Italy is a country you can visit time and time again and still not discover everything it has to offer – Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, the Dolomites, Portofino and the Italian Riviera – and then there is Puglia.
This quieter part of Southern Italy holds some of the country’s most rewarding travel experiences. Think masserias (farm-stays), fabulous food, trulli farmhouses, baroque hilltop towns, beautiful coastline and beautiful countryside. Puglia has so much to offer.
Puglia is similar to Tuscany in that the art of exploring is all about town and village hopping, as well as driving through the exquisite countryside and coastline. Visit the white-washed town of Ostuni, also known as “La Citta Bianca” – the White City. This hilltop town overlooking the Adriatic Sea and surrounded by olive groves is uniquely enchanting, and you can get lost in its winding passageways, staircases, and tiny piazzas. I know, because I did.
The precious village of Locorotondo is not on everyone’s lists, but it should be – it’s one of Puglia’s most charming and picturesque towns. The word Locorotondo means “round place”, and the village itself has a circular layout atop a scenic hilltop overlooking Valle d’Itia. It is out of a postcard.
Nearby is the famous town of Alberobello, with its iconic trulli homes – but it’s the surrounding countryside that will stay with you — dry stone walls, silvery olive groves and masserias that have been converted into some of Italy’s most beautiful boutique hotels.
On the coast lies Polignano a Mare, where centuries-old white buildings cling to limestone cliffs above a sapphire sea. The old town’s labyrinthine alleyways are best explored in the early morning before day-trippers arrive – it does get very crowded, as does its famous beaches. Lunch at one of the cave restaurants cut directly into the rock face is a non-negotiable.
Lecce, at the heel of the boot, is often called the Florence of the South. This is Puglia’s treasured city. Its baroque architecture is what it is most known for— honey-colored stone carved with intricate detail that no photograph quite captures. A highlight of the city is the Roman amphitheater, still buried beneath the town square.
Fifi + Hop works with trusted local partners throughout Puglia to arrange private cooking classes, masseria stays, and sailing excursions along the Salentine coast. This is the Italy that rewards those who look a little further.