Puglia and The Local Area

Puglia stretches from the stiletto of Italy's heel to the spur further up the back of the boot. It has a Mediterranean climate with clear blue skies and sunshine for most of the year. It is very "Italian" and there is not a great deal of English spoken. The region is mainly agricultural and the rich red earth supports over 50 million mature olive trees producing 10% of the world's olive oil. It is the largest wine producing area of Italy and so not surprisingly vineyards and olive groves are in abundance. You can find colourful and interesting markets in the towns selling fantastic fruit. vegetables. cheese, meat, fish - just about everything and at incredibly cheap prices. Eating out is a real pleasure, again lots of choice and very reasonably priced.

The main town of the trulli region is Alberobello. Alberobello is home to around 1400 trulli clustered together forming narrow cobbled streets with many excellent restaurants, bars and shops selling local handicrafts. There are another 1000 trulli left scattered around the countryside in various states of repair.

There is plenty to do in the area with many interesting whitewashed hilltop towns, villages with historic centres, and Baroque churches and castles. Alberobello lies in the picturesque Itria valley and the current Michelin guide recommends a three star drive through the area visiting the towns of Locorotondo and Martina Franca. Selva di Fasano is also well worth a visit. The grotto of Castellana is stunning and home to thousands of bats.

The rocky Adriatic coast is around 20 kilometres to the east with small sandy inlets and crystal clear water especially between Barletta and Bari. There are some excellent fish restaurants. The Ionian coast to the west is around 30 kilometres away and has long sandy beaches well worth exploring.

Getting to Puglia by air is no problem with Ryanair flying directly into Bari and Brindisi from Stansted, and British Airways flying from Gatwick to Bari. Bari is a short 45 minute drive away from Alberobello, the main town of the Trulli region. Brindisi is only an hour away. Both Bari and Brindisi are small provincial airports so collecting your luggage and car is quick and easy.