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Puglia is comprised of sun-bleached landscapes, silver olive groves, picturesque seascapes, and memorable hilltop and coastal towns. It is a lush, largely flat farming region, skirted by a long coast that alternates between glittering limestone precipices and long sandy beaches. The heel of Italy juts into the Adriatic and Ionian Seas and the waters of both are stunningly beautiful, veering between translucent emerald-green and dusky powder blue.
Its extensive coastline bears the marks of many conquering invaders: the Normans, the Spanish, the Turks, the Swabians and the Greeks. Yet, despite its diverse influences, Puglia has its own distinct and authentic identity. In a land where the cuisine is all-important, Puglia’s peasant cooking is legendary. Olive oil, grapes, tomatoes, eggplants, artichokes, peppers, salami, mushrooms, olives and fresh seafood strain its table.
Although boasting some of Italy’s best food and wines, in some places it’s rare to hear a foreign voice. But in July and August Puglia becomes a huge party, with sagre (festivals, usually involving food), concerts and events, and thousands of Italian tourists heading down here for their annual break.
Location
Puglia, or known as Apulia, is a region of Italy in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Otranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its southernmost portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the “boot” of Italy. The region comprises 19,345 square kilometers (7,469 square miles), and its population is about 4.1 million. It is bordered by the other Italian regions of Molise to the north, Campania to the west, and Basilicata to the southwest. It neighbors Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, and Montenegro, across the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. The region extends as far north as Monte Gargano. Its capital city is Bari.
Situated at the south-eastern tip of the Italian peninsula, Apulia covers over 19,000 square kilometers (7,336 square miles) in succession of broad plains and low-lying hills. The central area of the region is occupied by the Murge, a vast karst plateau and Itria Valley. The only mountainous areas, the Gargano promontory and the Monti Dauni, do not exceed 1,150 miles (3,800 feet) and are to be found in the north of Apulia, which is the least mountainous region in Italy. 32 Kilometers north east of the town Peschici is the Croatian Island of Palagruza.
Climate
Puglia boasts a wonderful Mediterranean climate that makes it an excellent holiday destination for most of the year.
The spring comes early and is generally warm and sunny, with temperatures rising to the early twenties by the end of April. The summer is long, hot and dry and lasts from the end May through to the end of September. Temperatures typically rise to around the 30°C mark in July and August, with the occasional hotter week here and there. The sea warms up wonderfully to the mid-20s, making swimming and bathing greatly pleasurable. Puglia’s glorious beaches come alive!
The autumn, signaled by the arrival of October and November, remains generally warm with temperatures only really dropping out of the 20s towards the beginning of December. The winter months can be a little rainy but are generally mild, with average temperatures around the 12-15 °C mark.
Transportation
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Ryanair offer budget flights from London Stansted to Bari Airport (called Palese Airport). From the airport there is a local bus service into the center of Bari, and there is also a more expensive airport shuttle bus which runs straight to the railway station.
Puglia has another international airport at Brindisi, called Brindisi Casale. This too is connected by bus to the center of town. The airport is close to a great tourist attraction: the frescoed Basilica di Santa Maria del Casale. From Brindisi Airport there is also a fast coach service to Lecce, which runs several times a day and stops just outside the center of Lecce.
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Most visitors hire cars to make it easy to travel around Puglia and visit smaller destinations. Although they do generally return with at least one story of getting terribly lost, this is quite a practical way to travel and means you can stop where you choose. But take a good road map and ask directions when in doubt.
Some of the more remote sights – and particularly beaches – are not well-connected by public transport; bus services are scanty and it can be difficult to find information about public transport. However, it is worth persevering with research, as it is entirely possible to see the region’s best sights without needing to hire a car. On our Puglia pages we provide information on reaching our featured destinations by public transport, and on car-free excursions.
The little railway lines run by FSE (Ferrovie Sud Est) are one of the most scenic ways to view the countryside, and link together some of Puglia’s top tourist towns including Alberobello, Lecce and Otranto. There is another private railway line to the north of Bari, and one crossing the border into Basilicata, connecting Bari with the cave-town of Matera. In addition there are national FS train services which connect most of the major towns with the rest of the Italy.
What to See
Museo Archeologico Provinciale Ribezzo
This superb museum covers several floors with well-documented exhibits (in English) including some 3000 bronze sculptures and fragments in Hellenistic Greek style.
There are also terracotta figurines from the 7th century, underwater archaeological finds, and Roman statues and heads (not always together).
Grotto di Castellana
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Don’t miss these spectacular limestone caves, 40km southeast of Bari and Italy’s longest natural subterranean network. The interlinked galleries, first discovered in 1938, contain an incredible range of underground landscapes, with extraordinary stalactite and stalagmite formations – look out for the jellyfish, the bacon and the stocking. The highlight is the Grotto Bianca (White Grotto), an eerie white alabaster cavern hung with stiletto-thin stalactites.
There are two tours in English: a 1km, 50-minute tour that doesn’t include the Grotto Bianca (€10, on the half-hour); and a 3km, two-hour tour (€15, on the hour) that does include it. The temperature inside the cave averages 18°C so take a light jacket. Visit, too, the Museo Speleologico Franco Anelli or the Osservatorio Astronomico Sirio, with its telescope and solar filters allowing for maximum solar-system visibility. Guided visits only with advance notification.
Castel Del Monte
You’ll see Castel Del Monte, an unearthly geometric shape on a hilltop, from miles away. Mysterious and perfectly octagonal, it’s one of southern Italy’s most talked-about landmarks and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
The castle has eight octagonal towers. Its interconnecting rooms have decorative marble columns and fireplaces, and the doorways and windows are framed in coralline stone. Many of the towers have washing rooms – Frederick II, like the Arab world he admired, set great store by cleanliness.
Pinacoteca Provinciale
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Behind the impressive neoclassical façade of the Palazzo Della Provincia, you’ll find the Pinacoteca Provinciale. The collection focuses firmly on southern Italian artists and the works span centuries.
Pieces include fragments of 11th-century sculpture blown off churches during WWII, 13th-century icons and 15th-century Venetian altarpieces, huge canvases from the 17th- and 18th-century Neapolitan school, and a few 19th-century pieces.
San Domino
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Head to San Domino for walks, grottoes and coves. It has a pristine, marvelous coastline and the islands’ only sandy beach, Calla delle Arene. Alongside the beach is the small cove Grotto dell’Arene, with calm clear waters for swimming.
You can also take a boat trip (€12 to €15 from the port) around the island to explore the grottoes: the largest, Grotta Del Bue Marino, is 70m long. A tour around all three islands costs €15 to €17. Diving in the translucent sea is another option with Tremiti Diving Center. There’s an undemanding, but enchanting, walking track around the island, starting at the far end of the village.
Piazza Del Duomo
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Piazza Del Duomo is a baroque feast, the city’s focal point and a sudden open space amid the surrounding enclosed lanes. During times of invasion the inhabitants of Lecce would barricade themselves in the square, which has conveniently narrow entrances.
The 12th-century cathedral is one of Giuseppe Zimbalo’s finest works – he was also responsible for the 68m‑high bell tower. The cathedral is unusual in that it has two facades, one on the western end and the other, more ornate, facing the piazza. It’s framed by the 15th-century Palazzo Vescovile (Episcopal Palace) and the 18th-century Seminario, designed by Giuseppe Cino.
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