Anyone done Extensive Travel in the Puglia Area? And maybe written a detailed trip report?
Dec 30th, 2006, 10:49 AM
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Anyone done Extensive Travel in the Puglia Area? And maybe written a detailed trip report?
After much adventuring and delving into the Tuscany area about 3 months ago, the "Italy bug" has bitten again and I am thinking of another trip around May 2007.
Someone mentioned the apparently little known and little traveled area of Puglia and I am interested. If any of you have been there, and written up a trip report, I would love to read it.
Specific questions :
1) Is May a good time to visit in terms of weather, i.e. I do not like very hot weather. Is it still spring-like or too summery and hot?
2) Is it an area which is conducive (read : easy) to driving? Friends have told us, for instance, after returning from the Amalfi coast area and renting a car, that it was a mistake and they should have relied on public transportation which was easy in that area and much less scary.
3) Is it better to "park" oneself in one town and do day trips in the area, as we did in Tuscany? Or go from place to place and spend a day or two or three in each area (we will have about 10 days total and we may want to include part of the Amalfi/Sorrento area as well).
Many thanks in advance.
Someone mentioned the apparently little known and little traveled area of Puglia and I am interested. If any of you have been there, and written up a trip report, I would love to read it.
Specific questions :
1) Is May a good time to visit in terms of weather, i.e. I do not like very hot weather. Is it still spring-like or too summery and hot?
2) Is it an area which is conducive (read : easy) to driving? Friends have told us, for instance, after returning from the Amalfi coast area and renting a car, that it was a mistake and they should have relied on public transportation which was easy in that area and much less scary.
3) Is it better to "park" oneself in one town and do day trips in the area, as we did in Tuscany? Or go from place to place and spend a day or two or three in each area (we will have about 10 days total and we may want to include part of the Amalfi/Sorrento area as well).
Many thanks in advance.
Dec 30th, 2006, 11:04 AM
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Hi Flame, I am sure you will enjoy Puglia. I have not been there as extensivly as other parts of Italy but if you go to the search box here and click on Italy and than type Puglia in the box you will pull up various threads that I am sure will help you.
Dec 30th, 2006, 11:24 AM
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This is a fairly good article about Puglia that appeared in "Travel + Leisure" two years ago:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/puglia-rustica
It includes hotel and restaurant recommendations.
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/puglia-rustica
It includes hotel and restaurant recommendations.
Dec 30th, 2006, 04:20 PM
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We spent about three days in Puglia in March of 2000. For personal reasons we wanted to visit the tomb of Padre Pio of Pietralcina in San Giovanni Rotondo and that is where we stayed. For those interested in that sort of things, Padre Pio was proclaimed a saint later in 2002.
From our base in San Giovanni we visited the Parco Nazionale del Gargano and we really enjoyed it even though it was early March. Another memorable visit was to the shrine dedicated to the Archangel Michael in Monte Sant’Angelo sul Gargano. The road up to Monte Sant’Angelo makes the road up to the lakes in Asturias seem like an autostrada but the views made it well worth the drive.
We also took a day trip to Alberobello, stopping in Trani on our way back. It was a rather long drive from our base but both places were well worth the visit.
We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent in the region and only wish we had spent more time there.
From our base in San Giovanni we visited the Parco Nazionale del Gargano and we really enjoyed it even though it was early March. Another memorable visit was to the shrine dedicated to the Archangel Michael in Monte Sant’Angelo sul Gargano. The road up to Monte Sant’Angelo makes the road up to the lakes in Asturias seem like an autostrada but the views made it well worth the drive.
We also took a day trip to Alberobello, stopping in Trani on our way back. It was a rather long drive from our base but both places were well worth the visit.
We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent in the region and only wish we had spent more time there.
Dec 30th, 2006, 09:54 PM
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luhimari - thanks for your reply. Since you have spent time there, can you answer any of my specific questions in my original post?
jody- thanks for the heads-up on the gourmet article. I have not been able to find it on-line and have no way of getting the magazine. Any other suggestions? Thanks.
jody- thanks for the heads-up on the gourmet article. I have not been able to find it on-line and have no way of getting the magazine. Any other suggestions? Thanks.
Dec 31st, 2006, 12:50 PM
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In regard to the first question in your original post, we have traveled to Europe several times during March and April, once during November and once, to Rome, in June (the year of the horrible heat spell in Europe!). As you can see, we have no experience at all in Europe at that time of year. But, from what I have seen, Puglia is either mountainous or near the sea so I would guess that the weather in May should be nice and cool.
As to the area being conductive to easy driving, it all depends on the driver and the area you will be driving in. On that same trip we spent four days driving up and down the Amalfi Coast and had no problems at all. As I said in my earlier post, the road up to Monte Sant’Angelo could be intimidating, but most roads in the area are good country roads or autostradas. Italians know how to drive and their roads are built for fast, safe driving. You should have no problems at all. In my humble opinion, driving is the way to go.
We are the slow traveler type and like to stay in one place three, four or even five days, using it as a base. I recommend that you read all you can find about the area, taking note of what interests you, and then plan your trip around that. If you do go to the Amalfi/Sorrento area, try to visit Paestum. You could easily do it when coming from or going to Puglia.
I hope this helps.
Happy New Year!
As to the area being conductive to easy driving, it all depends on the driver and the area you will be driving in. On that same trip we spent four days driving up and down the Amalfi Coast and had no problems at all. As I said in my earlier post, the road up to Monte Sant’Angelo could be intimidating, but most roads in the area are good country roads or autostradas. Italians know how to drive and their roads are built for fast, safe driving. You should have no problems at all. In my humble opinion, driving is the way to go.
We are the slow traveler type and like to stay in one place three, four or even five days, using it as a base. I recommend that you read all you can find about the area, taking note of what interests you, and then plan your trip around that. If you do go to the Amalfi/Sorrento area, try to visit Paestum. You could easily do it when coming from or going to Puglia.
I hope this helps.
Happy New Year!
Jan 1st, 2007, 10:58 AM
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Puglia is much more conducive to driving than the Amalfi Coast. The AC is much more crowded and you drive along the cliffs. Puglia is fairly flat and the traffic is not that bad between cities. I personally would not drive on the AC, but that depends on you. The public transportation is easy to use around the AC, but the buses can be crowded. It is best to travel around Puglia by car as the public transportation is not as convenient.
I travelled to Puglia in October of 2006. Click on my name and you will find my Southern Italy trip report. We went to the Amalfi Coast too. We loved both places.
I travelled to Puglia in October of 2006. Click on my name and you will find my Southern Italy trip report. We went to the Amalfi Coast too. We loved both places.
Mar 17th, 2007, 12:04 AM
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Last summer we spent a week in Alberobello and rented out a 'Trullo'. I highly recommend the experience. I also created a free screensaver and interviewed the lady from the agency who rented out our Trullo (check out our site for the podcast and free screensaver). From there, we visited Ostuni, Matera and all the surroundings. Renting a car I think is a must. We did it at Bari's airport.
Paolo
http://www.italyfromtheinside.com
Paolo
http://www.italyfromtheinside.com
