By air
Bari (BRI) or Brindisi (BDS), north and south of the region
Europe · Italy
Puglia, Italy
Trulli houses and whitewashed coastal towns
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to June and September — warm, not crowded
Don't miss
Alberobello
Lecce
Ostuni
Polignano a Mare
Things to do
Alberobello's trulli
Lecce's baroque
Monopoli's harbour
The olive groves
Where to eat
What to pack
Swimwear, light clothes
A quieter corner
Matera's cave city, just over the border
Questions travellers ask
When is Puglia warm but not crowded?
May to June and September. Pack swimwear and light clothes.
Which Puglia towns are worth visiting?
Alberobello for its trulli, Lecce for its baroque, Ostuni and Polignano a Mare, plus Monopoli's harbour. Matera's cave city is just over the border, too.
Which airport is better for Puglia, Bari or Brindisi?
Bari (BRI) is in the north of the region and Brindisi (BDS) in the south, so choose by where you're staying.
Which dishes is Puglia known for?
Look for orecchiette and burrata.
About Puglia
- Coastal
Where it is
Puglia (Apulia) is the region at the heel of Italy's boot, in the south-east of the country, with a long coastline on the Adriatic and Ionian seas; the Gargano promontory forms the spur and the Salento peninsula the heel, and Bari is its capital.
History
Iapygian peoples lived here when Greeks settled the coasts in the 8th century BC and founded Taras, now Taranto, and Rome later built its great roads to the Adriatic ports. Byzantines and Normans followed, the emperor Frederick II built castles such as Castel del Monte in the 13th century, and in 1087 sailors brought the relics of Saint Nicholas to Bari.
People
Pugliesi speak Italian and local dialects. Puglia produces a large share of Italy's olive oil, farm kitchens turn out orecchiette, burrata and taralli, and in Salento the pizzica, a fast tambourine-driven dance, fills summer festivals such as La Notte della Taranta.
Known for
- The trulli of Alberobello
- Lecce's Baroque churches
- Castel del Monte
- Olive oil and ancient olive groves
- Orecchiette pasta and burrata
Did you know?
In the Grecìa Salentina, a cluster of villages in Salento, a few thousand people still speak Griko, a form of Greek rooted in the Greek-speaking past of southern Italy.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.