Puglia
Sun-bleached stone, olive groves stretching to the horizon, and a cuisine built on bread, sea and fire. Puglia rewards the slow traveler.
Five reasons Puglia stays with you.
- Whitewashed trulli villages and UNESCO-listed Alberobello
- Two coastlines — Adriatic cliffs and Ionian sandbars
- Burrata, orecchiette, and the country's best olive oil
- Baroque Lecce — the 'Florence of the South'
- Boutique masseria farm-stays among centuries-old olive groves
Start here if you have a long weekend.
Alberobello
A UNESCO-listed dreamscape of trulli — conical limestone huts that look stitched into the earth.
Polignano a Mare
A whitewashed cliff town hanging over a turquoise grotto.
Ostuni
The 'Città Bianca' — a hilltop labyrinth of lime-washed alleys.
Eat and drink like you mean it.
Our editor's picks — the tables and bottles we'd cross the country for.
Cult panini di pesce — order the tonno tartare.
Theatrical Michelin tasting menu, polarising and brilliant.
Inky reds from gnarled bush vines near the Ionian.
Three rooms with a view.
Three ways to go deeper.
Half-day tasting at a working frantoio.
Grotta della Poesia and the Adriatic blues.
Make pasta with the nonne of Strada Arco Basso.
Best time to visit · May–June and September–October. July–August is hot but coastal.
Whitewashed villages on the Adriatic heel.
A curated edit — what to see, where to eat what the locals eat, and where to sleep with intention.
Alberobello
A UNESCO-listed dreamscape of trulli — conical limestone huts that look stitched into the earth.
- — Rione Monti
- — Trullo Sovrano
- — Sant'Antonio Trullo Church
- Trattoria AmatulliCavatelli with cime di rapa, family run since 1958.
- L'AratroInside a trullo — orecchiette, primitivo, candlelight.
- Le Alcove Luxury HotelBoutique trulli suites with private courtyards.
Polignano a Mare
A whitewashed cliff town hanging over a turquoise grotto.
- — Lama Monachile Beach
- — Domenico Modugno Statue
- — Grotta Palazzese
- PescariaCult panini di pesce — order the tonno tartare.
- Osteria di ChichibioRaw seafood and crisp Verdeca by the sea.
- Don FerranteCliffside dimora with a saltwater pool carved into rock.
Ostuni
The 'Città Bianca' — a hilltop labyrinth of lime-washed alleys.
- — Cattedrale di Ostuni
- — Piazza della Libertà
- — Torre del Pozzo Antico
- Osteria Piazzetta CattedraleRefined Pugliese tasting menu.
- Paragon 700 Boutique HotelFrescoed 18th-century palazzo with citrus garden.
Lecce
The 'Florence of the South' — baroque sandstone glowing gold at dusk.
- — Basilica di Santa Croce
- — Roman Amphitheatre
- — Piazza del Duomo
- Bros'Polarising, theatrical Michelin tasting menu.
- Alle due CortiOld-school Salentine: ciceri e tria, pittule.
- Patria PalaceFrescoed historic hotel facing Santa Croce.
Otranto
Italy's easternmost town — Byzantine mosaics and a sapphire sea.
- — Otranto Cathedral mosaic floor
- — Aragonese Castle
- — Bauxite Quarry
- L'Altro BaffoModern Salentine, sea-forward.
- Palazzo de MoriTiny B&B inside the old walls, panoramic terrace.
