Let me start by telling you that two days in Puglia is too short to fully enjoy this beautiful region. However, we had two spare days during our honeymoon and decided to drive up to Puglia from the Amalfi coast. This seemed like a smart choice as the weather at the Amalfi coast can be kind of sketchy, while Puglia usually is blessed with sun. However when we visited Puglia, this turned out to be the other way around, with stormy weather in Puglia, but we did not let that defeat us. Puglia is slowly getting on the tourist’s radar, when we visited in May 2019 there was no need to make reservations for restaurants and restaurants were really affordable compared to the Amalfi coast. The roads in Puglia were a little more rough than other parts of Italy and there was hardly any traffic, this made driving more fun and it gave the feeling like you were discovering a hidden gem. We hired a Fiat 500, which did not make sense during the storm, but it still was great!
Where to stay
Our trip was focused on the northern part of Puglia and we therefore decided to stay in Ostuni. Of course we had to stay in a Trullo which is quintessential for the region. You can find Trulli literally everywhere in the surroundings of Alberobello. We took a drive for a day and spotted whole “families” of Trulli in the countryside. We found our Trullo on Airbnb and it cost € 100 a night and included a pool that you share with some other rooms. From our Trullo it was a short drive to the city center of Ostuni. We loved our romantic Trullo, the surroundings were super quiet and we got countryside vibes, while being in the proximity of a cute little town.
If you are going for a longer trip to Puglia, I recommend to also stay some nights in the in proximity of Otranto and do daytrips from there.
Our itinerary
- Matera (lunchtime).
- Ostuni (afternoon/evening).
- Alberobello (morning).
- Polignano a Mare (lunchtime).
To be honest, it was easy to combine visits to these cities as the weather was not very good (except for Polignano a Mare). We usually like to have wine on the terrace and do some people watching, but we skipped on that in Puglia.
However we did see Van Gogh like landscapes such as these:
Matera
Matera is a Unesco world heritage site and the cultural capital of Europe in 2019. Because of the buzz around the city I discovered this place and added it to our honeymoon itinerary. It actually is not located in Puglia, but it is a short drive and I would absolutely recommend visiting while you are in the area. Matera consists of a historical medieval center and Sassi (houses in grottos), which are both worthwhile to visit. The city does not contain a lot of color, which is why I think the pictures don’t do the city justice. While walking around in Matera I felt like I was walking on a film set of the Middle Ages and it was much more special than I expected. Puglia is also the (unofficial) culinary capital of Italy and we had a delicious lunch in a restaurant which was situated in a grotto. I would recommend to spend at least three hours exploring Matera.
Ostuni
Ostuni is the white city of Puglia. The historical center is located on a hill, is really small and contains super cute alleyways. We had dinner at Trattoria Sapere E Sapori and loved our meal and the service. You can see that Ostuni is becoming more popular because they have trendy, cocktail bars. After dinner we went to Riccardo Café for cocktails, the cocktails were delicious, but the place was a little too trendy for us (we felt it had less soul). The authenticity and rough beauty of Ostuni make the visit worthwile, so I recommend going to Puglia as soon as possible (before fancy beach clubs and touristy restaurants take over the region).
Alberobello
Alberobello kind of felt like a tourist trap. I was warned for this, but I thought it would be impossible to visit Puglia and not visit Alberobello. I just had to see all the Trulli together, and apparently so did everybody else… I hoped that it would be quiet because we were visiting during a storm, but unfortunately no. Alberobello is really crowded and small, it did not feel authentic at all. There are groups everywhere, which just didn’t work with the small alleyways and little houses/restaurants. I could not enjoy it, inspite of all the beautiful Trulli. It is a nice place for photography (if you’re patient), but if you’re short on time you can skip it. You can find Trulli elsewhere. I heard it’s okay really early in the morning.
Polignano a Mare
Polignano a Mare has the best swimming of the North of Puglia. Apparently, the South has better beaches and swimming (Otranto and Baia dei Turchi for example), but Polignano a Mare is your next best option of the North. The views of the sea and the town are simply stunning. Hielke loved to swim in the beautiful bay even though it was really cold in May. I did not like the center of the town as much as I liked Ostuni, Ostuni was more like a rough diamond, while Polignano a Mare already felt touristy. Still, it has a nice vibe, so not a bad spot to visit.
