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Going Places: Destinations |
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Puglia-the region occupying the stiletto of Italy's boot-has acres of olive groves producing 40% of the country's olive oil, idiosyncratic conical houses, and nonnas who make fresh pasta on the streets. It also has two long coastlines of contrasting character: the Adriatic side of sheer cliffs and giant rock pools and the Ionian stretch of paradisiacal beaches nicknamed the "Maldives of Italy."
The region has long been a favorite getaway for Italians themselves, thanks to its hot, dry summers and ample beach space. It is also a place where life-and food-is a slow affair.
Nature is never far away, with two UNESCO-designated national parks that cover a total of nearly 460,000 acres. Just make sure you have a car to make the most of the region's rural delights, as public transport is mainly limited to connections between cities. Read more in Rebecca Ann Hughes's Guide to Puglia.
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Never miss a deal to Puglia! Head to the Going app to find deals around $596 roundtrip (that's 42% off the regular price).
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Baroque cities, trulli villages, a millennium of architecture, two vastly different coastlines, and enough food to derail any itinerary. These are the highlights to anchor your trip around. |
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Alberobello: UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to around 1,500 trulli (Puglia's iconic conical limestone structures). Wander the center, look for the painted symbols on the rooftops said to ward off evil spirits, and book a trulli for the night if you can.
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Lecce: Dubbed "Florence of the South," this medieval city is the showpiece of barocco leccese, a wildly ornate local Baroque style carved from soft honey-hued stone. The Basilica of Santa Croce is a prime example.
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Polignano a Mare: Dramatic clifftop town on the Adriatic coast, where you can swim in the turquoise water and see one of the most photographed coastlines in Italy.
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Castel del Monte: Emperor Frederick II's 13th-century octagonal castle. Located on a hill in the province of Andria and one of the most mathematically precise and architecturally unusual buildings in Europe (plus a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
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Altamura and inland Puglia: Here, find dinosaur footprints in Alta Murgia National Park, the best bread in Italy (more on that below), and a rock-cut landscape similar to famous Matera but with a fraction of the crowds. The dramatic bridge at nearby Gravina-in-Puglia appeared in "No Time To Die".
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Pugliese street food
Venture into Bari's labyrinthine old center. Along one street called Via Arco Basso, women sit in the shade with wooden trays forming pasta into orecchiette, or "little ears," a shape invented in Puglia around the 13th century. With a swift thumb and finger action, they press a lump of dough into a little cupped disk and flick it onto a mounting pile to dry.
If you want to purchase a fresh bag of orecchiette-drop the pasta into boiling water for five minutes to be cooked al dente-you'll be welcomed like a friend into the vendor's house. Each bag goes for about €5. The most popular pasta dish of Puglia is orecchiette with cime di rapa (broccoli rabe). Head to Terranima in Bari to try it in a restaurant.
--Rebecca Ann Hughes, Going contributing writer
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Puglia's food is the food of people who used to not have much, then centuries ago, figured out how to make it extraordinary. These are the dishes worth eating your way through. |
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Orecchiette with cime di rapa: The defining pasta dish of Puglia. Little ear-shaped pasta tossed with broccoli rabe, anchovies, chili, and garlic. Simple and full of flavor.
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Pane di Altamura: Praised by the poet Horace in 37 BCE as the best bread he'd ever tasted. Baked in wood-burning ovens, made with local twice-milled durum wheat flour, water, yeast, and salt, a recipe that hasn't changed since at least 1400. Tons of bakeries carry the recipe forward with certified protected designation of origin (PDO) status.
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Burrata and mozzarella: Burrata was invented in Puglia-needless to say it's the best place to eat it. For something close to a religious experience, visit Caseificio Dicecca, a family-run dairy whose tasting is a masterclass in why Puglia is worth the trip.
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Seafood: Both coasts deliver. On the Adriatic, raw sea urchin eaten straight from the shell on the rocks is the local delicacy. On the Ionian, Porto Cesareo's restaurants pair the catch of the day with a sunset view.
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Primitivo wine: A celebrated red. Deep, full-bodied, and spicy, grown in the sun-baked soil of the Salento peninsula. For something lighter, Verdeca and Minutolo are the local whites worth sipping.
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Pasticciotto: The quintessential Pugliese pastry. A small oval shortcrust shell filled with custard cream, best eaten warm from a bakery in Lecce, where it was invented, first thing in the morning.
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A new United nonstop from Newark to Bari debuts in May 2026, the first direct connection between the US and Puglia's main airport. No more Rome or Milan connection, no more losing half a day in transit. For travelers at 60+ other US airports, that translates to easy one-stop routing straight into the heel of the boot.
US travelers are only just tuning into what Italians have known for decades. Puglia is where they go when they want to escape the crowds. The beaches are better, the food is cheaper, and the pace is slower. Before you go, just know that if you don't find yourself dancing in a Salento piazza on a summer night, you're doing Puglia wrong.
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