Puglia runs almost the full length of Italy's southeastern flank, a flat, fertile spur dividing the Adriatic from the Ionian, the longest coastline of any mainland region.
Go in May to June and September, for warm sea and lighter crowds.
- Fly into
- Bari (BRI), Brindisi (BDS)
- Capital
- Bari
- Size
- 19,541 km² (7,545 sq mi), about the size of New Jersey
- People
- 3.9 million
Its land is famously level and luminous, planted with ancient olive trees, vineyards and the wheat of the Tavoliere, the great plain behind Foggia. North rises the wooded promontory of the Gargano, the boot's spur, while the Itria valley at the centre is scattered with trulli, the conical drystone houses found nowhere else.
The Pugliese character is open, hospitable and unhurried, shaped by the sea on three sides and by centuries of Greek, Norman and Spanish rule. The cooking is famously poor and famously good, orecchiette and cavatelli made by hand, creamy burrata and stracciatella, the olive oil that flows through every dish, and bread so good that Altamura earned Italy's first DOP loaf.
Come in late spring or early autumn, when the sea is warm, the white towns dazzle and the harvest fills the markets.
What to see in Puglia
Save the ones you want and we'll find which of our routes reaches the most in the fewest nights.
Castel del Monte
Andria Frederick II’s hilltop castle above the Murgia, where octagonal geometry meets an unresolved story of use.
Trulli of Alberobello
Alberobello's town of fifteen hundred whitewashed stone cones, drystone-built to dodge feudal taxes.
Gallipoli Old Town
Gallipoli’s old town occupies a walled limestone island, linked to the mainland by a bridge.
Ostuni
Ostuni’s whitewashed lanes climb the limestone hill to a Gothic-Romanesque cathedral above the olive plain.
Martina Franca
Martina Franca’s hilltop lanes and linked piazzas bring Rococo stonework into view above the Valle d’Itria.
Locorotondo
Locorotondo’s round hilltop lanes are framed by steep stone-slab cummerse roofs, with the Valle d’Itria opening beyond.
Vieste
The Gargano's white headland town, watched over by the Pizzomunno sea stack and a coast of caves.
Basilica di San Nicola
Bari The Romanesque basilica built to hold Saint Nicholas's stolen relics, shared by two churches.
The short answer
- Where to sleep
- Vieste, Polignano a Mare, Ostuni, Lecce
- At least
- 10 nights
- Within a day out
- 7 of these 8
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How many nights in Puglia?
Choose your nights and the route redraws: where to sleep, what to see, and the towns an easy day out from each base.
3 nights in Puglia: Polignano a Mare for 2 and Lecce for 1.5 nights in Puglia: Polignano a Mare for 3 and Lecce for 2.7 nights in Puglia: Polignano a Mare for 2, Ostuni for 2 and Lecce for 3.10 nights in Puglia: Vieste for 3, Polignano a Mare for 2, Ostuni for 2 and Lecce for 3.
Add your first day and each link opens on that stop's dates.
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Where to stay in Puglia
Each stop with what to see and, where we have them, a day out and the hotel we'd book.
A white headland town at the eastern tip of the Gargano, its old quarter spilling down to a coast of sea caves and sandy bays.
- See
- Vieste
- Day out
- Monte Sant'Angelo
Below the cliffs stands the Pizzomunno, a tall limestone monolith wrapped in a local legend of doomed love.
130 km from Vieste as the crow flies
A clifftop town south of Bari, its white old quarter perched dramatically on limestone bluffs above the Adriatic.
- Day out
- Bari · Castellana Grotte · Alberobello
Below lies Lama Monachile, a pebble cove between the cliffs that hosts a Red Bull cliff-diving stage.
40 km from Polignano a Mare as the crow flies
The White City, a hill town whose old quarter glows with lime-washed houses tumbling in tiers below a Gothic cathedral.
- See
- Ostuni
- Day out
- Martina Franca · Locorotondo
A small, simple hotel within walking distance of Ostuni's old town, a practical base for exploring the White City and the coast.
Check dates: Hotel Primo OstuniMore in Ostuni
Monte Sarago
A modern hillside hotel a short walk from Ostuni's old town, with a cliffside pool looking over the town and the sea.
Check dates: Monte SaragoMasseria Salinola
A restored farmhouse surrounded by centuries-old olive trees, with its own estate olive oil, a restaurant and a pool for summer.
Check dates: Masseria Salinola
110 km from Polignano a Mare as the crow flies
65 km from Ostuni as the crow flies
The capital of the Salento and the great Baroque city of the south, often called the Florence of the South.
Its golden limestone, soft enough to carve like wood, blossoms across church facades, above all the riotous, sculpture-laden front of the Basilica di Santa Croce.
Other places to stay
Hotel Primo Ostuni
A small, simple hotel within walking distance of Ostuni's old town, a practical base for exploring the White City and the coast.
Check dates: Hotel Primo OstuniDimora Fantasia Charme B&B
A five room bed and breakfast near the Petruzzelli theatre, with a terrace, a garden and bicycles to borrow around Bari.
Check dates: Dimora Fantasia Charme B&BVictoria Palace Hotel & Zen Wellness Gallipoli
A spa hotel with indoor and seasonal outdoor pools, couples treatment rooms, a sauna and a Turkish bath, near Baia Verde beach.
Check dates: Victoria Palace Hotel & Zen Wellness GallipoliMonte Sarago
A modern hillside hotel a short walk from Ostuni's old town, with a cliffside pool looking over the town and the sea.
Check dates: Monte SaragoMasseria Salinola
A restored farmhouse surrounded by centuries-old olive trees, with its own estate olive oil, a restaurant and a pool for summer.
Check dates: Masseria SalinolaBra Hotel Bari
A small boutique hotel in Bari's Murat district, a short walk from both seafront and old town, with a rooftop pool and hammam suite.
Check dates: Bra Hotel BariA restored eighteenth-century farmhouse in the Itria Valley countryside with a pool and a small set of rooms, good for slow, rural stays.
Check dates: Masseria San MicheleGrand Hotel Costa Brada
A beachfront resort south of Gallipoli with its own sandy beach, an outdoor pool and two restaurants, suited to a beach holiday.
Check dates: Grand Hotel Costa BradaUn giorno bellissimo suite & spa
Self-catering suites near the historic centre with an indoor pool and hot tub, aimed at couples after a romantic weekend.
Check dates: Un giorno bellissimo suite & spa
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A traditional dinner from Puglia
Every course is one the region actually serves. Change any of them and the wine, the timing and the shopping list follow.
Antipasto
Friselle pugliesi
Twice-baked durum-wheat rings with a rough, crisp cut face, briefly moistened and topped with tomato and oregano.
First course
Orecchiette alle Cime di Rapa
Hand-shaped orecchiette with cime di rapa, anchovies, garlic and chile, finished with toasted breadcrumbs.
Main course
Oven-baked Puglian bombette
Small rolls of thinly sliced fresh pork collar wrapped around canestrato, browned in a hot oven and served warm.
Dessert
Pasticciotto
An oval Salento pastry with a golden lard shortcrust and a smooth vanilla custard filling, baked in individual molds.
What to pour
A Castel del Monte Bombino Nero, the rosato DOCG from the hills inland of Bari: fresh enough for the bitter greens, with enough body for the anchovy.
Castel del Monte Bombino Nero
Start the Friselle pugliesi first: 4 hr 20 min.
Taste it there
Street food through old Lecce
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What Puglia is known for
You will find these here and nowhere else.
Eighty-six steps take you down from the entrance towards a Gargano cave, where the altar stands under raw rock and pilgrims have come for fifteen centuries.
Polignano's cliffs split at Lama Monachile: steps from the Bourbon bridge drop to a pebble cove, with the Roman bridge of the Via Traiana beside it.
Burrata di Andria is a pouch of pasta filata packed with stracciatella and cream, closed with its topknot, and its protected name stops at Puglia's border.
A Salento chapter among vines
Salento offers one focused entry into Puglia’s wine country. Around Melissano, viticulture sits beside olive cultivation, with Negroamaro, Malvasia nera and Primitivo among the grapes grown locally. Read that agricultural setting alongside the towns: it gives the visit a subject beyond façades, while remaining one part of a much larger regional wine map.
Wines from PugliaSources and citations (3)
At Christmas
Cartellate bring their pinched pastry ribbons to Puglia’s festive baking, with honey or vincotto collecting in the spirals. Savoury pettole offer a different task, made from soft yeasted dough and fried in small pieces. Plan the frying and serving around the meal you want, then use the Christmas recipe collection to choose a broth or filled-pasta course if you want to make a longer meal.
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