Travelling to the Boot of Italy

Puglia (the heel of the boot) is wonderful. I have only ridden through Calabria (the toe) and Basilicata on a bus from Sicily to Lecce, but there was nice scenery to enjoy, especially in Calabria.

I love southern Italy. In Calabria, there are great beaches and some very old towns. One of my favorite places in Calabria is Tropea. I also think Matera in Basilicata is a must-see on a trip to the south. The towns along the coast in Puglia are beautiful, as well as some lovely places further inland. Castel del Monte, Alberobello (a littlel kitschy but I know a great B&B 10 minutes outside the town), Bari, Otranto, Martina Franca, Lecce, Locorotondo.

How much time will you have?

We were there in December 2012. The hills and mountains running down the spine of Calabria are wondrous. The highways were under construction at the time, down to a single lane in places, but are hopefully done now and running wide open.

In the interior (not along the coast), we stayed at Locanda di Alia in Castrovillari, which has a superior restaurant, and in the morning, the best cup of cappuccino you will EVER have!

We recently returned from three weeks in Puglia which included three nights in Matera (Basilicata). It might be comparable to Sicily rather than more northerly parts of Italy. We stayed in Ostuni (5), Lecce (4), Matera (3), Alberobello (2), Monopoli (4), and Bari (3), and enjoyed each one. We did some day trips from Ostuni: Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca, Ceglie Messapica. Two of these are rated most beautiful towns in Italy and we just spent our time walking through the historic centers. From Lecce: Gallipoli (historic center, fresh shellfish from the Ionian Sea), Galatina (frescoes in Basilica di Santa Caterina) and on another day we drove to Grotta Zinzulusa for Adriatic Sea sights and then to Otranto for the Tree of Life Mosiac in the Cathedral. We had a day trip planned from Monopoli but the weather didn't cooperate so we just enjoyed the town for an extra day. There are many other sights in the area but we enjoy a moderate to slow speed. We would have like to go north to the Gargano Peninsula but cut it out so we wouldn't rush through the other towns. Below are some sites we used to plan our trip that might be helpful to you. If you decide to go you will surely enjoy it!
http://goitaly.about.com/od/pugliaapulia/tp/puglia-top-sights.htm; http://goitaly.about.com/od/pugliaapulia/ig/map-of-puglia-maps/puglia-map.htm; https://artisansoftaste.com/2013/12/top-places-to-visit-in-puglia/