Mesmerising coastlines. A quilt of woods and farmland. A patchwork of historical towns. Magical caves formed 90 million years ago. So many reasons to keep coming back.
We immediately fell in love with this medieval town once ruled by the Cavalieri di Malta. Putignano hosts the most celebrated carnival in southern Italy, and the oldest in Europe, dating to 1394. Putignanesi know how to throw a memorable party! For good reason, since we bought the property, we have not missed a single carnival. And in any period of the year we never tire of roaming around the circular-shaped ancient town centre.
Known as the home of the trulli, cone-shaped traditional huts made of mortarless stone, Alberobello always looks to us like a town from a fantasy book. It’s hard to believe that this architectural marvel started off as a nondescript peasant village in the early 16th century.
Every time we come back we seem to discover yet another cave church or palace stolen from the depths of the earth.
Matera is just out of this world. Carved out of the rock in the canyon rising above the Gravina River in Basilicata, it is a dreamlike rock-cut settlement that traces its origins all the way back to the Stone Age.
Whenever we feel like going for a swim in the sea, we hop to Polignano, a short drive away, and enjoy its many grottoes of turquoise water.
Our neighbouring shore town is a patchwork of whitewashed houses perched on beautiful limestone cliffs. It is also the hometown of the surprising Caffè Speciale (we won’t reveal the secret ingredients though!) and Puglia's most unmissable ice creams.
