Yeah, I don't think I'm keen on attempting the drive out of Naples. Rather fly into Brindisi or Bari, wherever it is one flies into.

Not sure about Matera. Maybe as a day trip. Though I would like to have a meal or two in Basilicata; I watched an episode of Lydia's Italy that was based there, and she made pasta that made me want to eat my flatscreen.

I so want Grotta Palazzese to be a great hotel. I keep rereading the tripadvisor reports, hoping one will pop up saying they've revamped their service and turned into a customer-friendly place.

So, seaside towns that appeal, just based on trip reports here, are Monopoli, Trani, Polignano, Gallipoli, Porto Cesare. Seems like we can't go wrong staying in one of those. I'm wondering whether it makes more sense to stay in a coastal town on the Salento and do a masseria up north, or vice versa. Maybe a night or 2 in Lecce.
Having done it, would you now recommend 1 or 2 for Lecce?

I'm in headspin mode. I wish you'd go on your May trip already so I could get the second report!

Taconic: Thank you very much for your comment,

Look at this thread discussing how many nights to stay in Lecce. So you see you are not the only one with these questions!!

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...any-nights.cfm



We ended up staying only one night and because the entire trip was only a week, I made the right decision. I felt like we saw a lot in the one afternoon we had there; we would have had the next morning as well if I had not left my camera charger back in Otranto.

The beaches, and the coastal scenery, in general, is best in the Salento. But on the other hand, Grotta P. has a great position. I will take a look now at the reviews on TA.

Option for Polignano:


http://www.covodeisaraceni.com/

Lbelgray: I think you can cancel all compliments.

Apropos of the conversation above, I was just looking at a map in preparation for my forthcoming trip to Puglia and I realized that I did NOT drive through Porto Cesareo. I confused it with Santa Cesarea Terme, which had the bathing platforms jutting out into the sea.

Oh - thanks for the accuracy check! I will continue to compliment you.

I'm now wondering whether we should add a few nights in Amalfi to satisfy my terrace-over-the-sea quest. Now having been in both places, would you combine the two? If so, what order would you pick: Amalfi to start, or to end?

I'm also struggling with which three locations to pick in Puglia:

A 1)Seaside town like Trani or Polignano or Monopoli, 2)Lecce, and 3)Masseria Montelauro?

B 1)Masseria Torre Maizza, 2)Lecce, 3)seaside town like Gallipoli or Otranto?

C 1)Trani/ Polignano/ Monopoli, 2) Torre maizza, 3) Gallipoli/ Otranto

Or, maybe I just do two of those? Lecce looks like a fun place to be for just walking around and finding restaurants, so it might be nice to stay there a couple of nights. But it seems like I could also visit it and feel satisfied in a day trip.

Gaaahhhh. So hard to narrow down.

I know, I know. I went through the same thing, and there is far less info about these places here, or on any other English-language site or book.

Adding Amalfi depends on how much you like to drive...see how long that drive would take. OR you could add the Gargano peninsula and begin the trip there. Fly into Bari and rent the car there, perhaps. I have this hotel on my list, but I have never been to the area.

http://www.hotelbaiadellezagare.it/e...rt_gargano.php

I was thinking about the lack of enticing-looking hotels on the sea in that area. The same holds true on the Calabrian coast and in the Cilento, two regions that I hope to visit in the fall. I often see comments about this on the Italian-language TA site. I think that (and this is just a theory with no facts to back it up) that the coastal development has been a bit uncontrolled, and also perhaps the hotels have been designed with package tourists in mind, so they look kind of slap-dash and concrete-block-ish. To me. The more inviting looking places are the renovated (in Puglia) masserie in the countryside, but not on the sea.


Anyway, maybe think about the Gargano, then move on to Trani for a day or two. Then move to Torre Maizza. From there you can see the trulli areas as well as Polignano and Monopoli, and Martina Franca. (I stayed overnight at Villa Cenci and saw the trulli areas from there, but you could easily do it from Torre Maizza) And then on to Lecce for an overnight, and head last to someplace in the Salento. But where ??????

Since I am leaving at the end of this month and will visit Trani, Matera, and Torre Maizza, I will have more info for you. I will try to inquire locally about seaside hotels, since I hope that this will not be my last visit to Puglia!

We, too, are travelling to Puglia as part of a longer trip to Italy this summer.
I've been back and forth about the areas and think we'll be driving from Sorrento after a few days on Capri (I enjoyed this so much a few years ago).
If it's any use, I found this website which represents a variety of accommodations in locations all over Italy.
It's been great fun to browse-
http://www.italytraveller.com/en/r/apulia

Here's what I'm now thinking:

Use Lecce as a base to see Salento. Is that crazy? To think of driving in and out of the city that much? I'm trying to minimalize the number of different stays so I don't drive my husband crazy. And it sounds like Trani is a great seaside town, so maybe that would give us our fix. Thinking something like this:

3 nights Trani
3 nights Torre Maizza
3 nights Lecce

Plus maybe a night or two in Naples, since my husband is dying to check it out. Maybe Amalfi?

But what do you think of those three bases in Puglia?

EKS, I think I should have just paid you a consulting fee to plan our upcoming trip for us! WOW, your details are incredible - I can practically taste the stratiacella cheese now!

Here is my question. We have just six nights and are committed to see some things along the AC and Campania Coast. I'm dying to experience Puglia, but at most we could allow 2 days/night. Is it worth it for such a short time, or should we concentrate our stay around Campania and save Puglia for another trip, dedicated only to that area? My conceren is that our travel has been severely curtailed since our kids were born a couple years ago, so I'm not sure how soon we can return to Italy (or anywhere internationally, for that matter.)

For the time being, I am just happy to travel vicariously through your trip reports. THANK YOU!

Cstallwitz: Definitely not enough time. If you want to branch out, take a look at the Cilento area, south of Salerno. If this interests you, see:


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-long-trip.cfm



http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...-cilento-coast





Lbel: that sounds good. Lecce is a city by Puglian standards, but it is not at all huge and overwhelming and the driving in and out did not seem difficult even for us. (Although we did have a bit of a hard time trying to find our hotel when we first arrived). That way you could do the touring in the day and be able to walk home from dinner.

I don't know about Trani since I will be visiting for the first time in early May, but will report back.

Torre Maizza for three nights gives you a good base for daytrips to the trulli towns, along with Cisterino, Martina Franca, Ostuni, and Polignano/Monopoli. Also, do you know about the caves of Castelllina Grotte? Those are also close. (I did not go, but it would be an option...)


http://www.grottedicastellana.it/



If you do book at Torre Maizza, say hello for me!

No, I didn't know about those caves. Cool!

Hey, at Torre Maizza, you were happy with the classic room, right? Did you have a private deck or anything?

In Trani, I'm looking at both the Mare Resort
http://www.mareresort.it/it/home/

or the Regia, which looks kind of drab but gets the thumbs up from sssteve.
http://www.hotelregia.it/indexeng.asp

In Lecce, I was already looking at the Risogimento when I saw that you'd stayed there. I like the looks of it.

The Risorgimento interior is very contemporary. The rooms do not have old-world charm but they are comfortable. It is a very good hotel in a great location. You can walk everywhere, and they will park the car (most important!!)

The classic rooms are fine at Torre Maizza. Check to make sure that they have a bathtub if that matters to you. The higher category rooms are different mainly in their size and that the Jr suites have a fireplace.
As far as I know, all the rooms have outdoor space (but check that to be sure); it is a private outdoor area with loungers, etc. Not a terrace because all the rooms are ground floor. But please check all this with the hotel because I only saw a couple of rooms.

Thanks! That's good stuff. I like contemporary rooms. Rarely find old-world charm with good bathrooms.

Eks, adding more questions to this great thread.

We, too, will be visiting Puglia with 1 week in the Salento and 2 nights planned closer to Fasano. We will driving there from Salerno/Paestum.
Looking for a Masseria experience for those two nights. Thinking one with easy driving to Trani area since when staying in Galatina we could tour Martina Franca etc.
We love the look of Torre Maizza but would like something less expensive. Would also like the experience of eating in a Masseria for a good meal.

Any suggestions?

Martina Franca looks to me to be about midway between Trani and Galatina, and it is an easy drive from Fasano. In the Fasano area, Masseria Parco di Castro has excellent food (see report above); I did not see the rooms but the location is good:


http://www.masseriaparcodicastro.it/

This masseria is a few minutes from Parco di Castro, just outside Fasano; I have not visited but it seems to receive good reports:

http://www.borgosanmarco.it/

Also nearby:

http://www.masseriasanmartino.com/index_ing.htm




But if you are planning to visit Martina Franca and the trulli zones from Galatina, I am questioning whether you ought to stay near Fasano if Trani is the objective.

You might think about someplace further north, perhaps near Andria. I will stay at this first masseria soon and will report back. I am sure there are quit a few others in the region as well as these:


http://www.lamadiluna.com/

http://www.cefalicchio.it/eng/index.asp

http://www.tenutacocevola.com/


I like the look of this one, too, although I see no English site; their restaurant gets good reports on TripAdvisor where it is listed under Bari:

http://www.masseriabarbera.com/l-azienda

http://www.pugliadoc.net/ristoranti/..._page=graphics

Eks, I do think you are right about staying further north and I had been going back to the website of Lama di Luna frequently!

All of your suggestions look great. When are you leaving in May. I will really look forward to your trip report. Do you think it is reasonable to wait further for a booking for October?

As always in my trip planning I want to swallow the whole country whole in one bite!!!

Thank you and hope this thread goes on for some time as there really is not that much information readily accessible about this area of Italy.

Since I am so enamored of the pastries of Lecce, I thought I would add this great blog post with photos from one of the city's bakeries:






http://foodloversodyssey.typepad.com...capilungo.html

I need a Giulietta pastry now!!!(two or three will be better).
Really a good and informative blog

a giulietta would be nice but I'd really like a fruttone.

almond, pear AND chocolate? sounds divine.

Still followimg this thread and glad to see it pop up periodically.

Leaving in about one month and looking forward to exploring Puglia.

I can't wait to read about your trip!

Hopefully with a hot sfogliatelle in my hands. I will be careful not to drop crumbs on the keyboard!

That blog is really good..there are a lot of links on it to other interesting sites, too. Enjoy!

Just spent a week based in Lecce in June. I think I ate my way through most of the pastries on your link but don't remember seeing the eye-catching pastry chef.
I ran around much of the area on the local trains and had a wonderful time. Strongly recommend, few tourists, fantastic uncrowded sights, easy to find accommodation and get about. And the pastries....

Ekscrunchy: I know you leave for Italy in a few days; enjoy your trip and some sfogiatelle and baba!!

Gracias, JE! I have to tell you that my neighbors, with whom I will be traveling this week, have been to Uruguay at least once and they are most enthusiastic about your country! (I've only put my foot on the soil for an afternoon, at Colonia del Sacramento, on a daytrip from BA; I hope one of these days I will make it to your neck of the woods!!)

thanks so much for this report-- am taking my time going through this... it's making me even more excited about our upcoming trip!! (april-may)

I am glad that you enjoyed reading. I wrote another report after my second trip to the region (with a stop in Matera) and will be happy to answer questions based on my experience, or just discuss.




http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-di-senise.cfm

I am so grateful for your Puglia trip reports,both of them !! We are in the early planning stages of a two week stay in Puglia,and I am using your reports to shape our journey.If you were to do it ALL in two weeks,have you any thoughts about which portion you would do first??We will fly into Bari or Brindisi,depending on our first stop.You are so very generous to us Fodorites,not only with the sharing of intelligent itineraries and mouth watering descriptions of what filled your plate........you also guide us to bread and chocolate and dried peppers!!You are a soulmate.I so appreciate your assistance with our itinerary.

That's very kind of you! When will this trip take place? What is your departure point? I ask because sometimes the airline schedule might determine the best routing.

We depart D.C.24 April and return 9May,flying into and out of Rome. I am curious about which itinerary you would choose to begin our trip to Puglia.Also,I have been taking copious notes in regard to lodgings,and wonder if you would stay in the same places if you had the opportunity to do it over again? I should admit that we "shadowed you" in the Dordogne,using a number of your suggestions during a memorable trip last Spring,including a lunch at the walnut farm.We are ardent Italianophiles and have wanted to do this trip for years.Again,I so appreciate your suggestions.

Before I go further, I just want you to be aware that you will be straddling two holidays in that time frame: April 25 and May 1. So it might be a bit more busy than usual as there will be people stretching the two holidays into a long vacation, and you may face closings of restaurants and shops on both days. I am not at all dissuading you from going at that time, just want you to be aware.

I would certainly return to each of the hotels we stayed at during the two trips to the area. But if I were to visit Matera again, on the second visit I might stay in a hotel in the "new" section, not in the sassi. The cave hotels are atmospheric and charming, but the rooms tend to be dark and there are lots of steps. Matera abounds with good hotels and I don't think that the choice there is as crucial as it might be in other places. And in Lecce, while our hotel was very good, I might go for something with a bit more charm the second time around. there is a new upscale B&B that looks great, for example:

http://www.palazzopersone.it/

I am happy to discuss hotels and restaurants, so let me know which ones you are considering and if you have any questions.



This is an area that is well saturated by excellent inland hotels, though not so much on the seashores. (But I did not have time to visit the Gargano peninsula and with two weeks, you might think about that, although the towns may be still largely shuttered so early in the season--we could do some inquiring about that)

Two weeks is a great time frame and I look forward to participating in the planning discussions. Will you have two weeks in Puglia/Matera or will you spend part of that in Rome?


Another area to consider including, since you will have more time than I have had, would be Castelmezzano and Pietrapertosa in the region dubbed the Lucanian Dolomites.

http://www.discoverbasilicata.com/uk...national-parks


Well-regarded hotel restaurant in Castelmezzano:

http://www.beccodellacivetta.it/


Also, let me know if you have any specific restaurants on your list because you may have to work around their closing days when planning the route. Also important: If you will be arriving directly after the flight from the US, how long do you feel comfortable driving directly after arrival? (We like to keep this first drive to less than an hour and that helped shape our itineraries; driving in Puglia is easy for the most part although we did manage to get hopelessly tangled on the drive from Bari airport to Lama di Luna on the first day of our second trip; you will not make that mistake!)

eks... We are still very early in the planning stage....actually just learning the geography of Puglia. Our original plan was to fly from Rome to either Bari or Brindisi and plan our 13 day route from there.Now we wonder if we should spend a few days somewhere else before arriving in Puglia.We lived in Tuscany for 2 years, a long time ago,and in the last 30 years,on many subsequent trips,we have seen lots of Italy,but have never been to Ascoli Pienza.....I know...a whole other trip,or is it ???The sub-text to all this is that this will probably be our last 'driving in Italy' vacation.We are getting older,and my husband,the road warrior,gets tired now,and the driving is no longer the fun it used to be.Small group tours may well be in our future.Ascoli Pienza is such a favorite of Fodorites.Travelmath says it is 99 miles/2 1/2 hours from the airport.We could spend 2 nights and then head for Bari via Pescara ,and begin our Puglia holiday.Any thoughts about this ???As soon as we solve this bit,I will plan out the rest.Thoughts??

Funny you should mention Ascoli, since it's been on my own travel radar for a while now. At first glance it seems far out of the way for someone heading to Puglia from Rome, but when you take another look at the road map, not so much. What you propose might be doable.

OR, leave Ascoli for next time, and take the route through Sulmona, making stops at Agnone (famed for ball making) and any other Abruzzese town that catches your interest. Both of these have come up in my reading and piqued my interest and if I had more time, I would take a trip such as this one. This does not veer so far out of the way as the Ascoli option.

http://www.sulmona.org/foto/fotosulmona.php

http://www.agnoneitaly.com/

Also, after arrival in Rome, and if you choose the Ascoli Piceno route, you might want to spend a night in the area of the Sabine Hills around Rieti, NE of Rome; I began a thread about this a few years ago. We never took this trip, but again, it sounds interesting and might allow you to have only a short drive after arriving at the Rome airport after the long flight.


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-near-rome.cfm




I would certainly recommend doing the drive from Rome only in one direction, and then dropping the car (no charge for this is you use a broker like Kemwell) and flying home from Bari or Brindisi via Rome. There are good connections on Alitalia.

We are pretty sure we will do the drive to Ascoli...and spend 2 or 3 nights there.The next stretch is the long one,and I am considering 2 or 3 nights in Trani,then on to Matera for one night,then Ostuni and finally Lecce.We have 12 nights in all before flying from Brindisi to Rome....What do you think???I have begun to read trip reports and TripAdvisor in regard to Trani and Ostuni lodgings.Any suggestions???

This sounds good. I think that I would keep Trani at 2 nights. One day for Trani and perhaps a nearby seaside town, and a half day for Castel del Monte. Alternative: You can stay inland, at Lama di Luna (a little closer to Castel del Monte and in the heart of great eating country) or another masserie. I am not strongly urging one or the other, just bringing up possibilities. The drive from Lama di Luna to Trani is about a half hour; easy driving.

http://www.lamadiluna.com/



I was glad that we had two nights in Matera and would recommend extending your stay to include that. (unless either of you has a problem walking; there are some steps and uneven stone pavements in Matera) Even with two nights, there was a lot we did not have time to see both in the city and across the ravine. There are many, many hotel choices in Matera.


Yes, then a few days in the trulli upland area or nearby, around Ostuni. Depends if you want the easy in and out access of a rural location, but which also means driving to dinner, or an in-town location which means negotiating the driving to and from your day trips but puts you within walking distance of your meals outside the hotel. If the latter, Villa Cenci is a good bet, but there are many others, as the area is rich in excellent lodgings. From your base in this area you will want to see not only the trulli zone but the city of Martina Franca and the seaside town of Polignano a Mare. Half a day/a few hours is fine for each.

http://www.villacenci.it/


Last, one night/day for Lecce and at least one for the scenic Salento. (Could do both from the same location, either Lecce city or a rural hotel further south; again, driving is pretty easy)

Thank you.Your suggestions are most helpful.I am still feeling a bit anxious about the drive from Ascoli,but the more I enter into defining our bases,the more I can relax and enjoy the planning.I will check out lama di luna and villa cenci.Wish we could stay at the wonderful Torre Maizza,but alas.......We do not mind driving to dinner,and enjoy staying in places that feel a bit special.IF YOU were doing that drive from Ascoli,where do you think you would stop for you first memorable nights in Puglia ??We need to stay in the $200..ish range,would like it really nice and want to eat in some of those really great restaurants !!
Lastly,in looking thru my travel book shelf,I found " PAN e POMIDOR,My Passage to Puglia " by
Ian McEwan."When the journey began,we didn't expect to buy a derelict "torretta".....in Gargano,Puglia". I am a HUGE McEwan fan,but this is nothing like his Booker Prize writing.it is a self-published ode to discovery.
I am keeping careful notes of all your inn/restaurant/travel route suggestions,and so appreciate your careful reading and responses to my queries.

Saving to read for later. Wondering how late in September you made this trip? We're thinking a trip to this region at the beginning of october. Is that too late? thanks

We were from 18-26 September. We had lots of rain on the 25th but great weather before that.

Look at seasonal averages for temperature and rain for Brindisi; chance of rain spikes in October but early in the month should be a good chance of good weather.


http://www.wunderground.com/NORMS/Di...WUI&normals=on

Thanks! We will move the trip back a bit so we will only have a week in Oct.
I read your other wonderful report and I think we'll pretty much follow your trail. We will have about 3 weeks, so are there places you would have liked to spend more time?

I'll get back to you soon when I have more time, but for the moment, two questions:

Do you mean that you will have 3 weeks in Puglia?

Will you rent a car?

We plan to return to the area in September.

We are pretty flexible with time so yes, about 3 weeks in Puglia. At this point I'm not sure the delineations between areas, for example I think Matera is in Basilicata and we would like to go there. We may start or end with a few days in Naples.

Yes, we will rent a car.

So this September will be your 3rd trip to the area? It really sounds like a fabulous region to visit.