So far my favorite food region has been the Langhe region but weirdly our lunches were just ok and dinners fantastic. So would May be a good time for Puglia? 2.5 weeks-would love some beach time but doubt ocean would be warm enough.

Plambers, Seconding what Leely2 and others have said about the food in Puglia and Matera. I found the cuisine to be among the best I’ve had in Italy (though obviously the country enjoys an embarrassment of riches when it comes to food). In re Puglia-my diet leans heavily toward fish and vegetables and I found them exceptionally well prepared in the region. And I appreciated that there were many ways that fish and seafood were prepared that didn’t involve deep frying (love deep fried, but there is only so much of it I can eat). Matera was a big (very positive) surprise for me in terms of food—I hadn’t expected the cuisine and ingredients to be so memorable. —On the timing of your trip, I’m afraid I can’t say. I was in the region in late March/v. early April (2023) and the weather was perfect—cool and sunny. I don’t know how hot it becomes in May. I’m not a beach person and I don’t do well at all in heat, so generally I try to travel to places that get hot in late March/April/early May. (Given my work schedule in the spring, these trips can’t be that long.) Exciting that you are planning a long trip.

In case it’s helpful, here is a TR on a short trip to parts of Puglia and Matera (car free). https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...023-a-1714433/