Puglia is the heel of Italy's boot — a region of flat plains, ancient olive groves, whitewashed towns and two coastlines that between them offer some of the finest beaches in the Mediterranean.

The trulli of Alberobello are the defining image of Puglia — conical stone houses that look like something from a fairy tale, built without mortar so they could be dismantled to avoid taxation. The Valle d'Itria, with its trulli-dotted landscape and the towns of Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca, is one of the most beautiful areas in southern Italy.

The northern Adriatic coast is where Puglia reveals a different character entirely. Polignano a Mare clings to the clifftops above the sea, its whitewashed old town overhanging the water in a way that stops you in your tracks. Ostuni — the White City — rises from the olive plain on a hilltop, its tightly packed whitewashed houses visible for miles across the Murge plateau. Together they represent the Puglia that most visitors come looking for and few expect to find so completely.

Lecce is the baroque capital of the south — a city of extraordinary architectural exuberance, built from a golden limestone that glows in the afternoon light. The churches of Santa Croce and the Duomo, the Roman amphitheatre in the main square and the artisan workshops of the old town make it one of the most rewarding cities in Italy. The masserie of Puglia — converted farmhouses, often with their own olive groves and swimming pools — are among the finest places to stay in the region.

Puglia rewards those who arrive without preconceptions and leave with a new understanding of what Italy can be. We will help you find the version of it that suits you.