A few reasons to consider a trip to Italy's heel this year!
I remember when our school took us on a gita (class trip) trip in 2001. Ask any Italian about gite; most will light up enthusiastically and tell you how fun it was!
The gita scolastica is a multi-day class trip you would take with your class (and a few others) once a year. During middle school, on the 3rd and final year, our teachers took us to Puglia!
I was about 12, and I still remember a few things from that trip: the Castellana Grottos, Fasano's Zoo Safari, and an already very touristy Alberobello. I still have a beautiful, hand-made decorated ceramic trullo that I brought home, anticipating the later, almost iconic status the little cone-shaped house gained internationally. I'm pretty sure I paid something between 5 and 10,000 liras.
Back then (around 1999), Puglia was not the popular, rising tourist destination we know today. Like many places in Southern Italy then, Puglia had a reputation for being quite undeveloped economically and plagued by the local mafia-style crime.
Bari, for example, was considered a very dangerous city. Bari Vecchia (Old Bari, the most historical part of the town) was in the hands of local families and gangs, making it impossible and unsafe to visit the city center surrounded by its ancient walls.
Then, in the last 20 years, the region underwent a true rebirth.
If you talk to locals, it was a mix of factors. Mostly, a shift in mentality and politics. Something positive was brewing for quite a while before the right people finally found themselves in the right spot. Slowly but surely, Puglia started to come out for the stunning, unique, gorgeous region it is.
Like an ancient tapestry that endured decades of dirt but returned to its shiny form once power-washed, Bari literally flourished. Nowadays, Bari Vecchia is a gorgeous, wholly restored, charming, safe part of the city, booming with restaurants, boutique hotels, and ancient forni.
Puglia is absolutely the rising star of Italian travel.
A region of over 500 miles of coastline, "kissed" by the sun a good 300 days per year. A region where you can find a strong Greek cultural and archaeological presence. An area that boasts over 60 million olive trees producing something around 70% of the Italian extra virgin olive oil production (so many Italians have a "friend" in Puglia that ships them the "good" extra virgin olive oil from the region). A region where some of the most famous, internationally acclaimed Italian foods come from: burrata, orecchiette pasta, and focaccia, to name a few.
Most importantly, a region that boasts cities like Lecce, the stunning "Florence of the South", Bari, with its gorgeous "Bari Vecchia", the charming smaller towns of Alberobello, famous for its trulli houses, Ostuni, the white city standing tall in front of thousands of olive trees, Gallipoli, a coastal gem… this game could go on forever.
Think of Puglia like this: It is an extended, thin region with an impossibly beautiful landscape that mixes trulli houses, stone walls, and white coastal villages. There are also smaller beaches, gorgeous plants and flowers, olive trees, and a sea background that keeps you constantly company traveling north to south.
Think of smaller towns protected by ancient walls, tiny cobblestone streets, white houses, churches, and towers. Think of little shops, excellent restaurants, and gelaterie (gelato shops). Think of fantastic weather (almost) all year around. Think of a region where, like Tuscany, every village has something unique, historical, and architectural worth visiting.
Most importantly, think about the people. As often happens with Southern Italians, the heart is at the core of every interaction. Show the pugliesi some appreciation and respect; they will give you genuine, warm hospitality. Southern hospitality is the warm, comforting feeling of feeling loved and accepted. A warm smile, an authentic interaction: often, this beautiful attitude materializes with something given to you for free, whether it be gelato or coffee.
I'm a romantic. After leading tours on behalf of G Adventures and National Geographic all over Italy and Western Europe, I developed an appreciation for unique travel experiences. Authenticity can often be found in regions where mass tourism has yet to arise and where locals are still the predominant demographic. Traveling like this means truly discovering Italy, and Puglia offers endless chances to connect with its people!
Since I love Puglia, I want to share some tips for visiting this southern Italian region.
Rent a car … discover Puglia!
Rent a car. Get lost. From the Gargano area to Salento, you could travel around this long and thin Italian region for months and find infinite little gems. The region is very diverse. From the Valle d'Itria and its charming countryside made of gentle hills and authentic, enchanting villages to Salento, at the bottom of the region, every town, village, and borgo has a magical mix of history, architecture, and cuisine to offer.
Most importantly, a car (or a private driver) will allow you to discover the proper side of the region and introduce you to the pleasure of mindless exploration. Get into a town you never heard of, park your car near the historic center, walk around the piazza, stop for a coffee or pasticciotto, stroll around, and venture into a local church, museum, or shop! If you feel inspired, use your Italian vocabulary to ask for the best gelato or restaurant in town; locals will give you the best tips. Locals might not have seen a foreign traveler for a while; you might make their day, and, in return, you might have the most memorable meal in a restaurant that you will most likely never see promoted on social media.
Travel Off Season
Last year, we decided to spend a month in Puglia in February. We rented a cozy little apartment right on the Monopoli coastline. The weather was absolutely divine, with warm temperatures ranging from 60 to almost 70 during the day. A stunning, small beach faced us every morning, telling us "Buongiorno" with its pristine, blue water. We would walk to the local bar in the morning to get our cornetto (Italian croissant) and cappuccino. My mid-morning snack was an unmissable pleasure: a barese focaccia. A crunchy, tall, oily focaccia dotted by local, extra juicy cherry tomatoes. The natural, simple flavors of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and tomato created a divine, crunchy orchestra in our mouth. I was and still am as convinced that the recipe for "felicità" is a lazy stroll through the Monopoli, ancient coastline, on a sunny winter day, holding a focaccia in your hand.
Of course, traveling off-season will also allow you to have the place (almost) all for yourself, as well as meet locals and share the city with them. While Puglia is not internationally as well-known yet, Italians flock to the region in hundreds of thousands during the summer to enjoy the region's stunning beaches and sublime food. Traveling off-season will allow you to enjoy the area in peace and harmony.
Taste the local food and wine!
We just mentioned the pleasure of biting on such a simple food as focaccia. In fact, focaccia is not even a dish but simply one of the many delicacies you can order from any forno (bakery) in Puglia. When visiting Puglia, there is quite a risk: you might not be ready for all its excellent food.
Some Italian regions specialize in meat or seafood, vegetables, or wines. For some reason, God gave Puglia almost all the good stuff to sip and taste. In Puglia, you can taste some excellent seafood in the many beautiful coastal towns that dot the endless coastline from Gargano to Santa Maria di Leuca. Meat also plays a big part in the region: spend a night in Locorotondo, in one of its many butcher shops/restaurants, and savor some of the juiciest meats, such as the famous bombette. Cheese plays another sport category in Puglia. Take burrata, for example: this cheese, one of the most sought-after fresh cheeses in almost every US Italian restaurant, is a regional delicacy.
Finally, the wine. Puglia is home to some truly exciting native grapes. The region truly offers exciting wines from Primitivo to Negramaro to the lesser-known Susumaniello and Ottavianello. Plus, Puglia is home to some excellent roses as well. If you want to learn how to make burrata or visit a dairy farm or winery, you can join me on my Essence of Puglia small group tour this October.
Embrace Puglia's Traditions
Last year, my wife and I decided to visit a little town called Putignano in February. From Monopoli, one of our favorite towns in the region, we drove through beautiful hills, passing hundreds of Trulli-shaped houses and olive oil fields in the Valle d'Itria countryside. After about 40 minutes, we arrived at a smaller town called Putignano. Putignano, a town with Greek origins, is a typical pugliese town, with a remarkable centro storico, made of squares, little roads, ancient palaces, and charming corners left and right. Putignano is also home to one of the most incredible Carnival celebrations in the country. The Carnevale di Putignano is an excellent, mindblowing, open-air festival, where the most artistic, complex carnival floats parade the roads, moving around, emitting sounds, and entertaining thousands of visitors, all dressed up in Carnival costumes, and armed with confetti, and all sorts of carnival decorations! The city becomes an open-air amusement park with streets filled with parties, food, wine, music, and art! The celebrations go on for days.
Visit a Dairy Farm or Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mill
There is no way you can leave the region without visiting one of the many fascinating frantoi ipogei (underground olive oil mill) with their gorgeous, centuries-old olive trees or caseifici (dairy farm). Meeting the local producers and the animals and learning about the tradition of cheese making or extra virgin olive oil production is so ingrained into the local culture that you simply can't miss it. Also, have you ever taken part in an authentic, high-quality, extra virgin olive oil tasting? Have you tried making your own burrata or mozzarella cheese and tasting it straight from the source? I know for a fact ( I saw it many times with my travelers!) that you want to experience it at least once in your lifetime!
There are many more reasons and things worth discovering in this beautiful region! And if you would like to experience all of this and way more with us, I would love to have you on the small-group tour I'm leading this coming October. We developed this 8-night, 9-day tour with the greatest attention to detail to allow our travelers to truly experience the Essence of Puglia! Should we embrace Puglia insieme (together)?
We’re always down to travel back to this magical Italian Southern region!
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