This is great info so thanks to you all.

Jubi, I wondered about the four nights in Bari; I can make that hotel booking last, when I book the flights, but I might cut the down to threee nights so I would have two full days instead of three. I did love Trani but did not even stay overnight, just wandered around on afternoon visit from an inland inn.....its beautiful and I bet it would be a great place to spend a few days... I can't make too many stops on this trip cause partner does not want to move around too much. Since he has no idea of where we are going, I'll wait to let him know that we will have 4 different hotels on this trip!!

Great to hear about Ceglie. And about Cibus!!! There used to be another place in that town, FORNELLO DI RICCI but I guess it's closed. But it would be great to get to Cibus and other great places in the town.... Ok, donkey is ok for me; horse is ok in meatballs. But I did try one of those grilled meat places, maybe in Cisternino, and I'm not so crazy about eating meat in Puglia. We don't eat much meat at all, really. I only cook it in there summer eat home when I have use a BBQ (gas, though!). Once in a while might make a hamburger or lamb chops but probably only once a month out of summer..

I heard from the places in Nardo and near Ceglie and they both have space in October.....
Oh, boy, prices have sure gone skyward since we were last in that area of Puglia!!!

So I will go ahead with plan.

The one place I did not mention was Monopoli. We had planned to visit around 2011 but were daunted by the lack of parking, so only got a quick peek.
I wonder if it makes sense to add a couple of days here, after Bari? I would have to convince partner to add another stop (remember, I am DRAGGING him away during the baseball playoff season) but the more I read, the more I think we ought to see Monopoli. I know there are trains from Bari to Monopoli but I don't like day trips so much anymore... We get a late start and by the time we get someplace, the pausa will have begun and the town will be very quiet....

I'm even wondering if we ought to either skip Bari or just spend 2 nights there and then have 2 or 3 in Monopoli??

I'm going to look into hotels IN Monopoli just in case, so if anyone has ideas for me I'd be grateful....must have parking nearby.

I'll just throw this out but please keep the eye rolling to yourselves: He has the YES and MLB apps (USA baseball) on what he calls his "pad." But if I recall, they do not show entire games.
Is there anyway that someone can watch MLB games in southern Italy apart from living in a house with a special satellite channel? Is there another app he could buy?

I think Locanda Don Ferrante* would be your kinda place. I stayed in Monopoli and found it both pretty and interesting, but I was getting itchy feet after a couple nights. That's just my personality, though--I need more of a city, so found Bari more to my taste. Pretty sure I am in the minority on this one.

*Generally outside my budget, I looked into it for my trip because there didn't seem ti be many suitable options in Monopoli, but they were fully booked. So reserve early if you decide to stay there.

Leely, thank you! I did read about Don Ferrante and it looks lovely!
There's another hotel/B&B that's also tempting--PALAZO BREGANTE B&B, but so far I can't find their official site.

I'll keep in mind the need to book asap and thank you for mentioning that; I have most everything booked as far as hotels, except for Bari and, maybe, Monopoli.
at this stage, I just hope some medical issue does not force another cancellation of plans.... (Note to self: Stop with the anxiety already!)

I might be with you on the leaning to the big city, Bari.

You could try getting a VPN app for it so it looks like he is in the US and he can see the whole game. I did this once when I couldn't bear to miss the last episode of Game of Thrones ha ha.

VPN?? It's a free App in the Apple Store!!!
Would that work in Italy? So it's a trick to hide where you are coming from, and then you can delete the app if it does not work?? That would change things a lot for my travel life!!

For GAME OF THRONES?? REALLY, RCG????

Hahaha yes really ekscrunchy! My son and I were hooked on it and when we flew to Capetown to meet my husband after his Cairo to Capetown bike ride we could NOT miss the finale. Wild interpersonal politicking etc in the story line to rival Succession.

And yes, a VPN will work in Italy. You can google which ones work the best, I used NordVPN. And yes, delete when you don't want it anymore.
My husband will be using one for his Silk Road cycling trip especially for the China part.

Rainy that is such great info about the VPN (also about your GAME O T addiction!!). I just realized that since I will be in Spain next week, I can try out the VPN there and see if it works, and even find someone in my hotel to help me if I can't figure something out. (There you go, another reason to stay in a hotel=tech help!!). For decades I have had a lot of pushback when I try to plan trips in the fall, due to MLB. This might solve my problems. (At least one of them!)

BTW; I decided against getting a check-in Rimowa. I'm still using the older B&R suitcase with the 2 wheels but will probably get the spinner bag from them before too long.