Puglia itinerary - need help!
 

In early September we will be spending 2 1/2 weeks in Southern Italy. We will train to Naples from Rome then pick up a rental car, spend a night in Sorrento then 3 nights in Positano/Ravello then here is where I am stuck. We have 9 more nights before we fly from Bari back to Rome. My thought was to spend 3 nights in Maratea, 3 nights in Alberobello (using that as a base to see Ostuni, a few grottos, etc. then head to Monopoli and stay 3 nights and use that as a base to tour some of the coastal villages like Polingnano. We don't want an aggressive trip where we are driving every day. We would like some time to just walk villages and hang out a pool or the beach. Any suggestions?

I'm not sure I understand your plan and think it would be helpful if you clarify a bit so we can better respond to your needs and interests. What is the reason for spending a night in Sorrento before moving on to Positano/Ravello? Why are you picking up a rental car in Sorrento rather than after your time on the Amalfi Coast? Have you a specific interest in Maratea? Are you committed to skipping Naples, Capri, Salerno, Matera, Trani, and Lecce? Are you committed to flying into and out of Rome? Again, I ask just so we can respond in a way that acknowledges your interests.

I'd try and stay in a Masseria for the pool days, these places are old fortified farms and tend to have restaurants on site, a pool, bikes and land to walk in.

Just pull up google maps and put Masseria in the search and all these blue dots pop up

At first glance, apart from the logistics of the rental car (maybe pick up in Salerno at the end of AC stay, and skip Sorrento as mentioned by Kja, above, the plan looks good.

I would swap Alberobello for another town, I think, but even if you stay there, you can get away from the bus tourists by basing outside the main trulli zone and closer to the town center.

Where are you thinking of staying in Maratea?

The drive from Maratea to Alberobello takes just over three hours. If you are interested in food, I would include two stops en route. One for lunch in Bernalda, and one near Senise at an agriturismo that grows the famous Senise peppers, impossible to find in the US and easy to bring home. If you are a cook, you will want to do this.

You could also detour through the Albanian villages in the mountains not far from Senise, if you take a whole day to make the transfer from Maratea to Puglia.

If you want details on any of this, let me know--I was in Maratea a couple of years ago, in September, and I am sending my sister and her husband there this spring as part of a month-long southern Italian sojourn.

We visited Bernalda and Senise as part of a Puglia trip in 2012. LOVED that area of Basilicata and dream of a return!

I am in the process of planning a trip to Puglia and your itinerary looks strange to me unless you have specific reasons for doing certain things. Your are "cavergirl" and yet have not included one of the highlights of the area Matera?? Staying 3 nights in Alberobello which by all accounts in a very tourist mecca and maybe worthy of one night for the experience...not seeing Lecce and then Monopoli rather than the more picturesque Polignano?? I would do more reading. Again I have not been there so feel free to discount my comments but it really misses the high points that I am looking for.

Bookmarking

I can understand some of your questions. We have been to Capri before so no need to include that and we saw Sorrento before but only for a few hours so thought it would be worthy of one night just to walk around the village. I like the idea of picking up the rental car in Salerno on the way out of Amalfi so as not to have to mess with a car while we are there. I read that Matera is worthy of 3 nights because it is an area that is often skipped. Perhaps I am wrong. I worried about staying in Alberobello for 3 nights which is why I posted this message. I knew it was a touristy town but thought it would be a good hub. Perhaps it would be better to drive to Maratea, then Matera and see Alberobello from Polignano or Monopoli. The reason I chose Monopoli versus Polingnano was simply because I read about an amazing property to stay in Monopoli. I did not include Lecce only because I didn't want to add another 3 hour drive but maybe there is a way to do rejigger this. We could certainly fly back to Rome via Brindisi. Just throwing options out. What do you all suggest?

I admit that I totally forgot about spectacular Matera...certainly include minimum one night, preferably two.

I have made three trips to Puglia in recent years and wrote reports here about two of these, one of which included Matera.

Not all of Alberbello is touristy, as I indicated in my first post.

Why not list your preferred hotels so those of us who know the area can comment.

Is food a big interest of yours?

That information helps, but I'm still confused: Are you planning to visit Matera or Maratea or both? I found Matera fascinating. Two nights there -- so 1.5 days -- worked for me. I haven't been to Maratea.

Personally, I thought Alberobello worth a few hours. I was glad I didn't stay there, but since I didn't stay, maybe I was wrong. All depends on what you want to see and experience!

Lecce is a gem.

I agree with the above!

Our trip report and pics are here from our 7 day trip in 2012

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...t-do-italy.cfm

We used our masseria as a base and visited all the highlights we wanted to see.

I am thinking of staying at Locanda delle Donna Monache in Maratea. Maybe I will change that to 2 nights. Was looking at Don Ferrante in Monopoli. I like San Tomasso in Polignano but the reviews indicate there is a wedding every day/night so not very quiet and peaceful. When you say Lecce is a gem, is that the town of Lecce or the province? I was thinking we would have to go down to Galipolli or Oranto. Like I said, I don't want to just spend all the time driving from place to place. My husband hates that. I don't know enough about Lecce to add it to the itinerary. If it is really great, I could skip Sorrento and only one night in Maratea and maybe could add it in. We travel fairly high end re hotels. The big splurge will be in Ravello/Positano. Am seriously considering Hotel Caruso. I haven't looked into getting there with no car or getting from village to village yet but like the idea of not having to pay to park the car overnight. And in answer to ekscrunchy, we are definitely into food.

IMO, the CITY of Lecce is a gem.

It sounds like you might benefit from a good guide book or two. That will help you identify your transportation options, etc.

We stayed just outside of mesagne ( rhymes with lasagne) and visited Lecce, Otranto, Ostuni, polignano, Martina Franca, locorotondo, alberobello and matera from our one location. The roads are very good and it was easy to do day trips.

jamikins - good to know you were able to do all that from Mesagne. I found that it was only a little over an hour from Monopoli to Lecce so think we could do a long day trip to the Lecce province.

Hello..I too was looking at Don Ferrante and thought it looked so fantastic. I asked the woman at our B and B in Lecce about her opinion between the towns...Monopoli and Polignano and she was totally in favor of Polignano...since then my research indicates the same...in carefully looking at the views from the hotel Don it is just sea whereas the views from places in Polignano are more dramatic with the city visible from such hotels as Covo dei Saraceni. I like nice boutique hotels too but Polignano looks to have a bit more unique vistas...that is why we decided to stay there and can easily visit Monopoli by rail or car.

I stayed at that hotel in Maratea for three nights on the trip I took a few years ago....driving more or less north from Amantea in Calabria to the AC. The hotel is lovely. I would stay three nights if you plan to spend one day at the beach. The hotel will give you passes to a glorious beach just to the south.

Cavergirl:

We spent 10 days in Puglia in 2009. It's a special place and we enjoyed it very much. Check out my web page about this trip:

http://www.travel.stv77.com/puglia/puglia.htm

After considering all the points in the discussion, I have the following suggestions.
You don't have a lot of time in total to visit Puglia. I suggest you skip Maratea, and drive directly from the Amalfi area to Matera. Spend a night there. It's an amazing place.

From Matera drive into Puglia. Decide on 2 bases, one between Ostuni and Trani, and the other near or in Lecce. Lecce is called the "Florence of the south", and is a great town. You do not want to stay in Alberobello. It's enough to visit for a couple of hours or a half a day at most. It's flooded with tourists.
While staying in Lecce, you can take the drive around the Salento peninsula (the tip of the boot heel of Italy), which is a very scenic drive and has several very relaxing beach spots to stop and spend some leisure time.

sssteve - You are adding to the great advice already made available here. If cavergirl would only pay attention to ideas that aren't fully consistent with her original plan! :-) Unfortunately, I think she's already made up her mind....

BOOKMARK

Just re-read original post: Absolutely you should take taxi to Ravello or wherever you base in AC (Caruso has gorgeous pool, so does former Palazzo Sasso next door, now called Palazzo Avino; those are almost the only heated pools in the area).

You then take taxi or bus, to Salerno to pick up car. If you are heading for Maratea, you can stop at Paestum, and if you like food you should also stop at a mozzarella farm nearby to watch the cheese process.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ar-paestum.cfm


Agree that adding Maratea seriously cuts into your time in Puglia, but Maratea is gorgeous and you may fall so in love with Puglia that you will return, to cover the areas you did not see the first time. Here is how I covered the region, in two week-long trips, and still we returned a third time to see more:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ern-puglia.cfm

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

Thanks for all your advice. We were planning on stopping in Paestum and also planned on doing the mozzarella farm nearby (found out about that from 1000 Places to See Before I Die).Changed our itinerary to only do Alberobello as a day trip. We are going to stay in Matera for 2 nights then head to the coast. Will do more research on Polignango versus Monopoli. I am confused though about Covo dei Saraceni Losi 2., That is in Positano not Polignano. Do you have a good hotel recommendation for Poli? The place I thought looked good (San Tomasso) had some bad reviews based on the fact that there was a wedding there almost every day/night so it was noisy. We definitely have added Lecce to the trip.

While in Paestum, leave an hour or two for the museum -- it has some wonderful, unique pieces.

I don't think you will regret visiting either Matera or Lecce. I certainly didn't!

Enjoy!

Covo dei Saraceni is indeed a hotel in Positano but also one with same same in Polignano. I actually have to possibly retract my recommendation above...after more research I too am totally charmed by the idea of staying at Don Ferrante...but the room right on the sea is booked already for our dates...so really a toss up with those two towns..Covo in Poli.gnano is sort of a compromise hotel for us...small but not as "boutique" as Don Ferrante but we are not up for B and B of which there are many in Polignano...I think the problem with Puglia is that there are so many places to see and that actually justify a stay. I know what you are saying about the weddings and consider myself lucky to discover those special places that literally cater to the weddings and then AVOID THEM. They are beautiful but who wants to be in the middle of a wedding?

Exactly Lois2. The property looked wonderful but the reviews indicated it was annoying with the noise. I could see where that would be a distraction and I am thinking not just with the wedding but with guests partying before and after out at the pool etc.

Thanks kja. Will set some time in for the museum.

I too am planning a trip to Puglia, we wil be traveling for 20 days and renting a car.

Does anyone have an idea how long by car it is from either Trani or inland from the Masserias around the Andria region to Valle D'Itria region? I am thinking about staying outside of Ostuni Villa Cenci or the infamous Torre Mazzieria further inland.

Also looking for approximate travel time from that last stop in Valle D 'Itria to Leece, we will be staying in the city and day tripping from Leece. From Leece I was wondering how far I am to Matera where I was thinking on spending 2 nights before heading back north.

Also for those who have been to Cliento how would you rate your experience there compared to further up the Amalfi coast????

thanks all happy travels!
tish

I find google maps give a good idea of travel times and fuel etc

thanks will look into that

Topping this post!
I have booked my 3 bases to explore Puglia the first three weeks of May. We are flying in and out of Rome and will pick up the car at the airport.
1 night Benevento to break up the first days drive
3 nights Lama di Luna in Montegrosso
4 nights La Rascina outside Ostuni near the coast
4 nights in Lecce at the Mantatelure B&B

After 12 days in Puglia I have 8 more nights to plan and I'm hoping that those of you who have traveled to this region will weigh in with your opinions. I'm especially interested in feedback from eskcrunchy!!!

Plan A drive from Lecce to Materra for an overnight then head directly to Ravello ( we have been once before for a week and loved it there)

Plan B 2 nights at the Palazzo Margherita ( the Coppola Palace) in Bernalda for anniversary weekend of R&R before driving to Amalfi Coast

Plan C bypassing Basilicata region and heading from Lecce to Castelebatte , Stay at the Palazzo Belmonte and day trip to Pasteum, explore the Cilento coastline from here before heading to Ravello.

Plan D open to suggestions from fellow fodorites!

Also looking for ideas if we don't stay in Rome before flying home where to stay our last night that would put us under an hour from the airport. We have a miday flight out! A friend suggested the former John Paul Getty Palazzo outside Ostica Antica ruins.

Thanks all!

How many days do you want to spend in Ravello? This will be subtracted from the 8 nights after Lecce, right? I want to figure the amount of free time between Lecce and Ravello.

The Getty hotel is La Posta Vecchia. My sister stayed there and liked it a lot. Ostia Antica is a half hour's drive from there. It will be just as easy to stay in Rome, I think.

What time does your flight leave Rome? How do you plan to get to Rome or environs--by car, or do you plan do drop car in Salerno or Sorrento and take train (or hire driver) to take you to your final hotel before your flight home?

I am not sure I would devote two nights to Bernalda. I saw only the cafe of the Coppola hotel, as they do not let outsiders into the main public areas. I loved the town of Bernalda (we stayed in an agriturismo nearby) but our main focus was going to a farm that grows Senise peppers, outside the town of Senise. You could do one night in Bernalda, and then spend two nights in Matera before heading to Campania on the Potenza road.

Let me know the exact number of free days before I ramble on.

Also, maybe better to start a new thread about your trip, so as not to detract from OP's questions..

Basilicata

Cave girl so sorry to hijack your thread

Eskcrunchy I have start a new thread specific to my own intinerary questions. Thanks so much for your help with this, and I look forward to more feedback from you. I have come this far in my planning thanks to all your past trip reports on Puglua and southern Italy!

Bilboburger thanks for your thumbs up on Basilicata, I'm starting to think Materra is worth a visit if in the neighborhood. Would love for you to expand on this recommendation on my new thread.

Dear Cavegirl, I appreciated your comments regarding Puglia and Monopoli and Ostuni. I wonder if you could give me some advice or anyone else out there who has an opinion. My husband and I will be in Puglia this June/July for 6 nights, we will have a car. We are in Fasano for three nights for a wedding in an Airbnb. We would like to stay either in Monopoli or Ostuni for the next three nights and plan to visit Trani, Polignano, Monopoli, Lecce (if possible) Cisterino. The wedding is only one day, so we will have that time too to drive around. We arrive on June 29 and will either drive to stay in Monopoli or Ostuni - which town do you think would be nicer to stay in, we will definitely visit both. Thanks so much!

hi joannah, you might want to start a new thread, as sometimes it gets confusing hopping onto an old thread, but I would decide based on the accommodations you like and how much driving you wish to do in any given day. For example, it is about 2 hours from Ostuni to Trani, and it is about an hour from Monopoli to Lecce. From Fasano, you could visit Trani, Polignano, and Monopoli in one day, as they are small and close together. You could also probably even squeeze in Cisternino. However, the closing times in most towns means you want to visit in the morning and evenings.
I found google maps to be fairly accurate in estimating drive times.
What airport? Ostuni is probably equidistant from both Bari and Brindisi.

Hey, thank you. good advice. From what I gathered from the internet, I thought Polignano might be the most fun and would be a nice place to kick back after flying in from NY, but alas I couldnt find the right accommodations, so we went with Ostuni (if my reservation is accepted) I think I will take your advice and visit trani, Polignano and Monopoli when we are in Fasano plus cisterino, and Ceglie Messapica seems worth visiting too. We fly into Bari and will rent our car there, were fairly good at using gps, either on our phone or before with google maps. I settled on two Airbnbs just because they both seemed nice, otherwise, we would have stayed in a hotel. Thanks for your help, it's much appreciated. I'm sure I'll be back here soon.

Cavergirl- It seems we have very similar tastes in accomodations. My husband, 14 yr old and I are heading to Puglia next July. Would you mind sharing your final itinerary and hotel recommendations with me please? Would be very appreciative!

You won't find a lot of hotels in Monopoli. Stay at one of the many masserie that you will find in the countryside. I am at Masseria Spetterrata right at this moment. Location is very central in the middle of triangle Ostuni, Monopoli, Alberobello. Be aware though that, although distances between towns may seem short, driving times are pretty long. Most of the roads are in bad condition and the bad weather of the last week makes it even worse. Speed limits are mostly 40/50 km/hr. You will definitely need a car to fully enjoy all the aspects of Puglia.

Ceglie Messapica is a very small town and there isn't really a lot to see.