Day Two: Matera > Gallipoli
180 kms / full day on the road if covering lots of locations
After a blissful morning photographing the empty streets of Matera, we set off to for a relatively easy day of driving. Upon your departure from Matera, we recommend travelling south via Taranto. Its old town – set on an island – is captivating.
We planned our route to go via Produttori Vini Manduria, a winery where you can fill up bottles by the gallon from petrol pumps. It was a really nice countryside drive, but we made the mistake of arriving literally one minute after closing time on a Sunday (remember that Sundays are still pretty sacred in Italy)!
If you’d like to stop by yourself, you’ll find it here on Google Maps. It’s open 8 am – 1 pm Monday to Sunday and 3.30 pm to 7 pm Monday to Saturday.
Nevertheless, a quick stop in the small seaside town of San Pietro in Bevagna (maps) for our first taste of pizza of the trip – the first of many we might add – marked our arrival on Puglia’s stretch of beautiful western coastline.
Once you hit San Pietro in Bevagna, which itself has a nice stretch of public beach and some restaurants but is otherwise unremarkable, it’s a case of deciding whether you’re going to visit the sandy beaches today for a few hours, or save them up for Day Three or Four of your own road trip.
Punta Prosciutto (maps) and Torre Lapillo (maps) are nice, relatively undeveloped beaches – by Italian standards at least – whilst Santa Maria al Bagno (maps) and Parco Natural Reginoale Porto Selvaggio e Palude del Capitano (maps) are also good options. All these beaches are relatively short distances from each other in the car so, if you don’t like one or it’s too busy, then simply head to the next.
It was to take advantage of this coastline and some of the best beaches in Puglia that we had chosen to base ourselves in Gallipoli for two nights – we would recommend this town to anyone looking for a base for day trips on the western and south western coast.
Upon arrival in Gallipoli, note that you can’t park in its old town, so you’ll need to find a space in the large car park by the port.
Stay | We stayed at this great old town apartment with a glorious private rooftop. You can find more accommodation Gallipoli accommodation options here.
Plan | For the best things to do in Gallipoli, read our guide.
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