Italy has become one of my favorite travel destinations and my recent trip to Puglia only made it better! After an amazing trip to the Amalfi coast visiting Capri and Positano, I decided to venture out to Puglia, often referred to the ‘Heel of the boot.’ It’s definitely less touristy compared to the Amalfi coast and best experienced by car! I stayed in 3 different cities to fully experience the region. Here’s where I stayed, ate, and drank in each of the city.
Polignano a mare
This is one of the more well-known cities and definitely do-able without a car. It’s famous for Lama Monachile beach and you can spend days walking and exploring the city.
Stay
We stayed at this charming B&B and it was perfect! Room with a balcony was spacious and you get a view of the ocean and the iconic bridge from the balcony. Located right in the center of the city, all the popular and great spots are within walking distance (less than 1-5 minutes).
Eat & drink
Antiche Mura: There’s no view but the indoor setting here is really romantic. They have a mix of traditional and unique dish centered around seafood. We enjoyed our uni + oyster pasta, pasta with red prawn with zucchini flower, and fish soup!
Morus Sapori & Sentori: Located by the water with a little bit of the view, another great seafood restaurant! We had uni pasta, lobster pasta, and lobster catalan.
La Casa Del Mojito: Had the best ginger mojito here! They make all of them with fresh ingredients and do not skimp on them either.
Aquamarea: Menu/drinks are not too special but it’s located right on the popular viewpoint of the beach/city. Small pedestrian streets are not well recognized by Google maps but it’s easy to just follow the streets and navigate towards this direction.
Ostuni
Ostuni is often referred as the mid-point base for Puglia as it’s 1.5 hr from the main airport Bari and ~2hrs from the southern most part of Puglia. It’s not right on the coast but has lots of charming Masserias, which are Italian bed and breakfast farm stay. We stayed here for 2 nights and loved the quite and relaxed experience. It is also close to Alberobello UNESCO World Heritage Site, town of trulli and you can find places to stay inside a trullo.
Stay
We stayed at the most adorable and picturesque Masseria with a huge pool area. I absolutely loved the stay and highly recommend. Not all rooms are Trulli and there are only a handful of them so book early if you want to stay in one!
Eat & drink
Borgo Antico Bistrot: Located in the middle of switchback streets, such a fun unique place to enjoy aperitivo before dinner. We had an amazing fresh cheese charcuterie plate with a few drinks. There’s a cute instagrammable blue door on top of the street.
Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale: Great traditional local dish that features affordable tasting menu at 35-45euro. We opted for a la carte because we like trying a little bit of everything. A couple dishes were a bit too salty for me but overall was a nice place to grab dinner and try regional food.
We didn’t get to try all the places I’ve bookmarked but also have heard great things about Ristorante Taverna della Gelosia, Vicolo 43, and Dish
Otranto
We chose Otranto as our base to explore the Southern most tip of the region and loved the city. Expansive sandy beach and the castle in the city center added to the charm!
Stay
We booked this one last minute and it served us well. Clean and spacious close to the city. Since we knew we were getting the Masseria experience a room with a view at other cities, we were not picky here other than the location. I’d say you should be good as long as you are within walking distance to the city center and have access to parking!
Eat & drink
L'Ortale Ristoro SAlentissimo: I loved this hidden wine garden. Lots of choices by the glass or bottle (each bottle was only 15-20) and the garden was the most relaxing place to sit and drink.
Latrobaffo: Booked this place when I saw uni pasta on the menu, which is one of my favorites! They gave out mini Aperol spritz as a welcome drink 🙌 and had a great seafood focused menu. It’s on the expensive side but we enjoyed every minute and bite here!
Classe 80: Another seafood spot! Loved the fried mixed seafood platter here along with some unique pasta dishes. I asked for a tomato sauce on the side like a noob and was given a bowl of the best freshly made garlicky tomato sauce I’ve ever had 😂
I spent ~2.5 days in each area and it was truly one of the best weeks I’ve had 🥰 Can’t recommend Puglia enough! If you are planning a trip, see more updates and ask me any questions via DM @fine.vining
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