This page collects some information about the Conference location and its surroundings. Please refer to Raffaele Vitolo raffaele dot vitolo at unisalento dot it for questions/comments.
The organizing committe has arranged a conference shuttle service. On June 5th the shuttle will leave Brindisi airport to Lecce train station, and then go ahead to Hotel Daniela; on June 12th it will run in the opposite direction.
THE SCHEDULE IS HERE. The participants are divided into two different shuttles according with their arrivals/departures. We did our best to minimize the waiting time for the participants, in this sense we had to resort to a car in order to take late/early passengers. Note that the conference bus will wait for a reasonable amount of time in case of flight/train delays at the arrival day. This could cause delays in the whole bus schedule of the arrival day only. You will understand that we cannot arrange any car in the time bracket of operation of the conference bus. Please send any comments/remarks to raffaele dot vitolo at unisalento dot it.
The FEE for the conference shuttle is 30EUR per passenger per run from/to Brindisi airport to/from Hotel Daniela and 25EUR from/to Lecce train station to/from Hotel Daniela. The cost of a car from/to Brindisi to/from Hotel Daniela is 90EUR, and from/to Lecce train station to/from Hotel Daniela is 50EUR. So, the price for three passengers from/to Brindisi airport to/from Hotel Daniela is the same as the conference bus, and the price for two passengers from/to Lecce train station to/from Hotel Daniela is the same as the conference bus.
If you are not satisfied with the conference shuttle service, or if you have a different arrival/departure day, you might arrange a personal transfer through Hotel Daniela. In this case, please unsubscribe as soon as possible from the conference bus.
Note for the stranded: should you get stranded somewhere between Brindisi and Lecce (e.g., due to flight or train delays), please refer to Hotel Daniela's desk (+39) 0836 806648. They would be ready to arrange a private transfer for you, or to put you in contact with one of the organizers.
Hotel Daniela is situated in Conca Specchiulla, 12km (or about 7 miles) North of Otranto along the coast of the Adriatic sea. The closest city is Lecce, which is served by a railway station which is connected to all main Italian cities. The closest airport is Brindisi, which is connected with the two Italian hubs of Roma Fiumicino and Milano Malpensa, as well as a number of other national or European airports.
From Rome or Milan, take a Eurostar (EC) or
Intercity (IC) train; overnight trains are equipped with
sleeper cars with couchettes or beds. It takes about 6 hours to
reach Lecce from Rome and 10 hours from Milan by train. The
Conference bus (information will appear in due
time) will provide shuttle service between the train station in
Lecce and the conference hotel on the arrival/departure
Note: practically all train timetables in Italy
(with the exception of some local companies) are available at the
website http://www.trenitalia.it/ (also in
English) with online booking.
There is no public transport from Lecce (or anywhere else) to Hotel Daniela before 15 June 2011 (the start of the high season). However, you can reach Otranto by a local train (there is also a bus connection but traveling by train will be much more practical) whose schedule can be found here http://www.fseonline.it/ (also in English); on the way you will have to change trains once at the station of Maglie. There is no public transportation from Otranto to Conca Specchiulla in the low season, so you will need call a taxi (0832 804688, no English, be prepared to do your business in the local dialect) or call Hotel Daniela, the employees should be able to help you.
The plane to Brindisi is to be preferred with
respect to the other main Apulian airport of Bari. You may fly to
Brindisi from the Italian airports of Rome Fiumicino, Milan
Malpensa, Milan Linate. The website of the airport is http://www.aeroportidipuglia.it/.
The Conference bus (information will appear in
due time) will leave/arrive from/at the Brindisi airport on the
arrival/departure days.
From Brindisi airport to Lecce there is a public bus. The schedule can be found here. However, we stress that such a timetable is going to change as soon as the timetable of flights to/from Brindisi will change for the Spring/Summer season. The ticket can be bought directly in the bus and costs 6€. The bus is grey and green, with the `SITA' logo, and usually leaves on the right of the main exit of the airport. The bus stops 100m from the Grand Hotel Tiziano, at the Lecce Airport City Terminal (open 7am - 2.30pm, phone: +39 0832 247882).
Then one can reach Lecce train station by taxi. The average fare for the trip Lecce Airport City Terminal - Lecce Train Station should be about 10EUR. If the office of the Airport City Terminal is open, you may ask the employees to call a taxi for you. Otherwise, you may call it yourself (but you could be answered by people who does not speak English) at one of the following numbers: 0832 332857, EUROMED service (works 24/7); 0832 247978 (Train station taxis). Public phones could be found in the square in front of the Airport city terminal and in Grand Hotel Tiziano, as well as in most bars. (see below). You may also use the public bus leaving in front of the Grand Hotel Tiziano in order to reach Lecce train station; in this case you should look for buses number 26, 30, 31. The tickets can be bought at the bar (Bar Commercio) on the opposite side of the road with respect the Hotel Tiziano, and should cost about 1EUR/run.
The historical center of Lecce is very interesting, and is 10 min. walking from the train station. If you wish to visit it, just go straight ahead from the main entrance of the train station and after 500m you will be there.
For instructions on the trip Lecce train station - Hotel Daniela, please refer to the previous section.
You might also fly to Bari from the most important Italian hubs (Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate) and also from a number of foreign airports. The airport's webaddress is http://www.aeroportidipuglia.it/. After arriving to Bari you will need to take a public bus to the Bari train station and then travel to Lecce by train. There will be no shuttle service by the conference between the Bari airport and Hotel Daniela. However, either the organizers or the Hotel Daniela's staff can help with arranging direct transportation between the Bari airport and the conference hotel using a local shuttle company.
Besides google maps, a map of Lecce can be found here, as well as maps of all cities in Italy.
Suggested hotels for a stay in Lecce are Grand Hotel Tiziano, Grand Hotel di Lecce.
NOTE: There are many other hotels in Lecce, but you might find it much more enjoyable to stay in one the numerous Bed & Breakfast hotels in the old center. Here you can find a list. A couple of recommended ones are Centro Storico, B & B Lecce . But be aware that the historical center abounds with restaurants, pubs, and people, so it can get quite noisy there even in the middle of the night.
Note: we are organizing one excursion in the free day in Alberobello and Valle d'Itria. We also plan to visit a wine museum during the trip. The excursion will take place only if we will receive enough subscriptions.
Both Lecce and Otranto are quite interesting under the historical and cultural viewpoints. Good starting points can be the corresponding Wikipedia entries
Some more links:
Some pictures of Lecce:
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