Puglia overview
Also known by its Roman name Apulia, the unspoilt Puglia region stretches from the spur of the Gargano peninsula to the heel of Italy’s boot. The region boasts unspoiled gently undulating plateaux with forests, medieval pilgrimage towns, massive fortresses and fortress-like churches.
Puglia in Italy’s southeast boasts beautiful beaches, golden sands, pine forests,
undulating countryside with groves of olive and almond, and fantastic food. Although the region appears exclusively Italian, it has a rich cosmopolitan past with Greeks, Germans, Spaniards, Moors and Normans having bequeathed a delightful combination of architectural heirlooms including baroque churches and Romanesque cathedrals.
The area boasts links to ancient times when construction techniques used for the famous whitewashed trulli houses were imported from Greece or the Middle East. Visitors will enjoy staying in a masseria, grand restored country farmhouses and mansions; and Lecce, the Florence of the South with its Roman amphitheatre, is a must-see.
Trulli & Masseria
Our featured hotels in Puglia are situated close to Alberobello, itself equidistant from the airports of Bari and Brindisi. Alberobello is a delightful agricultural town famed as the centre of the whitewashed trulli; coneshaped houses with russet or grey dry-stone spiral roofs that dot the landscape.
Visitors will delight in discovering Alberobello’s two neighbourhoods of trulli, Rioni Monti and Aia Piccola: both areas are protected World Heritage Sites and feature houses, shops and even churches constructed in true trulli style: shopkeepers will often let you climb onto their roof terraces for striking views across the fairytale forest of more than a thousand trulli domes.
Boasting vineyards and olive groves, pine forests and gently undulating countryside, this central Puglia region is dotted with small towns and villages rich in history, culture and folklore.
Typically, our featured hotels in this area are delightfully restored traditional style former country estates and farmhouses locally known as masseria. Luxury romantic masseria often feature courtyards and cloisters, and large airy lounges perfect for relaxation. They charmingly combine traditional rural styles with high standards of service, warm Italian hospitality and delicious cuisine using fine fresh produce grown in their own organic vegetable gardens.
Map
Climate
Puglia has a microclimate boasting sunny weather for much of the year and from April to October its always warm enough to wander around without a jacket.
Did you know?
The city of Bari in Puglia is the final resting place of the man generally regarded to be Father Christmas. The remains of the modern day Turkish bishop, St Nicolas, are to found in the Basilica di San Nicola. On hot days, the bones are reputed to leak a holy liquid.
Puglia hotels
Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri
Located in the countryside of the Murgia hills in Puglia just five minutes' drive from the unique town of Alberobello
Hotel del Levante
Boasting a great beach location, and just 15 minutes' walk from the resort of Torre Canne
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Masseria San Domenico
Originally built as a watchtower to warn against Saracen raids in the 15th Century, then converted into a masseria, this luxury hotel has been further transformed into a tranquil heaven
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Masseria Torre Coccaro
Masseria Torre Coccaro was originally built as 16th century watchtower to defend against Saracen attacks has now been lovingly transformed into a luxurious five star hotel
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Torre Maizza Masseria
Midway between Bari and Brindisi, approximately 60km from both cities and set in an extensive hillside estate 1.5km from the coast
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Map
Climate
Puglia has a microclimate boasting sunny weather for much of the year and from April to October its always warm enough to wander around without a jacket.
Did you know?
The city of Bari in Puglia is the final resting place of the man generally regarded to be Father Christmas. The remains of the modern day Turkish bishop, St Nicolas, are to found in the Basilica di San Nicola. On hot days, the bones are reputed to leak a holy liquid.
Puglia sightseeing
Alberobello
Famed for its whitewashed cone-shaped houses and a protected World Heritage Site, a trip to Alberobello with its trulli dwellings and museums is a ‘must-do’.
Walking around Rioni Monti, the district on the slope facing the modern town centre is fun, but busy, and tourists should be prepared for constant welcomes from locals wishing to entice visitors to buy from the oldest trullo, a trullo with a well, a trullo with a panoramic terrace etc! Purchases include everything possible shaped like a trullo, and there are many tiny bars for sampling local wines. The Aia Piccola district is very different: less visited by tourists, it is a residential area with quiet lanes lined with inhabited trulli houses.
Lecce
Puglia’s crowning glory, Lecce, known as Florence of the South, or Florence of
Baroque, offers the chance to glimpse ancient history in a dynamic modern
context. The old town, Lecce Vecchia, boasts a plethora of architectural monuments and palazzi characterised by splendid and magnificent baroque architecture carved in pietra leccese, a local easily worked malleable yellow tinged limestone. For art enthusiasts, there’s the Basilica of the Holy Cross, Piazza del Duomo and the restored Lecce Cathedral. The Roman amphitheatre in the heart of the Lecce dates from the 2nd century, and houses a museum and also serves as a concert venue.
Ostuni
Situated on the coast of Murgia, The White City, Ostuni, boasts small white
Mediterranean houses and is home to some architecturally significant palazzi
and churches. For charming traditional Pugliese visit Osteria del Tempo Perso on
Via Tanzarella Vitale Francesco: bizarrely set partially in a cave!
Map
Climate
Puglia has a microclimate boasting sunny weather for much of the year and from April to October its always warm enough to wander around without a jacket.
Did you know?
The city of Bari in Puglia is the final resting place of the man generally regarded to be Father Christmas. The remains of the modern day Turkish bishop, St Nicolas, are to found in the Basilica di San Nicola. On hot days, the bones are reputed to leak a holy liquid.
Puglia cuisine
The strong sun and fertile land produces intensely flavoured olives, vegetables and fruit, such as melon and figs, in abundance. In fact most of the country’s pasta is produced here, and much of Italy’s olive oil pressing is carried out
in the region. Additionally, most of Italy’s fresh fish is caught along the coast, and due to the climate and ideal soil conditions, Puglia produces so much wine that it is the world’s sixth biggest wine producing region: wines from the southern peninsula where Negroamaro is blended with a host of grape varieties are the most noteworthy.
The traditional Pugliese diet was originally centred around bread, oil and wine, and
although the cuisine is now more sophisticated, it is still based on local ingredients. There’s no industrialisation of food in Puglia: it is never processed, and is simply fresh and delicious with the merest hint of influences from Greece.
Map
Climate
Puglia has a microclimate boasting sunny weather for much of the year and from April to October its always warm enough to wander around without a jacket.
Did you know?
The city of Bari in Puglia is the final resting place of the man generally regarded to be Father Christmas. The remains of the modern day Turkish bishop, St Nicolas, are to found in the Basilica di San Nicola. On hot days, the bones are reputed to leak a holy liquid.
Puglia offers
Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri
Located in the countryside of the Murgia hills in Puglia just five minutes' drive from the unique town of Alberobello
1 offer
Masseria San Domenico
Originally built as a watchtower to warn against Saracen raids in the 15th Century, then converted into a masseria, this luxury hotel has been further transformed into a tranquil heaven
2 offers
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Masseria Torre Coccaro
Masseria Torre Coccaro was originally built as 16th century watchtower to defend against Saracen attacks has now been lovingly transformed into a luxurious five star hotel
2 offers
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-
Map
Climate
Puglia has a microclimate boasting sunny weather for much of the year and from April to October its always warm enough to wander around without a jacket.
Did you know?
The city of Bari in Puglia is the final resting place of the man generally regarded to be Father Christmas. The remains of the modern day Turkish bishop, St Nicolas, are to found in the Basilica di San Nicola. On hot days, the bones are reputed to leak a holy liquid.