My preferred mode of holiday is a road trip, as I am forever curious about what is around the next corner. So when we planned a week in Puglia, based in one villa rather than moving around, I wondered whether staying put would leave me restless. It did not. From a single base we managed to see hilltop white towns, a UNESCO trulli town, a Roman city and one of the oldest inhabited places on earth, and still had afternoons spare by the pool.
This is our full Puglia itinerary, built from a real week on the ground with our family (our children were in their late teens and early twenties at the time). It covers where Puglia is, when to go, where to stay, how to get around, and a day-by-day plan you can copy or adjust. Each place has its own detailed guide too, which I have linked as we go.
Puglia is the long region that forms the heel of Italy’s boot, running down the south-eastern side of the country with the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Ionian Sea to the south. It sits below Basilicata and Campania, a good drive south of Rome and Naples.
Puglia is the Italian spelling, and Apulia is the older English version. You will see both, and either is fine.
Most one-week trips are based somewhere in the middle of the region, around the Itria Valley, which puts the best-known towns within an hour or so of each other. The map below shows where everything in this itinerary sits, so you can picture the distances before you book anything.
We visited in the third week of August and had bright, sunny days in the high 20s. That said, July before us had seen a heatwave with temperatures in the 40s, so the height of summer can be fierce. Do bear that in mind if anyone in your group struggles with heat.
If you are not tied to UK school holidays, the shoulder seasons of spring and autumn give you milder weather and thinner crowds. One thing worth knowing: the middle two weeks of August are Italy’s own main holiday, so the beaches and popular towns are at their busiest then. We were warned the beaches would be packed from early morning, and they were, so we saved the coast for a future trip.
Here is a quick overview of each place, with a link to our full guide so you can plan each day properly.
The unmistakable trulli town, with around 1,500 conical-roofed houses packed onto a hillside. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a real magnet for tourists, so go early. Read our full guide to visiting Alberobello, including where to park and what to see.
Often called one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, this hilltop town is all whitewashed alleys, valley views and good local wine. It makes a lovely, calmer counterpoint to Alberobello. Here is our guide to where to eat and what to see in Locorotondo.
The main city of the Salento peninsula, and a showcase of ornate Baroque architecture carved from golden Lecce stone, with Roman treasures thrown in. See our guide to a day trip to Lecce.
The White City, glowing on its hilltop and even more atmospheric after dark. Our guide covers an evening visit to Ostuni, the sunset and where to eat.
Technically just over the border in Basilicata, Matera is a city of caves and one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on earth. Together with nearby Gravina, it starred in the opening of No Time To Die. Read our guide to Matera, Gravina and the James Bond locations.
Puglia is villa country. There are options to suit most budgets, group sizes and locations, and basing yourself in one place for the week keeps things calm and cuts down on packing and unpacking. We booked our villa through a well-established, reputable villa company, and arranged flights separately with British Airways because we collect their reward points.
Puglia is famous for its trulli, the old circular buildings with whitewashed stone walls and conical slate roofs, especially around the Itria Valley. Many trulli have been converted into villas, and staying inside one is a lovely experience. They stay surprisingly cool in the heat, too. If you can find a trullo villa that suits your group and budget, I would go for it.
If there is one piece of advice I would push, it is to book a villa with a pool. Cooling off after a hot morning of sightseeing became the highlight of our days, and it is what makes a Puglia villa holiday restful rather than relentless.
Our own villa slept six and sat on the edge of a small inland town called San Michele Salentino, about 30km west of Brindisi and 100km south of Bari. It was quiet, authentic and untouristy, and it made a good springboard for everything below.
Puglia has two main airports, Bari in the north and Brindisi further south. Which one suits you depends on where your villa is and, honestly, which flight times work best.
Our villa was closer to Brindisi, but the Bari flights suited us better, so we accepted the longer drive of around 1.5 hours. If your priority is the shortest transfer, match your airport to your villa’s location. If your priority is a convenient flight, do what we did and take the drive.
You will want a car in Puglia. Public transport between the smaller towns is limited, and the whole appeal of the region is the freedom to potter between them.
Pre-book your hire car so one is waiting on arrival. We learned the hard way that large vehicles can be scarce, and we ended up needing two cars for our party of six because nothing bigger was available. We collected ours from Avis right next to the terminal at Bari.
The driving itself took a little getting used to. The motorways, or autostrade, flow faster and more fluidly than at home, with fewer middle-lane cruisers, but we settled in quickly. Watch out for restricted zones in the old towns, where fines can be steep, and always park in the official car parks and walk up.
With the villa and flights sorted, the fun part is planning your days. We aimed for a balance between relaxing at the villa and getting out to explore. Two rhythms worked for us: either early starts followed by lazy afternoons by the pool, or alternating a full day out with a full day off. With later-rising young adults in the group, we mostly did the latter.
That gave us three main sightseeing days plus some time on the final morning before flying home. Here is how the week broke down. Every place below has its own detailed guide, linked so you can dig into parking, timings and what to see.
Land at Bari or Brindisi, collect the hire car, pick up provisions in your local town, and let the week begin gently with an evening stroll and dinner. Our nearest town, San Michele Salentino, was sleepy by day and came alive in the evening around its central square, Piazza Marconi.
Start early at Alberobello, the famous trulli town, before the coaches arrive, then escape the crowds for a long lunch in pretty hilltop Locorotondo. The two make a perfect contrast in a single day.
A well-earned day off. Swim, read, and let the holiday planner have an afternoon nap by the water.
Drive south to Lecce, a smart university city famous for its honey-coloured Baroque architecture and two Roman sites hidden among the old streets. A full and rewarding day out.
Save Ostuni for the evening. Watch the sunset light up its white walls, join the locals for a passeggiata, and stay for dinner as the old town glows.
Rest again, or venture to the coast if you are not visiting in peak August. This is your flexible day.
On our final day we drove towards Bari airport via Matera and Gravina in Puglia, the cave city and aqueduct made famous by the James Bond film No Time To Die. Even a half-day here is worth it, though I would happily return for two nights.
Drive times are our estimates from the villa near San Michele Salentino.
Half the pleasure of Puglia is the eating. The region is known for its simple, generous cooking: orecchiette pasta, burrata, fresh seafood on the coast, and street snacks worth planning your day around. In Alberobello we shared a pasqualino, the town’s own crusty roll stuffed with tuna, salami, cheese, pickles and capers. In Lecce we grabbed superb street pizza and ended with gelato. Locorotondo even makes its own white wine, still or sparkling.
In closing
Puglia had been on our Italian wish-list for years, and it did not disappoint. It turned out to be a great destination for both relaxing and exploring. We finished the week well rested but had also seen some memorable places, which is always the sign of a good holiday.
On the flight home I was already writing a list for next time: Monopoli, Gallipoli, Otranto, a return to Matera for a night in a cave hotel, and the whole stretch of coast around Polignano a Mare that we did not get to. A villa holiday is not really a cure for wanderlust, but it is a wonderful way to get the flavour of a place and work out where you want to come back to. In our case, Puglia left us plotting a longer road trip.
High praises indeed.
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