Travel to Puglia & Basilicata

[Kalpana]

I am planning my trip to Puglia & Basilicata in MAY/2018.I have already my air tickets for the travel& apartment rentals
in Ostuni,Leece & Matera.
OSTUNI :6 NIGHT day 1 : tour Ostuni & cathedral.
day 2 lan to visit historic center of Bari,castle & church of saint Nicolas
Trani:romanesque Cathedral,COLOSSO, Castle Del Monte
day 3 :Alberobello,Locorotondo,Martina Franca
day 4 :Castellana Grotte,Egnazia ,Polignano a Mare,Dolomen di Montalbano
day 5 : free
LEECE :4 NIGHTS
Walking the historic center of leece & cathedral,VISIT OTRANTO Cathedral,
Castle of Corigliano d'Otranto,Basilica di Santa Caterina
Gallepoli,santuario di Leuca,Grotto ZINZULUSA
MATERA :5 Nights
VISIT MATERA & SASSI MATERA WITH CAVE CHURCHES.Need help with a tour Guide foe SASSI Matera.SO
Please let me know if you know one.
visit Crypt of original Sin, Castello del Malconsiglio,castelmezzano
Venosa,Monticchiol lake
Metaponto , DAY Trip To Maratea ?
From Matera i need to go to Positano.So my best option will be going to Naples & take transport to Positano.I will not
have car after Naples.
I will appreciate any suggestions from members who have travelled to Basilicata & Puglia.
special thanks to Pauline,Valerie,ANNE.
so is too ambitious or doable

 

[Amy]

Just something to keep in mind as you plan...in my experience, Puglia takes the midday pausa very seriously. After lunch, you will likely find towns closed up tight until close to 5 pm. I'd advise starting your touring early in the morning, plan on a long lunch somewhere, and perhaps one place to explore late in the day.

It is from a few years ago, but here's the link to my Puglia trip blog, when we also based in Ostuni. (in reverse order)
Puglia Week

 

[Anne]

Your itinerary does seem very ambitious, at least it would be too much for me. I would definitely rethink Day 2 in particular, if I were you. We made a daytrip from Matera to Castel del Monte and that alone took up most of our day. Mind you, we made quite a few random stops to admire the scenery. The landscape in Basilicata is gorgeous!!

 

[Ian Sutton]

Can I check that you do intend to stop in these places, or is it just a driving schedule? Just a little jesting.

Yes I agree, too much for Ostuni, especially day 2 and the reality is you don't need to plan such a tight schedule. Better to have options to pick up, and at most two per day e.g. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, with lunch in either or en-route between. Having them as options without days assigned gives you the chance to see how you feel and have either a busy day or a lazy day, or something inbetween. Who knows, maybe you'll fit all that in and more, but if it's an inked in schedule, you may find some resentment brewing at not being able to properly see somewhere before moving on - the schedule becomes more important than the experience.

Where is the arrival airport? I'm guessing Brindisi if starting at Ostuni. If so. what about changing the order slightly - starting in Lecce (without a car initially, perhaps picking one up 3 days in, or even on exit) so you can walk around and get over the flight / get used to the road layouts / feel of the place. Then split the Ostuni days in half, so you can stay half there or in amongst the trulli, then the other half nearer Trani/Castel del Monte. From there head down to Matera on the SS96 / SS99. On balance that extra transfer might work best to avoid the impossible day 2, plus it naturally encourages you to spend a little extra time up there. Perhaps also seek to balance up the days so it's closer to 4 nights in each location, which we find works reasonably well for us if we're in 'active' mood (a week is better if we're feeling slow).

Driving is generally very easy in Puglia, except for the towns / cities, as even quite small towns can be tight, twisty and with wiggly one-way systems. We found them stressful to navigate through (even though that stress only lasts a few minutes)

Although it's a longer bus journey to Positano, consider Salerno as an alternative to drop the car off. It's much more sane than Napoli for driving in. I think the SITA bus will require a change at Amalfi, but not sure. Maybe some go straight through? If you stick with Napoli, then perhaps consider Avellino as an option to break the journey?

 

[Kalpana]

Thank you all for the input.I will reorganize day -2.just do the castle & see how the day goes.Normally i start my day at 7 A.M.
Lan Sutton : i arrive by train from Rome TO Bari to Ostuni.I have looked into option of taking a
ferry to Positano,but it will be a treacherous walk up to VILLA EUNICE ,Where we are staying for a
Week.May be i can take bus up to the top.I will check with Summer in Italy regarding local bus service in Positano.Pauline has stayed here may be she can answer about going up to Villa Eunice from ferry terminal.Valerie just sent me a very detail E Mail,so i am going to look into it to alter my plan & divide my day into 2 excursions per day.
Amy suggested regarding afternoon closure of the sites.

 

[jan]

You are lucky to have advice from Valerie. She's the best!

 

[Kalpana]

Places i am staying :
Ostuni: La Terrazza Apartment,Pauline has great review
Reece :casa di Alice,located in center of Leece
Matera :la casa di gianni,located at junction of Via Lucana/Via Don Minzoni.
i am vegetarian & allergic to Garlic,so normally i stay ia rental apartment & make my own meals.Go out and enjoy Dessert or Gelato.
booked all the places through VRBO & Positano through Summer in Italy

 

[LoveItaly]

I highly recommend Matera Tour Guide. Antonio was a fantastic and knowledgeable guide and lives in Matera - http://www.materatourguide.it/?lang=en

Carole

 

[Kalpana]

carole,
Thanks.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Hi Kalpana
If arriving by train at Bari, then would you consider either:
- Taking 2-3 days in that area on arrival to cover Trani, Bari, Castel del Monte, then heading down to Ostuni & Lecce
OR
- Having a single day/night in Bari on arrival, with the sole focus of seeing the things that appeal in the city. The reason for suggesting this, is Bari isn't a city I'd want to take a car into, so whilst the train drops you fairly centrally, this is an opportunity to fit that in. The other places such as Trani etc. are much easier to encounter in a car than Bari

However if already booked, then I like the idea of seeing how you feel once you're at Castel del Monte. There are options on the way back if you have the energy / time.

A friend of ours is allergic to garlic (and onions as well!). It does present a challenge, but the upside is the chance to graze the food shops and markets, so well worth digging out the market days in the various towns whilst you are there. If you find yourself near Gravina, they have a good weekly street market, but I suspect most are similar. Should be some great produce at that time of year.

Yes, as Villa Eunice appears to be up near the main road, the thought of lugging bags up the hill in Positano wouldn't appeal. 50m from the bus stop sounds fine though, whichever direction you choose to come in from.

Regards
Ian

 

[Kalpana]

LAN,
I don’t like to move every few days. So I have chosen the places I can enjoy, and do what is doable at a reasonable pace. I always look for
Local market as soon as I arrive, drop my bags & go for Produce & Grocery shopping.Jonathan has recommended few on this forum earlier. He spends
Some time in the region every year, so I will follow
His suggestions for Prodce & Grocery. I spent 3 weeks in Calabria,Sicily & found some great produce. I am a good & Creative cook & love to cook. Really looking forward to my trip.

 

[Anne]

Really looking forward to my trip.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip!

In Matera, we stayed in a fantastic rental called Casa di Gianni...I wonder if it's the same one you've booked.