Whew! My eyes are bugging out and the old brain is melting down...there's so much here to read! I'll be collating the specific recommendations later, but in the meantime, I have a specific question I'm not seeing answered. Perhaps I just can't find it in the wealth of information here!

As you know, Loie and I and friends are planning to be one week in Puglia (I know, not nearly long enough) in October. We'll want to rent a villa for the week, and explore from it by car. Note that we're comfortable with this kind of plan; this will be our seventh such trip to Europe, and the second with the Hauers. Staying more than one place is not a possibility: Loie says I'll have much less chance of running her ragged if my list of must-sees has to be limited to what can be seen from ONE base. (I'm trying, really I am, to slow down. It's not easy for a voracious experience and information hound like me to sit and watch the world go by.)

I'd appreciate your thoughts on where exactly to base ourselves. Of course we (well, I) want to see everything from the coast south of Vieste to the cathedral in Otranto, and I simply MUST eat oysters in Taranto. Note that we don't mind driving: day trips for us can be rather longer than many people might like. I had hoped when I began researching with The Stone Pages and our Cadogan I'd find a preponderance of must-sees in some one area, but that turns out not to be the case.

We're assuming at the moment we want to stay somewhere in the "middle" around Bari, and do what we can. And we'd like to book a villa soon. Loie is very good at finding houses and apartments, so it's not so much a matter of the rental per se as it is the town: pretty location, easy to get in and out of, convenient to the coast road. Trani has been recommended here; that seems a bit westerly. Is the Monopoli / Fasano area congenial? Martina Franca seems a bit off the main coast road. So, any thoughts for "central" locations would be highly appreciated. Thanks for such a great site; I'm going back to reading now!

Yours,
Bucky

Bucky - a girlfriend and I had a lovely week here in 2004 Villa Elisabetta near Galatina which we found perfect for exploring Puglia. We rented a small apartment on the first floor - one big bedroom with a double and a single bed, shower room, small kitchenette (although hardly equipped as one) and a terrace for a very reasonable price. I'm sure if we had asked we would have been provided with more cooking equipment but we mostly picnicked or ate out. The owner could not have been more helpful - he is part time at the villa - there for breakfast as some people come for bed and breakfast in the downstairs rooms but he actually lives in town where his wife runs a ballet school. They also have another apartment in town but we preferred being out in the country. They really put themselves out to help us in every way and when we were leaving and were uncertain of which roads to take to the motorway (the villa is quite remote down tiny little roads) he insisted on leading us there in his own car to wave us safely onto the autostrada a fair few miles distant. The swimming pool is lovely and we were lucky enough to have it to ourselves.

A word of caution tho'...when we were there he was talking about developing part of the garden area into more villas to rent so the whole place may have got a lot busier than when we were there if he has gone ahead with his plans. It is not clear from the website whether this is the case but it might be worth investigating as it is certainly in the perfect position. We wandered all around the coast, visited Lecce and generally went 'where the car took us' in a totally relaxing week.

Unless you really enjoy spending a lot of time in your car on and off the autostrada, I would urge you to decide to focus on only one part of Puglia. I don't think that hitting Vieste and Otranto are a realistic part of a one week trip itinerary.

If you pick the north--say Trani, one of my favorite towns--you can do a day trip to Vieste, visit the Bari area, hit the coastal towns north of Bari, Castel del Monte and even hit Matera and Altamura if you want to push yourself.

If you pick the south--Lecce is quite interesting and sophisticated--and you can more easily take in Otranto, Gallipoli, Taranto, Martina Franca and Alberobello (if you have to).

But to pick some place in the middle to try and reach it all doesn't make a lot of sense to me......

I should have said - we did not attempt to do all of Puglia by any means - we just explored the bottom of the narrow heel bit (Gallipoli to the west and Otranto to the east) and Galatina was perfect for that as both coasts were within easy reach. We only had to go on the autostrada to reach Lecce and to get back to the airport at Brindisi. I entirely agree with Jim, just pick a small area you are interested in and don't try to cover too much ground.

Although I understand Jim's misgivings, Bucky knows what he wants, and (as an inveterate driver myself) I think somewhere in the middle could well work out.

I'd suggest Ostuni (no great surprise for those of you who know me We bought a holiday home there early last year, and it's become our base town for many short breaks over the past 18 months). A more attractive town than either Monopoli or Fasano, and reasonably central.

Lecce is about an hour's drive into the Salento, so Otranto is very doable as a day trip (though Lecce is worth a day in itself). Bari is about an hour the other way, so the coastal towns above it are all very reachable. We went to Trani for the first time earlier this month. A lovely place: at the moment the cathedral is closed for a big refit of the lighting - notices say it should be finished by the end of the summer.

Vieste and the Gargano is more of a push. We actually stopped off there on our drive down this year, overnighting in Peschici, driving along the spectacular coast road to Vieste, and then taking the inland road to Mattinata. You've mentioned the coast south of Vieste, Bucky, but I'd urge you to try some of the inland too: lovely little roads, passing through beech forests and open grazing land. Take it slowly: cows, pigs and goats were all wandering across the road as we drove past.

Jonathan

quote:

Vieste and the Gargano is more of a push.

We drove to Vieste from Trani on the coast road and back on the inland route...both were very rewarding drives and it took most of one day with an hour or so in Vieste. We even ran into a flock of sheep on the road.

quote:

Bucky knows what he wants, and (as an inveterate driver myself) I think somewhere in the middle could well work out.

I also class myself as an inveterate driver but I wanted to emphasize the fact, while of course doable, Bucky's plan might involve even more driving time than he would like and that he might be underestimating the attractions of Puglia.

Certainly the Gargano drive would be very daunting for a day trip from somewhere near Bari or Ostuni.....

quote:

Bucky knows what he wants

Which by no means equals Bucky having any idea of what's best. I appreciate any and all advice, knowing it will vary with the speaker's preferences. Heck, Loie and I have somewhat different preferences. I certainly want to go faster and further than does she, on average. We hope we balance each other a bit. I think a 12 hour day is a mere bagatelle, and expect a week of day tripping from a villa to total at least 1,000 km on the odometer. That a two week travel vacation might total 2,000 miles is not unusual for us. But perhaps Puglia IS too large. We did a good job of restricting ourselves to the south-central then north-central parts of Brittany for a week each on Driving the Stone Age Part II.

[Edited to add:]
On the other hand, during DtSA Part I-II, we had a day that began at our rental house in Peret, outside Montpellier, France; featured a guided tour of the neolithic paintings in the Cave of Niaux in Tarascon-sur-Ariège; included a sunset walk round and cassoulet supper in Carcassone, and ended late in the evening back "home" in Peret. ViaMichelin gives figures of 229 km and 2h30 time, one way, for the drive. Such a day might be anathema to many folks here, and meat and potatoes to others. (Will it help keep our "slow travel" status in good standing if I note we spent three days in Rome last fall [renting an apartment near the Colosseum], and never got as far as Trastevere?)
[End addition]

If we HAD to pick a part of Puglia, do any of you wonderful folks have a suggestion?

We'll certainly take all your expert advice under consideration!

I would base in or near Lecce and spend my time in the Salentine peninsula and as far north as Alberobello and Martina Franca. That will keep you busy. See My trip report from 2000.