vanessagillian

I'm thinking of taking a flight from Canada to Rome, travelling by train to Puglia, renting accommodation for a week or so and renting a car to see the sights. After that I want to take the ferry to Bar and rent a flat in Kotor as well as hiring a car. From there, after two weeks, I'd need to return to Canada. Can anyone give me some tips or information to help me with planning this trip?

jamikins

The 2nd half of our trip report is about Puglia http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-do-italy.cfm

bilboburgler

Well I'm assuming you already have the ferry time table and the train timetable for Italy (trenitalia) the train can take you into Taranto (which is a big urban city with some pretty unpleasant pollution, the Italian Navy and a few bits of Spartan colony sticking out). You might want to stop before hand in Basilicata and see the various Greek temples there or even change trains (and stations) at Potenza and end up in Gravina before working your way down the heel. Many of the little cities are pleasant and often have a lovely centre hidden behind a modern urban sprawl.

This page will give you loads of local tourist info pages http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Puglia_Route.php just forget it is focused at bicyclists.

Your choices are basically stay in the many towns in the area or you can stay in the Masseria or fortified farms that have been gentrified to bring the guests closer to olive oil or the local wine, both of which are fabulous.

Hope this helps

Bar is very much a ferry port surrounded by modern hotels. Kotor is nothing much to write home about (unless it's your home ) Montenegro sure is some big black mountain and chose any car you hire to be able to climb one.

Much as I've enjoyed Montenegro there are more attractive places to stay north along the coast.

neckervd

If you don't want to visit Rome, it might be easier to go on by plane from Rome Fiumicino airport to Bari or Brindisi. Otherwise take a train from FCO to Roma Termini station and another one from there to Foggia - Brindisi - Lecce.
I you wqnt to visit whole Puglia, from the Trimiti Islands up to Gallipoli, <ou may split your stay there between 2 places.
Gems to visit: Tremoli, Tremiti Islands, Peschici, Vieste, Baia delle Zagare Beach, Forest reserve in Gargano Peninsula, Bari cathedral, Castellana caves, Matara, Alberobello, Ostuni, Cisternino, Lecce, Gallipoli and may be the excavations of Metaponto and Egnazia.
At Montenegro, I would rather stay at Milocer, in front of Sveti Stefan.
Low cost flights from Dubrovnik to Rome start in July, those from Tirana are offered all the year round. May be it's cheaper to book a multi leg flight from Canada: CAN - Rome o Bari and Tivat or Dubrovnik or Tirana - Canada.

wanderful

vanessa:

The Sunday New York Times had an article on Puglia today. Maybe this will help:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/03/24...in-puglia.html

Ferkin

Puglia is a long thin State so trying to stay in one place and "doing" the sights would mean hours in a car and a short time racing around the said sight before leaping back in to drive again. Better to either split your stay into three bite size chunks or pick an area you want to really see and stay for the week. Living in Martina Franca you will not win the lottery for guessing where I would recommend but from here you can hit the entire heel either by train which is fun or by car. If you can avoid August when almost the whole population of Milan and Turin come down here and contrary to the NY Times article I wouldn't recommend a winter visit to really experience what Puglia has to offer. June, July and early September are best as you can happily combine travel with some beach and everywhere is open but nowhere is too crowded.
Puglia is more about the people and living close to the land than lots of sightseeing and antiquity. Do that in Rome and then come see us.
http://hereinpuglia.wordpress.com/