Driving in Puglia?
Apr 29th, 2007, 02:27 PM
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Driving in Puglia?
We will be in Puglia (a masseria near Ostuni) for six nights. We fly into Brindisi and will drive the 35 kilometers to the working farm where we're staying.
We want to see as much of the region as we can. If anyone has visited Puglia, what is the driving like. Are the roads good? We've driven in Italy before.
What about particular sites of interest besides the obvious--trulli and the beaches? Any ideas would be most appreciated.
Thank you!
Joan
We want to see as much of the region as we can. If anyone has visited Puglia, what is the driving like. Are the roads good? We've driven in Italy before.
What about particular sites of interest besides the obvious--trulli and the beaches? Any ideas would be most appreciated.
Thank you!
Joan
Apr 30th, 2007, 05:22 PM
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Jcurtis,
A lot of the driving is in the countryside which I highly recommend. The landscape is different than other areas of Italy and trulli are everywhere. The roads we were on were in good condition. Of course the traffic is light off the beaten path. Traffic is a little more congested in Ostuni and Alberobello, but not bad since they are not big cities. Lecce might be a different story, but we did not drive in Lecce. We took the train.
I recommend Lecce if you are into architecture. Very beautiful churches. It's on the main train line from Ostuni if you don't want to drive.
We stayed at a masseria near Ostuni also and loved it. Have a great trip!
A lot of the driving is in the countryside which I highly recommend. The landscape is different than other areas of Italy and trulli are everywhere. The roads we were on were in good condition. Of course the traffic is light off the beaten path. Traffic is a little more congested in Ostuni and Alberobello, but not bad since they are not big cities. Lecce might be a different story, but we did not drive in Lecce. We took the train.
I recommend Lecce if you are into architecture. Very beautiful churches. It's on the main train line from Ostuni if you don't want to drive.
We stayed at a masseria near Ostuni also and loved it. Have a great trip!
May 1st, 2007, 03:10 AM
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Generally up on the Murge you will find the roads are narrow but good. Tourist Information has nearly always moved the day before you get there and the weird brass maps in town are not use nor ornament. A lot of the old towns are ringed by industrial clutter or horrid blocks of flats. Don't be put off the centrs are normally wonderful
Trulli are the obvious local must sees along with Norman castles and dolmen. The via Apia ( or is it appenia) is just black top now.
Wine is the best lots of negramaro and Primitivo
Generally up on the Murge you will find the roads are narrow but good. Tourist Information has nearly always moved the day before you get there and the weird brass maps in town are not use nor ornament. A lot of the old towns are ringed by industrial clutter or horrid blocks of flats. Don't be put off the centrs are normally wonderful
Trulli are the obvious local must sees along with Norman castles and dolmen. The via Apia ( or is it appenia) is just black top now.
Wine is the best lots of negramaro and Primitivo
May 1st, 2007, 05:12 AM
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Hello Joan, I have a holiday home not far from where you're staying so feel free to quiz me.
The roads are very easy to drive and mostly pretty empty. The only exception would be driving through towns during the local rush hours (which tend to be around 1pm, 5-6pm and 8-9pm) or driving along the main coast road (SS7) that runs from Brindisi to Bari during peak season, i.e. August and Bank Holidays, when all the barians and Brindisians head for the beaches. You will be taking this coast road (a dual carriageway) most of the way to your Agriturismo near Ostuni. When leaving the airport, just follow signs for Bari and it will lead you to this main road.
I recommend you hire the smallest car you can as driving in the towns can be a little hairaising with anything large.
Information in English about Puglia is still pretty patchy as you've probably discovered. A group of friends who live in the area have set up a website with forum that you should use for your research.
www.pugliauncovered.com
Towns of note to visit are Lecce ( the "Florence of the South', noted for its baroque architecture), Alberobello for your Trulli fix, Martina Franca, Locorotondo and your local, Ostuni, which is great for dining in the evening. Note that they eat late in Puglia, typically after 9pm. Also, all shops shut down from 1pm til 6pm in summer, reopeing from 6-9ishpm, so plan your days accordingly.
A couple of restaurants to try in Ostuni: Osteria Del Tempo Perso, in the old town, and Osteria del Catteldrale, by the Cathedral, also in the old town.
Skip Brindisi, it's a dump.
If you have the energy, there are some lovely seaside towns south of Lecce, such as Otranto and Gallipoli. Seaside towns near Ostuni aren't great and are deserted out of season, although there's a fabulous fish restaurant on the front in Torre San Sabina (near Carovigno). Best beaches are Torre Gauceto, a marine reserve near Serranova south of Ostuni, and Pilone, a sand-dune backed beach 'just' to the north of Ostuni.
Two hours drive away but WELL worth the day trip is Matera - an ancient town of cave dwellings abandoned in the 1960s. We wrote a review of it on the pugliauncovered website above.
The roads are very easy to drive and mostly pretty empty. The only exception would be driving through towns during the local rush hours (which tend to be around 1pm, 5-6pm and 8-9pm) or driving along the main coast road (SS7) that runs from Brindisi to Bari during peak season, i.e. August and Bank Holidays, when all the barians and Brindisians head for the beaches. You will be taking this coast road (a dual carriageway) most of the way to your Agriturismo near Ostuni. When leaving the airport, just follow signs for Bari and it will lead you to this main road.
I recommend you hire the smallest car you can as driving in the towns can be a little hairaising with anything large.
Information in English about Puglia is still pretty patchy as you've probably discovered. A group of friends who live in the area have set up a website with forum that you should use for your research.
www.pugliauncovered.com
Towns of note to visit are Lecce ( the "Florence of the South', noted for its baroque architecture), Alberobello for your Trulli fix, Martina Franca, Locorotondo and your local, Ostuni, which is great for dining in the evening. Note that they eat late in Puglia, typically after 9pm. Also, all shops shut down from 1pm til 6pm in summer, reopeing from 6-9ishpm, so plan your days accordingly.
A couple of restaurants to try in Ostuni: Osteria Del Tempo Perso, in the old town, and Osteria del Catteldrale, by the Cathedral, also in the old town.
Skip Brindisi, it's a dump.
If you have the energy, there are some lovely seaside towns south of Lecce, such as Otranto and Gallipoli. Seaside towns near Ostuni aren't great and are deserted out of season, although there's a fabulous fish restaurant on the front in Torre San Sabina (near Carovigno). Best beaches are Torre Gauceto, a marine reserve near Serranova south of Ostuni, and Pilone, a sand-dune backed beach 'just' to the north of Ostuni.
Two hours drive away but WELL worth the day trip is Matera - an ancient town of cave dwellings abandoned in the 1960s. We wrote a review of it on the pugliauncovered website above.
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May 4th, 2007, 02:26 PM
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Kate,
Thank you for your very helpful information. We are staying at Il Frantoio. Are you familiar with it?
Also, I'm curious about owning property in Puglia. It sounds like you do and have friends who do. How can I research that possibility while there? Of course, we need to see it first, so I'm jumping ahead of myself. But, many people have said how beautiful it is and how warm the people are.
Thanks again. We are finding more information than you might think, including a recent article in the NY Times and our own local newspaper! Perhaps Puglia is being discovered.
Joan
Thank you for your very helpful information. We are staying at Il Frantoio. Are you familiar with it?
Also, I'm curious about owning property in Puglia. It sounds like you do and have friends who do. How can I research that possibility while there? Of course, we need to see it first, so I'm jumping ahead of myself. But, many people have said how beautiful it is and how warm the people are.
Thanks again. We are finding more information than you might think, including a recent article in the NY Times and our own local newspaper! Perhaps Puglia is being discovered.
Joan
May 8th, 2007, 04:18 AM
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Well I've certainly heard of it and it's supposed to be lovely there so I hope you enjoy it.
I bought 18months ago. I fell on my feet with my agent who couldn't have been more helpful or honest! Have since heard some horror stories so you have to be careful who you use. If you want to get a feel for the market when you're there I can recommend some agents who are trustworthy and reasonable and could show you some properties, I also know some to avoid so email me if you want to know more ([email protected]). It's also well worth looking at the link above to pugliauncovered.com for some views from some people there - mainly British plus a couple of Irish and US. There's still plenty of bargains to be had but they're disappearing as the area gets more and more press attention.
You'll LOVE the people and the food is exceptional. Enjoy!
I bought 18months ago. I fell on my feet with my agent who couldn't have been more helpful or honest! Have since heard some horror stories so you have to be careful who you use. If you want to get a feel for the market when you're there I can recommend some agents who are trustworthy and reasonable and could show you some properties, I also know some to avoid so email me if you want to know more ([email protected]). It's also well worth looking at the link above to pugliauncovered.com for some views from some people there - mainly British plus a couple of Irish and US. There's still plenty of bargains to be had but they're disappearing as the area gets more and more press attention.
You'll LOVE the people and the food is exceptional. Enjoy!
