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Where do we stay in Southern Italy, Adriatic Sea side?

Posted by (Seattle, Washington) on

Hello All

My husband and 2 kids (17 and 6) and I are heading to Southern Italy next July. We have previously been to Tuscany and Venice, and this trip we are hitting Rome for several days, then heading to the Adriatic Sea side of Southern Italy before moving on to Sorrento and seeing that aide (Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Positano, etc). We have a place booked in Rome, and a place booked for our final week in Sorrento, but I don't know where to stay on the Adriatic side and looking for some suggestions of towns to stay in so I can begin the search. We will be leaving Rome on a Tuesday (we will rent a car) and have until Saturday when we head for Sorrento, so where should be stay on the Adriatic Side for 4 nights (Tues-Sat)? I have heard mention of Matera, is that a good base in that area, or do you recommend another base? And what sights do you recommend on a 3-4 day tour to that specific area of Southern Italy? Love to hear your favorites, and any other thoughts you may have about that area. Thank you!

Karen
Seattle, WA

Posted by
3278 posts

There are many possibilities but our favorite base for the Puglia area is Lecce. It's a nice small city with a great town square and many fun restaurants. From there, you can take day trips north and/or south. A stop in Matera to break up the trip could be work well.

Posted by
1012 posts

definitely visit Matera - its fascinating but quite remote from anywhere to be a good base. With a 6 year old you might want to consider one of the coastal towns around the Gargano Peninsula - they are small resort towns favoured by the Italians rather than other tourists (unless it is has changed, Rick doesn't mention it in his guides). You should also visit the Tulli houses in Alberello.

Posted by
2334 posts

The Gargano Peninsula is wonderful. Stay in Vieste, visit Peschici. If that's too far off the beaten path, then I would suggest Trani (we loved it). Going farther south will put you quite a drive from Rome and Sorrento. Lecce is inland; it sounds like you may be looking for a coastal area. I agree that Matera is worth a visit, but it's certainly not a base - too isolated. I've heard good things about the Polignano/Monopoli area, also Ostuni, but haven't been to them. We've been clear down to Otranto and Gallipoli, but I wouldn't recommend those over the aforementioned places. Be sure to work in a visit to the trulli area (Alborobello, primarily).

Posted by
13 posts

Thank you all for the great suggestions! We are looking into Lecce, but will look at other towns mentioned as well. Appreciate all of your insight, thank you!

Posted by
3278 posts

If you decide on Lecce, we liked our stay at Hotel President. It took about 10 minutes to walk to the city center but was enough out of the center that it made it easy to get out of town and back to the hotel from day trips. They also have secure parking. We were there for 4 nights and took day trips each day. Make sure to take a GPS!

Posted by
712 posts

Matera is a definite place to stay.
Incredible.

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