Puglia for city lovers?

[michele29]

Can a city lovin' couple enjoy the Puglia are, especially Lecce? or is the area best for nature lovers? I've read two threads expressing disappointment with Puglia, but no reasons were given.
Would we be better off visiting Piacenza and that area? Loved Bologna Enjoyed LeMarche, based ourselves in Urbino and Ascoli Piceno (sp?)
We've visited Sicily and Naples, loved Naples, but never anything south of Naples on "the boot".

Musing here..sorry to be vague..any suggestions welcomed

 

[Kportgrl]

Lecce and Trani were loads of fun. I was sick for most of the time we were in Puglia, and I still enjoyed it. I’m kind of a city slicker myself but I thought Puglia had a lot to offer. Many cute little towns to explore and as I mentioned above, Lecce and Trani were particular favourites.

 

[Alpinista]

Used Lecce as a base to cover a lot of ground in Puglia and loved the experience. The food, language, culture, and scenery give you a different feel from the rest of Italy, so a nice change of pace from the normal travel sites. If you like Florence, Venice, and Rome, you're not going to get that in Puglia, but you will get a lot to enjoy.

 

[Jim Zurer]

Love Lecce and Trani as well...only two of a number of interesting "urban" destinations....and what about Bari...which is a major city? You will not be bored in Puglia.....plenty to see and do. And you can hop over to Matera...an urban destination spanning centuries.

 

[Ian Sutton]

If you loved Naples, then I think you'll have no problem with Bari, Brindisi, Lecce and the smaller places. The former two certainly have their gritty side, but I don't think either would be any gritter than Naples.

Would you drive or take public transport. My feeling is public transport is better if you want to see the more built-up places, and a car less desirable / necessary there. However if you also want to explore the smaller towns like Alberobello, Matera, Locorotondo, Trani, Martina Franca etc. then a car starts to make sense.

Time of year is worth thinking about. For us peak summer would be way too hot, though early November was just a little cool. I reckon Spring would be a good time to visit.