Headlines
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Musts
Hire a car to explore the regions coastal towns and trulli villages
Beach Hop from Adriatic Coast to Ionian Sea
Pack light to return heavy with ceramics purchased in Grottaglie
Try fresh fish from a trabucchi or local meat at a ‘fornello pronto’ (butcher)
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Seasons
Summer for seaside and sunshine
NOTE August is crawling with Italians on their holidays and international tourists trying to find space amongst them on the beach
May / October are still hot but fair enough pre and post lunch to explore the region without fear of crowds
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Food
Orecchiette Pasta
Mussels in Tarantina
Pasticciotto breakfast pastry
Bread - Puglia’s nickname is the “breadbasket” of Italy thanks to the never ending wheatfields of ancient grains
Mozzarella, burrata and stracciatella
NB: due to overfishing, it’s illegal to catch sea urchins in Puglia until May, 2026. So until then, you shouldn’t find, or eat, them here.
Boutique: Masseria il Frantoio
From £160 a night Bed & Breakfast
A 500 year old olive farm with trees around the grounds twice that age, Masseria il Frantoio is family owned and surrounded by nature. There is an honesty shed serving tomato focaccia by the pool so you might never make the 10 minute drive to Ostuni.
Boutique: Masseria Cervarolo
From £200 a night Bed & Breakfast
Traditional dance and cooking classes are offered here, when leaning into local customs and learning about local roots are strongly encouraged. Charming and perfectly located.
Boutique: Palazzo Borsi Cozzi
From £320 a night Bed & Breakfast
In the beautiful town of Lecce, this is the place to stay. Art surrounds you and at dusk swallows dart around the rooftop view only guests get by the bar. 100/10
Boutique: Masseria le Torri
From £220 a night Bed & Breakfast
Looked after like family by Mimmo and his wife Silvana whilst being in easy reach of everything that makes Puglia brilliant - Monopoli, Polignano a Mare, Alberobello and the sea.
Boutique: Masseria Moroseta
From £300 a night Bed & Breakfast
A farmhouse facing out to sea this is a teeny tiny (6 rooms) traditional masseria designed with love and a perfect Italian home.
Boutique: Masseria Calderisi
From £500 a night Bed & Breakfast
Whilst ordering a Spritz you can ask bar tenders for a carrot to feed the donkeys that plonk around the grounds. Breakfast is a feast of cakes that look almost too good to eat. Adored.
Blow Out: Borgo Egnazia
From £800 a night Bed & Breakfast
It is hard to know where to start on this place. Man made in recent years to look like a Puglian village from yesteryear. There is enough to keep you busy but get the essence of Puglian life without leaving the grounds. A Puglian Disneyland, for those who want to be spoilt, fed and right by the sea.
Blow Out: Masseria Torre Maizza
From £800 a night Bed & Breakfast
Luxury of the traditional, much loved kind is all around here. Staff cleaning your sunglasses before you realised they needed a wipe and linens you’ll want to sneak home. A beach club and one of Puglia’s beat breakfasts will set anyone up perfectly.
Bases & Day Trips
Ostuni
Charming, small and white washed medieval town. The views from Ostuni are, by themselves, reason enough to make a trip here.
Monopoli
A quiet medieval town where traditional blue fishing boats bob in the Porto Vecchio harbour.
Polignano a Mare
Undoubtably Italy’s most photographed beach town, skip coming here (overcrowded) and head to the natural swimming pool - Lido Cala Paura
Lecce
The ‘Florence of the South’ Lecce offers a relaxed pace of life, with family-run restaurants serving seasonal cucina povera and locals unwinding in the Garibaldi gardens.
Gallipoli
Fishermen mending nets or making repairs after their early morning trips are still a common sight. Seafood dominates most menus, and the town's atmosphere is sweet with vacationing Italians.
Grottaglie
Famous for its ceramics, with a tradition dating back centuries, explore the Ceramics District, where numerous workshops and studios showcase beautiful handcrafted pottery to buy.
Alberello
You can’t not visit the most iconic trulli village. Rise as early as you can muster to visit before the coach loads join you.
Bari
Bari is an industrial city, a port, the regional capital and rarely thought of as a must-see for tourists. But if you have time to kill pre your return flight home, seek out the nonne of Bari in the streets beside their houses, rolling Orecchiette and gassing with their friends in the sunshine.
Matera
Although not officially in Puglia, this is the oldest city in Italy, and thought to be the third oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the world, a network of cave dwellings carved into the rock. More recently brought to fame by a certain James Bond.
TrattoriasOsteria Piazzetta Cattedrale
Vardaceli
Trattoria Iolanda
Osteria del Tempo Perso
Wine Tasting A Mano
Giovanni Aiello Winery
Polvanera
Terra Jovia
Long Lunches by the SeaTaverna del Porto
Trabucco di Monte Pucci
L'Osteria di Chichibio
La Puritate
Spoiling Dinners Do NOT go to the Instagram famous Grotta Palazzese - the food is horrible and the cost is ridiculous
Due Camini
Bros’ Lecce