Best things to do do in Puglia

Puglia is definetely one of the best and most beautiful regions to visit when traveling on holiday to Italy.

Puglia is located in Southern Italy and is also known as the Italian heel. There are several reasons why you should come to Puglia. One of the reasons why I moved back home in Puglia (after 15 years abroad) is because of the wonderful weather in Puglia. Winters are very mild and temperate. Springs and Falls area fantastic, sunny and not too warm. Summer can be a bit hot.

Overall Puglia has the best climate to produce excellent wines and fresh food.

In Puglia you find some of the most beautiful white sandy beaches in Italy. Puglia is surrounded by the Adriatic and Ionian seas: it has miles and miles of beautiful and cleanest sea waters.

The countryside is also something not to miss when you come to Puglia: miles and miles of beautiful vineyards that now make Puglia very famous for its wines and millenary olive trees (some of them have up to 2000 years).

Any season is good to come to Puglia: in the winter you can visit the many historic centers, attend all the food and wine fairs and events. In the spring you can go around the many delicious fruit and vegetable markets or eat sea urchins and raw seafood by the sea or have a burrata mozzarella cheese freshly made in front of you. In the summer you can go to the beach or scuba dive in the amazing sea waters or have one of the best ice creams in Italy. In the fall you can come to play golf or to attend the grape and olive harvests, taste excellent wines and learn everything about the fruity olive oils from Puglia.

I would avoid August when all Italians go on holidays and the Northern Italians come to the Puglian beaches. Prices go up and all places become crowded and touristy.

What makes Puglia such a charming and interesting region to visit is the fact that it’s full of history and at the same time the cuisine and wines are so excellent and interesting. Being surrounded by the sea, Puglia has had all the dominations: from the Greeks, the Romans, the Turks, the French, the Spanish. All of them left their influences in the architecture and most of all in the wines, olive oils and food.

There is no other region in Italy where you can find such a delicious Mediterranean and home made cuisine. This cuisine is so healthy and simple because it is made with the freshest and in season ingredients. Puglia in fact is also known as the granary of Italy (because it produces durum wheat semolina used to make the famous fresh pasta orecchiette), or the garden of Italy (because it supplies fruit and vegetables to most of Italy and Europe), or the wine cellar of Italy (because it is one of the biggest wine producers in Italy). 

Top places to see in Puglia

There are many beautiful places in Puglia and it’s hard to pick! One week is certainly not enough to see everything.

My number one favorite place is certainly Lecce, where my home is. Lecce is the reason why I moved back home in Italy. Lecce is a very elegant town, with its baroque architecture, all its carvings and the beautiful limestone. You would not expect such a beautiful place.

What I like the most about Lecce, in addition to the pasticciotto and rustico, is the relaxed and Mediterranean lifestyle. I love the fact that everybody goes back home for lunch and sleeps until 5 pm. I also love the fact that everything is about Arts in Lecce: from the opera, to ballet, to music there are always so many events any time of the year.

My second favorite place is Porto Selvaggio: it is by the Ionian sea and it is a sea natural reserve. All beaches are rocky and you need to know how to swim. I love nature and this place is perfect for walking tour, scuba diving or biking. It is just miles and miles of nature and pine trees by the sea, with no cars and not many tourists.

My third favorite place is Gallipoli: I love seafood and I love white sandy beaches. So this is an easy pick. The historic center is beautiful. The best beaches are a bit hidden. You need to know where they are. I love the restaurants: some of the best seafood in Puglia! I also love the Greek influence in the local dialect and in all the local traditions. Gallipoli in ancient Greek means beautiful town. Gallipoli is also the best place if you like going out. There are amazing bars and clubs on the beach: everything starts after midnight. If you come to Puglia don’t forget to learn how to dance the local pizzica tarantella, also known as taranta.

My fourth favorite place in Puglia is Otranto. Again it has beautiful sandy beaches, which again you need to know where they are. The historic center has lots of Turkish influence due to the domination in the 1400 century. It’s a beautiful and very elegant town. Really a must see place.

Another beautiful place to visit is Cisternino. It’s very tiny, but really charming with its trulli cone shaped houses and the very narrow streets. It’s the best place for meat and salami. In the summer there are lots of events in the small square. It is much less touristy than other nearby places such as Alberobello, which is a Unesco heritage, but way too crowded for my taste.

Another must see place is Polignano. It is by the sea (rocky beaches though) and the view is really romantic and stunning. You can eat excellent seafood at any restaurant.

Ostuni is another beautiful place. There are lots of golf courses and luxury spas in the area. It is the best place to stay if you like the farm masserias.

Other beautiful places include: Locorotondo, Matera, Mattinata, Lesina, Laterza, Massafra, Giovinazzo, Galatina, Nardò, Trani, Peschici, Tremiti islands, Vieste, Castel del Monte, Conversano, Altamura.

Please contact us if you wish to know which places are the best places to visit.