beverlya

I'm planning a 2 week trip to Puglia in September. need suggestions for itinerary. My husband and I love architecture, food, and out of the way places. We will have a car. We're interested in Matera but don't know how many nights are necessary. Any must see sights? Not very interested in beach resorts. Thanks

yorkshire

Start with a search, as there are many fabulous trip reports. Unfortunately I never did a trip report for my two visits, but I will chime in later.
Are you flying in/out of Bari or Brindisi or driving in?
Be sure to tell us if you like staying in town (to avoid driving after imbibing, or for whatever reason) or if you are interested in rural masseria (agriturismo) stays.
Many only give Matera a night, but look at the surrounding area before deciding--we could have spent much longer than the two two-nighters we have spent there. Even the town itself deserves more, but we also enjoyed visiting Craco and hiking the gorge at Laterza.
This Italian writer is currently describing a recent fairly exhaustive trip and I've been reading it just to reminisce. I think you will find it very helpful! http://www.italianfoodforever.com/
Search for her reports on previous trips as well--I used them in my planning.

isabel

Here is my trip report - should give you some idea of how long to spend in each place - for example we just did 2 nights Matera which gave one full day. It was 'enough' but I would not have been bored with another day. More than that I would have been bored.

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

Sounds like you have a bit more time than we did (we combined it with a trip to the Amalfi Coast). I wished we had another couple nights in Lecce so as to visit the very tip and I would have done a full day to Galopli and Otranto each instead of combining them in one day trip.

But hopefully you'll get a sense from the report.

My newer photo galleries are here: http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f274018858

MyriamC

We spent 2 nights in Matera. It was the highlight of our trip through Puglia. I also loved Vieste in the Gargano, the westernmost point of Puglia.

Pudgy

we were in Puglia last Sept. I absolutely loved Matera and found one full day to be enough. There are so many fabulous towns to visit. We loved Alerobello, Ostuni, Otranto, Locorotondo, Maglie, and Lecce. We thought we'd need more than one day in Lecce but a day was just fine. We were stationed in a villa in Scorrano and from there made day trips. Each town was worth a few hours but I would not have stayed longer. We did not like Gallipoli except the beaches there were fantastic. Go horseback riding into the water; that was fabulous. We combined our trip to Puglia like the other commenter, with a trip to the Amalfi coast. We did it all in less than 3 weeks and loved each precious moment.

Lois2

Pudgy sums it up pretty well...recommend 2 nights in Matera...it is so fascinating.

panecott

I also spent two nights in Matera, and enjoyed it - one full day, and a few hours each on the first afternoon and the final morning.

I went to all the places Pudgy mentioned except Maglie, and I also spent two days in Vieste, and like Myriam, I loved it. The Gargano Peninsula was my favorite part of the trip.

Make sure to visit Castel del Monte.

Click on my screen name and scroll down to the bottom of my page for my trip report.

beverlya

Thanks everyone for such terrific help. The trip reports of Italian food forever and Isabel's report have given me much to think about. I was very taken with some ot the food related stops in the Italian food report. Do you think I can manage to arrange these things on my own (e.g., the cheese stop and the soap making) or do I need a guide. In general, given the lackof English, what are your thoughts about hiring guides for various cities?

yorkshire

We found that some of the smaller tourist offices did not have English speakers available. For those specialized experiences you mentioned, I would contact the agency from the Italian Food Forever report--she certainly gave them high marks (and can you imagine the logistics of that trip?). Or, try writing the blogger directly, as she may be able to provide you some contact information. I regret I did not make it to Grottaglie now myself!
Other than for those types of experiences, I don't think you will find much need of guides. My guide book or the sites themselves usually offered enough information. For more in-depth cultural information, a Blue Guide would probably be good.