Beaches

As the sea is just a 20 minutes drive away, it is hardly surprising that we get asked which are our favourite beaches. There is no one answer, they are all different in character, and it is possible to swim in two different seas within an hour's drive of the trulli. However, one word of warning, in Italy the government leases the nicest beaches to operators who are granted exclusive access. These beaches typically cost around €10 per person per day, but there are very few really nice "public", i.e. free, beaches. The money will normally buy you a shaded parking spot, a couple of deckchairs and an umbrella. Because it is in operators’ interests to get as many people as possible on their stretch of the beach, chairs are often crammed together. As Puglia is very uncrowded compared with much of Italy the problem is less severe than in the north.

Ostuni

Some of our favourites include Torre Canne and Capitolo on the Adriatic coast and pretty well anywhere in the Bay of Taranto that’s away from the main town. Lecce also has some nice, if rather more crowded beaches. Avoid the beaches near Bari. There are miles of largely deserted sand dunes around the Riserva Torre Guaceto just north of Brindisi. These are wonderful for activities such as sand kiting, but can be quite windy. As this is a nature reserve, there are no facilities. The only real way to find your favourite beach is to drive around and sample the huge number of lidos and coastline. There is certainly enough for every day of your holiday!

Ostuni

Markets

A fun activity on any holiday is to visit local markets. This is especially true in southern Italy where every transaction seems to involve lots of shouting and waving of arms, excellent street entertainment! Local produce is ridiculously cheap and very fresh. There are fewer tourist souvenirs than in the north, but items like leather are often very cheap. There is a market for pretty well every day if you want to get serious about shopping: