PUGLIA: LECCE--How many nights?

Old May 25th, 2010, 10:18 AM
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PUGLIA: LECCE--How many nights?

On a week-long trip to Puglia, how many nights should I devote to Lecce? I will be arriving from the Otranto area, so will not use Lecce as a base to day trip. I am now planning, in addition to 2 nights near Otranto, 3 nights near Fasano. We will rent a car.

So the question is: Should I keep two nights in Lecce so that the plan looks like this:

Arrival in Brindisi. 2 nights outside Otranto
2 nights Lecce (enough to keep us busy in the city for almost two full days?)
3 nights near Fasano (day trips from here)


OR, should I cut Lecce to one night and add another night in, for example, Martina Franca, or Cisternino? Or Monopoli? Or another nearby place? Or add a night in the Fasano masseria? (I think I will leave Matera for a future trip although it is tempting to try to work it in)

Which of the towns in that area did you find most interesting--?

We will fly in and out of Brindisi and the trip is in late September. Interested less in specific "sights" than in general exploration. Food, of course, is a primary interest.
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Old May 25th, 2010, 12:44 PM
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I spent 2-3 weeks in Puglia a few years ago, I stayed at Lecce for 3 nights, but only because the public transport connection; otherwise, one night should be enough for the city itself. You might like to stay at Mateina Franca for one night- lovely old town and I had some of the best food over there.

If you were going further up, Trani is another inteesting place to stay.
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Old May 25th, 2010, 01:14 PM
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Judy that is interesting! Maybe I will cut down the time to one night in Lecce. I know that many people spend a few nights there but most of them seem to use it as a base to travel further south/east to Otranto, Gallipoli, etc.

I think Trani is too far for us to go for only one night. My partner will do all the driving and we seem to have some stress driving in Italy. So Martina Franca might work for us......
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Old May 25th, 2010, 11:14 PM
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Monopoli was one of THE most beautiful small towns we visited on our 10 day trip to Puglia and I would NOT miss it. Same for Martina Franca, a beautiful charming and elegant town. Since we had 10 days we were able to choose 3 different areas and base there and do day trips from each. We choose Lecce for 3 days and certainly had more than enough to do, as you certainly have read in my trip report.
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Old May 26th, 2010, 04:31 AM
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Thanks, Flame! Of course I read the Party report!! I loved it! It is so difficult to try to narrow down...I know I could fill up two days in Lecce, but then would I miss out on another place?


We are staying three nights in a place that is 11 miles from Monopoli so will be certain to visit that town.

I will do some reading about hotels in Martina Franca and come back with questions..
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Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 06:04 AM
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hi ekscrunchy,

would you mind sharing your hotel list for these places? i'm still searching/trying to decide myself.

i think i have decided, though, for one night in lecce, as we also will not use it as a base, and one night in Matera (just to see it), and then we want to settle down somewhere for 3 nights, and can't seem to find the perfect place...

thanks!
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Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 06:50 AM
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Find time to visit Alberobello
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Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 10:33 AM
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Dina: With pleasure! Are you doing Puglia alone or will you combine it with another region?

So far it looks like this, but I might cut Lecce by one day. Also, these places (especially the last) are a bit of a splurge. Or maybe more than "a bit" of a splurge.

Fly into Brindisi on Alitalia.

2 nights outside Otranto--this is a base to explore that area. http://www.masseriamontelauro.it/

2 nights Lecce--maybe cut to one night
http://www.vestas-hotels-lecce.com/e...ento/hotel.htm



3 nights--Big splurge near Fasano; to use as a base to visit Ostuni, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Cisternino, and maybe Monopoli and/or Polignano, and also to relax a bit. I am wondering if I have enough time with only three nights here as it stands right now. Surprisingly, it was very difficult to get rooms for my dates in September.
http://www.masseriatorremaizza.com/index.php?lang=en

Fly home from Brindisi with Alitalia.

So again, I am undecided as to whether or not to cut Lecce by one night and add that night someplace else, or extend the stay at the Fasano masseria.
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Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 01:17 PM
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thanks. those places look beautiful! i'm so excited for you.

they are a bit too pricy for us now, as we are still traveling with our young adult kids (17 and 20) and need to pay for two rooms.

we will be coming over to brindisi from greece, and want to work our way to florence to fly home.

can't wait to read your trip report!
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Old Jun 2nd, 2010, 03:17 PM
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Hello ek - seems like we haven't met for centuries! Glad to see that obviously both of us are alive and well...
One night/one day is definitely enough for Lecce; I'm not sure whether you'd really be able to fill up two days there. Pretty, but also pretty small.
May I take the opportunity to redirect you to another thread? http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...estaurants.cfm - I desperately need your input there!
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 02:37 AM
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Franco: What a wonderful surprise! I will meet you there! And I will also alter my itinerary as per your suggestions.
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 10:46 AM
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Ok, so now that I have all but decided to cut Lecce down to one night, instead of two, I am thinking of spending a night in or near Cisternino. Can I get some comments about this town from those of you who have visited? There seem to be two lovely accommodation options in or near the town.
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 12:21 PM
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I don't know Cisternino, but the Martina Franca-Locorotondo-Alberobello area is certainly Puglia's nicest (with the severe restriction that Alberobello is so touristy that Venice seems like a remote corner of north-eastern Siberia in comparison). But is there a specific reason not to stay in Locorotondo or Martina Franca proper? Or respectively, if you stay in Cisternino, you wouldn't change accomodation to Fasano, would you? That's so near to each other, doesn't quite seem worth the hassle.
OTOH, I'm surprised that you're not planning to venture further north: Bari-Bitonto-Trani-Barletta. Is that because you already know that area? If not, you should absolutely spend some time there, as well: GREAT Romanesque churches. And frankly, I think it's impossible to leave Puglia without having seen Castel del Monte, so if you haven't done so earlier, you may want to reconsider.
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 01:46 PM
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Franco I am so glad you are back for a visit!

We have only 7 nights and so, after much deliberation, I decided to just get a glimpse of the southern part of the region and leave the Trani/Bari/Castel area, and the Gargano, for another time.

Because this trip is a bit of a splurge/relaxation trip, I was guided a bit by the accommodations choice in each area that I wanted to visit. My thinking in bypassing Locorotondo was that it was too touristy for an overnight, given that we have such a limited time, but would make a great daytime visit. And there do not seem to be many hotels in the town itself. It is only 5 miles from Cisternino.



I initially looked at staying the night in Martina Franca, 6 miles from Cisternino, but did not find hotels in the town itself there that I thought would suit. I do realize that it is kind of silly to stay in both Fasano and another nearby town, but one element in favor of this would be that it would allow us to eat dinner in various locales without having to drive in the dark. (I also realize how crazy that might sound, but my appointed travel partner on this trip can not see well in the dark and I do not fare much better). Cisternino sounded interesting because of the outdoor grilling that is apparently done by the butcher shops in town..and the town looks attractive as well. AND, I did find two very appealing-sounding places to stay.



There seem to be so many "essential" places to visit that my head is spinning. I can only hope that I will be fortunate enough to return and explore the areas that eluded me on this first trip to the region.

So..after all that, what do you think?
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 01:49 PM
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After all that, I think you're doing well...
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Old Jun 3rd, 2010, 01:59 PM
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...particularly because the urban part of Puglia isn't exactly relaxing, perhaps. It's been long ago, but while we were visiting the glorious Romanesque cathedral of Bitonto (in plain daylight, mind you!), they broke into our car which was parked in front of the church, on Bitonto's main square, just to take a 10-Euro-umbrella - there was nothing else in the car! Not a region where you'd feel really easy... and that's definitely different in the south, where you are going to be!
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Old Aug 13th, 2010, 03:01 AM
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topping for SSSteve...
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Old Aug 13th, 2010, 10:59 PM
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Crunchy,

I've read and reread your post, but didn't notice that you told us when this trip will take place. That matters regarding Lecce.

We enjoyed Lecce as we stayed right in the city center, and we were there for "art week" and the city was teeming and full of "arty" things. However, one of the days we were there we used to drive around the Salento peninsula which includes Otranto. If you think Lecce won't interest you too much, why stay there overnight at all. Visit Lecce on the way to or from Otranto and spend 3 nights in the Salento area.

Fasano is a good idea. It's very central and you can easily visit all the little towns in the area, including Alberobello.

Have fun!
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Old Aug 14th, 2010, 07:57 AM
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SSS, thanks so much! We are going next month--third week in September. My hesitation is not that Lecce will interest me, rather that we have SUCH a short time and so much ground to cover, and since the city seems small and easy to cover on foot, I thought about cutting the time in order to have another night in the trulli area..

The more I read, the more I realize how much there is to see. And we also want to spend time relaxing.

Your report was truly helpful. Where are you headed next?
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Old Aug 14th, 2010, 07:31 PM
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We generally travel in September, but this year we will spend the entire fall at home waiting for my daughter to give birth to our second grandchild.

Our next trip will probably be to Bordeaux and Dordogne next May. That's a long time for us between significant trips. (That doesn't count 4 days in Jerusalem next week!)
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