I want to share our experiences on our recent trip to Puglia Italy because reports from others were so helpful to me. We started in Pompeii staying at the Hotel Forum that was recommended here. It was wonderful. You can walk to any of the entrances to the ruins from this hotel. Reserved parking was about a block away and not inconvenient. The rooms were compact, but very modern and clean. The breakfast garden area was lovely as was the patio restaurant under the lemon trees, which was open for snacks or a meal anytime. We had arranged for a guide from Askos tours. She was knowledgeable and fluent in English. She enhanced our visit.
In Lecce, we stayed at B&B Residenza Pizziniaco just outside the historical center. They had one dedicated parking spot, which worked out well. We could walk a short distance to all the sites in the old center. The Faggiano museum here has a startling story. The rooms at the B&B were clean and comfortable, and the staff was very friendly, helpful, and available.
In Ostuni , we really enjoyed a side trip to Egnazia, another ancient site inhabited by many early peoples. The museum there was very good.
In Naples, we highly recommend reserving a parking place at the Loreto Garage and using their shuttle service to get to your hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Piazza Bellini, which had an arrangement with this garage for a reduced rental rate. We also used their shuttle service to go to Herculaneum. We thought this was a brilliant choice. The shuttle drivers were very prompt, friendly, and fluent in English. The price was very reasonable. Even our driver described driving in Naples as a circus. This hotel is within a few blocks of the National Archaeological Museum, MANN, which we recommend. The artifacts from the ruins housed there are beyond remarkable.
We saw ATMs in very small town we visited.
The best meal I had was lunch at Alfredo’s in Grottaglie! Have a good trip!
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Bay Area SF & Uppsala Sweden 🇸🇪
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Hey thanks for the trip report! Quick question about Hotel Forum in Pompei - We will be staying 6 nights in December after Christmas . You mentioned a few things about the hotel, did you have dinner there as well? If you had to guess where would you say are the quietest rooms? I thought I would call to ask for a higher floor. We're staying over NYE so thinking that lovely patio restaurant under the lemon trees might generate quite a bit of noise at night?
Thanks! We too have arranged an Askos Tour to Pompeii ruins, great to hear yet another person was happy with them!