Pulgia

Our first trip to Puglia was in May of 2024.  I had been wanting to explore this region for a long time, so I was excited to venture from town to town and soak it all up!  Each town looks like a movie set from 50 years ago- the people are darling and the food is fabulous!  We chose to stay in one place and take day trips from there. It was so nice to come back “home” and relax later in the afternoon by the pool  without having to unpack.   A rental car is essential for accessing the small towns.  Our concierge gave us specific parking areas to put in Google Maps, which took us right to the entrance of the historic areas.(see below)

We stayed at the Masseria Torre Maizza, outside of Fasano.  It was beautiful, definitely a treat!  There are many Masserias (converted farm houses) all around- check out YOLO Journal- she has several rec’s in Puglia.

We had 4 full days to explore and we broke them down as follows:

ALBEROBELLO

Day 1:  Alberobello- A UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for the iconic Trulli.  

Parking: Via Independenza

Polignano a Mare- picturesque town on the water

Monopoli- beautiful to walk around.

Parking: Piazza Vittorio Emanuele

Lunch: Locanda sul Porto- delicious seafood

MONOPOLI

MATERA

Day 2: Matera- We drove 1 ½ hours to this fabulous town, rich in history.  

Parking: Parking Scotellaro

Lunch:  We choose to grab an easy lunch at Paoluccio- famous for its focaccia, with a line down the street.

Day 3: Locorotondo- beautiful hilltop town

Parking: Viale Olimpia

Shopping- Via dei Miracoli.  Beautiful handmade linen women’s clothing, baby clothes and goods for the home.

Ostuni- Classic town made up of all white buildings.

Parking: Via Tenente Antonio Specchia

Lunch: Osteria del Tempo Perso - a must!  Just finding it is an adventure!

Martina Franca

Parking: Via Gabriele D’Annunzio

LECCE

Day 4: Lecce- gorgeous small city with 5 very important churches. 

You can purchase one ticket to enter all of them at the information office across from the main Duomo.

Lunch: Osteria da Angiulino - very local and easy. 

Otranto- I was really sad to miss Otranto, but it was a super windy day, so we were advised to skip being on this waterfront town.  Now we have a reason to return to Puglia!!  

Be sure to eat lots of seafood and Orecchiette shaped pasta, known for being from here.

And, don’t miss the delicious pastries called Pasticciotto!  Bruce sampled them everywhere we went!