Hello all -
I've read a number of the posts here about Puglia and have gleaned some valuable information, yet I still have questions. Although I've visited Italy 5 times, including spending a month there this past summer, I've never been to the east side of the country and would like to rectify that lapse next July. As a teacher, my travel opportunities, unfortunately, are limited by the academic calendar. I'll be flying from the U.S., likely either NYC or Boston, but I have flown to Europe from Hartford (CT) and Montreal, so there are options.

It seems like flights into Bari and Brindisi are pretty expensive ($1500+ r/t) at the moment and I'm wondering if it might make sense to fly into Naples and then take a train to Puglia. It looks to be 4+ hours and I have no issue spending my first night in Naples at a B&B that I enjoy just to settle in for my first night in Italy before heading east. Have any of you taken this approach to accessing Puglia?

Once in Puglia, would you recommend a mix of coastal and inland destinations? We like the laziness of being near water and aren't overly ambitious with regards to seeing everything, especially when it's our first time in an area.

It seems like we'd want to see Matera for sure - it looks amazing. If we're seeking a relaxing trip, hopefully relying exclusively upon buses/trains, should we head south or east to follow our stay in Matera? Or should we go directly to Bari and hit Matera on our way back to Naples, assuming we fly r/t in and out of Naples? I generally try to stay a minimum of 3 nights in a particular area, but imagine 2 nights would be sufficient for Matera - am I wrong?

Does anyone have any favorite beaches/beach towns to share in Puglia?

I think we'll only have about two weeks (not including the days we fly) in the Puglia region. What should we try to see/do for sure?

Grazie!

yes I've taken the Naples train to Taranto, easy peasy. Great views out the window. To Bari, I assume the same.

Matera is not in Puglia but Basilicata and the train to Taranto passes close to it

The geography of Puglia is a not really coastal or not. North of Taranto the hinterland is elevated and there is a narrow coastal zone, south of Taranto it is basically flatish.

https://www.wanderingitaly.com/maps/...-rail-map.html

You can search out your own Pullman map for the area (Pullman being the long distance coaches rather than city buses) and then overlay the two. Rome2rio does a reasonable job of sorting this all out but never trust r2r.

That link was very helpful - thank you. My not knowing that Matera isn’t in Puglia is the perfect example of my ignorance! I’m wondering if maybe we head to Matera, go south and then loop counter clockwise around the heel. I don’t feel the need to necessarily visit Bari on this trip.

It is going to be very hot and very busy in July. I know you said you can't go any other time but you need to factor it in. For example in Matera you'll want to visit the Sassi first thing in the morning or in the evening, during the day it may be too hot. Also bear in mind the risk of heat when planning transport. Trains are usually air-conditioned but it could be unpleasant pulling around suitcases in the heat. Seaside towns and villages will be very busy with traffic and parking difficult. Weather is unpredictable but if you look at the records for last summer I think it's worth bearing in mind. I don't want to put you off, and maybe someone who has visited in July or August can provide first hand info, but 'relaxing' and 'Puglia in July' may not coincide. A local person I got chatting to said the locals who can, head for a Masseria with swimming pool during the peak season.

I wish I had flexibility with my travel schedule, but that'll be in a few more years when I retire. After my month in Italy this past summer, I'm pretty aware of the potential for extreme heat. I've taken to traveling with packets of electrolytes to avoid dehydration and generally am an early riser/late afternoon siesta kind of person. I travel exclusively with carryon luggage only and don't intend to rent a car. I'm just looking for information and suggestions about a place I know very little about - thanks!

We spent ten days in Polignano a Mare overlooking the Aegean Sea. We loved it there! We visited many of the towns in Puglia as day trips plus went go Bascilata to visit Matera which was ok, not a big fan.

you will find the locals also rise early and work hard into the evening. La Pausa means that you need to be in any restaurant by 1pm at the absolute latestest and do not expect to find anything open until 3pm.

After pulling this bottle up from the cellar, I’m convinced that going to Puglia is exactly what I want to do this summer!

Pulled the trigger over the weekend when I saw a good flight on Lufthansa from Boston to Bari and Naples to Boston - $911 r/t. Now I need to figure out how to allocate my time in Puglia, with 2 nights in Matera in the mix. We've got 10-12 nights and are hoping to primarily use trains and buses to move around and generally prefer to spend 3 or 4 nights in a single location. Anyone have an itinerary to share?

I would include Lecce, Polignano a Mare, Ostuni, Trani, Otranto, Monopoli and Locorotundo. You may want to visit Matera in Basilicata too.

I like Happy's list but also you could add in Martina Franca, Gioia di Colle and some other central towns. Use Lecce as a base in the south, it has good bus and train connections. I'm going to repeat my mantra, you really don't want to be competing with Italians for car parking spaces in the middle of August. Go where the trains go and you'll be fine, hot, but fine.

Alternatively you could just book into a posh Masseria and chill by a pool, do yoga, eat food, watch the sky.....

Ah, bilboburgler, that sure does sound like a nice approach! Lecce as a southern base sounds ideal. Our flight, if all goes as scheduled, gets us into Bari in the early afternoon. Is there a point in staying in Bari for a night or two or should we push on and grab the train to Monopoli and make that our first stay for 2 or 3 nights? Remember - our ideal trip is eating, drinking, walking and lazing on the beach.

Bari, is an ancient port and with the mafia much reduced after work in the 2000s, it is worth exploring but nothing really prepares you for the glory that is Lecce, so if it were me I'd press on. However if either of you likes a good ancient port then hang around. (sounds daft but I like a good port).

I think we'll probably spend our first three nights in Pognano A Mare, then head to Lecce for 3 nights. My sweetie wants to visit Santa Maria de Leuca so that would be our next 2 nights. Thoughts on where to land for two nights between there and Matera? After 2 nights in Matera we'll head to Naples.

see any of the towns I've already named, or move Matera to earlier and go to Potenza on the way to Napoli

It looks (based upon distances and transit) that it makes the most sense to go Bari to Pognano A Mare (3 nights) to Santa Maria de Leuca (3 nights) to Lecce (3 nights) to Matera (2 nights). I checked a couple of the towns suggested but there were events (opera fest) of challenges using trains/buses. I'm generally disinclined to flying within Europe, especially within a country, but the trek from Matera to Naples looks arduous!

That is because you are looking at Matera stations which only joins to the east coast of Italy. You want to look at somewhere like Ferrandina which is on the mainish line to Naples which goes Tarranto, Ferrandina, Potenza and Salerno, Napoli. There is a bus to Ferrandina or a taxi will not be much.

I just spent 10 minutes checking that out as I've done this train journey and could not believe it was not coming up. I finally found it and then re-found on rome2rio. R2R has really come on a lot in the last 2 years

Bilboburgler!! Thank you! That is MUCH better. I really appreciate you sussing that out for me and my essential itinerary is laid out. Now to book accommodations after which I can put this trip aside for a few months. Grazie mille!

Bilbo,if you have time can you elaborate further on Potenza?

I'd always avoided it...I know the food must be great but is the city pleasant to wander around? (Truly, how could any Italian city NOT be interesting for a foreigner to walk around)..??

Potenza is not especially nice but is sort of built on a mountain top (or so it feels to me who comes from low lying lands) this means it has to have a bunch of railway stations which are not connected. Like a lot of modern Italian towns it has lifts to get you up from lower levels and the main square and the main passeggiata routes are nice enough. I've eaten and drank well there but it is more a place to pass through. The trains to Naples have some great mountain pass views while those down to Tarranto are more boring until the bay opens up.

Would I stay long there, no, would I stay a night, yep. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...asilicata.html