Activities in Puglia
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Awaiting Table
Silvestro Silvestori’s splendid cooking and wine school provides day or weeklong courses with tours, tastings and noteworthy lecturers.
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Punta della Suina
Gallipoli's beaches stretch in great curves both north and south of town. To the north is the Lido Conchiglie and the disco quarter, but it's south you want to go, to the long sandy stretch of Baia Verde. Between September and May the lidos (managed sections of beach with umbrellas and beds) are closed so you can enjoy the beach pretty much all to yourself for free.
In May things start to crank up, the beach is raked to perfection and the lidos are renovated and repainted ready for the hectic summer months. Gallipoli's best lidos are Punta della Suina, and further south the super-pretty Lido Pizzo, backed by whispering pine trees. There's also the tiny La Purita beach on …
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AGTRP
You don't need a guide to enjoy Lecce, but to the untutored eye one baroque church can look very much like another. So if you're serious about architecture it's well worth considering a local guide. Simona Melchiorre is a fluent English-speaking guide and the current president of the AGTRP. If you want to get in touch with skilled guides speaking a variety of languages visit the site. An average three-hour tour costs around €85, although it does depend on the number of people and the itinerary.
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Beaches
Southeast of Taranto the coast begins to unfurl in one long series of sandy beaches and coves. The closest beach to town is the Lido Bruno but you'll need to head beyond that to get to the better beaches like the ones at Marino di Pulsano and Toretta. You can reach some of the closer beaches by public transport but you really need a car to get the best out of beachcombing.
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Marine Caves
You can cave-hop on a two-hour boat trip to the Gargano's fabulous marine caves. Tickets are available at the port kiosks. The boats follow the craggy coastline south to Mattinata so you can scope out the Gargano's best beaches. Before booking consider the environmental impact of fast boats and splashback on the fragile limestone caves.
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Ciclovagando
The countryside surrounding Lecce is perfect for cycling. Ciclovagando organise guided full-day tours, including bike rental and helmets, with a choice of three to four itineraries. Each tour covers approximately 20km and they depart daily from Lecce (as well as Matera, Trani and Castellana Grotte).
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Navera
The countryside around Otranto is wild and unspoilt, especially if you head south towards the Cape of Otranto and Porto Badisco. The local cooperative Navera can organise a whole range of excursions from horse-riding around the cape and trekking up the Valle d'Idro to guided tours of Otranto.
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Tremiti Diving Center
Head to San Domino for walks, grottoes and coves. It has a pristine, marvellous coastline, and the islands’ only sandy beach, Cala delle Arene. Diving in the translucent sea can be done with Tremiti Diving Center.
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Salento in Barco
For boat trips up and down the coast you'll find a mobile info point just by the bridge to the old town. Salento in Barco run trips up and down the coast to Porto Cesareo or Santa Maria di Leuca. Boats depart around 11:00 and return at 19:00.
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Italian Language School
The Italian Language School offers a whole range of courses from one to 12 weeks. It provides accommodation and runs a whole range of excursions which include anything from horse-riding to visiting the local market or nearby towns.
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Gargano Bike Holidays
Gargano Bike Holidays specialise in cultural and scenic mountain-bike tours, exploring the Gargano on half-day to weekly trips. The itineraries are graded from easy to difficult and the guides are multilingual.
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Scuba Diving Otranto
The clear waters and rocky coast around Otranto are good for diving, and Scuba Diving Otranto offers day or night dives as well as introductory courses and diving courses.
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Explora Gargano
To get off the beach for a day or two, take one of the many tours on offer. As well as hiking and mountain biking in the Foresta Umbra, Explora Gargano offers quad tours and jeep safaris.
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Agenzia Sinergie
Francesca Toto from Agenzia Sinergie is a helpful and informative Guida Ufficiale del Parco Nazionale del Gargano (Official Guide of the Gargano National Park).
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Apulia Centre for Italian Language & Culture
An established school offering group or individual tuition in Italian for foreigners, this has good facilities and runs lots of activities.
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Isole Tremiti
From May to September hop on one of the fast boats and day-trip it to the Isole Tremiti where you can learn to dive.
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Ecogargano
A cooperative dedicated to promoting cultural and natural tours in the Gargano National Park. Based at the castle.
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Centro Ormeggi e Sub
Centro Ormeggi e Sub offers diving courses and rents out sailing boats and motorboats.
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Navigargano
From July to September you can go as far afield as Croatia with this fast boat. It takes two hours.
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Leonarda Motobarche
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Otranto nel Mondo
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