Luxury Villas in Puglia

About Puglia

Puglia (or Apulia in Italian) is located in the heel of Italy’s boot in the very south of the country. It is a stunning region of Italy, famous for its hobbit-like trulli, incredible coastline and turquoise seas, delicious food and beautiful rural landscapes. It’s also famous for its olive oil production and it’s home to over 66 million olive trees. The capital of Puglia is Bari. Bari is a vibrant port with a historic centre that has a maze of narrow streets and alleyways to discover. Keep your eyes peeled for the famous Bari Pasta Grannies, women making pasta outside their homes on the Strada delle Orecchiette.

Cities, towns and villages of Puglia

Bari isn’t the only city in Puglia worth visiting. Far from it. Ostuni is affectionately known as ‘The White City’ and it’s easy to see why. Its hilltop whitewashed buildings are easily visible from quite a distance away. The city is a labyrinth of narrow paths, alleyways and staircases – just enjoy getting lost in them! Further south in Puglia is the Baroque city of Lecce, often referred to as the ‘Florence of the south’.

Lecce is probably most well known for its Baroque architecture but the city’s history stretches much further back to Roman times and nowhere is this more evident than in the Anfiteatro Romano di Lecce. Excavated in 1938, the amphitheatre was originally five stories high, seating 25,000 spectactors. Nowadays, it can’t host such grand audiences but it does still put on a series of concerts and plays in the Summer months. Seating isn’t covered so make sure to put on plenty of sunscreen!

Puglia is filled with a number of smaller towns and villages to explore too. Arguably the most famous of these is Alberobello. A UNESCO world heritage site since 1966, it is home to 1400 trulli. This is a style of building unique to Puglia, which have distinctive cone-shaped roofs. The town is split into two parts – the Rione Aia Piccola and the Rione Monti – and it’s the latter where the majority of the trulli are found. Also worth a visit is Polignano a Mare. The beach here is instantly recognisable, flanked as it is on both sides by steep cliffs. Other seaside towns in Puglia include Otranto, Brindisi, Vieste, Gallipoli and Monopoli. And other smaller villages not to missed include Locorotondo, Cisternino, Martina Franca and Carovigno.

Find out more about the towns and villages of Puglia in our A to Z guide to Puglia.

What to see and do in Puglia

Top of the list of things to do in Puglia is definitely to spend time on the numerous beaches, assuming you are visiting in the warmer months of the year of course. Puglia boasts over 500 miles of beautiful coastline. This is the longest stretch of coastline of any of the regions of Italy. Down in the very south in the Salento region, there is even a stretch of beach that is affectionately referred to as the ‘Maldives of Italy’ because of its wide stretches of pure white sand.

Puglia also has some beautiful countryside to discover. This varies quite dramatically from north to south. In the North is the Gargano National Park. This includes the dramatic limestone cliffs of the Tremiti Islands archipelago as well as the dense forests and lush meadows of the Umbra Forest. Also in the north of the region is the Alta Murgia National Park where hikers will discover an abundance of wildlife as well as architectural buildings called poste revealing the history of the area.

In the centre of Puglia, there is the landscape of the Valle d’Itria. Here the landscape is a combination of rolling hills and fertile valleys, dotted with olive groves, vineyards and picturesque villages, often perched on hilltops.

And then, in the south of Puglia at Margherita di Savoia, you will also find more evidence of the nature that Puglia is home to. Here flocks of flamingos and other bird species can be found in the salt basins. And the diverse landscape continues underground too. The Grotte di Castellana are a network of underground caves which visitors can explore.

Like all regions of Italy, Puglia is a region that is extremely proud of its cuisine. And no holiday in Puglia would be complete without sampling some. Definitely make sure you try the orecchiette pasta and the delicious burrata cheese. And then why not wash it down with a glass of Puglia’s famous red – the Primitivo di Manduria.

Get inspired about what else to see and do in our guide to the top 60 things to do in Puglia.

When to visit Puglia

We think the best time to enjoy a holiday in Puglia is in the Spring, early Summer, late Summer and Autumn. This is when temperatures tend to be warm but aren’t too hot so that you can easily enjoy all the activities that Puglia offers, whether that is exploring the towns and villages, spending time at the beach or making the most of the idyllic countryside. That said, we appreciate that not everyone is able to holiday outside school holiday dates. Temperatures in July and August can get pretty stifling so, if you are restricted to holidaying then, spend the daylight hours at the beach or by the pool. And then, when evening temperatures are pleasant, take the opportunity to explore the towns and villages of Puglia.