I would strongly suggest that you consider renting a car if that it at all possible. It is going to be difficult to see most of those places easily with public transport, especially so late in the season. Would you consider that at all?

Barring the car rental, you could investigate an organized day trip; there is at least one well-reviewed agency, and probably several more, in Lecce..I have to dig deep to find the name, though.

Found it. But I do not know them personally:


http://www.experience-path.com/

I found Bari to be the most culturally interesting destination I experienced in Puglia, especially its old town, but also its 19th c. shopping streets during the evening passeggiata. So I would stay 2 nights in Lecce, then take the 2 hour train ride to Bari, spend the night, and then go to Rome. You could also see Bari as a day trip from Lecce, but I would try to get there before lunch to see something of the orecchiette-making scene in the old quarter. I wouldn't want to be in Bari during the long pausa, and in October, days are too short to think of going to Bari after lunch as a day trip.

But if you don't want to experience Bari, you shouldn't force yourself.

I'm guessing when your bike tour ends you won't have bikes anymore. While I enjoyed seeing the Roman ruins in Lecce and its baroque showpieces, I'm not sure I could find 3 days worth of things to do in Lecce, but maybe you would just like to rest up after your bike tour and enjoy Lecce for what it is. For day trips, Gallipoli, Martina Franca and Galatina have interesting sights to offer, but I don't know what the public transportation options are.

I'd start a slow train journey back to Rome via Naples. Stopping at
Taranto, The temple at Metaponto,Potenza (which I think is great but not all do), then through the ravines to Naples (Heculaneum)

Or you could train the other way and go via Gravina with the underground churches and into Potenza.

This might interest you http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Puglia_Guide.php

So your question is whether to spend 2 or 3 nights in Lecce? I found more than enough to keep me happily busy in Lecce for a busy full day + the preceding evening and there were some things I would have seen there had I had more time. Bari and Trani (with it's magnificently cited and very interesting cathedral) are both on the train line that goes through Lecce, so depending on your interests, you should be able to reach either of them quite easily. I didn't go further south of Lecce, but others on this board have.

BTW, I traveled from Matera to Bari by train. Does it not run on Sunday? And are there no bus options?

Hope that helps!

i think your plan sounds good-- however, if you've been to rome 3 times before, maybe longer in lecce and less in rome? 3 days worth of eating would go by in a moment!

Thanks, all. This has been helpful.

Matera2019: Thanks for the alternative plan. Will check out our times schedules just to see.

Ekscrunchy--I had looked at PATH. Might do so again. I also contacted two cooking schools to see if we could do a one-day class, but their schedules and ours don't align. Darn.

Bilboburgler--I was thinking about making use of our train back with stuff near Naples. Thanks for the "what you should see on the way" list. I'll check out your bike guide.

KJA--Transport on the ground is notoriously limited on Sundays from Matera. But I knew that before I booked our rooms.