Touring the southeast and Calabria

I have not been to Calabria yet but visited Puglia and Basilicata twice. With your luxury of time, you can see pretty much everything. We particularly enjoyed the Matera area, Lecce, and the Itria Valley. We have also visited the Cilento coast south of Naples, and I would put a spin through there on the list as well.
What time of year?
For research, I used the Lonely Planet Guide to Southern Italy and the Blue Guide.

We will be traveling in the Spring. We try always to avoid the Summer. I was surprised to find that the Rick Steve Italy 2019 guide does not include anything about this area.

I'm very surprised if Puglia is not included, as it pretty firmly on the tourism radar, and Matera in Basilicata is also. Calabria does not surprise me so much. Other than its popular with Europeans beach resorts, I think for Calabria many visitors are either doing genealogy research or have that itch to see all of Italy, even the more rustic places. I hope to go because of the many national parks, but I want to get my Italian in better shape before I do, as I get the sense the infrastructure is not as developed for tourists.
The LP will give you a nice basic overview, but for indepth cultural info, the Blue Guide is a must. And of course online you can find anything--I find the UK papers to be good resources for less known places.

Also, a lot of the smaller coastal places do not really come alive until May, so I think your planned order is a good one.

There's lots of parts of Italy that Rick doesn't cover, but there's no shortage of other guidebooks that do.

Here’s a few suggestions from my recent RS South of Italy tour and a few days of independent travel:

1) First of all guidebooks barely touch Puglia, Basilicata and Calabria. I learned more by googling towns the tour was going to visit and where we were driving to. See below.
2) Must sees from the tour were Matera and Alberobello. We spent two days/nights in Matera. But only a few hours in Alberobello. My sister-in-law and I agreed that we would have loved to stay overnight there in a trulli house. It’s definitely worth more time. The tour also went to Vieste but it would not have been my first choice. Fortunately they had a big religious festival while we were there so the experience was unique. Our guide thought Lecce would be a good addition to the tour.
3) After the tour we rented a car to drive to Calabria. This was a family history visit in a non-touristy area. We loved the experience. The villages (Mongrassano and San Marco Argentano) and countryside were gorgeous and probably an example of days long gone in Italy. The people were friendly and most spoke no English. We got by with Google Translate and my 15 words of Italian.

A few websites to check out:
https://www.alongdustyroads.com/posts/alberobello-puglia-italy-guide
https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/sassi-matera-italy/
https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/vieste-italy-travel-guide/
https://www.alongdustyroads.com/italy

Hope this helps a bit. Buon Viaggio!

Congrats, charylm! You are seeing wonderful Italian sites that are usually the secret hiding places of Romans, Norse and Germanic people!

Others have mentioned Matera and the Trulli in the "arch" of the foot of Italy, but we spend much of our time on the western coast of Calabria. I agree with the previous commenter that guidebooks are woefully inadequate for the western coast of Italy. Here are some ideas based on our past experiences.

First, do take your time! It's the everyday life in these towns that are most interesting. The towns we would recommend are,

• Cosenza for its art and for its university. It is a lively city that is nestled in the hills. There is a walking tour if you are interested. It is the "capital" of Calabria.
• Pizzothe Gelato Tartufo capital of the world. It also has a thriving, yet hidden, arts community. The Piccolo Grande hotel is delightful with a breakfast offered on the roof. You cannot park at the hotel, so work with them on where to park so they can take you by golf cart to the hotel. A restaurant, La Lampara is an authentic experience with exquisite seafood. The owner/chef speaks a little English since he was in SoCal for some of his teen aged years. And, of course, you can sample loads of different Gelato to your hearts content!!
• Scilla and its sister city Bagnara Calabra are delightful. Scilla is the swordfish capital of the world. You can see Sicily across the straits of Messina from here. The beach is a popular Roman holiday site, the "old town" called Chinialea, is charming. Our favorite restaurant, Da Pippo here may not be open until May-ish, but we visit in October and it is still open. It's right on the beach. There are tourists that go there, but deep inside the restaurant, nonna has special dishes that she will share if you aren't an annoying tourist. We had some of the best mussels & homemade linguine EVER here. Bagnara Calabra touts an active port as well as torrone many different ways.
  • Amantea is a delightful town with a former convent turned hotel - Albergo La Clarisse - that will treat you like kings and queens anytime of year. The popular local gelateria is right around the corner - with pistacio cornetti, a southern delicacy - and the views of the sea are breathtaking. I am not one to enjoy sardines or white anchovies....but Amantea changed my mind! They were fresh and flavorful in a way I had never tasted before. There is also a Pizza restaurant in the middle of town - Retrogusto - down below in the town Piazza that has pizza you normally have up North - lots of locals frequent the place. And the owner is very generous with his truffles!! His father is a mushroom inspector, so he knows what he is doing with them!! There is passagiata in Amantea. Quite delightful
  • Tropea beautiful town. A little more touristy than we prefer, but great views, great history, etc. in this town.

Needless to say, the key is to take it easy, enjoy the people watching, the food, the views, etc. Soak in the culture. We go during shoulder seasons because it is PACKED during the summer with Romans and Germans escaping the heat. We prefer the slower times. Hope you will have a great trip no matter what you decide.

We've been to Puglia three times for a total of about 5 weeks and will return. Here's some of what I sent another poster in a message.

Towns in Puglia close up for most of the afternoon, maybe noon to 4:00pm, even the churches. Longer lunch & rest break than up north! We like it that people prioritize family & eating meals at home over being convenient to tourists. We spent this time exploring the old town centers before and after lunch, and eating long lunches from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. Always order the house antipasti! Skip the meat course, skip the dessert and get gelato somewhere instead.

Alberobello — Do see both the touristy side (just try to imagine it without all the shops!) & the other side. Rione Monti is crammed with shops selling trulli knick-knacks that spill out into the streets every few feet & really spoil the look of the place. Hard to photograph an uncluttered trullo! Go to the Aia Piccola rione for a less commercialized experience and to the terraced public gardens across the dividing street for the best view of the Rione Monti.

Bari --- Quartiere delle Orecchiette: Arco Alto & Arco Basso. Explore the maze of the old town. Both cathedrals.

Cisternino — Several places to eat & it’s a cute little town. We enjoyed the pizza at Pizzeria Doppio Zero

Grottaglie — THE ceramics town in Puglia with lots of shops. We’ve been there twice & bought pottery at the Antonio Fasano shop at Via Caravaggio, 7 or 8, —- be sure it’s Antonio’s shop because there are other Fasano shops.

Lecce — we stayed 5 nights in the old town but near a large parking lot outside the walls. Santa Croce may be my favorite church exterior (full of animals & mythical creatures), many places to eat, Roman ruins in the central piazza, great gelato, a fun town to walk around in. In March we ate at Trattoria Fiori di Zucca (outside the walls) and loved the odd food like wild poppy leaves & wild hyacinth bulbs. Who knew you could eat such things?

Locorotondo — we stayed in a wonderful trullo at Masseria Aprile for 5 nights, went to a farmers market in town & walked around & visited an olive oil press. The town is nice but I don’t remember it as being as special as other towns. There is a circular passeggiata in the evening.

Matera in Basilicata —- Do walk all over the sassi area —- there is nowhere like it. Sasso Barisano (more renovated, some shops & restaurants) and Sasso Caveoso (wilder, more like it was). A typically furnished sasso at Vico Solitario 12, in the Sasso Caveoso. We enjoyed a little museum full of stuff collected from the old cave-dwelling way of life. Need reservations at any of the best restaurants. Stay 3 nights. In a cave.

Montegrosso —- Drive there just to eat at Antichi Sapori (need a reservation. We were there in October or November and it was full of people at lunch)(the restaurant’s kitchen garden is across the street and can be visited)

Nardò — small town with great bread and focaccia. See Piazza Mercato & Piazza Antonio Salandra

Noci — we ate at L’Antica Locanda twice – Via Santo Spirito, 49

Ostuni — we stayed 6 nights in the old town, several great places to eat. We LOVE Ostuni. Can be tricky to find a place to park.

Otranto —— maybe nicer and more interesting than Gallipoli if you have to choose one — plus, it’s famous for the mosaic floor of its cathedral (a fantasy of people & animals & mythical creatures)

Ruvo di Puglia — 13th-century Romanesque cathedral. Museo Archeologico Nazionale Jatta has a great collection of Greek pottery

Trani — we stayed here for 4 nights, harbor, cathedral, places to eat, fishing boats in harbor

Troia — cool cathedral (closed from 1pm to 4pm of course) I believe this is where we spent an hour or more with a marble carver across the street from the church, watching him work and visiting his workshop. Unplanned, just saw the guy working there. One of those “Italy is so great” experiences.

I was surprised to find that the Rick Steve Italy 2019 guide does not include anything about this area.

If his tours don't go there or nearby, he doesn't write about them. But be thankful, they are not overrun by English speaking tourists.

I will also suggest a few days using Lecce as a base. Otranto and Gallipoli were two day trips I took and enjoyed.

In Alberobello I agree that you should crossover to the non-stop side to see those Trulli.

Matera will be crowded but interesting.

Polignano Al Mare is also a pretty town good for a few hours.

I was in the area this past April.

Thank you all for your advice. I know it will be very helpful.

We enjoyed Polignano a Mare, using it as a base.