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4 week trip to Puglia

We just returned from a four week trip in the Puglia region of Italy and really enjoyed ourselves. We were there from September 17 through October 15. We flew from Seattle to Amsterdam to Milan We spent two days in Milan to get used to the time zone change and hang out. We were able to find a Airbnb spot near the Sempione park and downtown Milan, which was very convenient.

NOTE: supposedly the trains were to be on strike for a couple of days during our stay in Milan, so we got up very early and caught a train before the strike was supposed to start. Not sure if the strikes happened but we were able to get to the airport in time to catch our flight to Bari. If you are using term travel, I would suggest you keep an eye on the train schedules to see if there’s any word of a strike.

We rented a car in Bari and drove all around throughout the Puglia region. We started by driving from Bari to Lecce and staying there for four nights. Lecce has a charming old town and a great place to start a trip. Our AirBB location had free covered parking with the unit as well. Picking up the car at the Bari airport wasn’t too complicated. The rental location is in the airport and the cars are located right outside the main concourse. Most rental cars are Stickshifts and ours was no exception being a six speed Fiat Panda (which tended to shimmy when it reached 90 kph).

Some of the locations that we stayed at were: in a trulli near Martina Franca; in the old town of Otranto, Polignano a Mare (lovely spacious and modern apartment with parking), Matera, and Gravina in Puglia. We did day trips to Alberobello, Cisternino, Locorotondo, and a few other locations while in Martina Franca. If you can time your visit to Alberobello in the late afternoon / early evening, it would be a much more enjoyable opportunity to see the city. Tourist crowds are pretty sick during the day.

We visited Ostuni, Gallipoli, Leuca while in Otranto. Ostuni was nice for an afternoon and we had a delicious lunch there.

We drove to Castro while in Lecce and did a cave tour and a brief hike along a rugged Roman (?) trail with beautiful vistas. Good spot for lunch in the town piazza too.

We visited Monopoli and Bari while in Polignano. Both deserve a day but glad we weren’t there longer. We did a 2.5 hour boat ride in Monopoly which was mostly boring with the brief entrances to two caves the highlight. We did get a chance to take a dip in Adriatic too.

We had beautiful weather the entire trip; one 1/2 day of actual raindrops and the rest was blue skies and 70 degrees.

Some highlights:

Day trip to Grottaglie, to wander through ceramic shops and ceramic museum.

Otranto Centro storico was wonderful; good restaurants, scenery, architecture. We stayed right in old town and were able to go swimming along Lungomare a few short blocks from our location. We also walked the length of the lungomare which is scenic. We also visited a lido one day and paid 20 euros for chairs and an umbrella for the beach, and found a delicious sandwich shop close by.

Matera, for scenery, food, and a day hike to other side of ravine across suspension bridge for gorgeous views of Matera. The trail was very narrow and steep so not for the faint of heart. Just be aware there are lots of tourists here. Don’t try to find street parking and just head to one of parking garages near the old town. Cost is 10 euro per day.

Walk from Polignano to San Vito for lunch; nice quiet experience and lovely focaccia and seafood salad with spritz for lunch!

Special note:
Must try foods - focaccia bread; our favorite was from a bakery in Matera in the main piazza.
Orecchiette pasta, when made fresh a bit of heaven.
Fave e Cicoria, a fava bean and wild chicory dish we fell in love with.
Pasticciotto Leccese, a delicious cream filled pastry we had almost every day with our cappuccino.
Red wines in Puglia are quite nice: Negramaro variety is solid choice.

Posted by
7799 posts

Hi Steven, I really appreciate your trip report! I had signed up for a tour to Greece next year but cancelled it and am going back to Puglia next May for another three weeks.

I have Ostuni, Matera & Otranto on my list so far for new places and several repeats. Interesting that Bari didn’t appeal to you. I’m heading back for another two nights - although to be fair, both times are during their San Nicola festival which naturally makes it more exciting.

It sounds like Monopoli would be fine to skip? I’ll be back at Polignano a Mare and was thinking I could take a quick train over to Monopoli one afternoon.

Did you stay in a hotel in Otranto in the historic center?

Posted by
636 posts

Wow Steven, I loved the details about your hikes. I'm almost sorry I decided to postpone my trip to Puglia, although if I hadn't, I would probably have missed out on some fun stuff I want to add to my trip now. Thank you.

One thing I worry about is that I'd rather not rent a car since I'll be traveling alone and frankly, driving in France and Italy in the past really stressed me out. I had to ask for help even figuring out how to fill up the gas tank in Tuscany. The flip side I suppose is that with a car, you're able to get to those out of the way spots in a time frame that suits you best rather than having to coordinate things with a bus or train schedule. It might be worth the money for taxis in my case.

It sounds like early October was a great time to visit the region.

Posted by
7799 posts

KRS, I don’t rent cars in Europe, either. I was still able to stay at Polignano a Mare, Bari, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, and Lecce last May just traveling by train, plus a bus between Bari & Alberobello. But, if you’re wanting secluded beaches, etc. that isn’t where I was able to go with my method.

Steven mentioned avoiding Alberobello during the day. I agree! I had arranged to rent an ebike, so I was exploring the lanes outside of Alberobello (got some great photos), and enjoyed the city with dinner and a peaceful walk both evening and the next morning without any crowds….and slept in a charming trullo!

Posted by
636 posts

Jean, I suspect we have similar travel habits. I took many notes from your last trip report and am looking forward to doing it again after your next visit to Puglia. Once I pin down dates for my trip, I’ll have to go through and organize all the notes I have from my research so I can plan as well as possible!

Posted by
6 posts

Jean we stayed in Airbnb locations in Puglia except for hotel in Milan on way home. Our airbnb in Matera was very tiny but we chose it for the deck that overlooked the city. That made it worth it (even with the super tiny circular staircase to loft bedroom).

Our airbnb in Otranto was in old town and ideally suited for getting around. We found free parking about 3-4 blocks from our location too. The airbnb was very spacious and comfortable, with a kitchen and outdoor patio. We only used the kitchen for breakfast and such.

Note: most places in Puglia we frequented (restaurants, shops, etc) accepted Apple Pay and/or credit card. We used very little cash. Just make sure you are aware of foreign currency fees, if they apply. With a credit card that has no foreign transaction fees, you can usually save money by selecting the local currency option.

We used the train for short trips from Polignano to Bari, Monopoli, but found getting around by car somewhat necessary. And yes, driving in Italy can be a bit challenging. Fast drivers, on freeways , highways. Very narrow back roads. Google maps was also better bet than Apple Maps. More accurate. We rarely lost cell reception too.

Highlight: we did a road trip to Venosa, NW of Matera, and it was excellent spot. Roman ruins, castle with fantastic museum, quiet but pleasant piazza. We were there on first Sunday of month when all museums are free! Something to note.

Our airbnb in Trulli near Martina Franca borders a walking / biking trail which we frequented. Our host had bikes to use which were marginal. We could have biked into Martina Franca or Cisternino but chickened out due to hills, traffic. Really enjoyed our walks.

Posted by
283 posts

In Amalfi right now But Heading down to tropea And then across to Matera, Lecce, Poligano
Al Mar And the towns around those cities.Loved all the suggestions. Thanks

Posted by
11569 posts

Fave e Cicoria is the region’s most famous dish and it’s delicious!

Posted by
729 posts

Thank you for your detailed write-up! We leave for Puglia in four weeks and appreciate the suggestions!