----------TRAVEL NOTES

  PUGLIA
   Period:  ""
   Province/State:  "PUGLIA"
We wanted to combine a summer holiday with a cultural one and it was a toss up between Sicily and Puglia; both have got some great places to visit but we had heard from friend that the beaches in Puglia are fantastic and it’s not so crowded. So off we went! We didn’t need a lot of clothes, as it gets a bit hot in August, luckily the motorhome had air-conditioning that meant sleeping at night was a lot easier. So we packed a lot of shorts, T-shirts and beachwear and loaded the bikes. We stocked up with some food and left Gorle in the late afternoon. We were told to avoid travelling on Saturdays during the summer as the motorways tend to get blocked so we drove as far as we could on Friday and by taking it in turns we got as far as Pescara, which wasn’t that far from Puglia. Feeling rather pleased with the progress we had made we settled down for the night in a car park just off the motorway along the coast.
On Saturday morning we made our way to the Garganno Peninsula, now a national park. One aspect we really liked about this holiday was the possibility to stop wherever you want to buy some local produce which you can then eat in the motorhome; we got oil, wine, fresh fruit and vegetables, bread and so on on a regular basis.
We left the motorway at Lesina and drove along the main road to Vieste stopping for lunch near Rodi Gargŕnico. We spent a couple of days in Vieste where there are a couple of great beaches just south of the town and we also went on a mini cruise to see some of the marine caves along the coast. There’s also a museum that houses thousands of shells that’s worth taking a look at (if you happen to get bored with the beach, we didn’t!!).
Before leaving the Garganno Peninsula we visited ‘Monte Sant’Angelo an impressive underground sanctuary. We then made our way down the coast stopping at ‘Sipontum’, just south of Manfredinia, to visit the ancient Roman settlement. We also stopped at a couple of other town (Barletta and Trani) to see some of the monuments before making our way to the next campsite (we decided to use campsites as often as possible rather than random stopovers so we didn’t have to worry about water for the shower. Considering there were four of us and it was hot we didn’t want to renounce a shower or two when we needed one).
A short drive away is a very impressive castle called ‘Castel Del Monte’, an isolated octagonal castle dating back to 1240…spectacular!! We spent an afternoon visiting the castle and the nearby town of ‘Canosa Di Puglia’ where you can see some Roman ruins, an amphitheatre and a bridge.
The holiday was really going well, the idea of combining sun, seaside and sightseeing was liked even by the kids!!
We then moved south towards ‘Monopoli’, checked in at our campsite and went straightaway for a swim in the crystal clear sea; it was perfect! The next day we visited the caves in ‘Castellana Grotto’ and the ‘Trulli’ (small, circular, one-storey houses made of stone) in Alberobello.
Our next destination was Otantro, in the south of Puglia. We were really getting into the holiday spirit now which slowed us down a little bit (we kept stopping here and there to take some photos, buy some food and just to sit back and look at the scenery. This meant that we got to Otranto a little late but we called ahead to say we were coming. We spent the next day on one of the local beaches and in the evening we went around the town…it was like being in Greece not Italy; the houses are all white with blue doors. The cathedral is Norman (XI C.) and it’s intact. We took a boat trip the next day to see the ‘Zinzulusa’ caves and spent the afternoon lounging around on the beach…again!
We left the Adriatic and moved to the Golf of Taranto. By the way, if someone tells you the Adriatic is dirty don’t believe them. Maybe it is in the north but, let me tell you, where we were it was like being in the Caribbean and they were less crowded.
Anyway, Gallipoli was our next objective and we had a place booked just south of the city.
We set up camp and…went for a swim the beaches here were even better!! In the evening we went to Gallipoli where we had some problems parking. I would advise you to either leave early or use public transport! We then headed towards Taranto and visited some towns that are renowned for historic reasons. The ones that impressed us most were Maturia, Oria and Grottŕglie.
One last swim in the sea and it was time to head back home. We had a great time in Puglia and, I hate to be repetitive, the beach/sightseeing combo kept everyone happy and there was no time to get bored. Do It!!!

Overnight stays

1) Public car park south of Pescara
2) Camping Euro 92
Via Lungomare E.Mattei, 119
Vieste
Tel: 0884700968
3) Autoparco Valente
Contrada Pantano, 10
Bisceglie
Tel: 0803951125
4) Camping Il Pilone
SS.379 near Pilone, Ostuni
Tel: 0831350135
5) Camper Service Agriturismo Fontanelle
SP 336, Otranto
Tel: 08368202797
6) Camping Baia di Gallipoli
SP. Litorania Gallipoli/Lecce
Tel: 0833273210
7) Camping Sun Bay
Via Lido Bruno, 82
San Vito
Tel: 0997335133

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