Puglia’s Best Bits
One wedding, four trulli nights, nine days, nine different locations, 73,653 steps, party time, down time, quality time, friends and family. Every day full of sunshine, blue skies and countless meals of bread, cheese and ham in many forms...Puglia you’ve been a dream. We are not the first to uncover your secrets and we won’t be the last.
Disclaimer: Aperol, Prosecco and Pizza all feature heavily ~ I’ll have to be rolled back to London.
Porto Cesareo
This was our first stop, a two-hour drive from Bari airport, off to find the Ballard’s! We stayed at the Grand Paradise Hotel in a lovely seaview room with views of the local beach. A small town, Porto Cesareo still has everything you need. Little shops selling a range of local food, drink, souvenirs and clothing; I picked up my colourful earrings to wear for the wedding from a shop here. Helpful to know that almost everything closes up between 1pm and 5pm but most restaurants stayed open for lunch until 2pm. Grab an Aperol on the rooftop of L'Aragosta da Cò and watch the sun go down. The views are pretty special. And the mixed seafood appetisers are seriously impressive (but don’t come cheap!) There’s plenty of other local restaurants and beach bars. The pre wedding party was at Goa Beach, a magical spot where you can walk right out into the sea, G&T in hand to dance in the waves (there’s certainly nowhere in Australia you could do that!)
Lecce ‘The Florence of the South’.
We made a pit stop here after we left Porto Cesareo. Popular on the tourist lists, Lecce’s historical old town is definitely worth a visit. Likened to Florence because of its history and architecture, the narrow cobbled streets suddenly open into huge squares or piazzas often with a cathedral towering over you. We stopped for pizza and Aperol just off one of the squares, there’s plenty of places to choose from! You could easily spend hours here exploring the laneways full of shops selling souvenirs and local products but we only had a couple. For lovers of architecture this is a must visit, almost every building has the most intricate features, you’ll want time to stop and really take it all in.
Mesagne
Our next stop was this cute old town. I found it when looking for somewhere closer to Brindisi so that we had a shorter drive to meet my sister and her boyfriend off their flight the next day, I don’t know that it would usually pop up. A pretty town set within the castle walls, perfect for an evening stroll, we only had one night here but I think that was enough. A recommendation found us eating freshly made pasta (Truffle ravioli for him and Carbonara for me) and drinking local wine at La Forchetta Salentina (€2 for 1/4 litre!). We stayed at the Tobacco Suites in a lovely apartment carved out of an older traditional stone building but with modern amenities and breakfast included. The perfect stop over.
Locorotondo
This was our closest town for the 4 nights we were with my sister. With its whitewashed cobbled lanes to explore and feeling less touristy than some of the other towns, it was a favourite. We had a lovely lunch at Casa Pinto; pizza and spritz’s for all. The tables from the restaurant were lined up against the walls of the narrow street and when we arrived there were none spare. Two minutes later they had carried a table and four chairs from inside and added it to the end of the row, we were sat right outside someone’s front door but that didn’t seem to be a problem! They just kept adding more tables as more people arrived! As you walk up into the town you’ll catch the views over the Valle D’Itria and there’s a couple of places right on the edge where you can sit and have a gelato and prosecco. Together. Is there anything better?
Alberobello
If you’ve ever looked at visiting Puglia, this town will have popped up. The entire old town is made up of traditional trulli, all white washed with ancient symbols painted on the roofs. It’s certainly picturesque and it’s amazing to think that at one point there were families living in these tiny buildings on tiny streets. But we found it very touristy (the lady at our accomodation did warn us) Almost all the trulli are full of souvenir shops selling exactly the same thing and there didn’t seem to be much local activity happening in this particular area of the town. It was lovely to see but wasn’t our favourite. The rest of Alberobello seemed like a typical Italian country town, there was a local market, a beautiful cathedral and lots happening so still worth the visit.
Monopoli
We headed here for an afternoon boat trip which took us out and along the coast to Polignano a Mare. Stopping a couple of times for a swim in the crystal clear waters, this was definitely a highlight and well worth doing. Amazing views of the beach and caves at Polignano and we could even see right into Grotta Palazzese (that Insta famous cave restaurant - give it a Google). The boat ride was €40 pp and included snacks and a drink. Never wanting to be without, we took a couple of bottles of our own Prosecco too, it was very relaxed and the perfect spot to watch the sunset. We walked through the port and into the old town for dinner afterwards before driving back. Another pretty town, especially lit up at night, great for exploring.
Ostuni
‘The White City’, bigger and busier than the others, we made the climb through winding stairways and steep alleys to the top of the town where the cathedral sits. Well worth the walk, only 10mins up to the top and amazing views out to the sea. There’s a couple of small bars right on the edge where you can sit on bean bags and watch the sun go down. Cue more Aperols (and a Mojito on this occasion!) We found a small restaurant tucked in the back streets called Trattoria Sapere E Sapori. By this point we were all so full we only managed a couple of small dishes but shared some delicious bruschetta with zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes. And more Prosecco (of course).
Polignano a Mare
Our last stop before we dropped the car back in Bari, a sunny morning spent here was well worth adding in. Popular with locals this seaside town is one spot you’d head for a beach day on this side of the coast. Just make sure you get in early, there isn’t much space and it gets busy very quickly! Surrounded by high cliffs and secret caves, there’s actually plenty of sun/swim spots off the sand. We walked through the town, had a coffee looking out to sea and spotted the same boat we’d been out on a couple of days before! The buildings sit right on the edge of the cliffs, towering above the sparkling blue water; some look like they’ve literally been carved out of the stone, it’s pretty incredible to see! We didn’t have time to swim but if I came back I’d love to spend a couple of nights in one of the many B&B’s tucked away in the old town and make the most of being by the sea for a few days.
Bari
A larger city with another pretty old town and port, we spent 1 night here before our train to Rome. I would definitely recommend staying near or in the old town, it felt much nicer than the rest of the city. We had a delicious dinner of local dishes at La Uascezze which is tucked away off one of the main squares near the water, a great find. Siesta is still a big deal in this city. We arrived at lunchtime and the whole place felt like a ghost town! But by the time we were walking to dinner around 8, the whole place came alive. Music playing, kids running around late at night, young and old just sitting out in the evening warmth. I love this about Italy. It was a Sunday evening and at 11pm there’s no sign of things slowing down!
Alma Petra Trulli Resort
Home for 4 nights, we loved being able to come back here after a day of exploring. Stefania who owns the property and lives across the road has created a beautiful mini ‘resort’ style accomodation with individual one and two bed apartments set inside traditional trulli with a shared pool. The whole area is full of lavender and other wild flowers with private and shared outdoor spaces to relax in. It felt luxurious but low key and relaxed. We had the use of an amazing wood fire BBQ for the nights we didn’t go out and we arrived to a bottle of local white wine, kitchen basics and had access to veggies and salads from the garden. Set amongst peaceful countryside but a short drive from Locorotondo, this was everything we needed for some downtime.
(This place is available on Airbnb but I booked direct via their website)
Castello Monaci
I’m not sure if you can easily visit this venue as a tourist but it’s still worth the mention. Home to the wedding of our dear friends Jennie and James, this place blew everyone away. The long drive-way in takes you through miles and miles of vineyards; they make their own wine which we were lucky enough to drink during the meal. A huge castle set amongst pristine grounds with bright flowers and original features, with blue skies and Italian sunshine on our faces, it was truly a day to remember. We ate outside under the trees with fairy lights and chandeliers above our heads. We danced until our feet were swollen (mine more than most I think!) and all ended up in the swimming pool until the coaches arrived to take us home in the early hours. It was a dreamy day for a dream team. And even if you’re not lucky enough to experience a wedding here, it looks like your can book into their Wine Resort and spend a night or two experiencing this incredible location.
