Puglia.....hoping to get some ideas!!
 

Hey all, we are off to Puglia for 2 weeks in late May/early june. We have booked a villa between monopoli and locorontondo. We plan on speding 7 nights in and around the villa (ie anywhere within 45-1hr mis drive) and the other 6/7 exploring further afield. So th obvious places like ostuni/aerobella should be covered.

The only definites i have so far for the further afield days are Matera (ok not puglia but near enough) and Lecce and were hoping to get some ideas

We would love to spend at least one/two days going to one of the better beaches in Puglia ( i hear the southern salento region is best)... but not sure if this is too long a trek for a day on the beach? i know i can look at the km etc but its hard to judge how long they realistically take.

We are big foodies, and love nice scenery "pretty" towns. Not big museum people but like nice architecture. Apart from Lecce we are going to try and avoid big towns/cities such as bari as more keen on countryside

Any ideas on places not to miss would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Yes, The best beaches are primarily in the Salento. One that is close to Lecce and that I found gorgeous is Torre del Orso. And the "tiny" beach cove in Polignano a Mare is spectacular as well. It is too cold (for me) to swim in the sea in May, though.

I have lots of food information in my reports that I mentioned on your other thread.

I am confused because on that thread you say you are staying near Taranto with friends. Is this in addition to the villa near Monopoli?

One of our favorite things to do in Puglia is to take a day and visit several of the Romanesque churches. These churches were constructed during a boom period under the auspices of the Normans who unified control of the area from 1031-1197. A tour takes you to to small towns like Trani, Bitonto, and Ruvo di Puglia.
As for the beach, it can be a longish/slow drive, but it's definitely worth it. You can spend time at a beach and then snack on some freshly caught seafood at the roadside restaurants. An amazing Puglian experience!
Enjoy your trip!

I'm glad you are planning to visit Matera. I strongly suggest staying a night. The changing light, and especially evening and night, is too gorgeous. Sunset is beautiful. Since you like architecture, there will be more than you can see in a day trip. And the food! Good heavens, I think Matera has the best food I've eaten in Italy.

I've not been to Puglia, so can only add my two cents on Matera.

In the interest of full disclosure, my family is Materese, which may have given an added sparkle to my visit, but I promise you will love it there.

hey all thanks for the great replies...

ekscrunchy-thanks for the beach information, i am going to go google the lecce one now :-) (-

-not sure about the taranto thing, i think that was someone else, this is my only puglia thread :-) We are just in the villa the whole time.

tuscanlife....ooh now i might look into a night there as yes it looks lovely at night. Food is also one of the main reasons we decided on this trip!!! thank you so mush

ApproachGuides...this sounds good i will definitely look into it too. Thank you

Just tagging along for ideas as we are heading to Puglia in June for a week :)

One of the best beaches near where you are staying is called 'Pilone'. It's just to the north of Villanova (the coastal resort near Ostuni), signposted off the main coastal autostrada (E55). The best bit of Pilone is the Lido called Bosco Verde.

There's another good beach further south at the Marine reserve of Torre Gauceto, although it's very popular with highly toned youngsters!

Great place for a seafood lunch if you like that kind of thing is the beachfront restaurant Da Michele in Torre San Sabina - it's to the right of the tower as you look out to sea. The town itself is just your average holiday town, nothing special, but this restaurant serves fantastic seafood and is a magnet for locals. It makes a great lunch spot if you're visiting nearby beaches.

If your first 7 days are in the area you describe (known as the Itria Valley) it might be worth spending your second week in the Salento, perhaps basing yourself near Otranto or Gallipoli.

I heartily endorse spending a night in Matera, a truly original place you won't forget in a hurry. Haunting.


Kate (who has a holiday home in the area and has visited virtually every beach along the coast between Monopoli and Brindisi!).

HG: I am sorry! I confused this with another current thread about someone heading to stay with friends near Taranto. My mistake! I am happy to discuss Puglia, and to help to the best I am able.

Kate: Thanks for the info on the restaurant Da Michele. We will be staying in Savelletri again next fall so let me know if you have any tips for eating around those parts, too. They would be also applicable to the OP since Savelletri is not so far from Monopoli.

Here is the link for the restaurant Kate mentioned:

http://www.miramaredamichele.it/

ekscrunchy- oh no problem whatsoever-thank you for all the help!! just off to look at the restaurant link now :-) Torre del orso looks very nice, we shall definitely consider it if there is beach weather. I have a book about Puglia and its food and restaurants and it really has made me look forward to the trip!

Kate- thanks for all the useful info- we have already paid deposit for the place in the valley for 2 weeks as we got a better offer and we like to have one base for trips, otherwise i would probably have switched to a week in each. Thanks also for the beach info, will go look it up- am very excited about the trip already! :-)