to search for hours of churches we are interested in visiting, but does anyone have an idea if churches close midday, as well?
I am in Tropea at the moment and heading towards Cosenza, Matera, Lecce, Polygamo al
Mare and then Naples. I started out in Amalfi and things were fairly lively for early November on the Amalfi coast. I went to Maratea and most things were shut down. Here in Tropea I would say probably 90% of restaurants, bars, shops are shut down. I am renting my apartment here in Tropea and my host's son mentioned that January February and March things are closed up even more. Without experience or having visited your towns you will probably need to do an awful lot of research from experience today one of the places I and many other people wanted to visit was closed even though the current information on their Facebook page indicated that they would be open.
We were in Puglia in late October a few years ago. We didn’t notice the afternoon closures so much until we got to Lecce. There, some churches were open in the afternoons, others not. Everything else — restaurants, shops, offices — closed down from 1 or 2 til nearly 6 pm. It really became a ghost town. Restaurants did not reopen until 8 pm - not even pizza or gelato. So be prepared with snacks in your room.
We did not have a car — took day trips by train to Otranto & Gallipoli (which also closed in the afternoon). Our best excursion was a great winery tour with a company called Experience Path, which was still active in Puglia last I checked. I would recommend contacting them as they may have some options for you.
I’m not sure where you got your information. Restaurants throughout Italy generally open for lunch from 12 or 12:30pm until 2:30/3pm. They then reopen for dinner at 7/7:30pm and close at 10pm or later. I checked some restaurants in Alberobello and Locorotondo I went to when I was there in summer 2023, and those are the opening times also this week. Shops generally open at 8:30 or 9am, close between 12:30pm and 3:30pm, then reopen until 7:30 or 8pm, however some stores, especially department stores, do not close at all during the midday hours.
Small seaside locations (like Tropea) are destinations that are popular in summer months when Italians go to the beach, but obviously will be largely deserted in winter, so several restaurants and bars and also shops might close totally for the season. Many restaurants and bars at those types of locations are managed by owners of restaurants who also have a restaurants in larger towns and close the seaside locations for the winter months, when they open only the big town location.
But that is not what you are going to experience at the destinations you mentioned. Alberobello is a destination that is popular, especially on weekends, all year round, so it is unlikely restaurants and bars will all shut down. Bari, Lecce, Matera are provincial capital cities, with larger meteo areas with populations, respectively, of 1,3 million, 700,000, 150,000 local residents, therefore, even thought there will be fewer tourists than in other months, will still have plenty of restaurants and other establishments that are open for locals, who obviously go out too. At those locations most restaurants and shops will have the opening hours I mentioned above.
For churches and museums you will need to check the individual venues’ websites. Museums don’t observe midday closures like shops, but some may open only in the morning until 1pm. Smaller churches may open only during service hours in the morning and in the early evening, and be closed at midday. Large cathedrals probably open longer. Winery tours are sometimes open only on weekends, and close by 5pm, but you need to check the individual wineries.
@Janet, If you are able to report back after you've been to Matera and Lecce, I'd sure appreciate it.
@Roberto, THANK YOU. I was having considerable "buyer's remorse". Roberto, I would guess you are right, wineries are probably only open on weekends or at least closed a couple days of the week, thanks.
@Charlene, thank you for your comments and the wine tour suggestion.
We'll probably plan to visit a city each morning. Would love suggestions for afternoon activities or recommendations for tour guides. I'm going to try some more to get visiting detail for some of the churches we'd like to visit.
Have not checked into it much, but would love see the women making orecchiette in Bari. I'm sure people eat in January. . . I wonder if they would still be making it outside?
Jules — you’re approaching this exactly right, by researching in advance and knowing what to expect. We were pretty clueless. Sounds like you’ll have a car, too, which will let you explore the countryside in the afternoons.
On our trip, we picked up a car when leaving Matera & used it for our wonderful week in a masseria near Fasano. We dropped it off in Brindisi & took the train to Lecce, expecting a city where we could happily wander … people had called it a “little Florence”. But the afternoon closures were unanticipated.
There are several good wineries near Lecce that I think you’d enjoy. The people at Experience Path were easy to work with. Let me know if you’d like the winery names to try to arrange on your own.
I had a great tour in Matera with https://www.materatourguide.it/en/
We always seek out interesting nature activities, and walking the gorge in nearby Laterza was nice. We also enjoyed a tour of Craco.
In the Itria Valley, we walked among the trulli villages, and renting bikes would be fun. There is an aqueduct trail, but I'd have no qualms about riding on rural roads (esp in January) .
The road south of Otranto is great for a rural drive. Here is a walking path we enjoyed: https://ecobnb.com/itinerary/the-cipolliane-caves-path
Also, just zoom in on Maps and you can check out the parks in Puglia--the one north of Gallipoli was one of my favorites.
I think you will be fine in the main towns, but definitely have a lunch plan for smaller villages, especially for those along the coast. We were almost caught out without a meal on more than one occasion and this was in May, not January. I sometimes grabbed a sandwich in Lecce and packed it for our excursions.
I should have asked about scenic vistas or pull outs.
@ Charlene, yes, I would love the names of the wineries. Yes, I think planning will help. It's a little hard to get hours for the churches. I found out that Lecce has 5 on one ticket, and was hoping to get the hours on that website, and I couldn't find any.
@Valadelphia, thank you for your ideas. The hike and the drive look nice. I had also forgotten that if I play with google maps, little camera icons indicate nice views. Only thing, is its kind of fussy with the magnification. Too close or too faraway and the cameras don't show up.
Jules, I found the following notes in my journal. The first winery we visited was Leone de Castris (where we purchased some wonderful Primitivo wine as well as some olive oil that they also produce).
And then a relatively short drive to Castello Monaci. In both wineries we toured the plant & museum, and tasted some great wines. We bought the Negroamaro at Castello Monaci. Both wineries are about the same size, producing 2.5 million bottles per year. Both are located in Salento. Hope you have a chance to visit them,
Below some notes I put together for some friends visiting Lecce, including opening times
1. Churches:
- Basilica of Santa Croce - The emblem of Lecce Baroque.
- The Cathedral - Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta
- Church of Santa Chiara
- Church of San Matteo
- Ancient Seminary - Museum of Sacred Art
LeccEcclesiae ticket to visit the following monuments: Cathedral, Basilica of Santa Croce, Church of Santa Chiara, Church of San Matteo, Ancient Seminary and Museum of Sacred Art (MuDAS)
Full price €11.00
Optional
- To go up the bell tower of the cathedral you pay 10 euros more by choosing the 21 euro ticket.
- Guided tour Lecce Baroque Tour 20 euros per person plus the 11 euro ticket
OPENING HOURS:
LeccEcclesiae sites are open every day
From 9 am to 9 pm (April to September)
From 9 am to 6 pm (October to March)
The admission is allowed up to 15 minutes before closing time.
TICKET
Unique (single) ticket to visit the following monuments (sites): Duomo and bell tower, Basilica di Santa Croce, Chiesa di Santa Chiara, Chiesa di San Matteo, Antico Seminario and Museo di Arte Sacra (MuDAS)
https://www.chieselecce.it/en/info/
Sigismondo Castromediano Museum
The oldest museum in all of Puglia with finds ranging from Messapian ceramics to Attic vases and statues from the imperial age found during the excavations of the amphitheatre.
There is also a library and an art gallery with two sections: one is reserved for works of Renaissance and Baroque taste; the second, instead, houses paintings by the major Salento artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Free.
Open every day except Monday.
From June to September, the Museum is open from 9.00 to 22.00 From October to May, the Museum is open from 9.00 to 19.00 Last admission: half an hour before closing
Roman Amphitheatre and Theatre
Visible from the Square and Tourist Office
Faggiano Museum
Via Ascanio Grandi: there is the church of San Niccolò dei Greci, a place of worship for the Arbëreshë community of Salento, and there is the Faggiano Museum, which until 2000 was nothing more than a private building in the historic city center. In 2001, due to extraordinary maintenance work, the floor had to be broken. Thus, several finds of considerable historical importance emerged from the subsoil: a floor from the Messapian era (5th century BC); cisterns for collecting rainwater and storing grain; tombs; and other ceramic and masonry finds.
Open every day from 9.30am to 8pm.
5,00 €uro
www.museofaggiano.it
My friends were really fascinated by this place
Castle of Charles V
Tinac and Charlene, Thank you! I am so grateful.
Perhaps since there isn't a plethora of guidebooks for Puglia, when I'm done aggregating the materials I got from guidebooks, the web and forum folks, I will post the document.
Following!
I am also following and very much appreciate all of the contributions to this topic.
We leave for Puglia in 3 weeks and are really looking forward to our trip! Thank you to everyone for all of the great information.
Jules, I will post a trip report when we get back, which I should have done by the time you leave. We are basing in Trani for our 6-day stay, and our focus will be walks/hikes around the area, minimal "sightseeing." Eating will also be a priority!! Can't wait for all of the delicious food!
We will also be in Puglia in January (last week or so). We will have a car. I understand that outside of the three main cities that services are limited so we should make sure we have snacks. We'd prefer to have a country home on acreage. Is there such an area we should search that would give us a unique setting yet within 20-30 minutes of a village/city with services?
Ooooooh DebVT, you'll be there for the holiday lights! I can't wait to hear your report.
steve, I have rented an apartment from this agency, and I am sure they offer rural rentals, but you could also try the usual places like Booking.com, the agriturismo website, etc.:
https://www.helloapulia.com/en/
Hi Jules,
I will bookmark this for any new thoughts as I am going back to Puglia again next May.
Some of the activities I did might interest you, so I will just attach my trip report, in particular, the ebike rental in Alberobello, and the cooking class & city walking tour in Lecce were afternoon activities. I don’t remember any major closures, but I did spend a lot of afternoon time enjoying exploring lanes and stopping to do a few sketches. I really enjoy spending time in churches and didn’t notice locked doors. I purchased the multi-church ticket at Lecce mentioned above and went through all of them the first afternoon I was there after eating lunch. (Interesting interiors but definitely not my style. You may need more time.)
I don’t know about tourist crowds in January, but I loved Alberobello! Many people warn to just stop there quickly and move on, but I found it to be so unique and charming to walk around late afternoon/evening and early morning! The locals come out to the piazza in the evening and socialize. I highly recommend the place where I stayed. In fact, I have reserved the same one for another night next May. The place I rented my ebike provides a variety of tours - ebike ride loops to Locorotondo, etc. segway tours, golf cart tours, etc.
@DebVT, I will be very interested in how you like Trani. I have it penciled into my next Puglia trip for two nights. I recently watch the video of Rick’s guide, Lisa Friend, and she didn’t care for it - although I got the impression that she travels differently than I do since we both were in Bari at the same time, went to Caserta, etc.
Trani is absolutely one of my favourite places: here's why
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2023/04/why-i-love-trani.html
Tinac, your recommendation and blog were definitely big contributors to our choosing Trani. And Jean, your trip report has some great information that we’ll use on our adventures in Puglia.
We are very slow travelers and love wandering, stopping for drinks and snacks, people watching, leisurely meals. I think Trani will be a perfect fit for us.
For this trip, we have no scheduled activities except for one morning with a guide in Matera. We’ll go with the mood of the day and the weather as we explore the area. I’ll post my report soon after we’re back.
And yes, I’ll report on the Christmas lights! Can’t wait!
Hi Juli!
I know you know this, but the sucking up of precious daylight by eating a longer lunch is compensated for by all the wonderful evening and night street life in so many towns and cities. Some of our favorite memories of Puglia are of strolling around in cheerfully lit-up towns with Italians doing the same. Shops are open, even butcher shops and hardware stores. Now, we travel to Puglia in October, November, March, and April, so it could well be different in January for you, but try a longer lunch and an evening out a few times.
On the other hand, the days with a shorter lunch but shops and churches are closed for the afternoon are to your advantage in Puglia because you are not in Puglia to go to museums and art galleries and shops --- you are there to walk around the towns themselves, so if the residents are home eating and napping, the deserted streets are all yours. For most of the churches, it's their facades you want to see, not the interiors. Or drive around the countryside or to your next accommodation.
I hope that your trip can be after January 6th --- people do tend to stay on their Christmas holiday until after Epiphany, so even restaurants can be closed, sites can be understaffed, or tours and cooking classes just unavailable. Even in more heavily touristed places like Rome, Venice, Florence, etc. we have found more closures (ones that Google does not know about) during that first week of January.
Have a great time and report back!
@Nancy, Thanks, sounds like some evening strolling is a must!
@Jean, I found your trip report at the beginning of my planning and have used it a lot. I'm actually staying in Alberobello. I'm thinking and hoping, that it won't be crowded in January.
I've been in Southern Italy for about three weeks and Puglia for the last week and I'm still here. I was in Trani yesterday and I have to say at least 80 to 90% of the shops, and restaurants are closed. For most of the area as far as I have found.
Am I correct, that Trani would be considered a "beach town"? I see that the cathedral is open in the morning and again in the late afternoon.
Trani has 54,806 inhabitants and is the provincial capital, together with Barletta and Andria, of the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in Puglia. It has got a beach down the far south end but it is not a beach town. It is a bustling Italian town going about its business which attracts local and now even some foreign visitors, including lots of people from the nearby big city of Bari for a day out and to eat fish. It doesn't shut down for the winter.
Most shops in Trani open from 8.30 until 12.30 / 1 and then from 4.30/5pm. Many are small busliness so close on Sundays and sometimes Mondays. Restaurants will be open for lunch (not all) and or in the evening so maybe walking around in the mid afternoon one can get the impression that everything is closed.
The cathedral opens 09–12:30, 15:30–19, except for Sunday which is 09–12:30, 16–20
I would not consider Trani a beach town — in fact I didn’t realize it had a beach! We were there in October several years ago but were not aware of the afternoon closures (or affected by them) as we were in Lecce. Lots of interesting things to see & do near Trani.
Jules, the TR below is lengthy and may have some info that you are looking for. No winery but just about everything else that you ask about, plus a bonus or two (eg. St. Vito).
I am 'zebec' over on Fodors.
Good Luck.
I am done. The end!
https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/bella-puglia-also-basilicata-and-rome-1634280/
