Puglia Holidays

Things to see and do

Puglia's best explored by car. It's incredible driving past the olive groves and hidden beach clubs before stopping for a bite to eat in a seaside restaurant. Here are our top places to visit while you're here:

• Bari: This busy port town has tonnes of history and culture. Watch the fishermen bring in their catch, walk through the old town past nonnas making orecchiette pasta and enjoy lunch in an unfussy trattoria.
• Locorotondo: This is one of Puglia’s prettiest towns with whitewashed buildings, little piazzas and streets that give way to panoramic views over the Valle d’Itria.
• Polignano a Mare: A lively seaside town built into the cliff side with amazing sea views, some of the best gelaterias in Puglia and tucked-away coves that are perfect for sunbathing.
• Castellana Caves: Take a guided tour through these impressive limestone caves. The journey spans three kilometres through extraordinary sights of stalactite and stalacmite formations.
• Lecce: Known as the ‘Florence of the South’, Lecce is filled with stunning baroque architecture and over 2,000 years of history to explore.
• Alberobello: A UNESCO-protected site, Alberobello’s unique landscape of trulli houses makes it a popular tourist attraction. This pretty town is a pleasure to wander around, ducking in and out of the conical-roofed buildings that have been turned into bars, cafés and shops.

Food & drink

Puglia's a farmer’s region so the food here is taken straight from the field to your table and locally-sourced produce is the star of the show. Most of Italy’s olive oil comes from Puglia and you’ll see olive trees wherever you look, some more than 1,000 years old! Pasta's very popular here, often accompanied with fresh vegetables. Seafood is also readily available and you’ll find plenty of restaurants along the coastline that range from little family-run places to upmarket, fine dining restaurants.

If you enjoy full-bodied reds then you’ll be in your element in Puglia. Our favourite is Primitivo but Negroamaro deserves a mention too – it can be traced back to the 6th century!

Activities

Grab your boots for some fab walking routes in Puglia. Head off the beaten track and find the country trails between the hilltop towns or along the coast. The area's also great for cycling. Head down the Adriatica Cycleway for over 500 kilometres of coastal paths, or go inland to the aqueduct paths that cut through the countryside for miles of traffic-free, mostly flat trails.