Vacation In Puglia Italy
When the hot Italian summer comes, Italians run to their vacations. Pack your bags with this amazing vacation in Puglia Italy.
If you are planning to take a vacation in the year 2016, you must consider Puglia region as one of your vacation destinations. As a matter of fact, this region is considered as the best vacation destinations for tourists who love the beach and countryside combination. Here are just some of what you’ll experience when you go on a vacation in Puglia.
The Puglia Region is a good spot for sunseekers, with the longest coastline of any region in Italy (1,072 km). It gets hot here too, with plenty of beaches to choose from: over five hundred. But Puglia is so much more than just holidays on the beach. In fact, you’d be missing out if that’s all you ticked off your list when planning your holiday. Puglia has something for everyone.
Puglia is a beautiful and peaceful region of Italy that’s famous for its turquoise waters, whitewashed buildings, and stunning beaches. When you’re staying in Puglia, it’s easy to enjoy your vacation from the moment you arrive at the airport or your train station. There are several major airports in Puglia where you’ll land.
Puglia is a region in southern Italy with a rich culture, pleasant climate and breathtaking scenery. From the white sandy beaches of the Adriatic sea to the rolling hills of green vineyards, Puglia has something for everyone.
Vacation In Puglia Italy
If you’re a keen follower of Along Dusty Roads, you’ll know that we fell a little bit – okay, a lot – in love with Puglia during our first road trip to the region.
And for good reason.
This delightful southern region of Italy, with its stunning coastline, cute little towns and villages, quaint countryside vibe, and oh so very Italian way-of-life has everything one would hope to find – whether it’s your first time in the country or sixth.
As with every holiday however, knowing a little more about what to expect (and some insider tips from people that have already been) can be the difference between a good trip and a great trip. So, that’s where this post comes in.
Keep on reading to discover 17 really useful things to know before visiting Puglia – and lots of advice to help you plan your own holiday in a glorious part of Italy.
A WEEK OR TWO IS PERFECT!
If you’re in the planning stages of your Puglia holiday, then you should know that the southern region of Italy – it’s the ‘heel of the boot’ if you look at the map – is perfect for a week, or even better if done in two.
For those of you aiming to spend around seven days in the region, you have options. Either base yourself somewhere relatively central (Ostuni is a great choice as it’s a destination in itself and is actually where we based ourselves when we returned to Puglia for the second time) and then make a few day trips to beaches and surrounding towns, or if you’re drawn to a number of spots on the map that don’t seem terribly close, pick two different places to call home for your stay.
If you’re planning a trip for ten days to two weeks, then the world is your oyster and you’ll be able to cover a lot of ground and have many fantastic experiences at a really enjoyable pace – we opted to do a road trip and recommend this as the best way to explore Puglia.
LIFE FOLLOWS A SLOWER PACE…
This is a part of the world where the beating heart of community is set firmly in the rhythms of the past.
This means long siestas, shops opening early in the morning and late afternoon (but not in between) and a true sense that however much of a rush you may be in, it really makes very little difference to those that live here.
Sure, it can get a little frustrating when you want to be productive in the afternoon, but instead of fighting it, go with it. Do your sight-seeing in the morning and save the afternoon for beach time, have an extra scoop of gelato for your afternoon treat to tide you over til your late dinner and generally do what the locals do!
If you’re visiting in the peak summer months you may find that this works better for you – those afternoon temperatures are no joke, especially for those not used to the heat!
…AND EVERYTHING IS JUST SO ITALIAN
Yeah we know this sounds ridiculous; we were in Italy after all. However, having previously only spent time in Rome, Venice and Milan, we weren’t prepared for just how Italian Puglia would feel.
Elderly nonnas chatting on the side of the street (each sporting identical haircuts), ‘Ape’ trucks still being used, as, well, trucks, vespas EVERYWHERE and groups of old men playing cards in the late afternoon sun.
It was like watching a movie – and all kinds of fabulous!
This is just one of the reasons we fell in love with Puglia.
THERE’S AN ABUNDANCE OF ITALIAN TOURISTS
Although Puglia has not yet experienced the explosion of tourism so faced by the likes of Cinque Terre on the opposite side of the country, the days of it being an off-the-beaten-track destination are firmly in its past. In fact, after we’d booked our flights and started doing some research, it seemed like everyone was off to Puglia that summer!
There is a silver lining however – outside of Polignano a Mare, the vast majority of tourists are Italian, which means that although there’s still a healthy dose of grey nomads and tour groups, at least you’ll still feel like you’re in Italy.
Top tip // The majority of tourists stick to the coast, so if you have the time we’d highly recommend heading inland for a day or two. We based ourselves in the charming little town of Sternatia for a few nights during our first stay (in this gorgeous little airbnb – still one of our favourites around the world), and had a wonderful slow experience, surrounded by locals and gained a real small town Italian life.