Puglia
is Italy's sun-bleached heel
Welcome to Puglia
Puglia is Italy’s ascendant region, a place where savvy travellers bored or worn down by the crowds of Campania and Tuscany escape for something a bit less frenetic and manicured. Top of the list for prospective newcomers is the food. Puglia’s cucina povera is about as earthy as Italian cuisine gets without eating it straight out of the soil. Then there’s the exuberant architecture, best summarised by the word... Read More
Top experiences in Puglia
Sights in Puglia
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Puglia's food festivals
Consisting mainly of farmland and coastline, Puglia is famous for its fresh produce and delicious dishes. As elsewhere in Italy, but even more so here, there are myriad small-town sagre (local fairs) exalting various foodstuffs. Stalls selling food, drinks and t-shirts fill the streets and fairy lights adorn the trees. The main piazza hosts a party with live music - either taranta (local folk music) or banda (the local brass band) - and sometimes a beauty contest or old-time crooner will add to the carnival atmosphere. And, of course, food and drink can only be bought using a mysteriously complex ticket system - a hallmark of any Italian municipal event.
Travel guides
Starting at €21.50
Puglia activities
Private Tour: Bari Street Food Walking Tour
Start your private tour with a hotel or port pickup, or make your own way to Bari Old Town to meet your guide. Then, set off on a stroll around the narrow streets of the enclave. Stop for a look at the pilgrimage church of the Basilica of St. Nicholas. Dedicated to the saint whose legend became Santa Claus, the church houses his holy remains in an ornate crypt. See the Cathedral of St. Sabinus, and admire the nearby 12th-century Swabian Castle. Continue through the Old Town to scout out the best eateries with your guide. Stop at a pastry bakery to sample focaccia barese, and visit an authentic birrificio for a pint of the local craft ale. Bite into creamy burrata as you learn about cheese and salami at a delicatessen; sip wine as you hear about the region’s winemaking heritage; and discover the secrets of rich, homemade gelato as you eat one, of course. Finish with a visit to the modern French part of the city, where opera theaters, luxury boutiques, and a seaside market can be found. Your tour ends with a hotel drop-off. Please note: A minimum of two people is required per booking.
Bari Bike Tour
Experience a pleasant bike tour of Bari and let your expert multilingual guide show you its most important attractions. Visit both the old town center and the 19th century district. Admire the Basilica di San Nicola, the Cathedral of San Sabino, the Castello Normanno-Svevo (Swabian Castle). Next, head to the fish market and the shopping district. Cycle through the the beautiful squares of the city and reach the seaside. Discover the hidden corners of the old town, such as the alleys where women, still nowadays, make the local homemade pasta. Get the chance to to visit monuments inside (own expense) and stop for an handmade ice-cream tasting. You will venture into the real Bari and immerse yourself in the lively local life and traditions of this enchanting city.
Traditional Home Cooking Experience in Venice
Michela adores cooking and hosting guests. She has refined a menu of Venetian and Pugliese specialties, using products and raw materials from the two areas, such as fish and vegetables from the Rialto market, and olive oil from Puglia. Get ready to learn some of the secrets of our cuisine and enjoy the meal with your friends and family.This is a typical meat menu you will prepare: Appetizer: Mixed croutons, eggplant with mushrooms, home-jarred sott’olio vegetables First course: Pasta and beans Venetian style Second course: Venetian style liver (with onions), artichoke hearts and other seasonal vegetables Dessert: Venetian pastries Alternatively you can opt for a fish based menu, such as: Appetizer: Selected fish snacks: sardines in saor sauce, prawns, octopus (depending on the season). First course: Risotto with prawns and vegetables. Second course: Salmon and vegetable sticks with grilled and raw vegetables. Dessert: Pinza (traditional Venetian cake) Don't miss the chance to enjoy this authentic culinary experience.
Bari Walking Tour with Pasta Making Class Experience
Join a private and customizable tour, back to ancient times and far from stereotypes. Afterwards, meet a local and have a pasta making class in a typical house of the old town. Cook and taste your own home-made pasta with a glass of local wine, in a familyatmosphere. Live a unique experience and enjoy a real, southern Italian, home-stay. Tour begins visiting the main attractions of the old town such as the Basilica of Saint Nicholas with its precious Crypt, the ancient Cathedral of Saint Sabinus and the millenarian Swabian Castle. Tour goes on discovering the modern French part of the city along the famous sea-side, with its fish market, opera theaters, and luxuryshopping streets. Tour ends at a locals House where we will learn how to make orecchiette, the local home-made pasta, and find out the secrets of Italian tomato sauce. Drinking genuine Primitivo red wine you will cook and taste your own home-made pasta which will have you feeling like a native.
Bari Bike Tour with Pasta Making Class Experience
Join a private and customizable tour, back to ancient times and far from stereotypes and then meet a local lady and have a pasta making class in a typical house of the old town. Cook and taste your own home-made pasta with a glass of local wine, in a familyatmosphere and live a unique experience to enjoy the real southern Italian home-stay.Tour begins visiting the main attractions of the old town such as the Basilica of Saint Nicholas with its precious Crypt, the ancient Cathedral of Saint Sabinus and the millenarian Swabian Castle.Tour goes on discovering the modern French part of the city along the famous sea-side, with its fish market, opera theatres and luxuryshopping streets. Tour ends at Signora Maria’s House where we will learn how to make orecchiette, the local home-made pasta, and find out the secrets of Italian tomato sauce. Drinking genuine Primitivo red wine we will cook and taste our own home-made pasta feeling like a native.
Puglia Full-Day Tour: Bari, Trulli of Alberobello, Castel del Monte and Sassi of Matera
Meet you guide in Bari in the morning and head to Bari old town. Learn about the history of the city and see Bari Cathedral, Basilica di San Nicola and Piazza Ferrarese. Next, head to Alberobello. Get a glimpse of what life was like inside the trulli and marvel at its unique buildings. These cone-shaped drywall houses, built in the 14th century, are regarded by UNESCO as remarkable examples of prehistoric construction techniques that still survive today.Then depart to Matera. Visit the Sassi of Matera, the ancient caves from 30,000 years ago. You knowledgeable guide will walk you through the history of these cave-houses. Over the centuries, more than 150 minuscule churches and hermitages were carved into the cliffside, and by the 18th century, a community was flourishing here. Only in 1950s were inhabitants were forced to move to modern accommodation due to poor sanitation and malaria. Make your way to the hills of Puglia (Murgia), where you will visit UNESCO World Heritage-listed Castel del Monte. This fantastic castle is considered a masterpiece of medieval architecture. After a full-day of sightseeing, return to Bari.