Puglia’s Valle d’Itria – trullis and perfect white stoned villages

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
6
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
6
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
6
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
5
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
67 *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
194th/457
Top 40%
continent
Europe
country
Italy
Length of time
1-2 days
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
$90 (typically $30 - $160)
Time of year visited
October
All Tags
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

Wedged between the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, the Valle d’Itria is famed for its trulli — cone-shaped, dry-stone houses made from local limestone. While Alberobello draws the crowds, the smaller towns of Locorotondo, Ostuni, and Martina Franca are the true stars: bright white, full of charm, and blissfully less touristy. Even by Italian standards, these towns are at the gorgeous end of the spectrum and the highlight of Puglia . . . wow

 

Puglia’s Valle d’Itria - trullis and perfect white stoned villages

Table of Contents

Highlights of the Valle d’Itria

#1 Ostuni - walking back from dinner in the evening and feeling like you're waling through Disney movie

#1 Ostuni - walking back from dinner in the evening and feeling like you're walking through Disney movie

#2 Ostuni - having evening drinks by Bar Perso for wonderful views on one of the lookouts from the atmospheric streets

#1 Ostuni - having evening drinks by Bar Perso for wonderful views on one of the lookout breaks from the atmospheric streets

#2 Locorotondo - its magical streets to get lost in as they make way to great views

#2 Locorotondo - magical streets to get lost in

#2 Locorotondo - the views out across the landscape of Puglia and towards the Adriatic, in this case from the Via Nardel bar area

#2 Locorotondo - the views out across the landscape of Puglia and towards the Adriatic, in this case from the Via Nardel bar area

#3 Alberobello - its trullis, the cone-shaped, dry-stone buildings made from local limestone. They are surprisingly cool

#3 Alberobello - its trullis, the cone-shaped, dry-stone buildings made from local limestone. They are surprisingly cool

#3 Alberobello - its gorgeous white washed streets oozing with charm . . . just get there early to avoid the crowds

#3 Alberobello - its gorgeous white washed streets oozing with charm . . . just get there early to avoid the crowds

IMG_4392-compressed-aspect-ratio-675-900

#4 The famous Vineyards of Puglia - the second biggest wine producing region in Italy. We enjoyed tasting at Cantina Masseria Torricella

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#5 Martina Franca - still cute!

5 Tips for Valle d’Itria

1. Look beyond Alberobello. The typical trip to the Valley d’Itria focuses on Alberobello, and it really is lovely with its small white stone streets and heaps of the beloved trullis, but the other villages are even prettier and, critically, way less busy.

 

2. I would prioritise in this order:

    • Priority #1 Locorotondo or Ostuni (they’re quite similar) – stunning spots with beautiful views across the wide valley all the way down to the sea. Built on the hill tops in a wonderful old town way that allows you to get lost in amongst all the cuteness. Ideally aim for dinner and a magical evening. Bar Perso (Ostuni) and the restaurants by Via Nardel (Locorotondo) were perfect for drinks and views.
    • Priority #2 Alberobello – the immediate trullis really are cool. But go before 9am to avoid what are some suffocating crowds and have it largely to yourself.
    • Priority #3 Martina Franca – slightly less pretty, although it’s a ludicrously high standard.

 

3. Include a visit to a winery or an olive grove – we enjoyed Cantina Masseria Torricella as its a relatively new vineyard with energetic staff, and Masseria Montenapoleone for the olive oil (bear in mind Puglia is the source of most of Italy’s olive oil . . . which is a lot).

 

4. Ideally stay overnight. The best times for visiting are later in the evening and early morning to avoid the crowds and have those magic moments strolling with no one around.  Our highlight of the whole trip was walking back from dinner in the evening in Ostuni.

 

5. What’s it like in October? Weather obviously a little variable, but we had a real mix of bright blue sky days, with wind and with a couple of days of rain.  Still had crowds, especially in Alberobello, but far less in the other towns.  Good time to go, but September maybe better.

Broader Puglia

  • Puglia is a bit like the barefoot cousin who doesn’t quite care about sophisticated fancy.  Not bothered about the Romes and Florences, he’d rather just chill in his vast olive groves, sea cliffs, and quiet towns that still feel lived in.  Raw, rustic, quiet, charming,  that’s him.
  • So, if its your first time to Italy, head for the wow wow wows like Como, Sorrento, or the Dolomites.  But . . . a week in Puglia is well suited for a return trip and I’ve written up a week-long (or 3-4 days if need to shorten) itinerary for a A week in Puglia in early October including tips, highlights and where the Valle d’Itria fits in.

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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Soaking up the Cartagena Old Town

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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