justretired

My husband, Larry, and I have begun planning a 2 week or so trip to Puglia in September, ( or maybe October) and are hoping that Fodorites can help us with the late planning of the trip. We are delayed because Larry had some hand surgery a week or so ago- not serious, but one that could have required either further surgery or PT, but now looks like it doesn’t. We are clear to travel.

For those who don't know us, we're an American couple in our early 70s. We are somewhat seasoned travelers in both Italy and France. One of the ways we have loved to travel is to rent a house or apartment, spending 2-3 weeks in one place and taking day trips no more than an hour or so in all directions. We have done this in Bonnieux, Provence, and Montelpulciano, Tuscany. We love having the time to absorb the atmosphere of a place.

However, we understand that some places don't lend themselves to this kind of travel. For example, when we went to Sicily a year or so ago, we traveled one of the usual routes, this one from Catania to Palermo (south, west, and then north) over a 2 week trip. We think that Puglia might be similar, but are hoping we can stay at no more than 3, and hopefully 2 places. For this trip, we'd prefer a Table d'hôte / B&B / Inn/ Agriturismo with an international clientele in which the guests at least sometimes eat dinner ( hopefully, at communal tables). We love staying in the countryside, villages, and cities, but prefer places where we can take day trips of no more than an hour.

The reasoning behind the above, for those interested in more information: Larry speaks French rather fluently as well as fairly advanced Spanish, and Italian, with a little German thrown in. I speak moderate French, but no Italian. Larry loves having the opportunity of making use of those languages to meet and interact with people. It would be great if we could find places that seem to attract people of different backgrounds and languages.

It looks like we can fly into either Bari or Brindisi and that it might be possible to fly into one city and out of the other. In addition to Larry’s love of languages, we love exploring small villages (and cities), art and architecture, nature, food, history, etc.

How would those of you who have been to the region organize the trip? Where should we base ourselves during the 2 weeks, using 2-3 places? What towns have you loved and what sites shouldn’t we miss? I understand that the driving is not difficult on the major roads, but can get dicey in the cities. We are thinking of staying near or in Lecce, Bari, and maybe Martina Franca. Should we go to Matera?

In addition, do you have recommendations for places to stay that would meet our perhaps unique interests? We have found that firsthand recommendations are best, even if they don't seem to have exactly what we are looking for.

I’m sorry for my wordiness, and thank you in advance for any suggestions.

.

raincitygirl

My husband and I were in Puglia in October 2014. First we spent five nights in Lecce at an excellent B&B called Five Rooms. It had free parking and was easy to get to and get out of the city for the sight seeing we did to some of the coastal towns.
It was not right in the historic centre but was an easy walk of about 10 minutes.
We were the only English speaking people there, most were Italian, with some German and French. Dining was limited to breakfast but you might have the possibility of conversation there, plus there was a large lounge area and big garden outdoors to sit in.

We then had five nights in the valle d'Itria near Ostuni at Masseria Cervarolo which we loved. That did have the option of dinner as well as breakfast and the clientele was very international. There were a few other English speakers: American, English and Australian but mostly French, German and Italians.

The masseria also offered cooking lessons and wine tastings free of charge. We did the wine tasting and really enjoyed it and enjoyed chatting with the others who attended.
Also they have a lovely pool area with the option to have snacks and beverages right there. We met a lovely German couple from Munich there and ended up having dinner with them in a nearby town at a restaurant they recommended.

We did a day trip from here to Matera, it was a long day but do-able and yes, most definitely worth seeing, I have never seen another place like it. We did a tour and it has a fascinating but tragic history.

We flew into Bari from Rome and it is a nice small airport and was very easy to get onto the highway to Lecce from there. Driving into Lecce and finding our hotel was easy and we didn't use the car while exploring Lecce itself, we walked everywhere. No problem with any of the roads we used or the smaller coastal towns we went to. We got lost a few times while in Locorotondo and Martina Franca which were both quite hilly and with narrow streets but they aren't super big cities so it all worked out.

The biggest problem we had was driving into Brindisi when we were leaving Puglia for Le Marche. My husband wanted to see the other end of the Appian Way which is marked by a Roman column in the old part of the city. What a to-do that was! The GPS had us going around in circles in the old part of the city where it is all narrow lanes and alleys, somehow we ended up across the harbour, drove down a road leading to some kind of naval installation, got stopped and told off by the police…retreated to a cafe where we parked with relief. I got out, looked across the harbour and there it was! ha ha.

Fortified with coffee we made a second attempt and were successful. And were rewarded not only with seeing the column but a beautiful big wedding party with all the guests, posing for photos on the steps to the column.

As you can see I am rather wordy myself. It is a beautiful area, really nice people, good food and wine; I hope you have a great trip.

kja

Do consider giving Lecce at least several nights.

Matera is, IMO, extraordinary and well worth at least 2 nights (which would give you enough time to city the highlights of the city itself) and more if you want time to explore the outlying caves. I was very pleased with the Locanda di San Martino, which still gets excellent reviews, but I don't think it fits your description particularly well.
http://www.locandadisanmartino.it/?lang=en

I loved Trani, which doesn't seem to get much attention on this board. With an interest in architecture, you might want to see it's cathedral.

Enjoy!

jangita

We are a couple in our mid 60s and also like to travel in the same style. Here's our itinerary:

Sept. 20 Fly AMS to Bari, Puglia, Italy—take train or bus to:
Sept 20—27 Lecce, apartment--1 week
https://www.vrbo.com/1597574ha

Rent car in Lecce Sept 24th.

Sept 27, 28 Matera--2 nights Corte San Pietro http://www.cortesanpietro.it/ (on the high side budget wise but...)

Sept 29 Trovigno--1 night--agriturismo. La Foresteria San Leo. http://www.in-italia.com/italy/basil...ia-di-san-leo/

Sept 30, Oct 1 - 5 Trani—5 nights http://www.suitehometrani.it/bed_and...ite_home_porto in the Green room

This is part of an almost 3 month trip, including a week in Amsterdam before Puglia and more weeks in the north of Italy.

We've been to Italy many times but never before to Puglia.
Hope this is helpful to you.

jubilada

Jangita, we'll be in Trani when you are there, well for one night.

Just for another approach, here is our Itinerary in Puglia Sept 14-October 1

Flying into Bari from Boston via Rome
4 nights near Conversano in agriturismo
Six nights based in Martina Franca in a diffuse hotel( basically apartments with central reception ) as part of a very small tour group( Italy with Pleasure) which will visit Aerobello, Lecce, Matera, Polingaro de Mare, etc, focusing on food.

then 4 nights in Leverano with a car with day trips further into Salento
Three nights in Trani then train to Rome
Four nights Rome, fly home from there

kawh

take a look at our puglia report...
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...a-loved-it.cfm

we absolutely loved our trulo near ceglie messapica, which is about 25 minutes from martina franca, which you mentioned. looks like they are still renting it out...

all of my biggest recommendations will be in the trip report.

i would not want to have missed matera, though it is a bit of a drive from anywhere to get there. it's not really 'on the way' to any of the other places you mentioned. but it's so special, i think it's worth a commitment of at least a couple of nights.

let us know what you decide! wishing we could go back...

justretired

Hello all. Larry and I have booked flights for our 2 week trip to Puglia in September. We are flying Global Swiss from Boston- Bari, with very short connections in Zurich.

We are arriving at 9:30 in the morning. We have rented a car and will drive south to spend 5 nights in in an agriturismo near Lecce to explore the southern peninsula including Lecce itself and southern coastal towns. Then, we will go to Matera for a couple of days and finally move east to the valley/sea and visit the hilltop and coastal towns south, hopefully staying for 6 nights in another agriturismo somewhere between Ostuni and Bari. Our return flight leaves Bari at 2:40, so we think we can drive to the airport and return the car before the flights quite easily from the last agriturismo. Does this itinerary make sense? We are certainly open to any suggestions.

I am an artist, working primarily in watercolor, but I have also created number of paper mache pieces. Since this medium is popular in Puglia, we are looking for a workshop, probably in Lecce, that would teach me their techniques. Does anyone have any suggestions?

We are in the process of picking the 2 agriturismi (I just learned that this is the plural form) and the B&B in Matera and would love some recommendations for all 3 locations. For the farms, we would prefer a place that serves dinner. Although we may not eat all our meals at the masseria, we like the choice and find it a wonderful way to end an evening. However, if the masseria is close to a town, we can certainly drive there for dinner. I have used www.Agriturismo. it and Booking, but would love some personal recommendations.

In addition, I have started a restaurant list, so if you have any favorites, let me know.

Thanks, Margie

bilboburgler

Hi, you'll love Puglia, I spent a fortnight cycling around the place and liked it so much I went back and got married there.

If you've been to Italy a lot you'll know that the southern Italians are more fun and more laid back than the notherners.

You need to stay in a Masseria with on site cooking for a few days at least. Just great relaxing and eating. I'd try and find one with some courses going on. We stayed at Masseria Provenzani for our wedding (very low key) but the place is hidden away just north of Lecce. The have a nonna who cooks lovely food and there are always people coming and going, while the place is lovely. http://www.masseriaprovenzani.com/masseria-en.php

I'd go for at least one night in Lecce, just because the passegiato is so nice, and there is something about getting breakfast ona roof terrace. Two nights would be better. Parking in the centre of old Lecce is interesting, don't get too big a car and ask your landlord what to do with it.
Eat here http://www.alleduecorti.com/

I cannot recommend Ylenia too much http://www.yltourpr.com/ she seems to know everyone and should be able to link you up to a paper mache person or some courses.

Also look at Gravina, a very odd place with a big gorge, in which are hidden cave churches.

bilboburgler

cartapesta which is paper mache, links may also help you

http://www.infolecce.it/artigianato-...a-leccese.html

I spotted one corso https://lacartapestadirosariapallara...di-cartapesta/

but if you really want a day working at it, email Ylenia

justretired

Thanks, Bilbo. It's just what we were looking for and my husband, who speaks Italian, still had trouble finding anything. We know a woman who took a course at the agriturismo where you had your wedding, but she didn't stay there. Where you happy with the masseria- rooms, food,etc.?

justretired

We are traveling from 9/9-9/23. wonder if there is a possibility of a GTG somewhere?

jubilada

We'll be there 9/13 to 10/1.

Janetd5

Justretired - I loved my three nights in Lecce this past May, and enjoyed staying in center city (Patria Palace Hotel, Piazzetta G Riccardi, 13). Great location, easy to wander the historic area. Do try the iced almond coffee at Doppiozero, and pistachio gelato at Pasticceria Natale! Also, just heard from a friend that the July issue of Architectural Digest has an article on the Salento province.

Saw a demo of a cartapesta master using the historic methods - think he and his wife also offer classes. Very interesting, and the small workshop has a small shop in front.
[email protected]
www.cartapestabaldari.it
address - Vico Sferracavalli, 7 Lecce
Cell - 335.7382207

bilboburgler

Yes the Masseria was fine, the management made a error but sorted it out very well. Fair to say a wedding is not the right time to make a good evaluation of any facility, but the food was great the general rooms were exceptional (one big long room for eating/chatting) and another massive lounge for planning, interneting etc. Then even the smallest room has bedrooms and a sitting area, while the master room went on for miles. They do yoga on the top deck of the place and then there are something like 5 courtyards you can hang out in if the weather is fine.

Having a Italian speaking husband will be necessary unless there is a course on, but that is true all over Puglia, most tourists they see are Italian.

There is a pool and it may be warm enough to use.

When we arrived they were just taking the leggy models out after a photo shoot, so a special place and we spent ages finding it on line.

ekscrunchy

I wrote two trip reports on the region, and took a more recent trip that did not result in a report. If you get a chance, look at these and see if there is any helpful info within. Good idea to include Matera.

I'll be happy to answer any questions. Be extra careful to get good directions for driving into Lecce; we found it a little challenging. The other challenge for us was leaving Bari airport but we probably just messed up there (on two different trips!)

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-di-senise.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ern-puglia.cfm

NOTE: The third trip, for which I did not write a report, began at an agriturismo near Bernalda (Basilicata), San Teodoro Nuovo. From there we drove to a small hotel near Ugento, Don Cirillo, to see the Eastern coast of the Salento.


We finished up near Fasano, in the same hotel we had loved before, Torre Maizza.

http://www.santeodoronuovo.com/

http://www.kalekora.it/struttura.php?lang=2&id_str=3

jangita

kscrunchy--how did you mess up leaving Bari airport? Were you in a car or public transport?

jangita

sorry to bother--I read your report so now I understand.

ekscrunchy

We were in a rental car. The signs were confusing (and we were confused!) and we ended up missing the entrance to the autostrada....probably just a fault of my own.

justretired

Larry and I continue to work on our reservations. There are so many B&B's in Matera and I wonder if there is much difference between them. We don't need an upscale place, but certainly one with decent beds, a private bath, AC, and internet.Any suggestions?

Should we definitely stay in the Sasso for our two nights ? Where does one park?

Thanks.

Burrata

If you are still looking for an agriturismo I highly recommend this one:
http://www.serragambetta.com/cms2/en

good location, easy to visit other places and the food is amazing!! We did the half board option and glad we did. It was the best food we had our entire week trip to Puglia.

If you are lucky, Domenico will have a pizza party while you are there.

enjoy Puglia!