mikster

Okay, so we are narrowing down our trip for next June somewhat to the area near Ostuni for part of it...question is if we want to see some of the nicer beaches down south should we base close to Lecce or would you recommend staying in Lecce? We would very much like to spend about four nights near Ostuni and will have about four more nights or so. Would prefer only two locations if that makes sense. Also, I'm not sure yet of our flight schedule but from what I can see so far it looks like the flights back from Brindisi are very early in the morning...any ideas for staying near the airport if necessary? There are so many beautiful areas and places to stay in Puglia, I am really having a hard time narrowing this one down! Thank you.

yorkshire

A lot depends on if you want the amenities of being in town: walking to dinner, etc. We far preferred driving to the coast during the day and enjoying the city at night. Lecce is gorgeous and has so much energy--people sitting on the steps of the churches enjoying the beauty. If you prefer staying in a rural place, then fodorites will have recs.
Lecce was an ideal base for the Salento--what beaches did you have in mind? The tourist office has brochure/map featuring all of the beaches. Be sure to investigate the Ionian side. I wanted to get to the ones north of Gallipoli because the photos are gorgeous, but alas not enough time. We visited Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Selvaggio, which I highly recommend!
When we drove south along the Adriatic, I was not as wowed, but it was offseason and rainy--they just looked like beach resorts you would see anywhere. That is, until you get far south and the coast gets rocky and dramatic. We almost made it all the way to Leuca but not quite. Ponte Ciolo was a highlight though!

Looks like both Ostuni and Lecce are not that far from Brindisi airport--about 30 minutes from Lecce on highway and various slightly longer routes from Ostuni. I would just bite the bullet and get up early--no traffic that way!

We skipped Ostuni, but the beaches close to Ostuni (in Parco Naturale Regionale Dune Costiere da Torre Canne a Torre San Leonardo and Riserva Statale Torre Guaceto) were great--natural and sandy, with dunes! Ostuni will be nice for proximity to the Itria Valley of course.

kja

As yorkshire says, it really depends on your interests, but FWIW, I was VERY glad that I stayed in Lecce! As she notes, it is a lovely and energetic place with lots to see and some great restaurants.

cavergirl

Not to muddy the waters but we stayed in Monopoli and used that as our base for touring the Puglia region. We were very pleased that we picked that location. There are great restaurants there and it was very central for day trips. We liked that it was right on the sea with a charming little harbor area with its own mini-castle. There were some beaches there but nothing special. Like another poster, we didn't find any great beaches in Puglia. Poglingnano a Mare has a nice little coved beach and is pretty little town. In addition, you might want to add Locorotondo and Alberobello to your itinerary. Ostuni was really pretty. You are not real close to the water (a few miles up the hill) but there are pretty views of the coastline there. Alberobello is very touristy but interesting. That is where they have all the trulli houses. Locorotondo could be eliminated if you have to cross one off your list. We did a day trip to Lecce. The architecture was stunning but it was a very busy city (may be what you are looking for) but Ostuni and Monopoli are both much more charming. We stayed at Don Ferrante and had an amazing room (suite actually) with a little terrace right above the sea. Not sure what direction you are coming from (we started in Rome then Naples, Amalfi Coast and then east to Puglia. The highlight of our trip was unquestionably Matera - a cave town. The town is on a hill with dramatic views. If you can work that in to your trip, you will not be disappointed.

mikster

Thank you. We would like to do a combination of staying in a Masseria, which we will do hopefully not far from Ostuni and also like the idea of walking to dinner, etc. Hoping to still fit in time to drive down further south and some of the beaches there. But I think we will probably stay in Lecce for one or two nights.

yorkshire

I agree on Monopoli, where we rented an apartment right behind Don Ferrante (only downside was the music from their empty terrace and having to see Germans sunning in speedos right outside our window). For the OP, who seems set on the Ostuni area for a rural stay, something in the south seems best and a city will balance out the rural time. Unless they select Matera instead--which I also agree would be great! Really tough to choose or to go wrong.