Puglia region, from Bari to Lecce
 

My husband and I are planning a 2wk trip to the puglia region in May of 2016. We will be renting a car. Below is our tentative route and would like to know if it's feasible and would like feedback. We love food, wine and historical sites. We have 6 additional days we still need to fit into our schedule, Recommendations are welcome. At the end of our 2 week trip we will by flying into Catania to visit my sister for a week. This is a very rough draft any and all feedback is welcome. Thank you all!!

Bari- 1 night
Any towns or sites worthwhile visiting between Bari and matera?
Matera - 2 nights
Lecce - 2 nights
Plan on visiting otranto and Gallipoli on one day and Lecce on day 2. Any other suggestions for day 1 or 2?
Any towns or points of interest between Lecce and ostuni?
Ostuni - 3 nights
We'll be visiting locotrando, Martina Franca and alberobello. Any other suggestions?
Thank you!!!

Gravina (get a tour of the underground churches)

Just about any town in the area will be of interest, but you also need to think if you want to see Roman bits, Norman bits, wineries etc

May be you are interested in the Caves of Castellana (rougly between Bari and Alberobello).
BTW: it would perfectly be possible to reach Catania by car: Matera - Ferrandina - Metaponto - Sibari - Sila National Park - Reggio - ferry - Messina.
http://www.italia.it/en/discover-ita...metaponto.html
http://www.parcosila.it/en

"Lecce - 2 nights: Plan on visiting Otranto and Gallipoli on one day and Lecce on day 2. Any other suggestions for day 1 or 2?"

With only 2 nights in Lecce, that could easily take all your time -- depends on exactly what you want to see and experience.

"Any other suggestions?"

I loved Trani, although it isn't along the route you will be traveling, and I also was glad that I stopped in Polignano a Mare.

Enjoy!

Great suggestions, thank you all!!

We're planning on visiting otranto, Gallipoli and Lecce. I'm undecided as to whether we should stay in Lecce or otranto, any recommendations, for two nights?

Might I recommend Bari-->Lecce then onwards to Matera? You can stop at Alberobello between Bari and Lecce just for an hour. But, I'm not as familiar with some of the other cities so that might take your off route.

We loved Matera and could have easily spent more time there (we only stayed one night) as they have a beautiful gorge to hike in. This was one of our favourite Italy spots with the best food, and it really came alive in the evening but was still not too touristy.

You might stay extra time in Lecce and take a day trip to a local beach. I forget where we went but we had a wonderful beach day about 1/2-hour day trip away. We loved Lecce as well, especially in the evening when the bats came out! Were less charmed with Bari but only stopped in for lunch.

I didn't stay in Otranto, but found Lecce a delightful place for an overnight stay -- it has some great restaurants and a variety of pleasant areas to stroll, and the stonework takes on a lovely delicacy as the sun sets and later, when lit -- quite a contrast to it's look under the direct light of day. JMO.

I got married in Lecce, if you follow my name back you can get some more ideas.

It is a long-ish drive between Otranto and Gallipoli, and remember that when your are that far south in Italy, EVERYTHING except cafes and restaurants shuts up as tight as a drum between 1 pm and 4/5pm. The local citizens retreat into their homes, and the town looks like a ghost town. So unless you are very early risers, or prefer that your travel photos have no people in the frame, a long drive to a "day trip" destination risks arriving with very little time to sightsee monuments/artworks or visit local artisinal shops before everything starts closing down.

That is an argument for sleeping more centrally in far southern Puglia -- which would be Lecce, with its somewhat extensive historic center. However, if your interest in going to Puglia developed from the allure of its pretty seascapes, and you were thinking how nice it would be to enjoy seafood dinners with a moonlit sea view, then you are better off staying in pretty Otranto -- although also be advised that May is still "off-season" for Puglia's seaside towns, and while the weekends might be lively if they are sunny, it is surprising how depopulated and closed up they are in Spring. Otranto is a bit more substantial, but it really only comes to full life in summer.

sandra is spot on. A good bit of cooking, yoga, biking, swimming is required after 1.

Once again, all great suggestions!! Thank you!!

alexandrak --

I'm really interested in a good, nearby beach outside of Lecce. Anyway you can possibly remember the name of the beach where you went? It sounded perfect.

Thank you.