I am currently living in working in central Italy, and upcoming, I will have a nice 3 day break. I want to visit the South since I have yet to go there (I know, it is a sin that i have not been yet), and I am somewhat fascinated with the idea of visiting Puglia. Is it worth a visit over other areas in the south? <BR><BR>I do plan to return to the South in the spring most likely, but right now I am considering going to Lecce for a day or so, and then visiting small towns surrounding. I speak Italian, so visiting small cities nearby is not a problem from that aspect. If someone has advice, I would love to hear about it. Most interesting to me is Lecce, the Trulli area, and Gallipoli (spelling?). <BR><BR>Also, any advice about other small hidden treasures to visit in Italy would be appreciated. I am currently living in Le Marche region, in Macerata, and can give anyone advice about visiting this region as well.<BR><BR>tante grazie,<BR>Jackie

Jackie, Go to www.slowtrav.com and find my trip report about that region with pictures. Good luck !

Excerpted from an earlier post:<BR><BR>Author: Rex ([email protected])<BR>Date: 03/30/2002, 06:33 pm<BR><BR>Message: The cover pic alone (the hill town of Ostuni, in Apulia) is worth a click! And just one slide of many on their "slide show".<BR><BR>March 31, 2002<BR><BR>In Italy, a Busy Crossroads of History<BR>By FREDERIKA RANDALL<BR><BR>THE sun is homing in on the mountaintop, an alien spaceship docking, red as a huge San Marzano tomato. It hovers there above us as we coast down the Apennine foothills onto the tavoliere, the great agricultural plain of Apulia. <BR><BR>remainder of full text at http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/31/travel/PUGLIA.html<BR><BR>...<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

thanks guys for the info. i loved reading abou the trulli. Bob,did you also enjoy your time in Lecce?<BR><BR>more recommendations would be great, plus info on Lecce, since I would love to use that as a home base for the few days.<BR><BR>J

Yes, Lecce was the most civilized place we saw in Puglia---a nice town with great architecture. Also liked Martina Franca and Alberobello.

I agree w/ Bob the Navigator about Alberobello and Martina Franca. We recently spent 3 nights in the Puglia region. We stayed in the Ostuni area (we didn't get to Lecce, unfortunately), and we loved how different this region is from all of the other regions we'd visited. The architecture, the food, the people, etc. Definitely worth a trip, and of course, we wished we'd had more time to spend there. Enjoy!

topping<BR>

Jackie:<BR>We spent a week in Puglia a month ago. You will not be disappointed. We especially liked Martina Franca. You might consider a visit to Vieste at the tip of the Gargano. I second the recommendation that you try slowtrav for the most dependable Italy info. Ciao.

Thanks guys. I am definitely considering Alberobello. I only have 3 days, and was wanting to go to Gallipoli and Lecce for sure. The other city I was considering was Trani. <BR><BR>The train ride from where I live to Trani is 4 hours, and then 2 hours more to Lecce. Is one day in Lecce enough? I could probably afford a full day there, but I would like to get to Gallipoli also. <BR><BR>Suggestions on this itinerary (1 night in Trani, next day early train to Lecce for a full day in Lecce, a bus trip to Gallipoli for a few hours, and then a train ride back the next day from Lecce to Macerata--where I live) would be appreciated. There is a chance I might have 1 extra day, but it is kind of up in the air. Is the Trulli area the area I SHOULD be visiting the most?<BR><BR>Thanks!<BR>Jackie

Thanks for everyone's advice. We ended up visiting Lecce, Ostuni, and Trani--all three definitely worth it. While I had especially heard the food was good here, it WAS, but nothing yet has compared to Bologna for me (not even gelato at Perche no in Firenze). <BR><BR>If anyone has questions about any of these three cities, let me know. Ostuni was exceptional for its whitewashed district, but Lecce was our favorite. We DID see a few Trulli homes traveling from Lecce to Ostuni and from Lecce to Trani.<BR><BR>Thanks again!<BR>Jackie

Lecce architecture looks wonderful in photos, but how is the total experience? Can you linger around town without being overrun by traffic? Can you make yourself understood in English? Is it a long trip without many redeeming sights along the way?

We spent three nights in Lecce this summer using it as a base for trips to Otranto, the very southern tip of the &quot;heel&quot; and Gallipoli. Also spent three wonderful nights in the delightful little town of Polignano di Mare which we used as a base for exploring the trulli, Ostuni, Trani,etc. We stayed in a magical place there called the Grotta Palazzese Hotel.<BR><BR>Within the &quot;gates&quot; of Lecce, there is very little traffic, so walking around is quite easy. Outside those gates however, the traffic was pretty frantic, and we were there in mid August when it was sort of &quot;closed&quot; for vacation. Not speaking more than a very few words of Italian, I was worried that so far off the beaten path we'd have a problem, but never did. (However, I am a master at charades, which often helped).

jt:<BR><BR>I found Lecce, especially inside of the walls, to be very quaint and quiet, with very little traffic. i speak enough italian, so i had no problem getting by and could not really comment on that aspect of how necessary english is. i would suggest doing what Patrick did: using Lecce as a base to explore other parts of Puglia. <BR><BR>oh, and the architecture in the pictures you have seen does not compare whatsoever to seeing the real thing. We stood in front of Santa Croce numerous times just looking at the facade, and we were completely blown away each time. Nothing I have seen in Italy has come close to that facade, including the facades of Milano's duomo, Firenze's duomo, and even Siena's duomo. It was magnificent.<BR><BR>Hope you get to visit!