Printable destination guide
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Puglia
Italy
- Coastline
- The shapely heel of Italy
- Coast life
- Trulli, madly, deeply
Located in Italy’s sunny south, Puglia has a unique character and charm, little known to outsiders; the Italians who flock here in the summer keep this laidback playground of blue sea, golden sands and olive groves strictly a family affair.
As at all good Italian get-togethers, food takes centre stage: fresh fish, melons, figs, olive oils and wines. Puglia produces almost all of the country’s – in fact Europe’s – pasta. Yet although the region may appear Italian down to its boots, the heel of Italy has a very cosmopolitan past; the Greeks, Spanish and Normans all paid visits, leaving a quirky mishmash of architectural heirlooms, from Baroque churches and Romanesque cathedrals to whitewashed villages and the traditional conical dwellings called trulli.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
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Highlights the best Puglia has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
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We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Puglia.
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Here is the map of Puglia; each Mr & Mrs Smith hotel is marked by a flag; click it for more details.
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Local knowledge
- Taxis
- Trying to hail a cab on the street won’t get you anywhere; go to a taxi rank or ask your hotel to order one for you. They are metered and levy small extra charges for luggage and for travelling after 22h.
- Tipping culture
- A service charge is usually added to restaurant bills, but it is customary to tip an extra five or ten per cent.
- Siesta and Fiesta
- Shops open early and close late, with long lunch breaks. Most close on Sundays and Monday mornings, except in resort areas. Banks also break for lunch, reopening at 15h for an hour. Restaurants only start to fill at 21h; nightclubs hot up around midnight.
- Packing tips
- Summer wardrobe staples – think laidback southern style, not chi-chi Capri.
- Recommended reads
- Casa Rossa by Francesca Marciano; Heel to Toe by Charles Lister.
- Cuisine
- Enjoy an abundance of sun-ripened fruit and vegetables and delicious olive oil. Definitely try the local pasta orecchiette or ‘little ears’. The region produces huge amounts of wine, too: Salice Salentino, a full-bodied red, is one of the best.
- Currency
- Euro.
- Dialing codes
- Country code for Italy: 39. Local area codes: Foggia: 0881; Bari: 080; Brindisi: 0831; Lecce: 0832; Taranto: 099. Remember, with Italy you need to leave in the 0, even when dialling from abroad.
- Do go/don't go
- If you don’t fancy sweltering-hot weather and busy beaches, visit in early or late summer for milder conditions and the chance to bag a decent spot on the sand. Fine, sunny weather starts in spring and lasts well into autumn this far south, and sees the region at its best.
Puglia hotels
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and boutique hotels in Puglia
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- Style
- Refined fortress
- Setting
- Sea-scented olive groves
- Rates from
- EUR 262
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- Style
- Designer den
- Setting
- Up-and-coming Ostuni
- Rates from
- EUR 250
Getting there
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
- Planes
- There are airports at Brindisi and Bari, both with regular flights.
- Trains
- Puglia’s main towns and cities are connected by train, though local services are often scenic and slow. Remoter areas, such as the 13th-century Castel del Monte, require a car.
- Automobiles
- Car hire is essential if you really want to explore. Chancing upon remote villages as you drive along is all part of the fun.
Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Puglia has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
Perfectly Puglia
Puglia produces 70 per cent of Italy’s olive oil. There are many different varieties, each with its own unique flavour. The olive press of Il Frantolio di D’Amico Pietro near Cisternino offers tours and tastings – great for wine buffs looking for a new challenge.
- Viewpoint
- The hilltop mediaeval town of Locorotondo on the Murge plateau gives panoramic views of the surrounding Itria Valley.
- Arts and culture
- Don’t go to Puglia without seeing the trulli. The Itria Valley is home to thousands of these circular dwellings, with beehive-shaped roofs and whitewashed walls, particularly around Alberobello.
- Something for nothing
- The shopkeepers in the trulli-town of Alberobello pride themselves on their hospitality and their wares. Many offer free wine tasting in their shops.
- Shopping
- Bari’s Via Sparano is the place to go for fashionable boutiques. Bari also has some excellent delicatessens. De Carne, on Via Calefati, is popular for local meats and cheeses. Almost every town in Puglia has its market day where, in addition to the fruit and vegetables, you can find handicrafts, such as terracotta and embroidery. Ostuni’s market is on Saturday.
- Daytripper
- The Parco Nazionale del Gargano, in the north of Puglia, contains the Foresta Umbra (Forest of Shadows). The 1,000 hectares of pine, oak and beech is the last remnant of an ancient forest, which once spread over most of Puglia.
- Best beach
- The fishing village of Torre Canne has a long stretch of soft sand and shallow water for cooling off your toes after working on the tan.
- Activities
- The region’s flat terrain is ideal for cycling. The gentle coastal route from Bari to Monopoli offers a taste of Puglia’s varied scenery. In the fishing village Polignano a Mare, which sits on the clifftop, stop for an ice cream at Il Super Mago del Gelo on Piazza Garibaldi.
- And...
- Puglia was once a Greek colony, and nowhere suggests this heritage better than Ostuni’s gorgeous whitewashed houses. Go along later to join the locals on their evening passeggiata – the see-and-be-seen stroll.
Diary
- June One of the oldest motorcar races in the world, the Rally del Salento, takes place in Lecce – a nail-biting event characterised by its sharp turns (www.rallydelsalento.com). 20 July The start of the Festival della Valle d’Itria – a three-week event in the town of Martina Franca, with opera, classical and jazz performances (www.festivaldellavalleditria.it).
Eating, drinking and dancing
We've tracked down the best cafés for people-watching, the bars with the coolest cocktails, the most accomplished restaurants and the liveliest local nightlife in Puglia.
Restaurants
Osteria del Tempo Perso
If you're after traditional Pugliese fare, this is the place to come. One part of the restaurant is set inside a cave, the other is adorned with farm tools – bizarre but charming.
Via Tanzarella Vitale Francesco, Ostuni
(+39 0831 303 320)
Taverna della Gelosia
The romantic 'Tavern of Jealousy’ does some unusual and tasty dishes, such as barley with bitter herbs and nettles and black pasta whose symbolic ingredients allegedly bring prosperity and wealth.
Via Gaetano Tanzarella Vitale
(+39 0831 334 736)
La Peschiera
Diners at the La Peschiera hotel restaurant enjoy fresh seafood while enjoying the views and gentle breeze of the Adriatic. The wine list features a selection of fine regional and national wines.
Contrada Losciale 63, Monopoli
(+39 080 801 066)
Bars and clubs
Barcollo
Bari’s most stylish citizens can be found at this cool bar lounging on scatter cushions or enjoying Martinis on the terrace.
Piazza Mercantile n. 70, Bari
(+33 0805 213 889)
©2008 Mr & Mrs Smith
Pictured: Masseria Torre Coccaro