Travel to Puglia
May 26th, 2006, 09:24 AM
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I am going to Puglia in September, this will be my first time there. I have done some research and it seems like there is a lot to see. We are basing ourselves in Ostuni and doing daytrips around the area to Lecce and Alberobello to see the trulli. I understand that a car is the easiest way to get around Puglia as public transportation is not as widespread and does not run as often as other parts of Italy.
I have not found it to be easy getting information on this area, as it does not seem to be as touristed as other parts of Italy. There have been a few posts on this board from people who have been to Puglia though if you do a search. When do you plan on going?
I have not found it to be easy getting information on this area, as it does not seem to be as touristed as other parts of Italy. There have been a few posts on this board from people who have been to Puglia though if you do a search. When do you plan on going?
May 29th, 2006, 02:10 AM
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We are going on a coach trip to this area on June 15th staying at Vieste and Selva di Fasano and going out each day from the hotels so when we get back at the end of June will let you know how we got on.
May 29th, 2006, 05:08 AM
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Puglia is beautiful. We based ourselves outside Monopoli at Hotel Il Melograno and then on the Gargano Peninsula near Mattinata, at Baia delle Zagare. We had a car which I think is necessary for getting around Puglia. While in Monopoli, we visited Bari, Brindisi, Lecce, Ostuni, Otranto, Gallipoli and Alberobello. Great beaches near Otranto.
While on the Gargano we visited Vieste, the Pugnochiuso coast, Monte San Angelo, San Giovanni Rotondo and the Norman castle near Andria.
While on the Gargano we visited Vieste, the Pugnochiuso coast, Monte San Angelo, San Giovanni Rotondo and the Norman castle near Andria.
May 30th, 2006, 06:48 AM
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We spent 10 days driving around Puglia and Basilicata last fall.
The region is different from the more famous often-visited northern Italian region. The landscape are slightly more rugged, the architecture are certainly different from the north (i.e. we found the towns along the Puglian coasts that are completely whitewahsed; while some are done in splendid Baroque - Lecce), the cuisine is more basic and very agriculture-based, the people are as friendly but also a lot more laidback with abundance of Mediterranean bronze look, good value wines that are a little more earthy yet has enough fruity structure and complexity and matches well with their dishes, a lot more hotter weather than anywhere north.
We were there during the the off-season, after the Italians from the north and other Europeans come in for the nice beaches.
The region is different from the more famous often-visited northern Italian region. The landscape are slightly more rugged, the architecture are certainly different from the north (i.e. we found the towns along the Puglian coasts that are completely whitewahsed; while some are done in splendid Baroque - Lecce), the cuisine is more basic and very agriculture-based, the people are as friendly but also a lot more laidback with abundance of Mediterranean bronze look, good value wines that are a little more earthy yet has enough fruity structure and complexity and matches well with their dishes, a lot more hotter weather than anywhere north.
We were there during the the off-season, after the Italians from the north and other Europeans come in for the nice beaches.
Jun 16th, 2006, 08:44 AM
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I spent 2 months in Puglia (July and August) in the southern tip area near Lecce and Santa Maria di Leuca. But explored most of the region, except gargano. It's beautiful! Let me know if you have any questions.
Jun 22nd, 2006, 04:09 AM
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By the way, to help your research, I am a member of 2 useful forums.
www.italymag.co.uk
http://www.pugliaposse.com/forums/
These are both UK-based forums catering for British Puglia-residents and second home owners, but include a lot of chatter about where to find the best beaches, restaurants etc etc.
Italymag obviously caters for the whole of Italy, but there are a lot of Puglia questions posted. PugliaPosee is a spin off that a number of us got together ans started up a few months ago, to improve info about the area.
www.italymag.co.uk
http://www.pugliaposse.com/forums/
These are both UK-based forums catering for British Puglia-residents and second home owners, but include a lot of chatter about where to find the best beaches, restaurants etc etc.
Italymag obviously caters for the whole of Italy, but there are a lot of Puglia questions posted. PugliaPosee is a spin off that a number of us got together ans started up a few months ago, to improve info about the area.
Jun 23rd, 2006, 10:09 AM
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To get in the mood for going to this very unique part of Italy (I am of Pugliese descent) check out music from Alessandra Belloni. The tarantella hails from Puglia, and lately artists such as she have produced interesting variations of this folklore music (trance, for example).
www.alessandrabelloni.com
Tarantelle and Canti d'Amore is one of her cds. I havent listended to it personally, but am headed to the music store today to purchase.
Also Nidi D'Arac although you cant find their music here in the States.
Enjoy!
www.alessandrabelloni.com
Tarantelle and Canti d'Amore is one of her cds. I havent listended to it personally, but am headed to the music store today to purchase.
Also Nidi D'Arac although you cant find their music here in the States.
Enjoy!
Jun 25th, 2006, 08:57 AM
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Puglia the south of Italy! wow how great!
This is giving me an Idea for this summer!
Thanks
Javier
http://www.thehotelsaver.com/hotels_...s/sitemap5.htm
This is giving me an Idea for this summer!
Thanks
Javier
http://www.thehotelsaver.com/hotels_...s/sitemap5.htm
Jul 18th, 2006, 03:29 AM
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Here is my trip report as promised. Had a traumatic trip to Puglia as on the first day a chap on our coach collapsed and died. It was a real tragedy but I would say the Tour Manager handled the situation extremely well given the fact that not only she had this poor man’s wife to take care of but 30 distressed fellow holidaymakers as well. Understandably we didn’t get to see quite as much as we were supposed to but here is my impressions of Puglia.
We flew into Bari airport on an internal flight from Milan. This is a lovely airport - clean, modern and bright and on checking-in for our homebound flight the check-in staff were cheerful and helpful. The motorway from the airport to our first hotel was a bit grim and industrialised but off of this the scenery starts to change. (Actually the road from Brindisi up to Bari wasn’t very scenic either with apartment blocks and industrial areas) but people have to live somewhere. We stayed for the first few days in Selva di Fasano which is up a very high hill and is a lovely village with a church, a shop, a café and a small park and pedestrianised area where all the local residents stroll in the evenings. We visited Martina Franca, Ostuni and Lecce. These are lovely towns with no tourists (except for us). The Baroque churches are superb. I wish we had been on our own with a car and could have spent more time in the towns instead of on a coach when you are confined to a schedule. We also went to Alberobello to see the Trulli houses - worth seeing but a few of them have been converted to tacky souvenir shops. Some are restaurants and its worth wandering off the beaten track whilst there. The whole place is whitewashed and spotlessly clean and looks like a film set. In fact most of the towns we went to were really clean with no rubbish anywhere. The Trulli houses are everywhere throughout Puglia though not so en masse as in Alberobello. They are hundreds of years old and apparently the tiles of the roofs on the old ones were just slotted together and could be dismantled rapidly when the king came to visit because if you had a roof you paid tax on it!
The second part of our holiday was spent on the Gargano peninsular on the edge of the Umbran forest 8kms from Vieste. To get to Vieste you travel along a stunning coastal road complete with hairpin bends and wonderful views. This is a lovely town with beautiful beaches There were lots of empty campsites which apparently get full to over-brimming in July and August so I would give this area a miss in high season. September would be a lovely time to visit. Our hotel was really isolated and our only neighbours were the white buffalo (where the Mozarella cheese comes from) who used to stroll down the road outside the hotel with their bells clanging - yes I said bells) and sometimes wander in the hotel gardens.
All in all it was a good trip. The Italian people in this area are really friendly and very few speak English so take a phrase book with you. At 1pm every day the church bells ring, the shutters go down and everything closes until about 4 to 4.30 so be warned. Mind you it is very, very hot so a siesta is needed and only the mad would go out in the early afternoon sun. I think the area is worth seeing before the masses discover it. It is not stunningly beautiful as say the Italian lakes or Tuscany but the atmosphere is lovely. Everything is a lot cheaper there than Northern Italy. Would I go back - Yes but under our own steam with a hire car so we could spend more time discovering the area and perhaps stop in bed and breakfast accommodation. We have never been anywhere like it.
We flew into Bari airport on an internal flight from Milan. This is a lovely airport - clean, modern and bright and on checking-in for our homebound flight the check-in staff were cheerful and helpful. The motorway from the airport to our first hotel was a bit grim and industrialised but off of this the scenery starts to change. (Actually the road from Brindisi up to Bari wasn’t very scenic either with apartment blocks and industrial areas) but people have to live somewhere. We stayed for the first few days in Selva di Fasano which is up a very high hill and is a lovely village with a church, a shop, a café and a small park and pedestrianised area where all the local residents stroll in the evenings. We visited Martina Franca, Ostuni and Lecce. These are lovely towns with no tourists (except for us). The Baroque churches are superb. I wish we had been on our own with a car and could have spent more time in the towns instead of on a coach when you are confined to a schedule. We also went to Alberobello to see the Trulli houses - worth seeing but a few of them have been converted to tacky souvenir shops. Some are restaurants and its worth wandering off the beaten track whilst there. The whole place is whitewashed and spotlessly clean and looks like a film set. In fact most of the towns we went to were really clean with no rubbish anywhere. The Trulli houses are everywhere throughout Puglia though not so en masse as in Alberobello. They are hundreds of years old and apparently the tiles of the roofs on the old ones were just slotted together and could be dismantled rapidly when the king came to visit because if you had a roof you paid tax on it!
The second part of our holiday was spent on the Gargano peninsular on the edge of the Umbran forest 8kms from Vieste. To get to Vieste you travel along a stunning coastal road complete with hairpin bends and wonderful views. This is a lovely town with beautiful beaches There were lots of empty campsites which apparently get full to over-brimming in July and August so I would give this area a miss in high season. September would be a lovely time to visit. Our hotel was really isolated and our only neighbours were the white buffalo (where the Mozarella cheese comes from) who used to stroll down the road outside the hotel with their bells clanging - yes I said bells) and sometimes wander in the hotel gardens.
All in all it was a good trip. The Italian people in this area are really friendly and very few speak English so take a phrase book with you. At 1pm every day the church bells ring, the shutters go down and everything closes until about 4 to 4.30 so be warned. Mind you it is very, very hot so a siesta is needed and only the mad would go out in the early afternoon sun. I think the area is worth seeing before the masses discover it. It is not stunningly beautiful as say the Italian lakes or Tuscany but the atmosphere is lovely. Everything is a lot cheaper there than Northern Italy. Would I go back - Yes but under our own steam with a hire car so we could spend more time discovering the area and perhaps stop in bed and breakfast accommodation. We have never been anywhere like it.
Jul 18th, 2006, 03:45 AM
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Here is my trip report as promised. Had a traumatic trip to Puglia as on the first day a chap on our coach collapsed and died. It was a real tragedy but I would say the Tour Manager handled the situation extremely well given the fact that not only she had this poor man’s wife to take care of but 30 distressed fellow holidaymakers as well. Understandably we didn’t get to see quite as much as we were supposed to but here is my impressions of Puglia.
We flew into Bari airport on an internal flight from Milan. This is a lovely airport - clean, modern and bright and on checking-in for our homebound flight the check-in staff were cheerful and helpful. The motorway from the airport to our first hotel was a bit grim and industrialised but off of this the scenery starts to change. (Actually the road from Brindisi up to Bari wasn’t very scenic either with apartment blocks and industrial areas) but people have to live somewhere. We stayed for the first few days in Selva di Fasano which is up a very high hill and is a lovely village with a church, a shop, a café and a small park and pedestrianised area where all the local residents stroll in the evenings. We visited Martina Franca, Ostuni and Lecce. These are lovely towns with no tourists (except for us). The Baroque churches are superb. I wish we had been on our own with a car and could have spent more time in the towns instead of on a coach when you are confined to a schedule. We also went to Alberobello to see the Trulli houses - worth seeing but a few of them have been converted to tacky souvenir shops. Some are restaurants and its worth wandering off the beaten track whilst there. The whole place is whitewashed and spotlessly clean and looks like a film set. In fact most of the towns we went to were really clean with no rubbish anywhere. The Trulli houses are everywhere throughout Puglia though not so en masse as in Alberobello. They are hundreds of years old and apparently the tiles of the roofs on the old ones were just slotted together and could be dismantled rapidly when the king came to visit because if you had a roof you paid tax on it!
The second part of our holiday was spent on the Gargano peninsular on the edge of the Umbran forest 8kms from Vieste. To get to Vieste you travel along a stunning coastal road complete with hairpin bends and wonderful views. This is a lovely town with beautiful beaches There were lots of empty campsites which apparently get full to over-brimming in July and August so I would give this area a miss in high season. September would be a lovely time to visit. Our hotel was really isolated and our only neighbours were the white buffalo (where the Mozarella cheese comes from) who used to stroll down the road outside the hotel with their bells clanging - yes I said bells) and sometimes wander in the hotel gardens.
All in all it was a good trip. The Italian people in this area are really friendly and very few speak English so take a phrase book with you. At 1pm every day the church bells ring, the shutters go down and everything closes until about 4 to 4.30 so be warned. Mind you it is very, very hot so a siesta is needed and only the mad would go out in the early afternoon sun. I think the area is worth seeing before the masses discover it. It is not stunningly beautiful as say the Italian lakes or Tuscany but the atmosphere is lovely. Everything is a lot cheaper there than Northern Italy. Would I go back - Yes but under our own steam with a hire car so we could spend more time discovering the area and perhaps stop in bed and breakfast accommodation. Driving would be a pleasure in this area as off the motorway there seems to be little traffic. Even the motorway traffic travels at a very slow pace with no congestion. We have never been anywhere like it.
We flew into Bari airport on an internal flight from Milan. This is a lovely airport - clean, modern and bright and on checking-in for our homebound flight the check-in staff were cheerful and helpful. The motorway from the airport to our first hotel was a bit grim and industrialised but off of this the scenery starts to change. (Actually the road from Brindisi up to Bari wasn’t very scenic either with apartment blocks and industrial areas) but people have to live somewhere. We stayed for the first few days in Selva di Fasano which is up a very high hill and is a lovely village with a church, a shop, a café and a small park and pedestrianised area where all the local residents stroll in the evenings. We visited Martina Franca, Ostuni and Lecce. These are lovely towns with no tourists (except for us). The Baroque churches are superb. I wish we had been on our own with a car and could have spent more time in the towns instead of on a coach when you are confined to a schedule. We also went to Alberobello to see the Trulli houses - worth seeing but a few of them have been converted to tacky souvenir shops. Some are restaurants and its worth wandering off the beaten track whilst there. The whole place is whitewashed and spotlessly clean and looks like a film set. In fact most of the towns we went to were really clean with no rubbish anywhere. The Trulli houses are everywhere throughout Puglia though not so en masse as in Alberobello. They are hundreds of years old and apparently the tiles of the roofs on the old ones were just slotted together and could be dismantled rapidly when the king came to visit because if you had a roof you paid tax on it!
The second part of our holiday was spent on the Gargano peninsular on the edge of the Umbran forest 8kms from Vieste. To get to Vieste you travel along a stunning coastal road complete with hairpin bends and wonderful views. This is a lovely town with beautiful beaches There were lots of empty campsites which apparently get full to over-brimming in July and August so I would give this area a miss in high season. September would be a lovely time to visit. Our hotel was really isolated and our only neighbours were the white buffalo (where the Mozarella cheese comes from) who used to stroll down the road outside the hotel with their bells clanging - yes I said bells) and sometimes wander in the hotel gardens.
All in all it was a good trip. The Italian people in this area are really friendly and very few speak English so take a phrase book with you. At 1pm every day the church bells ring, the shutters go down and everything closes until about 4 to 4.30 so be warned. Mind you it is very, very hot so a siesta is needed and only the mad would go out in the early afternoon sun. I think the area is worth seeing before the masses discover it. It is not stunningly beautiful as say the Italian lakes or Tuscany but the atmosphere is lovely. Everything is a lot cheaper there than Northern Italy. Would I go back - Yes but under our own steam with a hire car so we could spend more time discovering the area and perhaps stop in bed and breakfast accommodation. Driving would be a pleasure in this area as off the motorway there seems to be little traffic. Even the motorway traffic travels at a very slow pace with no congestion. We have never been anywhere like it.
Jul 19th, 2006, 09:18 AM
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Thank you Smudger very much for your impressions of Puglia.
Sounds like you had a nice trip after such a terrible start. Poor guy.
We will be visiting Lecce, Ostuni and Alberobello also. We may have time for a day trip to another town too. I have heard about Martina Franca, what is it like there?
Sounds like you had a nice trip after such a terrible start. Poor guy.
We will be visiting Lecce, Ostuni and Alberobello also. We may have time for a day trip to another town too. I have heard about Martina Franca, what is it like there?
Jul 19th, 2006, 10:09 AM
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Here is a segment of my trip report that may help some Puglia travelers:
http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/triprepor...04&index=3
http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/triprepor...04&index=3
Jul 20th, 2006, 03:53 AM
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Hi Scullysioux. Sorry for delay in replying. We had our hottest ever recorded July day here in the UK yesterday and with no aircon it is an effort to move. Sorry guys for putting my Puglia trip on twice even my computer is starting to boil over. Perhaps the powers that be at Fodors would delete one for me. In answer to your question about Martina Franca. It is a lovely town, beautifully clean and worth a visit. I would have like to have seen it at night as with its cobbled passageways etc as it must be wonderful and even more atmospheric. The main point of interest in all these small towns are the churches or cathedrals and this had a really interesting one. I would mention that if you are female or going with another female there is a dress code for ladies ie no bare shoulders or knees which is quite right really as often there are services going on. If you are doing this trip to Puglia on your own and not part of a tour you must have a car - never saw any public transport where we were. The hotel we stayed in near Vieste had a 6 seater shuttle bus that took us to a beach 5 kms away and one morning we were driving along through the olive groves with the driver singing opera, the sun was out, birds singing - magic.
Jul 21st, 2006, 04:15 AM
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Scully, just to clarify, that dress code is only for visiting churches - as is true for all of Italy. You could walk down the main street in a bikini if you really wanted to.
I'm going to Puglia tomorrow, yay!
I'm going to Puglia tomorrow, yay!
Jul 21st, 2006, 07:04 AM
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Hi Kate,
Yeah, I know the dress code is not for all of Italy. That made me chuckle. I have been to Italy before, in fact I was stationed in Naples for 2 years in the military several years ago.
I've never been to Puglia though, so I am trying to take in every little bit of info about the area. I'm REALLY looking forward to visiting it. Can't wait to see the trulli!
Enjoy your trip!
Yeah, I know the dress code is not for all of Italy. That made me chuckle. I have been to Italy before, in fact I was stationed in Naples for 2 years in the military several years ago.
I've never been to Puglia though, so I am trying to take in every little bit of info about the area. I'm REALLY looking forward to visiting it. Can't wait to see the trulli!
Enjoy your trip!
Aug 20th, 2006, 08:21 AM
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It's definatively one of the most beautiful place in Italy. I think people, food, beach, weather and very different population in the past made this region, the most mediterranen region in Italy.
You need to spend your time and understand it....You have to be an adventurer and also be ready to have experience not pleasant, but this happen because they don't speak english and they don't know what a tourist wants. It's all about you make this regional personal at your taste. But at the end the people are real, this is the way they are!
Any question about place to visit let me know...ciao ciao
You need to spend your time and understand it....You have to be an adventurer and also be ready to have experience not pleasant, but this happen because they don't speak english and they don't know what a tourist wants. It's all about you make this regional personal at your taste. But at the end the people are real, this is the way they are!
Any question about place to visit let me know...ciao ciao
