8 places in Puglia you’ll love
These beguiling places merit inclusion on any itinerary for this fabulous region. Or any itinerary for all of Italy, for that matter.
It’s hard to believe that Puglia once played second fiddle to the likes of Tuscany.
For Puglia, the stiletto heel of Italy’s famous boot, has some of the country’s cutest villages, quirkiest architecture and dreamiest beaches. From a wild, wooded promontory to baroque cities and curious Hellenic towns, these spots merit inclusion on any itinerary for this fabulous region. Or any itinerary for all of Italy, for that matter.
1. Polignano a Mare
Best for clifftop views
Flat-roofed, cube-shaped buildings seem to be extensions of the cliffs in Polignano a Mare, precariously perched above a turquoise Adriatic. Its improbable location and sun-weathered charm draw thousands of vacationers, who each summer squeeze into the streets of its centro storico (historic center). For many, a major trip goal is a dip at Insta-famous Cala Porto beach; for others, it’s a reservation at Grotta Palazzese, a fine-dining restaurant whose spectacular setting (in a cave right above the sea) commands a major premium.
Consider visiting the town either side of July and August to avoid the heftiest crowds, and make time for its excellent Museo Pino Pascali, an abattoir–turned–contemporary art gallery dedicated to the great Puglian artist Pino Pascali.
Local tip: Try the town’s caffè speciale, coffee spiked with sugar, cream, lemon zest and amaretto. It’s said that the drink was invented at local institution Mario Campanella Il Super Mago del Gelo.
2. Otranto
Best for history
Over 800 locals were slaughtered when the Ottomans invaded Otranto in 1480. Today, their skulls make for an unconventional welcome committee at the city’s Romanesque cathedral. Yet what makes this hulking landmark unmissable is the action-packed mosaic floor – one of the largest and most intriguing ever executed in medieval Europe.
Since Otranto lies a mere 72km (45 miles) from the Balkan coast, it’s not surprising that its history is riddled with occupations and liberations. Sleuth around its compact old quarter to peel the past off in layers: Greek, Roman, Turkish and Napoleonic. In summer, peel down to your swimsuit, for Otranto’s beaches are among the most inviting in Puglia.
3. Bari
Best for street food (and street-made food)
Forget the North Pole – you’ll find the real St Nick in Bari. The city’s gigantic Basilica di San Nicola shelters the relics of this early Christian bishop, whose fondness for secret gift giving inspired the white-bearded icon we all know and love.
In Bari Vecchia, the lovable, labyrinthine old town, you can visit the remarkable 12th-century Norman cathedral and the excellent archaeological museum. Yet the undisputed stars of this quarter are the legendary pasta-making ladies of Arco Basso. Early each morning, they set up their spianatoie (wooden boards) along the narrow backstreets, then get to work kneading, rolling and expertly shaping Puglia’s signature orecchiette. In addition to ear-shaped pasta, the city also whets the appetite with focaccia barese (Bari-style focaccia), sgagliozze (polenta fritters) and panzerotti (deep-fried calzone) – fortifying street snacks on any Bari bar crawl.
4. Promontorio del Gargano
Best for town-nature balance
A chocolate box of photogenic paesi (towns) and arresting natural beauty, the Gargano Promontory is an all-in-one treat in Puglia’s northeast. Clifftop Vieste and Peschici make ideal bases, their narrow streets scattered with fluttering laundry, color-popping geraniums and seafood trattorie. In the warmer months, boat tours sail from their harbors to Gargano’s dazzling sea caves, coves and stacks.
Both towns are also summer gateways to the nearby Tremiti Islands, where fragrant hikes, clear waters and a medieval abbey add up to an evocative offshore escape. Behind Vieste and Peschici, twisting backroads and hiking trails crisscross the rugged, mountainous expanse of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano, home to ancient woodlands and brooding mountain villages. The prettiest of the lot is Monte Sant’Angelo, where, according to the faithful, the Archangel Michael made several apparitions in the fifth century.
5. Valle d’Itria
Best for one-of-a-kind dwellings
Should Snow White and her seven besties were ever move to Italy, World Heritage–listed Alberobello is where you’d find them. The most visited town of the bucolic, vine-laced Valle d’Itria, it’s known (and beloved) for its peculiar trulli, limestone abodes crowned with conical roofs – a fabulously surreal sight, clustered together like giant beehives in a fantastical fairy tale. You can wine, dine and shop in many of them, as well as learn about their past at Trullo Sovrano, a “living” museum that gives visitors at taste of trullo life in the 19th century.
While several of Alberobello’s trulli offer accommodation, consider exploring the town as a day trip and basing yourself instead in one of the valley’s lesser-known jewel-box towns. Among them is chic, whitewashed Ostuni, rustic Cisternino and baroque Martina Franca. Foodies know the last for its capocollo, a delicately sweet cured meat regarded as the king of Puglia’s salami.
Planning tip: From mid-July to early August, Martina Franca hosts the Festa della Valle d’Itria, a renowned music festival focused on opera.
6. Grecìa Salentina
Best for Hellenic connections
From Campania to Sicily, ancient Hellenic ruins attest to a time when much of southern Italy was part of Magna Graecia. Less known is the mark left by the Byzantine-era Greeks. This influence is still palpable in Puglia’s Grecìa Salentina (Greek Salentine), an area comprising 12 low-rise towns (Calimera, Carpignano Salentino, Castrignano de’ Greci, Corigliano d'Otranto, Cutrofiano, Martano, Martignano, Melpignano, Sogliano Cavour, Soleto, Sternatia and Zollino) to the south of Lecce. Here, a few locals still speak Griko (a variant of neo-Greek), and it’s not unusual to see signs written in Greek characters. If time is limited, focus your attention on Corigliano d’Otranto (home to one of Puglia’s most impressive castles), Melpignano and Martano. The last two towns feature on the coveted Borghi Autentici d’Italia (Authentic Hamlets of Italy) list.
Planning tip: Several of Martano’s beautiful private courtyards are open to the public during Cortili Aperti (Open Courtyards), a three-night event in late July. In August, Grecìa Salentina celebrates its soulful pizzica folk dance with the Notte della Taranta festival.
7. Gallipoli
Best for sun, followed by nightlife
Gallipoli is the epitome of southern Italian seduction: azure seas, laid-back locals and a picture-perfect Old Town heady permeated by the scent of freshly fried seafood. A dense warren of intimate squares and bar-studded alleyways, the Old Town occupies a tiny island connected to the mainland by a causeway. Come July and August, the hip and the beautiful descend en masse to soak in sun at Gallipoli’s superlative beaches – as well as the town’s chic vibe and hedonistic nightlife.
Not that it’s all beach clubs and bronzed pinups. Gallipoli harbors the Cattedrale di Sant’Agata, a shining example of barocco leccese architecture, and the extraordinary Frantoio Ipogeo, a subterranean 17th-century olive press. It’s also home to the mysterious Fontana Greca (Greek Fountain), an intricately carved monument whose exact origins are still up for debate.
Planning tip: Consider visiting Gallipoli in June or September to enjoy the beaches, clubs and warmth without the peak-season masses.
8. Lecce
Best for baroque splendor
If you like baroque architecture, Lecce will dazzle you. For the 17th- and 18th-century architects who developed the signature barocco leccesse, more really was more – a philosophy made thrillingly evident in hyper-theatrical buildings like the Duomo, Palazzo Vescovile and Basilica di Santa Croce. Santa Croce’s intricately carved facade is one of Italy’s architectural masterpieces.
Of course, Lecce’s backstory is much older than its 400-year-old showstoppers. On Piazzetta Castromediano Sigismondo, glass floor panels reveal a glimpse of a Renaissance oil store. At nearby Museo Faggiano, a mundane search for a sewage pipe led to the discovery of millennia-old subterranean relics, among them a pre-Christian Messapian tomb and a Roman granary.
