Puglia & Basilicata Holidays

Discover an off-the-beaten-track taste of southern Italy on Puglia and Basilicata holidays, celebrating a land of wine, oil and medieval caves.

There’s your first view of those unique hobbit-sized cone-roofed Trulli houses that look like they’ve come straight out of a fairytale book. Then there’s the sizzling arid landscape enveloped by ancient olive trees and yellow camomile fields, and mile upon mile of staggering coastline lapped by Adriatic and Ionian Seas. This is the road less travelled - a ‘diamond in the rough’ of fishing, farming and siestas amongst endless vineyards, rolling waves and rural towns where you’ll taste some of the best pastas and oils in Italy and those famed super-charged Apulian wines.

Ask us what makes holidays to Puglia and Basilicata special and we’ll tell you about the whitewashed village of Ostuni and its majestic 15th central cathedral, the early morning golden glow of ancient Sassi limestone cave dwellings and the secret salt-pan spots inside Saline Margherita di Savoia’s nature reserve where, each year, a huge colony of flamingos migrate. We’ll make sure you don’t miss the ornate Baroque architecture and medieval frescoes in Lecce, the glittering crown of stalactites inside Castellana Grotte and the hot springs and beach bars of Torre Canne.

An adventure through bewitching mountain, forest and beaches in the ‘heel’ and ‘instep’ of Italy’s boot and perfectly suited to a self-drive itinerary, Puglia and Basilicata holidays are delightfully peaceful and relatively tourist-free. Come here to see a maze of medieval footprints left by the Byzantines, Greeks and Normans, to hike Basilicata’s Ionian coast and for the luxury of having this virtually untouched region almost to yourself.

Whether you want a Baroque city stay or to be a walk away from the famous Trulli, give us a call and we’ll create your perfect Puglia and Basilicata holiday.

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Puglia & Basilicata Hotels

Our recommendations for the best places to stay in Puglia & Basilicata

Hotel Ostuni Palace

A beautifully renovated and welcoming hotel overlooking the ‘White City’ of Ostuni.

Risorgimento Resort

A distinguished landmark hotel in the heart of the beautiful Baroque city of Lecce.

Canne Bianche Lifestyle Hotel

A stylish base for exploring the unspoilt region of Puglia.

Grand Hotel Olimpo

This simple hotel is just a short stroll from the UNESCO-listed town of Alberobello.

Masseria Il Melograno

A 400-year-old white-washed building close to Monopoli.

Get to know Puglia & Basilicata and those important practicalities when planning your perfect holiday.

Capital
TIME DIFFERENCE

GMT +1 hour

CURRENCY

Euro

FLYING TIME TO DESTINATION

Approximately 3 hours

RELIGION

Christianity (Roman Catholic)

LANGUAGE

Italian

Where is Puglia & Basilicata?
In southern Italy, bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the southeast, Puglia is covered by woods, forests and mountains on one side and miles of coastline on the other. Its southern most city is Salento, which makes up the ‘heel’ in the boot of Italy, and the region borders Campania, Molise and Basilicata. The mountainous region of Basilicata borders the Gulf of Taranto and the Tyrrhenian Sea and is divided into two provinces, Matera and Potenza.

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Getting around
Ideal for a self-drive holiday, Puglia and Basilicata’s roads connect you to all the main towns. Buses and trains will also take you to the majority of towns and sights. City buses travel throughout downtown areas and tickets need to be purchased in advance from tobacco shops. The old towns have lots of narrow alleyways and steep inclines, so are not advisable for those with walking difficulties.

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Food & drink
Thanks to its fertile land and proximity to the sea, expect an abundance of fresh seafood, rustic cuisine and farm-to-table delights. You’ll find local producers offering crops of tomatoes, figs and fennel and vineyards producing deep red wines from the primitivo grape. Due to the heat, lunch is usually a light affair – a fresh salad on a shady terrace or fresh fish on a beach – but come late afternoon as the temperature cools, things really start to pick up. Expect home-style hearty cuisine, artisanal treats and lots of gelato. Puglia is also famous for its freshly made pasta, oils and cheeses – look out for orecchiette, troccoli and cavatelli pastas and canestrato pugliese and burrata di Andria cheeses.

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Ostuni
Perfect for history and culture lovers, the beautiful ‘White City’ surrounded by olive groves and a network of medieval streets, alleys and arches has an historic centre with an impressive 15th-Century cathedral. From here you can easily reach the Puglia coast and countryside by bicycle or car.

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Alberobello
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Alberobello is home to over 1500 whitewashed Trulli - extraordinary dry stone buildings with conical, white-tipped roofs. These 14th-Century limestone dwellings were originally built to avoid the high taxes applied to stable buildings but nowadays serve as homes, restaurants and shops. Wander the lanes of Rione Monti, browse the little souvenir shops and enjoy a glass of local wine at one of the Trulli bars.

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Lecce
Lecce is known as ‘Florence of the South’ due to the magnificent Baroque architecture complementing a maze of narrow streets lined with boutiques, antique shops and charming restaurants. It also has a rich history and the central square, Piazza Sant’Oronzo, lies on a Roman amphitheatre. Stroll to the Basilica di Santa Croce, one of the most beautiful examples of southern Baroque buildings and head to Piazza del Duomo for the stunning 12th-Century cathedral with its ornate facade and 68 metre-tall bell tower.

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Monopoli
This former Venetian trading port is a popular coastal resort of ancient ruins, tranquil sandy coves, sea caves and charming hilltop villages. The historic quarter surrounds a 16th-Century castle and Roman and Bronze Age settlements. Visit the fortified abbey of Santo Stefano and explore the eight-mile stretch of coast sprinkled with picturesque beaches.

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