5. The coastal drive from Baia delle Zagare to Vieste is spectacular.  Be sure to take the detour, windy route that bypasses Pugnochiuso and Portogreco for the best views.  There are heaps of quiet, perfect beaches along the way.
Matera

A week in Puglia in early October

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
6
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
72 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
132nd/457
Top 30%
continent
Europe
country
Italy
Length of time
Around a week
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$150 (typically $50 - $240)
Time of year visited
October
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Old town Vineyards
All Tags
Ancient ruins Beach promenade Bustling restaurants Canyons Christian site City Walls Cliffs Driving Forests Hiking Hilltop towns Local villages Romans UNESCO world heritage site
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

If Italy was a family, Puglia is a bit like the barefoot cousin who doesn’t quite care about the sophisticated fancy of the likes of Rome or Florence, and unapologetically just wants to chill in his vast olive groves, sea cliffs, and quiet towns that still feel lived in.  Raw, rustic, quiet, charming, Puglia doesn’t quite have the mega wow wow wow factor of the likes of the rest of Italy’s Como, Sorrento, or the Dolomites, but Matera is sensational (unquestionably one of Italy’s top 10s and a wow wow) and the Valley d’Itria’s white-washed towns, even by Italian standards, are at the gorgeous end of the spectrum.

 

A week in Puglia is probably well suited for your 3rd / 4th / 5th visit to Italy.  You won’t be disappointed – in a country that has no rivals for beauty, it’s still a wow.

Table of Contents

Highlights of a Week in Puglia

#1 Matera - wandering the stone cave city in the evening, without crowds and having dinner under the stars in the small Valley of Via Fiorentini. Oi Mari’s location in the middle of it all was magical

#1 Matera (in Basilicata, but typically included with Puglia as so close) - wandering the stone cave city in the evening, without crowds and having dinner under the stars in the small Valley of Via Fiorentini. Oi Mari’s location in the middle of it all was magical

IMG_4474-compressed-aspect-ratio-675-900

#1 Matera - the hike over to Santa Maria dell’Arco and the caves, via the Ponte Tibetano della Gravina for the best views of Matera, and generally a nice walk

#1 Matera - throwing yourself into the main Sassi districts and getting lost amongst it all

#1 Matera - throwing yourself into the main Sassi districts and getting lost amongst it all

#2 Valle d’Itria - the evening walking through the winding, hidden streets of Ostuni and seeing the views of the Adriatic off in the distance

#2 Valle d’Itria - the evening walking through the winding, hidden streets of Ostuni and seeing the views of the Adriatic off in the distance

#2 Valle d’Itria - getting lost in the picture-perfect lanes of Locorotondo

#2 Valle d’Itria - getting lost in the picture-perfect lanes of Locorotondo

#2 Valle d’Itria - early morning in Alberobello, the Truli capital (cone-shaped, dry-stone buildings made from local limestone)

#2 Valle d’Itria - early morning in Alberobello, the Truli capital (cone-shaped, dry-stone buildings made from local limestone)

#2 Valle d’Itria - heading into the countryside for wine tasting

#2 Valle d’Itria - heading into the countryside for wine tasting

#3 Vieste - wandering the white-washed old town with narrow hidden alleys wedged between two long sandy beaches and clinging to the steep white cliffs of the Promontorio del Gargno

#3 Vieste - wandering the white-washed old town with narrow hidden alleys wedged between two long sandy beaches and clinging to the steep white cliffs of the Promontorio del Gargno

#3 Vieste - Gargano National Park as sheer natural forrest tranquility

#3 Vieste - Gargano National Park as sheer natural forrest tranquility

#3 Vieste - the walk along the long Castello beach with beautiful of views of Vieste all along it

#3 Vieste - the walk along the long Castello beach with beautiful of views of Vieste all along it

#4 Bari - its old town (Bari Vecchia) is really pretty and definitely worth half a day if you’re flying into Bari

#4 Bari - its old town (Bari Vecchia) is really pretty and definitely worth half a day if you’re flying into Bari

#5 Lecce - meh, but pastry tour was fun

#5 Lecce - meh, but pastry tour was fun

Priorities for a week in Puglia

The absolute must-sees are Matera and the white villages of the Valle d’Itria.  The rest are totally worth it, but only if you have time in your itinerary.  Here’s how I see it in priority order:

1. Matera – wow wow. The views are sensational and, more than anything, it’s just great fun wandering around the stone Sassos. Small note – Matera isn’t in Puglia, it’s in Basilicata, but everyone includes it as part of a Puglia itinerary. See the travel entry for Matera for more tips.

 

2. The white villages of Valle d’Itria – wow.  Even in Italy, these towns are at the gorgeous end of the spectrum.  Focus on Alberobello for the famous trullis  (early morning to avoid the crowds) and Locorotondo / Ostuni for narrow magical Old Town lanes, wonderful views across the Puglia countryside and staying overnight to have the place to yourselves in the evening.  See the travel entry Puglia’s Valle d’Itria – trullis and perfect white stoned villages for more details.

 

3. Trip to the North for Vieste – Worth it.  Another gorgeous white town, but this time clinging to the dramatic white cliffs and with beautiful national parks and beaches nearby.  Totally worth it, but just a 3hr drive from Bari.  See Puglia’s Vieste travel entry for more tips.

 

4. Bari Vecchia – Worth it.   Bari’s Old Town (Vecchia)isn’t as pretty as the likes of Vieste, but you’ll likely fly into Bari so give it half a day.  Bari Vecchia travel entry for more tips.

 

5. Lecce – Meh.  It’s nice, for sure – the pastry tour can be fun and there are some nice spots to eat – but it’s a far distant second to the rest of Puglia and also less appealing than the old town of Bari, which has the added advantage of being the spot most visitors will be flying into.  Lecce

 

Rough Itinerary for a Week in Puglia

  • The way I would look at it – if you have only 3/4 days or a long weekend, fly into Bari for half a day in its old town and stay a night in each of Matera and Locorotondo.  The driving is only 4 hours as everything is fairly close.

 

  • If you have a week, give yourself 2 nights in each of Matera and Ostuni / Locorotondo and 3 nights in Vieste.  The Vieste trip adds on an extra 6 hours of driving, but it’s worth it for the beaches and the Gargano National park.

 

What’s Puglia like in October?

  • The weather – we were there for a week at the start of October and fair to say the weather was changeable.  Typically, at this time of year it is nice bright blue sky days where you’ll be hot walking around the old towns in the day and potentially need a sweater at night. But chance of occasional light rain on the coast, plus wind –  and this is what we got.  Matera’s different — further inland, less rain, generally hotter days and colder nights.

 

  • Crowds – there are spots in Italy where you’re going to get crowds no matter what time of the year, and this is the case especially for Matera and Alberobello.  But, in October they didn’t feel overwhelming.  There were also plenty of times when we felt like we have the places to ourselves – especially in the early mornings and evenings.

 

  • Overall – I’d say go for it in October.  I couldn’t imagine how unpleasant the likes of Matera must be in the summer with the heat and the crowds, whereas October felt almost perfect if a touch occasionally on the cold side (maybe late September optimal?).  We had a magical time having Matera and Alberobello to ourselves in the early morning (before 8am), Vieste throughout, Locorotondo / Ostuni in the evenings, and generally never felt manic.

Extra Tips

  • Rent a car – yeah you could probably faff about with buses, but it would drain quite a bit of time.  The car gives you the flexibility, especially for visiting things like spontaneous beaches and vineyards / olive groves.  Worth the investment.
  • Try to book stays with parking just outside each old town — ZTLs (limited traffic zone and charges) in places like Ostuni and Locorotondo are easy to miss.
  • Restaurants – no restaurants really screamed out for recommendations individually, but I would suggest having drinks at Bar Perso in Ostuni and the restaurants by Via Nardel in Locorotondo for the views; eating down in Matera’s Via Fiorentini in the evening for atmosphere (Oi Mari was nice); and The Carpenter terrace area in Vieste for views over the turquoise water and cliffs by the Old Town.

Experiences Nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences - from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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