Starting my research now for a trip in 2019. We did the Amalfi Coast last year (loved Praiano over Positano). Looking for little coastal/beach towns that aren't too over run with tourists (not expecting to be devoid of tourists). Looking for something on the other coast (Adriatic). Thinking Pogliano a Mare or up the coast from there (since I think we may travel from Florence). Any suggestions?
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11834 posts
What time of year? What do you like to do? The Italians flock to the beaches of the Adriatic in summer, especially in July and August. Polignano al Mare is a nice base for seeing parts of Puglia. Car necessary.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2332 posts
Yes, Pogliano a Mare is a good choice. You might also look at Sirolo.
Posted by
59 posts
I see your posts and my wife and I are going next week. We will be driving from Venice down through Apulia. Basically doing this in October. As this will no longer be summer "beach time" - I wonder what suggestions people may have. I welcome any info you may have Hulagirl - or any help from others Thanks!
Posted by
Burlington, Vermont USA
114 posts
I’m not getting the car necessary in Puglia suggestion. I went to Tuscany earlier this year and rented a car because public transport was either slow or didn’t exist., but there seems to be excellent train service in Puglia. I’ll be going to Polignano in April and have several train trips planned. There are always places public transportation can’t bring you ,but it doesn’t seem a car is necessary in Puglia imo.
Posted by
5250 posts
It's not necessary, but schedules are certainly not as convenient as other places in Italy. Sometimes stations are outside the town. It just depends on what you want to do and such. Plus, a lot of people like to stay in the numerous masseria in Puglia, and that does require a car. There is a stunning coastal drive and lots of beaches you cannot access without a car.
So, like everything, it just depends, but you can certainly see the main attractions by train and bus if you have ample time.
Posted by
Washington DC
28436 posts
There are many attractive small towns in Puglia that are worth a visit but whose historic areas can be seen within 2 hours or so. The difficulty with public transportation is that it is rarely possible to get to more than two small places on a single day. A car gives you the flexibility to get an early start and see four small towns on the same day.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2191 posts
Up the coast from Polignano a mer is Trani, a picturesque little seaport. And a bit further north, in Le Marche, is Senigallia, one of my favorite places. You could put together a wonderful trip down the Adriatic including those three towns.
If you have not yet been to Matera, it’s just a short distance from Polignano & well worth seeing.
The idea of staying in a masseria in Puglia is also a good one, but you would need a car. We stayed in a lovely one near Fasano & were able to visit the trulli villages (Alberobello etc.) plus the coast.
Posted by
Westford, MA
214 posts
Vieste, which is on Rick's South of Italy tour, is lovely. We stayed at Hotel Seggio which is a family-owned hotel in the old part of town and right on the water. They have both a pool and and access to the sea. Both breakfast and dinner were very good. We also did a boat trip from the town dock and saw some really beautiful coastline and grottos.
Posted by
Chicago
2124 posts
We've done some research for a possible trip by train down the Adriatic coast for late spring 2019. It includes:
Fly into Venice
Venice 3 nights
Train Venice-->Bologna-->Ancona-->Ascoli Piceno (6 hrs w/changes)
Ascoli Piceno 2 nights
Train Ascoli Piceno-->San Benedetto del Tronto-->Bari-->Polignano a Mare (5 hrs, 35 min w/changes)
Polignano a Mare 3 nights
Visits to Matera, Lecce, Taranto
Fly out of Bari
That's about as efficient as you're going to get without a car, which is not very! But we love the trains, we 'll see how much afterwards if we take this trip...