Italy’s best kept secret

Protected by its previous lack of international airports, Puglia is still what we all think of when we think of Italy: great food, ancient architecture and a welcoming people whose attitude to life is a holiday in itself.

Puglia is about enjoying yourself: going out to dinner is cheap and children are welcome everywhere. And there is always something to do and a town to visit. Indeed, Lecce has been described as the loveliest baroque city in the Mediterranean.

About Puglia, Italy

In many ways, this region will be the biggest surprise of Italy's south. From the forests and shining limestone cliffs of the beautiful Gargano peninsula in the north, through the long plain of the Tavoliere to the southernmost tip of Italy's heel, Puglia offers the most variety of any of the southern regions, not only in nature, but in its towns and in its art. In Puglia, you can see Byzantine art around Taranto, a score or so of Europe's finest Romanesque cathedrals, Santa Claus' tomb, the end of the Appian Way at Brindisi, Lecce - the loveliest Baroque city in the Mediterranean - and a region of buildings shaped like oil cans.

You can see all of this for yourself when you visit the area, just click one of the links to view information about the things there are to do in the area of Puglia:

 

Timezones

Puglia is within southern Italy. Italy is one hour ahead of Greenwich MeanTime and six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Summer is generally from the last weekend of March to the end of October.

Getting about

Il Trappeto is only a five-minute walk to Ostuni’s train station which is on the main line from Bari to Lecce. Ideal for visiting towns and indulging in a long lunch. Otherwise, we are only five minutes from the main coastal highway.

Information

Italy's state tourist board, ENIT has offices or booths in most of the main towns and resorts around the country. Generally, they are all open from around 8am till 12.30pm or 1pm and then from 3pm till around 7pm, this can sometimes be extended in the summer.

These offices are generally known as EPT, AAST, or APT. They can provide hotel lists, town plans and information about local sites that may be of interest.

It should be pointed out that some of these centres can get quite busy with queues developing at the height of the season. You can seek information from your travel agency too and it would be advised to do so. You can ususally get a sense of the kinds of things around the area you are visiting by reading a guide or asking your travel agent for any information they may have.

Geography

Puglia is situated in the heel of Italy. Its outside heel runs along the Adriatic and its instep runs along the Ionian. Its major towns are Brindisi, Bari, Lecce, Gallipoli and Otranto.

Lying on a water basin, Puglia is extremely fertile and was heavily settled by the ancient Greeks who planted its famous olive groves and vines. Hence, the Romans called it Magna Graecia.

The landscape, with its thousands of olive trees intermingled with huge prickly pear cacti and honey-coloured dry stone walls, is most unusual and more reminiscent of parts of Greece than Italy.