WorldsAway

We are going to be in Puglia for twelve nights in mid-September, splitting the time equally between the south, near Otranto, and the north, near Monopoli (we will have a car the whole time).

Question: Is a day trip to Matera worth it from our time near Monopoli? There seems to be many beautiful towns and villages nearer to Monopoli (Ostuni, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Ceglie Messapica, Polignano a Mare) even though we have heard that Matera is quite fascinating.

Thanks

yorkshire

It's an amazing place. I typically do not like long day trips, but at just under an hour and a half from Monopoli, that is one I would go for. You could also make a day of it and break up the drive. Or, let us know your full itinerary (arrival and departure points) and we can perhaps come up with another way to squeeze it in.
The many villages are quite small, so you can group them together.

russ_in_LA

Yes to Matera, even better if you can spend the night and take your time.

whitehall

We visited Matera in 2016 after a week in Puglia and on our way to the Amalfi coast. We have always called Matera one of the most fascinating and unusual places we have been to in Italy. Our two nights was not enough, but, if you only have one day, it is well worth it. Matera has been the locale for dozens of films, often Biblical, because the producers have to do so little to camouflage anything that doesn't fit the 2,000 year old feel they are bringing to the big screen. For fun, we downloaded film stills from the re-make of Ben Hur, released before we arrived, and took photos of the same spots as they are without sets or decoration. Not much difference.

In case, you have an interest, here is a link to our trip report on Puglia, which, unfortunately did not include a report about Matera. 7 days/6 nights in Puglia

neckervd

BTW: Monopoli is not in the North of Apulia, but rather in the center of this region: midway between the stunning villages of Peschici and Vieste with some of the most impressive beaches of Italy just south of them on the one hand and the Salento beaches of Baia dei Turchi and Torre San Giovanni at the other hand.
Castellana and Alberobello are among the highlights of central Apulia, Matera (already in Basilicata, along the way to Potenza - Amalfi Coast) is not far away.
The baroque town of Lecce with all it's Greek ruins is worth a visit too.

raincitygirl

We were in Puglia in 2014 and did a day trip to Matera from our Masseria near Ostuni. It was so worth it; one of the most amazing places we’ve seen.
We did an all day tour with a local woman-Nadia Garlatti, she was fantastic.
This is the email I have for her: [email protected]
You can find her if you Google as well.

emcass

Matera is definitely worth going to. You should make an effort to spend the night there. Sleep in a cave hotel and tour the newer area in the morning. Also, since you’ll be in Puglia, try to have lunch or dinner at Antichi Sapori in Montegrosso. One of the best meals we’ve ever had. Advance reservations a must.

zebec

Yo WA,
Yes absolutely to Matera. You might be surprised at how good the restaurants are there! Maybe visit 'Area 8' cafe, completely different given its quirky uniqueness. Their house brand wine was superb and their mains were so good that we came close to ordering seconds.
Good luck.
I am done. the end.

isabel

Another Yes to Matera

Here's my photos of it - Zenfolio | Isabel's_View | Trani & Matera

WorldsAway

All of your help is much appreciated.

We will be staying near Locorotondo for seven nights (as well as five nights in the south near Santa María de Leuca) so we will for sure take a day to visit Matera, which is only about 85 km away, and we may even stay for dinner before returning back to our hotel.

Thanks again.

WorldsAway

We have decided to stay in Matera overnight.

We will leave the Santa Maria de Leuca area in the morning, where we will have stayed for five nights, and drive to Matera, which should take under 3 hours, then spend the day and the night, waking the next day to spend a few more hours in Matera, before driving to Ostuni for six nights.

We are deciding between these four hotels in Matera: the Sant'Angelo, the Palazzo Gattini, the Aquatio Cave and the Sextantio Le Grotte.

If you have stayed in any of these, please let me know what your experience were like.

Thank again.

russ_in_LA

We stayed at the St. Angelo last October for one night. We were very happy with the room and the location. The rooms are scattered around the reception area, most or all we separate entrances from the outside. They are very varied in location, view, number of steps to reach then and size, so ask a lot of questions. Parking is in a garage up above the sassi and they will shuttle you to the hotel and back.