Uranus

In an earlier post I noted that we are heading to the Amalfi Coast for a week in early October ( http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-9942851 ). During the week before that, I'd like to spend some time in Puglia, another part of Italy that we have never seen.

So far, my plan is this:
1. Fly through Rome to Bari mid-day (already booked);
2. Pick up rental car at Bari airport (already reserved);
3. TBA
4. TBA
--
n. After five nights, drive to Amalfi Coast to meet up with our friends near Ravello.

With your help I'd like to fill the gap in this plan between 2. and n. One thought is to move from town to town, taking in their sights and culture. For example: Bari, Ostuni, Alberobello, San Giovanni Rotondo, etc., in Puglia, and Matera and Potenza in Basilicata. However, this involves a lot of moving. Another thought was to locate in only one or two of these places, then make daytrips to some of the others. This probably makes going very far north impractical.

Some possible logistics: 1- staying three nights in or near Alberobello, then another two nights in or near Matera; 2- doing this, but choosing another, more northerly, town; 3- staying five nights in one central location. It could be decided by coin flips, but I'd love to know the thoughts of someone who knows this region well. It might be interesting, maybe entertaining, to hear opinions on rank-ordering of the sites in this region, such as from "Must-see" to "Forget-about-it."

Thanks in advance!

kja

If there is <b>any</b> chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and <b>nothing</b> you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. And please note – microsleeps aren’t dependent on getting sleep or not, they result from shifting your waking / sleeping cycle away from the one to which you are accustomed. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience!

You have convenient train and bus options from Bari, and there’s more than enough in Bari itself to justify a night there.

(Actually, there’s no need for a car for Bari, Trani, Lecce, Alberobello, or Matera, and I don’t think you have time for all of those locations! Nor do you need a car to get to the Amalfi coast. Just something to consider….)

I don’t think the area is well-suited to a single hub. IMO, Matera was definitely worth 2 nights. I’m not exactly sure how much time you have, but I enjoyed Trani and Lecce tremendously. I thought Alberobello was worth a few hours, but for me, it was too heavily touristed for any more than that. YMMV.

neckervd

What about the scenic small city of Cisternino?
If you have a car most of Apulia (lus Matera, Taranto and Metaponto) can be visited in day trips from there.

jamikins

We stayed in a masseria for a week outside of Mesange and did day trips each day.

Keep in mind that there is a long 'siesta' or pausa each day and the towns shut down from about 12-4pm. This makes doing more than one place a day challenging. We would get out fairly early, see a town then settle in for a long lunch and end by the pool at our masseria each day. Our masseria had a restaurant and did dinners so we didn't need to drive. You could also plan to go to a town after 4pm and go for dinner.

neckervd

The siesta usually begins at lunch time, that means after 1 pm.
Tons of museums (like the National Museum of Matera) are open in early afternoon.

Uranus

Thanks for your replies and suggestions! Except for the seashore near the National Park del Gargano, Puglia was never on my radar, and I hadn't realized that there is so much to see. Now looking into lodgings near Castellana Grotte or Cisternino, and in Matera. Mesagne seems a bit farther south than I wanted to locate. We may add an extra night, and still won't get to every place.

kja, I appreciate your concerns about microsleeps. That's another reason that I won't drive further than about ninety minutes from Bari for our first location. Cisternino is about 75 minutes and Castellana Grotte is less than an hour. We will stop a few times along the way.

jamikins, I had to Google "masseria." I guess it's Puglia's version of an agriturismo or podere. Some look very luxurious.

kja

For lodging in Matera, you might consider the Locanda di San Martino
http://www.locandadisanmartino.it

Your trip, your call, but would you drive 90 minutes, or even 75, when drunk? You have reasonable alternatives.

Peter_S_Aus

We spent two nights in Matera. Stayed at La Dolce Vita B&B, and it was great. Very much in the old part of Matera.

kja

Forgive me if you think I’m being overly critical, but I know too many people who have died or been seriously injured in accidents to which jet lag was a contributing factor, and I know too many people who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the knowledge that they were responsible for accidents that resulted in multiple deaths, including those of children, all because they were too confident in their ability to drive safely with jet lag. The issue has become a bit of cause célèbre for me….

frencharmoire

kja,

Sugggesting that when you post on the subject of jet lag & driving you begin by relating details of the accidents you personally know about (giving the real info about who, where, what year, etc) instead of trying to sound scientific. That might be more useful to others than what you typically first post. Fact is that most people personally know many dozens of people who drive after a transatlantic flight jet lagged. They have done it themselves without issue or have read many happy trip reports of people who did the same. They never hear news about tourists being in auto accidents the day of arrival. The fact that car rental companies, who so easily could check when foreigners arrived in their country, readily rent pricey cars to jet lagged drivers without question cause some people to assume that not many serious accidents involve jet lagged drivers.

Personally I never do it myself but I recognize others might feel differently about their ability. I think if I were one of those other people, strident lectures would make less impression than a simple recitation of another traveler's personal real life experience that was true evidence against assumptions. After all, that is why people ask questions here. They are asking others for their personal expeirence.

i_am_kane

IMO, it's all about the logistics when traveling in that part of Italy. All I can tell you is what we did four weeks ago (June 3, 2017). We arrived in Rome's Fiumicino Airport and took a connecting flight into Brindisi. At the Brindisi Aiport, we took a taxi cab to Lecce where we stayed for four nights.

Since we wanted to see some of the lovely towns in Puglia, e.g., Cisterino, Alberobello, Martina Franca, Ostuni, we hired a driver, who picked us up at our hotel (Risorgimento Resort), which is located in the center of Lecce. There was another couple on this full day tour. The cost was 60 euros each. What a pleasure not to drive anywhere or take trains. There are other tours that will take you south and or west in Puglia. This wasn't a standard tour, actually, a friendly, well-informed driver, who made the day quite enjoyable.

BTW, Lecce was delightful as was the hotel and the restaurants we selected. After our four nights, we took a Miccolis Bus to Matera where we stayed in the Barisano district for two nights.

After that, we took a Marozzi Bus to Roma; however, this bus company (and maybe other bus companies) have routes to the Sorrento Peninsula and Napoli.

yorkshire

I suggest three nights in the Itria valley (I liked Cisternino as well, but choose based on the accommodations/dining options you want, as all of the towns are quite close together--and about an hour drive from Bari).
Then two nights in Matera.
Distances are such that you could find one "base"--but I prefer to not drive that much, and Matera is simply magical at night.

cmarchewka

I agree that a rental car will not be necessary. Fly into Bari and take the train south to Monopoli (a lovely seaside town). Very convenient train or bus travel to Alberobello, Grotto di Castellagna and Polignano a Mare. A must see is Matera!! While spending time in Monopoli, travel out to see Masseria Spina and experience the best pizza ever, Al Portici. IF you had more time a trip to Gallipoli (inside of the heel) would be ideal. It is called the most romantic city in Italy. We spent 3 months in Monopoli last summer and filled the time with many day & weekend trips. Have fun.