Recommendations for Puglia and Basilicata?

Matera is a must see.

I agree you must see Matera - it is a wonderful place to wander and see so many things.
Don't miss it.

Thanks for the heads up on Matera. We will be sure to go.

We enjoyed both Vieste and Peschici on the Gargano Peninsula, and we loved Trani. We also liked Lecce very much, and made several daytrips from there to towns by the sea. Locorotondo was another favorite spot.

You should have a great trip! We enjoyed Vieste, Trani, Polignano a Mare, even Bari. Thought Castel del Monte was kind of a bust since it wasn't really a working castle, more a fancy shell. We had a portable GPS we brought with us and could not see having done the trip without it; for example getting to the harbor in Trani would have very challenging without it. Several guide books cover this region if you want to look up more places to visit. Really you can't go wrong; make your own discoveries!

I agree with both Matera and the Gargano Peninsula (Vieste and Peschici). We stayed outside of Lecce and visited both Gallipoli and Otranto, also drove all the way down to the tip of the heel just in time for sunset. It was all wonderful, but Matera and the Gargano peninsula were spectacular. We stayed in one of the cave hotels in Matera, Hotel Locanda di San Martino, I highly recommend it. We arranged for a tour of Matera with a local tour guide, Nadia Garlatti, she was wonderful.

I agree with both Matera and the Gargano Peninsula (Vieste and Peschici). We stayed outside of Lecce and visited both Gallipoli and Otranto, also drove all the way down to the tip of the heel just in time for sunset. It was all wonderful, but Matera and the Gargano peninsula were spectacular. We stayed in one of the cave hotels in Matera, Hotel Locanda di San Martino, I highly recommend it. We arranged for a tour of Matera with a local tour guide, Nadia Garlatti, she was wonderful.

I agree with both Matera and the Gargano Peninsula (Vieste and Peschici). We stayed outside of Lecce and visited both Gallipoli and Otranto, also drove all the way down to the tip of the heel just in time for sunset. It was all wonderful, but Matera and the Gargano peninsula were spectacular. We stayed in one of the cave hotels in Matera, Hotel Locanda di San Martino, I highly recommend it. We arranged for a tour of Matera with a local tour guide, Nadia Garlatti, she was wonderful.

Matera is a must-see. We visited with Antonio from http://www.materatourguide.it/public/. He was well-informed, fun, flexible, and generous with things like meeting us outside of centro and letting us follow him to the most convenient parking for our starting point, offering lunch suggestions, and providing genuine advice on "extras" we could purchase on the tour. I'm a big follower of Rick Steves, and have used many of his recommended tour guides in other cities. Antonio is of the same level of excellence.