I am planning a trip to Puglia from Rome without a car.
I am looking at ;
Rome - 2 nights
Bari - 2 nights
Monopoli - 3 night
Lecce - 4 nights
make my way back to Rome - 2 night

inhqbe one extra night and I am wondering where you thought 1 extra night would be most beneficial. I have been to Rome 3 times so as much as I love Rome, I would rather use that night in Puglia. I would be interested in hearing from other solo travellers and/or people who relied on public transportation. I will be travelling in the summer- I know hot! Thanks for anyone who has some suggestions (welcome) and accommodations suggestions (200-250 a night - safe and central).

Although not in Puglia, you might want to consider Matera. It's nearby and easily reached by public transportation.

I am going to check the transport - one night be enough?

Depends on what you want to see and experience, whether 1 night means a few hours or just shy of 2 days, the pace at which you prefer to travel...

Are your flights booked? Seems like it would be better to fly into Bari or Brindisi. I went to Puglia by myself two years ago. Flew into Brindisi (which I really liked), then trains to Lecce, Polignano a Mare, Bari and Rome. I'm not home right now, so I don't have access to my notes, but I did a pretty detailed trip report. Just click on my name and scroll down to the Trip Report Section to find it.

I agree with Susan, if you can swing it, maybe try to fly into Puglia first.

Are you planning on doing any sightseeing in Rome itself? Assuming you cannot change a booked flight, you may be better suited to put all of your time in Rome at the end. Upon arrival, immediately take a train to the Puglia region.

I did a solo trip to this area October 2024, flew into Bari. My itinerary in this region was:

4 nights Lecce
3 nights Monopoli
2 nights Matera
From there, I went onto Amalfi Coast and Naples (obviously irrelevant to this discussion).

Because my time was later in the season, it was more than enough time for Monopoli, including a day trip to Polignano. I probably could have spent another night or two in/around Lecce easily. And felt for my tastes, 2 nights in Matera was sufficient.

I am flying out of Toronto so no direct flight. For this reason, I thought with the jet lag, I would hang out in Rome. It is a good suggestion though, so I will take a look again.
I will definitely look up your trip reports! Thanks!

Did you write a trip report for this trip? How did you find sightseeing with the public transportation?

No, I never finished it - too much life got in the way.

For the most part, getting around Puglia was fairly easy. They have more regionalized commuter trains to smaller towns.

From Lecce I went to Ostuni and Otranto. Ostuni was a bit confusing but manageable.
Pogliano from Monopoli was like 10 minutes via public transport. Bari to Lecce was easy - on the main train line.

Should you decide to go, Matera is easy to reach via train (or bus) - you may have a stop in Altamura to change trains, but otherwise it's simple.

I've been to Puglia a number of times and it is no problem to travel alone, as Susan and Jean can also tell you.

You might want to go to Matera first, after Bari, since there is a direct bus from Bari airport to Matera and the ride is only about an hour.

I don't like one-night stays but your time is so limited that you might have only one night in Matera; wifi you can stretch this to two nights I think you would be happy...

If I were you, I'd skip staying in Rome and go direct to Bari, either by flying there or by taking the train from Rome upon arrival at FCO.

I agree, should have added that if you really have to fly into Rome, continue on to Puglia and save all the Rome time for the end. This saves a change in hotel. I would book the flight into Bari or Brindisi, even if it means a stop on the way. I would note that I left Bari for the last place in Puglia because there is a direct train from Bari to Rome. I'm all about avoiding train changes if possible! 😁

Also, if you fly into Brindisi and don't want to stay there, the place I stayed in Lecce (the name of which escapes me at the moment) has a shuttle that will pick you up at the airport. Not expensive, I think it was only 30 Euro.

public transport based on trains and buses with the odd taxi is perfect for Puglia. Long distance buses are a real dream in Puglia.

I might look at Martina Franca just a pretty little place for one night
I'd try and stay in B&B rather than international hotels as one of the great things about this part of Italy is the people and you will make more contact this way and get better local advice. Always stay in the old town, not in the outskirts. Yes it will be hot and busy, if AC is a thing you must have then check booking.com, if you can bare it then sty and stay in traditonal accomodation which will have thick walls and close the windows/shutters during the day to keep the space bareable. You may even need to sleep on a roof of a building at night.

I would suck it up, fly the Atlantic, walk across the terminal and fly down to Bari (Brindisi is also nice in a port sort of a way). You need to stay up and about anyway so why not.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am rejigging my itinerary.