To the Heel and Back Again: Puglia + Basilicata

After our time in Napoli, we rented yet another car to travel through the southern part of Italy. We stayed in three different cities (Bari, Lecce, and Grassano) across two regions (Puglia and Basilicata) and visited several other places as day trips. We recommend Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown Season 10 Episode 9 on Southern Italy (Puglia and Basilicata) to see what this region is all about (which we watched only AFTER visiting). 

Bari

We started this road trip by crossing from the western side of Italy to the eastern. Our destination, Bari, is a lovely beachside city in Puglia on the Adriatic side of the country. 

Bari had a great laid back vibe that we very much enjoyed.

We stayed in a lovely beach condo to the south of old town, and were treated to lovely sunrises and sunsets. Our time in Bari was spent exploring the coast and visiting the old town, filled with whitewashed buildings and charming streets. 

Two of our favorite highlights were this amazing seafood sandwich we had while overlooking a castle on a beautiful blue sky day, and our wander down the old town streets including the famous Orichiette street where nonnas are outside their homes making and selling Orichiette and other fresh pasta!

When leaving Bari for our next destination we did a half day stop in Polignano a Mare. This is a highly instagrammable tourist destination full of trendy accommodations and restaurants. We visited on a clear and windy day during the offseason so it was not crowded at all (but could imagine it being very busy during peak season). We had lunch and sat at several different viewpoints overlooking what has fast become one of our favorite bodies of water, the Adriatic Sea. Fun fact, this is one of the sites where Red Bull regularly hosts their Cliff Diving competitions (we have been to 3 of 4 of those sites through pure happenstance).

Lecce 

Our next home base in the region was Lecce. We had no idea where Lecce was when we set out for Italy, and only initially learned about it when AC Milan happened to be playing Lecce when we went to the match in Milan. But then it was recommended to us as a stop, so we decided to check it out. 

This place had all the charm of any Italian city with WAY less crowds. We are not trying to create a rush to Lecce but if you want a more laid back experience in Italy, Lecce is a great place to be. The city's only downside for us was that it’s not technically a coastal town, but is close enough for us Houstonians growing up an hour from the beach. But they also had one of our favorite pastries to date, pasticciotto leccese.

As a day trip from Lecce we also did the seaside town of Gallapoli. This was a small but charming place with some nice beaches and coastal views. It was SO windy the day we went so it hampered our experience only slightly but was still worth it for those Ionian sea views. 

When we left Lecce we made a quick stop to the very unique town of Alberobello. This town is known for its unique trulli structures, which are dome-shaped buildings. In old times (like 1400s) the residents were only allowed to build structures without the use of mortar, so they could be easily demolished. So they found this conical technique where stones were arranged in a self supporting cone. 

Grassano (with Matera) 

Grassano is a small town near the more famous (and larger) Matera. This was our only foray into Basilicata, which is very different from most of the rest of Italy. It actually felt more like west Texas than most of the rest of Italy, but had all the charm and character we have come to know and love of Italy. 

As a day trip from Grassano we did Matera which was cool, albeit a little touristy. The city is known for its unique (and still used) cave dwellings.. But it also has a fully modern city as well. 

Side note: Only after we arrived in Grassano did we realize we left our small toiletry bag in Lecce, which was particularly funny because while in Lecce Viv had the bright idea of jinxing us by saying “It's amazing we have made it this far without leaving anything behind” in response to us leaving our spatula in Napoli. So, we spent a full day driving the 4.5 hours round trip back to Lecce to retrieve our bag. We got to catch up on an audiobook and enjoy a scenic drive in coastal southern Italy, could have been worse.