Puglia or La Langhe
 

Please help me to decide.
We (my husband and me) will travel May 2017 for 20 days with own car. Have been to many regions in Italy but don't know these two. Age 55+
Love nature, good food and wine. No big cities. Small villages appeal to us.
Thanks

Le Langhe is a small part of the region of Piemonte, in northern Italy. Puglia is an entire region in southern Italy. It's very difficult to compare them. However, if you like small villages, I think Piemonte will suit you better.

If you like wine, go to Piemonte, which includes the Langhe.
(As bvlence wrote, the Langhe is a small, but wonderful part of Piemonte.)
If you want to see an authentic area of Italy, not flooded with tourists, go to Puglia.

Here is our web page on our trip to Puglia:
http://www.travel.stv77.com/puglia/puglia.htm

We have been to Piemonte several times.
Go to our main travel page and you can pick the trip you like:
http://www.travel.stv77.com/

I haven't seen many small villages in Puglia, though. I've seen some very large towns in the middle of nowhere, full of ugly 1960s concrete apartment blocks. I was told that most of the large farms belonged to absentee owners, and that the farm workers lived in these towns and drove to the workplaces.

The Gargano peninsula is the part of Puglia where most tourists go. There is a large national park there, and a long coastline. I thought the coastal area was overbuilt, and was expecting something different. I liked Trani, in a beautiful coastal spot, better. There is a beautiful Romanesque Cathedral of Saint Nicholas right at the seaside.

Not far from Trani, Castel del Monte is probably my favorite castle in Italy, maybe in the world. Its stunning in its simplicity. I've been there twice, and would return if I happened to be anywhere near it again.

Lecce is another well-known town (or city) in Puglia, famous for its Baroque architecture. I've never been there, and am not a big fan of Baroque architecture. Anyway, it may be too large for your tastes.

Alberobello is famous for its white beehive-shaped trulli, which are very interesting, but speaking of being overrun with touists...

I haven't been to La Langhe, but I would be surprised to hear it was overrun by tourists. Is it foreign tourists? Because I don't know any Italians who have been there, whereas I know many who have visited all the places I mentioned in Puglia.

I was just in Puglia and visited many small towns. We loved it there.

Agree with jubilada. Many small towns in Puglia. Nature is somewhat boring (olive trees, vineyards), especially in the Salento which is flat. The Gargano in the north of Puglia is very nice, though. Mountainous, beautiful coastline, different flora than in the rest of Puglia.

With 20 days you can cover the whole of Puglia, including a few days in Matera (a MUST, IMO).

Depends on your tastes - food in le langhe will be more meaty, in puglia more fishy. Great reds vs nice varied (the rose, esp) but not as high level wine. Nice hiking in the former, empty beaches in the latter. Vinyards and mixed tree vegetation vs vinyards and olives. Lots of german tourists vs rather empty.

We really enjoyed our trip to Puglia in 2012.

Our pics are here https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...57635047994978

We spent 5 days in Piemonte in 2010 and loved the food!

Puglia has a lot of scenic hill towns, like Matera (in Lucania, however!), Cisternino, Martina Franca..
Baia delle Zagare is a stunning Gargano beach

Wonderful photos, jamikins!

Thanks dreamon :)

Lucania? In modern times it's called Basilicata, neighboring region to Puglia.