One week in Puglia with the family

We have just spent a week travelling around Puglia as a family, in southern Italy. You know: it is the heel of the boot! I already love Italy, but this region of the Mezzogiorno completely won me over. It was a real favourite!

In my opinion, Puglia is one of the most beautiful destinations in southern Europe. There is a wonderful variety of scenery and architecture: very old villages, trulli, Baroque buildings and coastal villages that evoke Greece or Morocco. Add centuries-old olive trees, a superb Adriatic coastline with turquoise water and delicious food, and it is a dream destination!

We toured the Puglia region and also made a detour into neighbouring Basilicata to visit Matera. I would recommend visiting Puglia as a family to everyone, even with a baby or young children, because travelling there is genuinely easy.

Ticoeur’s age: three and a half
Titpuce’s age: one

When we travelled: mid-April, to enjoy the pleasant spring temperatures. It was between 16 and 25°C. Our first day was grey, followed by glorious sunshine. I could almost have gone swimming!

Length of the trip: one week

Puglia with the family: our itinerary

2 nights in Matera:

A magnificent ancient city whose Sassi and rock churches are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This detour into Basilicata was a real highlight and is an absolute must! [Update: a spectacular scene from the James Bond film No Time to Die was filmed in Matera!]

2 nights in Cisternino

We stayed in a trullo, one of the delightful little houses that are typical of Puglia (see our accommodation recommendations below).

We used Cisternino as a base for visiting the following villages:

• Alberobello: very touristy, but magnificent and unmissable!
• Locorotondo: superb!
• Martina Franca
• Ostuni

1 night in Lecce, the Baroque city

From Lecce, we drove around the peninsula and along its beautiful Adriatic coast. The loveliest stretch runs from Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca, at the very tip of the heel in the subregion known as Salento. This is where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet: coves, headlands, inlets and cliffs make this coastline wonderfully charming.

We continued as far as the tiny fortified island town of Gallipoli. It is also known as “Little Venice”, although I could not really see the resemblance. I would have called it “Little Saint-Malo” instead. In any case, it is an essential stop!

1 night in Polignano a Mare

This delightful village is perched on a cliff to the south of Bari.

The following day, we visited Trani before setting off for the Gargano.

2 nights in the Gargano, in Vico del Gargano:

In the Gargano, we discovered picturesque fishing villages, beautiful beaches and forests.

We visited the villages of Peschici and Vieste.

The Gargano is very wild and unspoilt. It is beautiful, but this part of the trip adds a lot of driving, and the winding roads were difficult for our children because they became travel-sick. One week is therefore too short to make the most of the Gargano’s beauty. Looking back, I would add one night in Lecce and one night in Polignano to my original itinerary instead.

Puglia with the family: our favourite places

Our favourite accommodation in Puglia:

We loved staying at the B&B I Sette Coni, where we slept in a genuine trullo. It was utterly charming, and the owner was lovely.

Our trullo was just as enchanting at night. We had a wonderful view of the moon and an incredible number of stars. It was truly magical!

Our accommodation in Matera:

Casa Vetere in Matera: an apartment built entirely from stone in the heart of the old town.

Restaurants where we ate particularly well:

The food in Puglia is incredible! For me, it is among the best in Italy – perhaps tied with Sicilian cuisine (you can read my article about our road trip around Sicily).

• La Trattoria di Nonna Tetti in Lecce (Piazzetta Regina Maria): authentic regional cooking in a traditional setting, at what were very reasonable prices when we visited.
• L’Osteria dei Mulini in Polignano a Mare: very refined food! Try the excellent octopus carpaccio.
• Il Terrazzino in Matera: it may be touristy, but we ate extremely well and it was very inexpensive at the time. For example, a pizza cost €4 and a plate of delicious olive-leaf-shaped pasta cost €6. The restaurant also enjoys a lovely location in the old town.

Puglia with the family: practical information

Getting there: for our trip, we booked return flights from Paris to Bari with EasyJet for about €100 per person. At the time, Titpuce flew free of charge and we only had to pay the airport taxes for a child under two. EasyJet also allowed us to put two additional items for each baby in the hold free of charge, such as a pushchair, travel cot or car seat, which was extremely useful. As fares and policies can change, check the airline’s current conditions before booking.

Car hire: once there, we hired a car at Bari Airport, a Fiat Punto, for €23 per day at the time of our trip.

What is the best season for visiting Puglia? We went in April and it was perfect! There were very few tourists, although the sea was still too cold. If you would like to swim, I recommend June, July or September. Late July to mid-August is high season, and there are undoubtedly more visitors in summer.

Baby equipment: we brought our travel cot for Titpuce because we had not specifically looked for accommodation that provided one. For walks, we carried Titpuce in the Ergobaby, while Ticoeur walked without any difficulty. This meant we managed not to bring too much luggage: each adult had just one cabin suitcase, and Ticoeur carried a small bag for his games.

Should you choose a single base for visiting Puglia? I am often asked this question, and yes, I think it is a good idea when travelling with a baby or young children. I would suggest staying in the trullo near Cisternino where we stayed, or in another village known for its trulli. You can then explore Puglia on day trips while leaving out the Gargano. It is a less tiring option with young children.

Puglia with young children

The advantages:

• Ticoeur tested and approved every playground in Puglia!
• He happily walked everywhere because the old villages felt like an adventure, with their steps, passageways, tunnels and little bridges.
• Ticoeur enjoyed visiting the Castellana caves.
• The historic centres are pedestrianised or have very limited traffic, making them pleasant places for a family stroll.
• The children loved our stops on the coast, where they could play in the sand and paddle in the sea.
• Ticoeur and Titpuce loved Italian food!
• Highchairs were often available in restaurants.
• The driving stages are short, ranging from 15 minutes to about two hours at most. We generally timed the two-hour journeys to coincide with nap time.

The disadvantages:

• As I mentioned earlier, the only real drawback was driving through the Gargano. The children became travel-sick because this wild part of Puglia has nothing but winding mountain roads.
• I have mentioned this before too: I was not impressed by the range of baby food jars in Italy, as they contained a lot of meat and very few vegetables. We therefore brought a few ready-made meals from France for Titpuce and also gave her some of our food – she loves pasta! Yoghurt, cheese, fruit purée and growing-up milk are all readily available, just as they are at home.

How about you? Would you like to visit Puglia as a family?

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