Travel to Puglia, Italy – Episode 846

Hear about a 7-day itinerary in Puglia in southern Italy as the Amateur Traveler talks to Kate Storm from OurEscapeClause.com about her trips to this up-and-coming destination.

Why should someone go to Puglia?

Kate says, “I am a travel blogger and I adore Italy. Love Italy. Been to a lot of Italy. It’s been about a year there if you add it all up. And Pulia is this region on the heel of the boot. It’s known for its beaches and we actually had a trip booked there in 2020 and we were gonna do this whole big thing. We all know how that story ends, but we finally made it in 2022 and did a huge trip, which was great.”

“Essentially Pulia is best known for a few things. Its beaches, Its adorable whitewash towns, and the fact that it is one of Italy’s more affordable beach destinations, which is of course a draw.”

Kate recommends flying into the capital of Bari and then basing yourself further south in the town of Monopoli. Use this as a base to explore the coast. Head back north to the picturesque town of Polignano a Mare (pictured above) with its cliffs and blue-green water. Spend a day at a beach club on the coast (a lido). Try the local carbs including the focaccia and the orecchiette (little ears) pasta. 

Then spend a night in the town of Alberobello in the warm interior. Kate suggested you book a stay in one of the Trulli houses that the region is known for. These white stone buildings with conical roofs are the reason that Alberobello is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Watch the sunset from the roof. Alberobello can get quite warm and quite crowded in the tourist season which is why Kate suggests spending the night there. Explore the town before the tour buses show up around 10 am.

On the way to Alberobello, you can explore some of the other whitewashed mountain towns like Locorotondo, Martina Franca, or Ostuni.

Just over the border from Puglia in the province to Matera is the nearby town of Sassi di Matera. People lived in the caves in this region starting around 7,000 B.C. and many continued to live in caves until uprooted by Benito Mussolini. This is another UNESCO site. If it looks familiar then it is probably because a number of well-known movies were filmed here such as The Passion of the Christ, Wonder Woman, and James Bond 007 “No Time to Die”.

It is time to head back to the shore and the beach and Kate recommends staying in Otranto near where the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea meet. It has beautiful beaches and a castle in town. Stop in the Cathedral of Otranto and look for the well-known ossuary chapel. The beautiful Bay of Turkey commemorates when the Ottomans captured the town in the late 1400s and held it for more than a year. A particularly picturesque swimming spot is the Poetry Cave which looks more like a cenote.

Take a side trip across the peninsula to the beautiful city of Gallipoli (the name literally means beautiful city).

If you have more time Kate recommends heading north of Bari which has even fewer tourists. Visit the Gargano National Park or take a boat out to the Tremiti Islands.

If you love history or just love beautiful coastlines, Puglia should be on your next itinerary.

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Show Notes

Our Escape Clause
Apulia
Bari
Monopoli
Gelateria Bella Blu Monopoli
Ferragosto
Polignano a Mare
Orecchiette
Trattoria San Domenico
The King Street Food
Trullo
Alberobello
Locorotondo
Martina Franca
Ostuni
Trullo Sovrano (Alberobello)
Trullo Siamese (Alberobello)
Ristorante Pizzeria Il Pinnacolo, Alberobello
Sassi di Matera
Films shot in Matera
Otranto
Ossuary Chapel of the Cathedral of Otranto
Taranto Catherdral – Duomo of San Cataldo
Baia dei Turchi Otranto
History of Taranto
Castello Aragonese (Taranto)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Taranto
Poetry Cave – Grotta della Poesia – Salento
Gallipoli, Apulia
Lecce
Trani
Gargano National Park
Isole Tremiti
Pasticciotto
Italian Taralli
The Perfect 7 Day Puglia Road Trip Itinerary

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