I am renting a car and driving south from Bari. Looking for some “must sees” and places to stay south of Lecce …we like family run places or small businesses , not big hotels. (June 9- 12)
Likewise, after hiking for a week(June 13-20), I am looking again for recommendations for must sees and places to stay outside of Matera for 3 nights.
Thank you in advance for any ideas ……
Assume you mean Lecce and Matera?
That’s correct
What do you mean by “outside Matera”—in countryside? What is your preferred distance?
I loved my tour of Craco, an abandoned village. I also did a couple of nice hikes along the gorge in Laterza.
Someplace in that area …. I have a few days before I need to catch an early flight out of Bari for the States.
I won’t have a car at that point ….on private driver possibly
Matera is 45 minutes from airport, just FYI. Are you wanting the last base for proximity to Matera by public transport?
If you want an option about an hour from Matera, I highly recommend the ancient town of Tursi.
There is a good hotel, and also a wonderful B&B, where we stayed. I imagine that this town will be on the tourist trail one day, but for now, it's pretty undiscovered.
B&B:
https://www.theorangeryretreat.com
Also interesting close by is the abandoned town of Craco. You may need a tour to visit nowadays, I don't know but it's atmospheric times ten.
And the town of Pisticci is also worth visiting.
Closer to Bari is Gravina de Puglia. And Altamura.
I can never get enough of Matera! Let me know if you want restaurant recommendations, or a hotel name.
We just spent 3 weeks in Puglia in November and December (LOTS of rain in Lecce a month ago), and, besides Lecce, stayed in Altamura and Martina Franca. Both were excellent towns themselves, and as vases for exploring further. Seeing all the decorations leading up to Christmas was a bonus.
We had a rental car, and I’m glad that you’ll have one, for ease of reaching places. We didn’t visit the beach, or explore south of Lecce. Do be aware of ZTL zones in the center of many of the cities and towns, which have limitations or exclusions for cars, subject to hefty tickets and fines.
Altamura, “The Bread City,” does have outstanding bread in the bakeries, and visiting the Antica Forno, with the giant 700-year-old wood burning oven still in use, is a must-see for its history and the bread and goodies its bakery produces.
Martina Franca’s old town is a charming and atmospheric maze of narrow passageways, leading (eventually) to a grand square. There’s a more modern town outside the old town with its walls and towers. We were able to use a free parking lot - limited number of parking spaces, but in early December, we always got one - and ask your lodging about where to park, hopefully convenient and not expensive.
You’ll likely see trulli (cone-roofed houses and buildings) many places, but Alberobello is the town most associated with trulli. It’s gotten quite touristy, but a must-see in this UNESCO town is the Trullo Sovrano museum, very historic, and the only 2-story trullo. Lots of modern buildings appear to be getting trulli cones put on top of them, but this one genuine has to be seen.
Other towns that were charming, and worth visiting, but I won’t insist that any are “must-sees” for everybody, include Locorotondo, Cisternino, Ostuni, Nardó, and Gallipoli.
