Huitres:
Well done you for 20 years!

I only managed to do this in the last few years because of the increased information available on the Internet. You were very brave to do this 20 years ago and I am intrigued how you managed it. Do share!

I agree, I have had more enjoyable and relaxed experiences taking public transportation rather than when driving. Not to mention cheaper!

I will look for your trip reports.

My next adventure is Sicily in April and I am also planning for Greece in October.


Best regards … Ger

Thanks OReilly64 (Ger)! As I mentioned re: public transport, it started 20 years ago with the birth of my daughter in 2000 and we were off traveling together! I'd have to credit the many train rides, buses, subways and trams in the various cities we've visited for giving her a very good sense of direction and confidence in public transportation! There have been amusing moments along the way: train ride considerably outside of Barletta leaving us "near" the Battle of Cannae site where Hannibal had defeated the Romans in the Punic Wars (and meandering around in fields until we reached the actual place); bus to the Sassi area in Matera that was not quite direct; bus to almost Villa D'Este Gardens in Tivoli - the list goes on and on. But it makes for wonderful travel memories that we can laugh about now when recounting them!

I've been to Sicily and Greece (2x) as well so I will have to gather my info together and pass it on to you before April and October, respectively. (It felt rather remote in Sicilia - I prefer mainland Italia, but it is an unique place. Love, love, love Greece). Cheers!

Hello:

Finding myself for the first time in a couple of decades neither planning nor talking a trip, I will update my half finished trip reports here .

I have added my photos on this thread:

Ger’s Photo Trip Report to Puglia May 2019


I will follow up with the restaurants recommendations.

Restaurants

I have provided some restaurant reviews in the above text, but thought it would be easier for travelers to follow if I put all in one place.



Here are the restaurants I have already discussed above.

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Day 1: Wednesday 1st May: Polignano : Grotta Ardito

Grotta Ardito- Restaurant sul mare a Polignano



I booked the restaurant because of the view from the rooftop over the bay, which was as wonderful as described.

However, I arrived at 1400, when service was in full flight serving big tables of families eating the entire menu. It took 20 minutes to get a menu and a glass of wine, 30 minutes to order and an hour to actually eat, and they got my order wrong!



They eventually delivered a huge plate of fried fish – enough for a family or four. I picked around it, very fresh fish but too much to eat. The Pasta alla Vongole was delicious! Bill was 40 Euros with two glasses of wine. Good value, but not particularly great food.



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Day 2 Thursday 2nd May: Martina Franca: Metha

https://www.mehta.it/menu/?lang=en

I had booked by email before I left home, based on reviews from various sources. Unusually, this was one of the few restaurants that confirmed a booking made on their website. Be aware, that you generally need to call the restaurants to make a booking.

The restaurant is about 10 minutes’ walk from Piazza XX Septembre, outside of the old town. I would never ever have thought that a good restaurant resided inside the building, as on the outside the building looks very run down.

Inside, it is minimalist chic. This is by far the best food I had in Puglia. Unfortunately, I was one of only three diners that day.

The young chef/owner, Fabiano, greeted me and he has perfect English, which is always quite a relief, and stayed with me for the whole lunch.

I started with a complimentary glass of French Champagne (thank the Gods, not Prosecco!).

Then I was brought Courgette Flower stuffed with whipped potato and squid with Dijon mustard, accompanied by local artisan breads, foccacio with pesto and local whipped butter.

I love Courgette Flowers in Rome, but sometimes find the stuffing too heavy. Not this one – stuffing was light as air and the flower was lightly battered, and not greasy. A winner.

The breads – I could have sat all day in the restaurants eating the breads.

I chose the pasta alla vongole for the pasta course and the Pork Belly as the main.

To go with the pasta, Fabiano suggested a local white wine, (because I screamed NO efffing Chardonnay!) – Taersia Negroamaro (more about Negroamaro later in Lecce). This is a white wine, made in small batches from the local Negroamaro red grape, and apparently quite unique to the area. Delicious notes of toffee – sorry, I love my wine, but not willing to embarrass myself in trying to describe wine tasting 😊.



The pasta alla Vongole was really wonderful, and a little different from the norm, in a good way. Lovely lemon bite to sauce, clams were incredibly fresh.

As we were deciding on the red wine for the main, Fabiano and I chatted. Originally from Bologna, he worked in London for 9 years and some good restaurants and his goal is to have his won Michelin stared restaurant before he is 30. He is currently on some ‘watch list’ re best chefs in Italy under 30.

We decided on a local Primitivo for the pork. What else would you have in Puglia? Again, from a local small producer.

The pork belly came with white and green asparagus, potato mash, beetroot mash and a reduction.

I had failed to mention to him that I have an aversion to beetroot – hate it (tastes like what I assume a dead body would taste), but easy enough to push to the side.

I have to admit that I was already full after the starter and the pasta course, and this was to remain true for the remainder of the trip. I just cannot eat this much food at one sitting.

Pork was falling apart and full of flavour. I gave him some advice (very cheeky of me). I told him to carve off the top of the pork belly after cooking, remove the fat and grill it, then serve crispy pork belly on top.

I almost never have dessert, but in this case, I felt it would be churlish to not.

He suggested the in-house made Lemon Tart. What a beautiful plate, worthy of any top tier restaurant in London. It tasted every bit as good as it looked.

The bill was about 60 Euros. Not cheap, but really excellent value for the standard of food and wine. I was delighted with the experience and would highly recommend this restaurant. I think it is worth going to Martina Franca just to have a leisurely lunch or dinner here.

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Day 3 : Friday 3rd May: Ostuni: Porto Nova 1989

Home - Ristorante Porta Nova



I had booked Porto Nova 1989 for lunch; one of the more expensive options in the town that gets consistent reviews, although some complain that it is over-priced, and I would challenge that – not cheap, but fair.

I started with a glass of White from Brindisi and two Regal Oysters – deliciously fresh!

I then tried the local Orecchiette with tomatoes, ricotta and basil. It was an enormous plate and I finished less than a quarter. I found it tasty, but rather heavy and a bit ‘peasanty’ 😊

The main course of Polpo with honey and smoked potatoes was delicious, and I cleared the plate.

Total bill with two glasses of wine was about 55 Euros, which I though fair for what I had. I would recommend this restaurant.

Day 4 : Saturday 4th May: Polignano: Le Muse e il Mare

https://www.lemuseeilmare.com/



After a miserable morning in Bari, I returned to Polignano for lunch. It was pelting down and the town was almost deserted. I booked the restaurant on the train, and was the only patron, which was very sad for the staff and proprietors. I had three enthusiastic waiters to serve me, so clearly service was excellent!



Food was very good, and certainly better than my previous meal in Polignano, and the surroundings very attractive. They have an extensive seafood menu and I probably should have gone for the fish. I started with Shrimp in followed in batter with salad and followed with fillet of beef and chips. A hearty meal for a miserable cold day. With three glasses of Primitive the bill was a reasonable 35Euros. Highly recommended.



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Day 5 : Sunday 5th May: Monopoli: Metae

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restau...ri_Puglia.html



This small restaurant just outside the historic centre came highly recommended on various sites. I started with a pasta dish with aubergine and sausage, which was delicious and followed with a local Mediterranean fish (Ombrina?) which looks and tastes like sea bass. Really good food. With a half bottle of local white, the bill was about 35 Euros. Recommended.

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Day 7: Tuesday 7th May: Lecce: Trattoria Nona Teti

https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Restauran...ce_Puglia.html



I had planned to check out a couple of the better restaurants in Lecce, but they were not open yet, as the ‘season’ did not start for another two weeks. I stumble upon this family-run restaurant at lunchtime and was very glad I did. Food was very tasty, in a ‘cooked with love at your Mammy’s’ type of way and very good value for money. A caprese salad to start (10 Euros) followed by tiny little lamb cutlets and chips (18 Euros) large water and half a litre of Primitivo. Total bill was 38 Euros. The restaurant is homely, but service is excellent. When I got back the hotel and told the Patron where I had lunched, he was impressed I had found it and confirmed that it was a favorite among the locals. Highly recommended.

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Day 8: Wednesday 8th May: Lecce: Blu Notte

https://www.ristoranteblunotte.com/

https://www.thefork.com/restaurant/blu-notte-r562719



Blu Notte is a bit of a dining legend in Lecce for fresh fish and seafood and it did not disappoint. It was very difficult to order, as there were so many tantalizing things on the menu!



I started with Shrimp Catalan on a bed of lettuce, celery, carrot and tomatoes and potatoes – both tasty and healthy! I flew the national flag by ordering the Dublin Bay Prawns in squid ink 😊. Really excellent service, but I found this goes without saying in Lecce. Total bill, with litre of water and half-bottle of Primitivo was excellent value for the quality at 43 Euros.

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Day 9: Thursday 9th May: Gallipoli: La Locanda Degli Angioini

https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Restauran...ce_Puglia.html

To be frank, it was not great, but I had very limited options as, again, Puglia had not quite opened its doors to tourism as yet.



The view is good, but the decor resembles a ‘Fish & Chip’ restaurant in Blackpool. Service was perfunctory and I was the only patron for lunch. The food was OK. I had the Pasta alla Vongole to start, grilled Seabass as the main. With two glasses of (not quite good) Primitivo and litre of water, the bill was 45 Euros, which I thought expensive for the (lack of) quality of the meal. I am quite sure you could do a lot better in Gallipoli that this.

Day 10: Friday 10th May: Otranto: Terre Nostra

https://www.terranostraotranto.it/

Otranto is a tourist resort, although not fully up and running at this time of the year, so there are hundreds of restaurants to choose from.



I chose the restaurant based on its closeness to the old town, its positive reviews on TripAdvisor and my ability to book on The Fork, which I came to rely on quite a bit on this trip, as it is generally useless to book on the restaurant websites (they don’t check their bookings!) and calling the restaurant with scant Italian is a waste of time .

The restaurant is conveniently located just by the walls, 10 minutes from the Cathedral. Very simple and unassuming restaurant and, being the first one there, I had my very own waiter for the entire meal.



I started with Burrata su sbriciolata di friselle integrali – a Salad of burrata, tomatoes, capers olives and crispy local bread. What is not to like about burrata and tomatoes? Followed with Filetto di vitello con patate arrosto – Filet of veal and potatoes and a green salad.



With large bottle of water and two large glasses of Primitivo the bill came to a very reasonable 46 Euros. Excellent value for money, top notch service and good location.



Day 11: Saturday 11th May: Galatina; Corte del Fuoco

https://www.ristorantecortedelfuoco.it/

https://www.tripadvisor.ie/Restauran...ce_Puglia.html



Galatina is a wonderful old town – very elegant, an undiscovered gem and I strongly recommend a visit.



I chose this restaurant because of location, positive ratings on several websites, ability to book through The Fork and because it had Chicken on the menu! Seriously, I was very much missing chicken.



The restaurant décor both elegant and quite unique – an old Fiat 500 is parked in reception.



Again, I was the first and only guest for lunch, so service was very personal 😊



I was given an Amuse Bouch of some pork concoction and a selection of delicious breads.



I chose the pasta for starters : Fusilloni con crema di pistacchio di bronte , pancetta fresca e scaglie di grana: Pasta with pistachio cream, fresh bacon and local hard cheese shavings. It was incredible.



Main course was the chicken: Straccetti di pollo con mela verde e spolverata di zenzero: Chicken breast chopped up with apple and sprinkled with ginger. It was very nice, but what I really wanted was a piece of roast chicken thigh.



Really good food in an outstanding little gem of a town. Bill for food plus bottle of water and half-bottle of Primitivo was 32 Euros.

Wow, I forgot all about this. Not through the whole report yet. Very informative, and your public transportation sagas have me thinking we might drive (trip probably will take place in 2023 if I'm still around), Just happened to read about Locorotondo this morning. We might couple this area of Italy with a stay in Naples. Back to reading!

I had an entire year to write up our October 2019 17-day trip starting with 5 days in Venice to enjoy the 58th Biennale Arte, our 2nd time, tour the Jewish Ghetto and as an added bonus - Seeing & reading some of Hilary's famous or infamous almost 3000 emails in a "replica" of the oval office. We'll be going again in 2022. Never wrote the trip report but I still have plenty of time in 2021.

Due to our timing, weekend closures of auto rental businesses, and having 3 potential drivers, we took the train to Rimini for an overnight stay before picking up our car near the train station on a Friday. On Saturday we drove to Matera for 3 nights before another 3 nights stay at a masseria near Ostuni. Both locations were lovely and the lodgings 1st rate. Our friends left after Ostuni but as we had a few days to tour 2 other regions, as we had booked 2 night stays in Agnone, Molise & Casacanditella, Abruzzo. So we had 3 new regions! All regions deserved more time and we were especially fascinated by Molise. With more time I would have added a coastline stay in Molise and another day in Agnone to visit some of Molises' national parks.

We returned the car to Rimini then walked to the train station for an afternoon train to Milan, staying one night there, before taking an early train to Switzerland to join up with our son & daughter-in-law in Geneva. A fabulous trip and wouldn't hesitate to go back. The weather was perfect in October and having a car worked well for us. I did tons of research and enjoyed the quaintness of Agnone, which has a most interesting bell factory tour & cheese tour. Our room had the most amazing view as Agnone is a hilltop town. We enjoyed the 2 night stay in Abruzzo mostly driving around touring old castles & old towns. In Abruzzo, the landscape has such an amazing history, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/16/t...tle-drive.html We even saw the ancient transumanza (trail) mentioned in this article.

We found long-distance driving on a Saturday or Sunday the best as there were so many trucks as well as road repairs & lane changes on the E55 during the weekday. (We actually saw our lives flash before us as a truck slammed on their brakes right before a tunnel and had to re-right his semi as smoke poured off the brakes).

Future plans include doing much of the same in the regions of Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily. Plenty of time to research!

Great write up. I think it is important to understand that the phrase "this is puglia" is on point. Before I get attacked as anti-Italian, in my defense I was married in Lecce and I speak Italian but Puglia is very very laid back.

I also once booked into a hotel using the few tourist information places that I could find. When I turned up I found all the widows burnt out. Restaurants can be slap dash and confused. I advise anyone to just relax and go with the flow.

Ger,
What a wonderful trip report! I’m so glad I finally read this. It’s a fascinating area that we are considering for a future trip - so many intriguing places! And you’ve convinced me that public transportation in this region is not the way to go!

Thanks again for your trip report and lovely photos!

Thanks for a fantastic trip report O'Reilly64. How entertaining and informative. We are headed to Puglia for 2 weeks in September 2022 after a week in Sorrento & Amalfi and a day in Paestum and 2 nights in Matera. I will be using your recommendations for planning our day trips. I had Trani on our list as a possible but am now adding it as a definite stop I admire you for your spunk!