Puglia region first time

Consider using buses as well as trains.

I really liked Lecce, which is lovely and has a different look from the small white coastal villages. However, rather than using standard public transportation when I was there in 2015, I took advantage of multi-destination van transportation then offered by one of the local travel agencies. It was a way for me to have an hour or so in many small towns. The offerings weren't tours, just transportation to several places each day, and I'd have liked a bit more time at each destination, but to be able to get to 4 to 6 places in a day was great. It's just not possible to do that by train or bus.

I took a quick look and couldn't find anything on the web about those van trips. but they may still be offered, though I don't know about March. I did see several multiple-destination day trips listed on the Viator website. If you scroll down to "Additional Info" and then click on "See x more", you'll find the name of the company actually operating the tour so you can try to book directly. The listed tours are more expensive than the 2015 offerings I used, which--again--were not tours, just transportation from town to town.

A lot of the attractive Pugliese places don't need a full day (true of Alberobello, for example). Traveling by train or public bus may limit how much ground you can cover, because infrequent schedules and the need to return to a hub mean it's often very difficult to get to even two small towns in a single day. I hope to return to Puglia for a longer visit at some point, and I plan to really dig into train and bus schedules to see what can be accomplished on my own, then perhaps supplement that with a bus tour to hit multiple little towns.

Trains within Puglia are not fast. They are not particularly comfortable. They are operated by Ferrovie Sud-Est, not within the Eurail network. But they run more or less on time, and they take you to beautiful places. It's a wonderful part of the world.

I spent almost 2 weeks in Puglia this past summer and absolutely loved it. Lecce is spectacular with amazing Baroque architecture, terrific food and wonderfully walkable streets. There is an ongoing dig in the center of the old city where a Coliseum is gradually being exposed and there are a number of the original gates walls still present. It’s also a terrific location for exploring areas such as Santa Maria di Leuca and other nearby spots. While we also flew into Bari, we opted to go directly to Polignano rather than spending time in Bari. It was summer and hot and we were looking for some beach time relaxation, which we most definitely experienced. You might consider taking a night or two from your time in Bari to visit Matera in Basilicata. It’s truly unique and amazing and can be reached (at least in July) by local rail. Have a wonderful trip.

That area is a bit behind the curve when it comes to tourism and tourist infrastructure. I guess that can be both good and bad. Perhaps it's like going to the Amalfi coast in the 1950's ... except most of it is nowhere near as.beautiful.

The coastal train is really convenient because it links Bari down to Lecce and the cities in between, so you can commute or do day trips.

Bari is by the far the largest and is a nice vibrant city. We were there several times and always enjoyed the place. Some of the coastal towns are great too. - especially Polignano a Mare.

Albertobello is very cute - but you pretty much have seen it all in an hour or two. So no reason to stay. We hired a driver out of one of the cities to go there then Ostuni, Locorondo, etc - the latter of which we were not that impressed with.

Lecce was so-so, pretty small, and had a bad experience there. It mainly had 2 buildings with interesting facades. But being one of the more remote areas, communication was a problem much more than in other areas a few stops up the train.

Matera was such a let down and kind of misrepresented. Yes there are ancient caves that people lived in for centuries - but you never actually see those - because they on the outskirts of town and they are sealed off from public access. The main town is kind of a modern shanty town about half way through the process of re-gentrificatoin. And you need to get a driver to take you there.

So interesting to see the responses you have, already. Redhairedlibrarian and Railrider’s responses give you a range of reactions for both Lecce and Matera, for example.

We all have different experiences, different reasons to travel, different approaches and different levels of sophistication.

Acraven, whose experience and advice I have valued on trip planning, gives a view of Alberobello that others have shared in other forum posts on Puglia - 2 hours is enough. Yet my wife and I quite enjoyed spending three nights in a Trullo suite, there. Still, I hasten to add that Alberobello is not a place to spend two whole days; one of our two days there involved doing some laundry and getting our e-bikes. Our only other full day in the area involved a 55 km loop ride to the nearby towns of Martina Franca and Locorotondo which had interesting churches and, in Martina Franca, an interesting ducal palazzo with art of varying interest. But I hasten to add that Alberobello is a picturesque place and we had some lovely dinners there. One day, we also took in a small museum and the Trullo Sovrano that gave insight into life in that area in the 18th century

I can offer a few comments solely based on our 11 days in Puglia this past April. Puglia did not experience the Renaissance. It is different than Italy from Rome to the north. It does have a long history as a part of Magna Graecia - Greater Greece - before Rome came to dominate the Italian peninsula. After Rome’s decline, Puglia was under the dominance of the Eastern Roman Empire for hundreds of years and later, under the dominion of Spain. As Redheadlibrarian points out, the Baroque era dominates the architecture of many churches in the region. Some find that a feast for the eyes, though I find it too magnificent to be beautiful. Some of the art we saw in Lecce and other areas throughout southern Italy was from the 17th and 18th centuries, which I found dark and heavy. Older churches in the region, such as in Otranto, go back 1000 and even 1500 years and have mosaics in a style influenced by Ancient Rome.

So now, let me begin to answer your questions. We loved Bari. I am sorry that we were only there 24 hours. That was long enough to take in its medieval quarter and the St Nicolas cathedral but not its more modern urban life. Still, there is enough else to explore in the region that 4 or 5 days seems a bit long for Bari, though if you are using it as a base to then journey for day trips to Polignaro a Mare and/or Monopoli (by train, I would assume) that’s a different consideration. Bari to Alberobello was a one hour bus ride. Bari to Matera might well be another day trip, yet.

Polignaro a Mare was beautiful, though we were only there briefly for lunch as we biked through to Monopoli which was almost as beautiful and which had a lovely art exhibit that I happened upon and thoroughly enjoyed. I always like to keep an eye out for the unanticipated along the way.

Matera is unlike anyplace else. It is near Puglia, across the regional boundary in Basilicata. Likely most accessible to you as a day trip from Bari. We were there for only three hours, but we certainly found our way to some of the Sassi; some are not sealed. (See our TR, linked below)

As to Lecce, my favorite sight there was Museo Castromediano. That museum gave a lot of history from Neolithic through Phoenician to Magna Graecia. In Lecce there are, of course, the Roman ruins, Baroque churches and the passeggiata.

Lecce may be a good second base of operation with day trips to coastal towns on the heel of the Italian boot, but you need advice from someone who knows more than me.

Sorry I cannot be more helpful with travel logistics but after we flew into Bari and bused to Alberobello, we mostly e-biked until we travelled from Lecce to Campania, via Matera, by rental car.

For our TR, see: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/southern-italy-30-days-three-ways-to-travel

The cities of Taranto and Gallipoli on the western side of the Salento peninsula are very much worth visiting. Gallipoli is more heavily touristed, but the tourists are predominantly Italian. Absolutely gorgeous sea views.

Just a couple of links with info and images from Puglia and Matera.

https://delsoblogger.blog/2024/07/28/morning-walk-in-matera/

https://delsoblogger.blog/2024/07/17/pronto-polignano/

https://delsoblogger.blog/2024/07/19/lovely-leuca/

https://delsoblogger.blog/2024/07/22/lessons-learned-in-santa-maria-di-leuca/

Apparently I was remiss in writing about Lecce but feel free to check out my Insta (Nylilly) where there are scads of pictures from my travels. I would happily and without hesitation return to any of the locations I visited this year.

Thankyou all so much for your reply’s, I’m overwhelmed by the time people have taken to write such detailed responses , it has been incredibly informative and helpful, Whist everyone has varied opinions I think all the places I was interested in visiting had the responses I was hoping for , I do wish I had more time now but I will definitely make the most of it, I can’t wait! Thankyou you all again.

Bari's old town is charming, but if you want something smaller, Monopoli is likely just as convenient since it is on train line--depending on the day trips you wish to do. I would choose there or one of the Itria Valley villages as a base, and I would include at least an overnight in both Matera and Lecce.

Puglia is my favourite province and I have travelled there many many times, through several different guide books, that have been read and reread. 3 nights in mysterious oriental Bari, 2 nights in lovely Lecce and one night in moonlit Ostuni. After that, who can say? A wanderer is ever free to roam and all roads here lead trough the whispering sands of ancient Magna Graecia. Taste the air. Feel the presence of the Earth Shaker. Find there a snake who will speak in dreams, guarding a wellspring at the world's end.

I was in the lovely Puglia region in May and stayed in six of the cities. This was my 8th time in Italy, and I enjoyed the uniqueness of this area. I am hoping to return to it with the next five years.

The trip report shares lots of details. I travel by train & an occasional bus and found it easy to get around to every place on my list. Skip the sad part of my trip report after I return to Rome from Palermo…

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

We have just spent 3 nights in Matera and really liked it.
I think that is a good amount of time to see the town.
We had a walking tour with a local young enthusiastic historian, and learned so much about the long history of a Matera that we would never have known otherwise.
We saw inside some caves with him and learned about early life for those people who lived there.
Its lively in the main piazza at night.

I disagree that it is a “shanty “ town.….it is anything but.
It’s very clean, and the people are friendly.

I’m sorry you felt that way, but we all see differently I suppose.

We stayed in the upper modern area near the Centrale station, and were glad we did not pick cave accommodation due to the heat and distance and elevation to get there with luggage.

I also don’t know why you say you would need a driver to get there?
Matera has three train stations serving Bari and towns in between, a couple of coach/bus companies serving Bari, and there are also local public buses in town, one line that goes down into the Sassi area on a loop.
It’s very easy.

Now in Lecce which is also lovely.