Visiting Apulia. Our tips for traveling "Italy's Boot" like a local

Hello traveller, welcome to Puglia! Our Region is well known for its secular olive groves, spectacular beaches, white towns, wild nature and delicious food. In this page we're happy to share a personal guide with some insider tips and recommendations for the visitors willing to discover the most authentic side of our beautiful region.

Our guide is constantly evolving. We're always adding new interesting places to visit (especially restaurants) as soon as we discover them. The guide is composed of five main chapters: where to go, where to eat, what to eat (and drink), what to do and beaches to visit.

First things first, some basic pieces of advice:

  • RENT A CAR Puglia public transport services are not recommended (train stations could be several km away from towns) and taxi services are quite expensive. Renting a car will allow you to enjoy beautiful scenic routes and reach the best beaches and hidden farmhouses offering delicious foods.
  • RESTAURANTS OPENING Restaurants in Puglia are usually open between 12:00-15:00, then close and open again for dinner around 19:00. Bars are open all day long, so don't worry if you need a snack in the afternoon. 
  • PARKING RULES Pay attention to the color of the painted stripes of the parking lots: white lines means free parking, blue lines means paid parking, yellow lines... do not park! Also pay attention to the signs when approaching city centers because entering there might not be allowed for non-residents.
  • WHEN TO VISIT Weather in Puglia is usually very friendly during the whole year but July and August could be quite hot, especially in midday hours. As our region is a stripe of land surrounded by the sea you can always find nice swimming conditions. If for example we have rough sea on the eastern side you will usually find calm sea on the western one (and viceversa). May, June and September are the less crowded months, but July and August is the best time to visit if you're also willing to attend music festivals, art exhibitions and food festivals.
Here are some itinerary suggestions that include some well known big cities and smaller towns, grouped according by how relatively close they are to each other and worth seeing if you're close by. Where to eat suggestions will follow in next chapter.

  • Polignano a Mare and Monopoli. Two of the most famous sea villages, very close one another. Make sure to visit Polignano during the day so you can enjoy the breathtaking view from Lama Monachile Bridge end explore the city center. Monopoli is the best choice for late afternoon aperitivo and a walk after dinner. 
  • Fasano and Savelletri. The territory of Fasano is vast and includes quiet hilly areas perfect for walking (Selva di Fasano) and fishing villages where you can taste dishes based on the freshest fish (Savelletri). The countryside around the city is home to some of the oldest centuries-old olive trees in the world (some as old as 4,000 years). 
  • Martina Franca, Locorotondo and Cisternino. This is the magic triangle of Valle d'Itria. All of the three towns are worth a visit because of their unique architecture and beautiful views of the surrounding (specially Locorotondo). If you eat meat we recommend visiting Cisternino in the evening as the city center is hosting lots of butchers who also cook their products on the street. 
  • Ostuni and Ceglie Messapica. Commonly referred as "The White Town", Ostuni is for sure one of the most photogenic spots in Apulia. Located up on a hill, it's a great option for an aperitivo staring at the distant coast and the olive groves landscape. Less known Ceglie Messapica is one of the best towns  to have dinner, because of its long time culinary tradition.
  • Alberobello. The capital of trulli is a fairytale place. Very touristic but definetely worth a visit because of its dry-stone constructions with conical or pyramid-shaped roofs City center hosts more than 1,500 trulli and has been inserted in UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.
  • Grottaglie. The town is famous for his ceramic artisans neighbor. Most of the ceramics you see in shops all around the Region are made here, so buying in Grottaglie is cheaper. Make sure to stop there if you're planning to visit Taranto and if you're looking for gifts for your friends or nice pieces for your home. Besides the most traditional artisan workshops you can also find very interesting modern-oriented artist (we recommend Giorgio di Palma, a young and nice artist recreating everyday objects in ceramic).
  • Castellana Grotte. The city hosts the famous “Caves of Castellana”, a vast underground system of karst caves, one of the most beautiful and spectacular cave systems in Italy. The cave extends for 3 km to more than 60 meters deep. A truly magic underground experience if you're looking for some relief from the summer high temperatures (bring a sweater!).
  • Bari. Apulia's capital is well known for its maze-like old town 'Barivecchia' and t he 11th-century Basilica di San Nicola, a key pilgrimage site for orthodox and catholic, holds some of St. Nicholas’ remains. Via Sparano is the best spot if you're looking for some old fashioned shopping. The city also host some great museums and exhibitions. 
  • Lecce. It's known for its baroque buildings and Cathedral. It's definitely worth a visit if you're planning to move south towards the beautiful Salento's beaches or the historical town of Gallipoli and Otranto. 
  • Matera. Not in Puglia, the city of Matera is in Basilicata, but it's definitely worth a visit. Unesco Heritage, Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world, with homes and churches carved in stone. Became worldwide famous after Mel Gibson shot the movie "Passion" in the city center "I Sassi".

 

We really hope you're hungry, because discovering apulian food is one of the  greatest adventures you may experience.

Here's a list of restaurants and places for aperitivo we love and recommend. Be sure to book a table in advance because some of them are quite popular, some other are very small. In the lists there are very high level restaurants you cannot miss if you're looking for truly unforgettable culinary experiences (ex. Pentole e Provette and Orto) but also very informal places, completely unknown by the tourists but legendary among locals (ex. La Baita and Panis In Puglia). There are also some extra places like farmhouses and vineyards to visit if you're willing to taste and shop great foods or wines straight from the producer.

📍FASANO

📍MONOPOLI

  • Orto (gourmet restaurant, Michelin Guide - €€€)
  • L'Ultima Goccia (winery and food - €€)

📍ALBEROBELLO

  • EVO Ristorante (gourmet, michelin guide, hosts the largest extravirgin oil collection in Italy - €€€)

📍MARTINA FRANCA

📍LOCOROTONDO

📍CISTERNINO

📍CEGLIE MESSAPICA

📍OSTUNI

📍POLIGNANO A MARE

📍BARI

  • El Focacciaro (bakery with authentic focaccia barese and panzerotti - €)

📍GALLIPOLI

  • Le Macare (local cuisine in Alezio town - €€)

 

 

Here's a list of typical foods you should try out before you leave. At the end of the chapter you will also find a list of wines and other typical drinks very popular among locals.

  • “Capocollo di Martina Franca” - slowly cured meat using muscle from the back of a pig’s head
  • “Burrata” - a large ball of mozzarella filled with a creamy mixture of heavy cream and strings of mozzarella
  • “Stracciatella” - the inside mixture of burrata cheese
  • “Cacioricotta” - a local sheep/goat cheese, great on pasta 
  • “Taralli” - traditional small round pretzels
  • “Lampascioni” - small flower bulbs, usually marinated in oil and vinegar, that resemble onions
  • “Focaccia barese” - a thick bread typically topped with tomatoes, olives, oregano and olive oil
  • “Polpette di pane” - bread fritters with egg, milk and herbs, deep fried
  • “Fave e cicoria” - fava bean puree with sauteed chicory
  • “Orecchiette con cime di rapa / al pomodoro con cacioricotta” - a typical pasta shaped like a little ear, cooked either with garlic and green broccolini or with a tomato sauce and a flavourful hard cheese)
  • “Braciole al sugo” - stuffed veal rolls, with herbs, breadcrumbs and pecorino
  • “Bombette" - grilled meat rolls stuffed with cheese
  • “Gnummareddi” -  rolls of kid/lamb intestines, filled with insides (kidneys, lungs, liver), grilled and served on a skewer
  • “Frittura mista con paranza” - fried seafood and small fish
  • “Crudo di mare” - raw seafood platter
  • “Alici fritte” - fresh, fried anchovies
  • “Cozze gratinate” - mussels stuffed with breadcrumbs and herbs, broiled in the oven
  • “Panino con polpo” - a sandwich with grilled octopus
  • “Panzerotto” - a savoury dough pouch filled with mozzarella and tomato sauce, deep fried in oil
  • “Fico d’india” - the fruit of the prickly pear cactus
  • “Pasticciotto” - a pastry filled with custard cream, typical in Lecce
  • “Biscotto Cegliese” - a sweet cookie made of ground almonds and cherry jam, typical in Ceglie Messapica
  • “Fichi maritati” - dried figs with almonds

Here some wines:

  • "Vino Rosso" (red wine): Primitivo di Manduria, Negramaro, Susumaniello. Our recommendation: Susù Susumaniello by Cantine Risveglio.
  • "Vino Rosato" (rosè wine): Rosè di Primitivo, Negramaro or Malvasia. Our recommendations: Five Roses by Leone De Castris.
  • "Vino Bianco" (white whine): Verdeca, Fiano. Our recommendation: Talò Verdeca by Cantine San Marzano.
  • Recommended winemakers: Cantine San Marzano, Masseria La Cattiva, I Pastini, Cantine Risveglio, Cantine Varvaglione, Giovanni Aiello. 

Other drinks:

  • “Caffè leccese” - coffee with almond milk syrup, served with ice
  • “Latte di mandorla” - almond milk sweetened with sugar
  • “Finocchietto selvatico” - digestive alcoholic drink made of wild fennel
  • “Liquore di alloro” - digestive alcoholic drink made of laurel

 

Here's a list of activities we recommend to enjoy Puglia's slow life. Of course we recommend visiting some historical locations but this list is meant to offer some different activities so we recommend you to google if you're searching for churches, museums, monuments or castles. 

  • Enjoy the beaches. A list of recommended free and private beaches will follow in the next chapter.
  • Join an olive oil tasting. We could be biased, but guided tasting we host in Masseria Pezze Galere received Special Oil and Tourism Award 2024 by the most prestigious italian food publisher Gambero Rosso. 
  • Visit a wine producer.  We recommend Giovanni Aiello in Putignano or I Pastini in Martina Franca. 
  • Visit a Caseificio and see how burrata and mozzarella are made (we recommend Masseria Lamapecora)
  • Join a bike tour among secular olive tree groves (we recommend Madera Bike in Montalbano)
  • Hike or bike trough the Ciclovia dell'Acquedotto, a very long rural road running along the apulia aqueduct. The most beautiful part is between Martina Franca and Ceglie Messapica. You can also visit the Bhole Baba Ashram, built by a Babaji community in 1979.
  • Visit antique markets (held in Ostuni every 2nd sunday of every month or in Cisternino every 3rd sunday of every month)
  • Visit Ostuni's Saturday Market, one of the largest in Italy, where you can find food, clothes and households items. 
  • Attend a music festival. During the summer Puglia is welcoming numerous international artists. If you like good music be sure to check out these great festivals: Medimex, Locus Festival, Viva Festival. 
  • Visit a contemporary art exhibition. Our favorite is PhEST in Monopoli.
  • Explore the underground visiting the Castellana Caves.
  • Join a cooking class and lear how to make orecchiette (we suggest Spaghetti ABC with Flavia Giordano).
  • Visit the largest fig tree collection in Italy at 'I Giardini di Pomona', a unique, tasty and educational experience if you like this fruit.
  • Get lost. This is our main recommendation. The most authentic beauty of Puglia lives among rural roads surrounded by dry stone walls, remote beaches and olive tree groves. Drive slowly and take some time to explore without a specific destination.

 

 

Here's the list of some of the most beautiful beaches in our region. Some of them might get crowded during the high peaks of summer season, some other are less known but you'll need to walk a little bit and maybe bring an umbrella and some food and water with you. If you're too lazy you will also find some nice private beaches where you can rent beds and umbrellas (and also eat, of course). 

Private beaches: Archeolido (Fasano), Cala Pescatore (Fasano), Lido Morelli (Fasano).