Puglia is long (400km north-to-south) — you need 2 bases for a 7-day trip. The key choice: Valle d'Itria (inland — Alberobello, Locorotondo, Ostuni, trulli, masserie) or Salento (the southern tip — Lecce, Otranto, Gallipoli, beaches)? Most 7-day trips split 3+4 nights between the two. A car is ESSENTIAL — Puglia's best experiences (masserie, beaches, towns) are spread across the countryside, and public transport is minimal.
Choose my Puglia base →Ostuni ("the White City") ★ OUR PICK for Valle d'Itria base: Dazzling white centro storico on a hilltop, excellent restaurants, views over olive groves to the sea. Price: €60-180/night. Why Ostuni: Central location (Alberobello 30min, Polignano 30min, Lecce 1h, beaches 15min), excellent food scene, atmospheric centro storico, lively evening passeggiata. Alberobello (the trulli town): Stay IN a trullo (the cone-roofed stone houses — UNESCO). Unique experience. Price: €70-200/night for a trullo. Drawback: Very touristy during the day. Tip: Stay in the Rione Aia Piccola district (the residential trulli zone — less touristic than the commercial Rione Monti). Polignano a Mare: The cliff town — Lama Monachile cove (the most photographed beach in Puglia), the sea cave restaurants (Grotta Palazzese — €150+/dinner, the table IN a sea cave), the Red Bull cliff diving location. Price: €80-200/night. Best for: Couples, photographers.
Lecce ("the Florence of the South") ★ OUR PICK for Salento base: Baroque architecture (the most elaborate in Italy — the sandstone makes everything golden), the evening passeggiata on Piazza Sant'Oronzo, excellent food (pasticciotto pastry for breakfast, rustico for lunch, orecchiette con cime di rapa for dinner). Price: €40-120/night (Puglia's best city value). Why Lecce: Central for Salento beaches (Otranto 45min, Gallipoli 40min, Torre dell'Orso 30min), the most cultural depth, walkable, affordable. Gallipoli (the party coast): The old town island, the sandy beaches stretching south, the summer nightlife (clubs on the beach). Best for: Groups, young travelers, beach + nightlife combo. Otranto: The easternmost town in Italy — the castle, the cathedral with the Tree of Life mosaic (the most important Romanesque floor mosaic in Italy), the Adriatic crystal water. Best for: History + beach combo.
A masseria is a fortified farmhouse — stone-walled estates surrounded by olive groves, converted into hotels/agriturismi with pools, restaurants, and the particular atmosphere of sleeping inside 400 years of agricultural history. Budget masseria: €80-150/night (basic rooms, shared pool, breakfast with the farm's olive oil and preserves). Mid-range: €150-300 (private pool possible, restaurant, cooking classes). Luxury: €300-800+ (Borgo Egnazia — where the G7 met, Masseria San Domenico — the 5-star with beach club). Book 2-4 months ahead for summer. The masseria breakfast: Fresh bread, the farm's olive oil (green, peppery, poured generously), local cheeses (burrata from the morning's delivery), tomatoes from the garden, friselle (dried bread rings rehydrated with tomato and oil). This breakfast, eaten on a stone terrace overlooking olive trees at 8am, is why people return to Puglia every year. Polignano guide → · Lecce guide →