Finding Myself in Puglia: A Journey of Self-Discovery Under the Warm Southern Italian Sun

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Inside the town which is often missed on the striking coastal photographs, is a maze of white-washed streets behind the main walls. Gelato parlours are decorated with colourful flower pots, and squares offering alfresco dining dish out Puglian specialities. A train connects Polignano a Mare to Bari Airport, which also makes it one of the most accessible towns to visit on your Puglia trip. The traditional Trullo (Trulli) of Alberobello Alberobello

Things To Do in Puglia: Places to Visit, Attractions 20 Best Things To Do in Puglia: Places to Visit, Attractions

With the highest concentrated density of Trullo in the region, Alberobello is a sure-fire bet to see them though, and the towns many tourist facilities, restaurants and visiting tour buses are a testament to that. Alberobello Trulli, with their conical shaped roofs It's a thorny issue in Italy, and whilst you may see some brave Italians placing towels right at the water's edge, directly in front of the lido’s sun loungers, technically they're on private property and could be moved along. It unfortunately meant that we pulled up to what we thought as a beautiful beach area on a couple of occasions, only to find it an explosion of signs, sunbeds and people, meaning we didn't even get out of the car. The first town visitors encounter as they approach Gargano is Manfredonia. From here, it’s a short drive to the expansive beaches of Mattinata, a great place to base yourself. I stayed at Hotel Residence Il Porto, which I absolutely loved! The rooms were comfortable and offered stunning views of the coast and sea below. Search for hotels in Mattinata (Booking.com). Views from Hotel Residence Il Porto in Mattinata. Places to visit on the Gargano Peninsula However, the very worst crime in this book was the appalling grammar, not even worthy of a 12 year old. Whole words omitted, some misspelled, ends of words missed off, changes of tense within one phrase and punctuation which I've never witnessed ever before. Unbelievable. Did she not even read through her own manuscript? I could make no sense of most of her writing (and she refers to herself rather pretentiously as one of 'us writerly people' (!) Oh please. Repetition of words, the incessant use of 'and' and 'then' (opportunities when - ironically -you could legitimately use a comma to replace those words, making the sentence flow so much easier). We were regaled with the constant repetition of phrases and ideas, which proved no more effective the second or third time around. Blah. Blah. LBB's 'purple prose' style of writing meant she felt compelled to furnish her pronouncements with extra superfluous phrases, totally demolishing the effect. Less, far less is more. Once you've made the sale, don't keep selling! This Puglia guide contains links to three services I often use myself and can recommend: Skyscanner (for flights), Booking.com (for hotel bookings), Rentalcars.com (for car hire) and GetYourGuide (for easy-to-book tours). If you make a booking via one of these services, I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). These commissions help me to maintain my blog and share more travel experiences with you. Arriving in PugliaTo those that have travelled extensively in Italy, this won't come as a surprise. Cuisine here is fairly regional, with most restaurants serving a variation on a theme all year round. The town used to be completely walled off, and the large squares, little restaurants and spotless setting make this an ideal lunch stop if nothing else. While here be sure to sample Capocollo, one of the best cured meats in Italy. In fact, most of Puglia’s most celebrated cured offerings come from Martina Franca. City centre cooling down in Otranto Otranto

places to visit in Puglia on a self-drive Guide to the best places to visit in Puglia on a self-drive

Puglia as a region offers something for everyone; and if you are like me, you’ll want to try everything it offers! I recommend spending at least 4-5 days in the Itria Valley, in my view one of the best places to visit in Puglia. Of all the towns in this area, Alberobello (a UNESCO World Heritage town) is the biggest draw. A good town to have as a base from which to explore the rest of the valley is Martina Franca because of its strategic location on an intersection of major regional roads. Alberobello Most visitors to Puglia tend not to visit the south-west part of the heel, and we were also guilty of this. So while I haven’t visit Gallipoli myself, I’ve heard a few people say ‘skip it, tourist trap’ but far more crying out we were crazy for not including it on our road trip.Central Puglia is also home to Valle d’Itria or Itria Valley, an area famous for its ‘trulli’ (whitewashed, cone-roofed houses), charming towns and agricultural products. Trulli can be found all across the Itria Valley.