- Bari Land, Beach & Coast, Daunia Mountains, Gargano, Itineraries, Itria Valley, Salento, Top 10 To See
Places to visit in Puglia: Top 10 not to miss
Puglia, also known as the heel of the Italian boot: such a splendid region offers charming towns and villages, marvellous architecture, tasty food, plenty of traditions and folklore. Here we want to present you with what we consider to be the top 10 places to visit in Puglia and among the most beautiful in Italy. Otranto Otranto is a town in the province of Lecce and is part the Salento area. It is located in a harbour along the east coast on the Adriatic Sea and is the easternmost town in Italy. Its small seaport is mostly used for fishing activity and tourism, especially for the ferry services to Greece.…
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Itria Valley
Discovering the Itria Valley Located in the heart of Puglia is the Itria Valley, a vast area of central Puglia that extends between the province of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto. Known as the Itria Valley, this area does not look exactly like a real valley, it is in fact an extensive karst depression at the bottom of the Murge. The area extends South of the Murge plateau and includes the towns of Alberobello, Locorotondo, Martina Franca, Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino and Fasano. The name derives from the Byzantine Itria, in honor of Our Lady Odegitria, protector of travelers. The valley is characterized by the presence of numerous caves including the famous…
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Alberobello
Alberobello is a small yet characteristic town located South East of Puglia in the province of Bari, (in the middle of The Itria Valley) with a population of about 10,000 people. Alberobello is situated on two hills; the new town is located on the eastern hill and is characterized by a modern architecture. The western part is occupied by the old town (trulli) and the whole area is divided into two districts: Monti and Aia Piccola, both National Monuments. Alberobello is without question one of the most characteristic towns in Italy and is famous for its traditionally built ancient stone houses called trulli, (which since 1996 have been named a…
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Safari Zoo & Fasanolandia
This is a place that all children and their parents will love, this is where you can be in contact with nature and animals and have a great fun within the amusement park. This permanent structure that hosts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year is located just outside the town of Fasano in the Brindisi Province. It consists of the safari zoo, the wildlife pedestrian park and the amusement park known as Fasanolondia. The entire complex is the biggest in Italy and one of the biggest in Europe. Main attraction is the Zoosafari, this is a great wildlife park that houses about 1,700 specimens of 200 species. Here the…
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Ostuni
Ostuni is a town in the province of Brindisi which has a population of about 32,000 people, but during the summer months this mushrooms to a massive 100,000 proving that Ostuni is a must see to any visit in Southern Italy. Ostuni is also known as “White City” (Città bianca) because its historic center is entirely painted with white lime. It is a very popular tourist destination. The origins of the city can be placed in the Paleolithic period (approx 50.000 – 40.000 years ago). The area was originally occupied by hunters who built their huts in the caves that characterize the territory of Ostuni. Human presence in this area around that time was…
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Martina Franca
Martina Franca is a city of about 50K inhabitants in the province of Taranto. It’s located on a hill in the Southern part of the Murgia and overlooks the green Itria Valley. It is a must-see and perfect stop for a day trip if you are taking a tour of Puglia and Itria Valley. The city was founded in the 10th century, and the name Martin comes from people’s devotion to St. Martin, the first human settlement was in fact right on the St. Martin Mountain. The name Franca, was assigned in 1310 as a result of various privileges that were given to the city. The most important was surely…
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Locorotondo
Locorotondo is a village in the province of Bari with a population of about 14,000 people, well connected by public transports and easily accessible by car, Locorotondo is certainly worth a visit while in Southern Italy. Its name derives from the Latin Locus Rotundus meaning round place to prove the fact that the village had a circular shape which still remains today. Built on top of a hill and surrounded by a wall Locorotondo is certainly the most beautiful natural balcony over the Valle d’Itria. From its panoramic viewpoint, you can see thousands of trulli, a typical Mediterranean scrub forest, olive groves and vineyards that surround the Masserie. The the…
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Cisternino
Cisternino is a village in the province of Brindisi, which overlooks the Itria Valley. The first human settlement in the area dates back the Paleolithic period. Even today, prehistoric tools of every kind such as knives, scrapers and chisels to cut bones can be found in the area. The name Cisternino derives from the hero Sturnoi, who after the Trojan War founded a nearby town which was later occupied by the Romans, which they named Sturninum and today is the current Ostuni. It was not until the Middle Ages that the Byzantine monks named it Cis-sturnium (on this side of Sturnium). The old town of Cisternino is an example of…
