Advice on Puglia Itinerary?

Old Mar 5th, 2009, 11:02 AM
  #21  
 
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panecott - prego. Glad I could help. By the way, this was only my second time driving abroad in Italy and really it was fine. Puglia is quite flat and the towns are nowhere near as confusing as bigger ones further in the middle or Northern regions of Italy. As for the Italians being anxious to get you to move faster, I just let them laugh or scream and try not to let it phase me. Italians are just fabulous people and so we don't let those very few who have no patience get us down!!!

Villa Giuliana WAS perfect, for us anyway. It is a few km out of Lecce but that was perfect for us. And the owner directed us to that fabulous restaurant nearby where we ended up just about every day.

Would love to read your trip report when you return!!!

bmetz - thanks for the good words, glad you liked my trip report. I doubt that it would be feasible in a place like Puglia to take this kind of trip without a car (I also do not drive a manual and just rented an automatic at the airport in Rome), but since I never checked public transport because I knew I would not need it, I will let others give you info about that, if they know.

As for the weather, I also suffer terribly in the heat and what I can tell you is this : Our trip started in the northern parts of Puglia around Trani and vicinity and it was the very beginning of May. I remember that the weather was perfect in that area and then also in the central region of Puglia. However, by the time we got to the very southern tip near Lecce, it was too hot for me to be out and about in midday. So we started early, took a long midday break and then in the evening or when the sun went down, we were out again. I was happy to have a/c in that place. But you know, weather is crazy all over the world in the last years, so you can never really be sure.

Good luck and good travels!!
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Old Mar 5th, 2009, 11:16 AM
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bmetz, you can get schedules and pricing on the trenitalia website. For me, the easiest way is to google "trenitalia schedules". In your search results "Trenitalia Schedules and Pricing" should come up as the third one in the list. Just click that on and you can figure out the prices and times between your destinations.

Have you tried AutoEurope for your car rental? Not saying they're cheap, but their prices are very competitive and are all inclusive - insurance, liability, theft, etc. - so you don't have to worry about anything. I'm also renting an automatic, but when you figure out the cost of the trains and the benefits of having a car, you might find that the price difference is worth it. And if a particular city has more than one location, try them all, b/c, the prices can vary from one location to the next, even in the same city.

Flame, yes, I'll try. I hope I will have a report-worthy trip! But I can almost promise a link to some photos, which are usually quite viewable.
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Old Mar 5th, 2009, 02:53 PM
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Yes, include Matera if at all possible! It is possible to visit Matera without a car.
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Old Mar 20th, 2009, 02:00 PM
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not a whole lot in Foggia either!
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Old Mar 20th, 2009, 06:24 PM
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LOL! I got that impression. I'll arrive on the train from Rome in the early evening and will be so jetlagged by then I'm sure I'll go right to sleep.

I'm just spending the night b/c it's a convenient place to pick up the car and then I'll be on my way to Gargano the next morning.
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Old Mar 21st, 2009, 01:21 AM
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Today is a lightly rainy day in Foggia but you're going to find good weather in Gargano for next 3-4 days: sunny with temperature a little colder than usual for this season in southern Italy.
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Old Mar 21st, 2009, 06:07 AM
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Thanks for the weather report, libero. Sunny is fine for me. I don't mind if it's cool.

What is it usually like in late April? That's when I'll be there. Is there a chance of swimming weather, maybe further south like Lecce?

BTW, are you familiar with boats from the Gargano to the Tremiti Islands? I looked at some schedules and it appears that in April boats only leave from Termoli, which seems a fair distance from Vieste, where I'll be staying.
They don't leave from Vieste until June.
Do you know of any others?
My map seems to show a number of boat routes from the Gargano but I only found those two.
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Old Mar 21st, 2009, 07:24 AM
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Boats to Tremiti start from Termoli, Vieste and Rodi Garganico. Regular service begins in June, but during the "ponti" time (April 25th - May, 1st) they provide some special services. Look at this link: http://www.vieste.it/VIESTE-ISOLE-TREMITI_2009.pdf

You can also rent a "gommone" (rubber dinghy), making a trip to the beautiful sea grottos in the sorroundings of Vieste or directly to Tremiti (don't know the price, but I imagine not so cheap..): http://www.vieste.it/escursioni_grotte_vieste.htm

Air temperature in April can be relatively mild (65°-70° F), but sea is too cold to have a bath. Some friends of mine in Salento take their first baths in June, not before. In southern Puglia usually you will have 7°- 8° more than in Gargano area.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2009, 05:48 PM
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Thank you very much, libero. I had not seen that particular link when I searched.
Unfortunately I will be there from 4/18 - 4/21, so I will just miss the boats by a few days. But I will look further into the boats from Termoli.

And the grottos look wonderful - I didn't know about them - so I will definitely look into touring them when I arrive. I love being on the water!
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