Puglia is a delightful region in southern Italy that borders the Adriatic Sea. With all-year-round sunshine, curious conical Trulli and whitewashed towns, this lesser-known part of Italy is certainly somewhere to have on your family travel list.
We headed to Puglia during October half term and it’s a wonderful time to visit this region of Italy. Pulia, or Apulia in Italian, is easy to get to from the UK (less than 3 hours from London) with airports at both Bari and Brindisi. You can fly to either and it’s easy to get around with a hire car. Puglia is an excellent destination for a family road trip as there’s a wealth of unique and memorable places to explore. Here are just a few of the things you can do while you’re in this part of Southern Italy but there are of course many more.
Stay somewhere unusual
Being so well-known for its Trulli, we had to stay in a traditional Trullo during our time in Puglia. There are an abundance of properties to stay in, many of which renovated to a high standard, and they typically have a lot more space than you think they do. Our Trullo was located near Casalini in a beautifully peaceful location surrounded by olive groves.
Not only that, we had easy access to the Valle d’Itria (Alberobello, Cisternino and Locorotondo), the white city of Ostuni, the Grotte di Castellana (Castellana Caves which are amazing), the idyllic Italian coastline and Matera which is actually in nearby Basilicata but a must-see destination. Our Trullo combined traditional and modern design and we relished sitting by the pool following a day’s exploring to watch the sun go down. Read more here.
Visit a whitewashed town
There is no shortage of whitewashed towns and villages in Puglia. The town of Ostuni is probably the most recognisable with its labyrinth of cobbled streets, alleyways and steps. We visited this beautiful town when we first arrived in Puglia and returned for a wander another day – typically the only day it rained during our stay. It’s easy to appreciate the charm of this place what with the architecture, monuments (Saint Oronzo’s column) and medieval buildings like the town hall and cathedral.
Head to the beach
One of the things we loved about Puglia is that it’s still warm enough to walk barefoot and play in the sand in October. We even went in the sea albeit briefly – I do prefer it a tad warmer! There’s a wealth of coastline to explore in Puglia and while I’m sure the beaches are busier in the summer months, we largely had them to ourselves. We visited the beaches at Torre Guaceta, Pozzella and Tavernese before settling on Lido Morelli. There we found a shack selling coffee and snacks and borrowed a few chairs to sit on while we watched the kite surfers. It was fabulous and a great spot to lose a few hours.
Visit the home of Trulli
Alberobello is a picturesque town renowned for its unusual conical-roofed houses. Made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996, it’s one of the most recognised landscapes in the region due to the whitewashed Trulli which have pyramidal, domed, or conical roofs. This charming town has Puglia’s highest concentration of Trulli although these fascinating buildings can also be found in Locorotondo, Fasano, Ostuni, Cisternino, Martina Franca and Ceglie Messapica. In Alberobello, the Trulli are typically shops, restaurants and bars but there’s plenty to keep kids occupied. Read more here.
See a pretty town…
Locorotondo, like Alberobello and Cisternino, is situated in the Valle d’Itria. Ranked one of the most beautiful towns in Italy, it’s a charming place to explore. This wonderful white town gets its name from “luogo rotondo”, which means circular place, as its protective walls twist around the hillside. Entry is through the Porta Napoli square and beyond that there are alleyways with beautiful white houses adorned with colourful flower pots and cacti in terracotta pots. The nearby park provides superb views across the countryside including vineyards and olive groves.
…Or two!
Cisternino is located less than 15 kilometres from Locorotundo, also in the Itria Valley. There’s a historic centre which is typical of the region with whitewashed buildings, narrow streets and impressive churches. Built on the edge of a hill, there are superb views across the surrounding landscape.
Make a trip to Matera
Although Matera is in the Basilicata region of Italy (so not actually in Puglia), it really is a must-see destination if you’re in the region. Once regarded as the “shame of Italy”, its labyrinth of cave-dwelling communes (the Sassi), breathtaking ravine and rock churches make it a spectacular place to visit. Matera was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 for being the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. Even part of the most recent Bond movie has been filmed there! Read more here.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Puglia and while it differs from other Italian regions, it’s just as family-friendly. In addition to the above, the Castellana Caves are spectacular with the IndianaPark (adventure park) and the Dinosaur Park nearby. There’s also the Zoosafari wildlife park near Fasano and the Aquapark Egnazia water park. For the more adventurous, there’s scuba diving and snorkelling, cliff jumping (yes really!) and in the summer, festivals!
