Puglia

Puglia, the heel of the boot, stretches between the Adriatic and the Ionian seas. Its symbols are the trulli of Alberobello, the conical stone houses of the Itria Valley, the white towns of Ostuni and Locorotondo, and the Baroque city of Lecce, carved in golden stone.

The coast alternates between cliffs and long sandy beaches, from the Gargano promontory to Polignano a Mare and the tip of Salento. Olive groves cover the countryside, and the masserie, old fortified farms, are now some of Italy's most charming places to stay.

The heel of Italy

Puglia, also known as Apulia, is Italy's easternmost region, a long strip of land between the Adriatic and Ionian seas that runs from the Gargano down to Cape Leuca, the heel of the boot. It has more than eight hundred kilometres of coastline, the longest of mainland Italy, with cliffs, sea caves, sandy beaches and coves; a landscape of centuries-old olive trees, dry-stone walls and fortified farmhouses; art cities rich in Romanesque and Baroque churches; and an architecture unique in the world, that of the trulli. In recent years Puglia has become one of Italy's best-loved destinations, thanks also to its simple, flavourful cooking and the hospitality of its people.

Bari and the Adriatic coast

Bari, the regional capital, has an old town, Bari Vecchia, made of white alleys where women still make orecchiette pasta outside their front doors. The Basilica of Saint Nicholas, a masterpiece of Apulian Romanesque, holds the saint's relics and attracts both Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims. The seafront and the Petruzzelli Theatre complete the visit. South of Bari, Polignano a Mare is built on a cliff above the sea, with the beach of Lama Monachile between two rock walls, and Monopoli has an ancient harbour and a gleaming white old town. To the north, the Romanesque cathedrals of Trani, overlooking the harbour, Molfetta and Bitonto are among the most beautiful in Italy.

The Itria Valley and the trulli

Inland between Bari and Brindisi lies the Itria Valley, a landscape of vineyards, olive trees and trulli, the dry-stone buildings with conical roofs. Alberobello, a UNESCO site, has whole districts of trulli, the Rione Monti and the Aia Piccola. Around it are some of the region's loveliest towns: Locorotondo, with its circular white old town, Cisternino, famous for its fornelli, butcher's shops where you choose your meat and have it grilled on the spot, Martina Franca, with its Baroque palaces and opera festival, and Ostuni, the white city, perched on a hill overlooking the sea and the olive groves. Nearby, the Castellana Caves are a spectacular system of karst caverns.

Salento

Salento is the southern tip of Puglia, washed by two seas. Lecce, the Florence of the South, is the capital of Lecce Baroque, with the Basilica of Santa Croce, Piazza del Duomo and a Roman amphitheatre in the centre. On the Adriatic coast, Otranto has a cathedral with a huge medieval floor mosaic and an Aragonese castle, while the coast towards Santa Maria di Leuca alternates cliffs, caves and natural pools such as the Grotta della Poesia at Roca. On the Ionian side, Gallipoli has an old town on an island linked by a bridge, and beaches such as Punta Prosciutto, Porto Cesareo and the so-called Maldives of Salento have fine sand and crystal-clear water. In summer Salento lives to the rhythm of music, with the pizzica dance and the Notte della Taranta festival.

The Gargano and the Tremiti Islands

The Gargano, the spur of Italy, is a mountainous promontory covered by the Foresta Umbra, one of the last great beech forests of the south, and protected by a national park. The coast has white cliffs, sea stacks such as Pizzomunno at Vieste, natural arches and sea caves. Peschici and Rodi Garganico are villages overlooking the sea, while inland Monte Sant'Angelo has the sanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel, a UNESCO site, and San Giovanni Rotondo is linked to Padre Pio. Offshore, the Tremiti Islands are a marine reserve with remarkably clear water.

Castel del Monte, the Murgia and the Tavoliere

On the border with Basilicata, the Murgia is a karst plateau of pastures and woodland, with the Alta Murgia National Park. Here, alone on a hill, stands Castel del Monte, the octagonal castle built for Frederick II, a UNESCO site and symbol of the region. Gravina in Puglia has a bridge over its ravine and an underground city, and Altamura is famous for its PDO bread and for Altamura Man, a Neanderthal skeleton. From here Matera, in Basilicata, is easy to reach. To the north, the Tavoliere is the great wheat plain, with Foggia and Lucera, which has a Swabian and Angevin fortress.

Food and wine

Apulian cooking is based on extra-virgin olive oil, vegetables, pulses, durum wheat and fish. Orecchiette with turnip tops, fava bean purée with chicory, the tiella of rice, potatoes and mussels, fried panzerotti, friselle rusks topped with tomato, taralli and Bari-style focaccia are everyday dishes. Raw seafood, sea urchins and octopus, is eaten at the harbour; burrata from Andria, stracciatella and canestrato are excellent cheeses, and the custard-filled pasticciotto from Lecce is a breakfast treat. Puglia produces a large share of Italy's olive oil, as well as wines such as Primitivo di Manduria, Negroamaro, Nero di Troia and the rosés of Salento.

Masserie and ancient olive trees

Masserie, old fortified farmhouses, are one of the symbols of rural Puglia. Many have been restored and turned into farm stays or hotels, and they are a wonderful way to experience the countryside among olive trees, some of them several centuries old. In recent years part of Salento's olive groves has been struck by Xylella, a bacterium that has killed many trees, but the Plain of Monumental Olive Trees between Ostuni, Fasano and Carovigno still has extraordinary specimens. In autumn you can join the olive harvest and taste the new oil at the mills.

Taranto and the Ionian coast

Puglia's Ionian coast is less well known but rich in history. Taranto, founded by Greeks from Sparta, was one of the most important cities of Magna Graecia: the National Archaeological Museum, known as MArTA, holds the Gold of Taranto, jewellery of extraordinary refinement. The old town stands on an island between the Mar Piccolo and the Mar Grande, linked by a swing bridge, and the Aragonese Castle can be visited with guides from the Italian Navy. Nearby, Grottaglie has a whole quarter of ceramic workshops, and the ravines of Castellaneta and Massafra are deep canyons with rock churches and villages carved into the stone. Further south, the coast of Manduria and Maruggio has sandy beaches and dunes.

When to go and how to get around

May, June and September are the ideal months, warm, with the sea already or still pleasant and fewer crowds. July and August are the season of festivals and celebrations, but also of peak crowds, especially in Salento. Spring and autumn are good times to visit the art cities and the Itria Valley. Regional trains and the Ferrovie Sud Est link many towns, but to explore villages, masserie and beaches a car is the best option. Bari and Brindisi airports serve the whole region, and ferries for Greece, Albania and Croatia leave from Bari and Brindisi.