The Best Things to do in Puglia in 2023

It’s no secret that one of my favorite regions in Italy is bella Puglia. A sun-soaked land full of olive trees, enticing beaches, fresh cheese, friendly locals, white-washed towns and incredible food – what’s not to love? This area of the boot still feels very local although more tourists are finding their way there. Curious to discover more? Keep reading to find out the best things to do in Puglia in 2023.

The Best Time to Visit Puglia

Puglia is gorgeous at any time of year, however, it gets extremely busy with Italian tourists over the summer season and temperatures are at an all-time high. For this reason, I don’t enjoy traveling to Puglia in July and August as it’s a little too much for me. Instead, my favorite time to visit is in Spring or Fall as the more moderate temperatures mean sightseeing is enjoyable and you can even squeeze in beach time in Puglia. Things to do are aplenty during the shoulder seasons from swimming, to visiting hilltop towns, to enjoying the atmosphere of the olive harvest – things to do in Puglia in October!

How to get to Puglia Italy?

Puglia is right in the heel of the Italian boot-shaped peninsula, so the best way to arrive is by plane or train if you’re coming from another Italian city. If you’re searching for flights to Puglia Italy, the main airports are Bari International Airport and Brindisi Airport.

If you’re traveling from Rome, then the best way to arrive is my high-speed train into Bari Railway Station which takes just over 4 hours.

What to do in Puglia in September?

September is my favorite month to travel in Italy as the temperatures are the perfect level of warmth and breeze for me, and some crowds begin to disperse with children heading back to school in the middle of the month. We run our Untold Italy Puglia tours in May and September for the opportunity to enjoy sightseeing without the scorching heat as well as swimming tea with pleasant temperatures for most of the month.

13 Best Things to do in Puglia in 2023

Searching for things to do in Puglia region Italy? I’ve put together a list of my top activities and experiences to do when you visit this beautiful part of the country. Have more suggestions of what to do in Puglia? Leave a comment on this post!

1. Explore the old town in Bari

Most trips start or end in Bari as it’s easy to travel there by plane or rail. Instead of racing off further south towards the coast, the capital city begs an overnight stay at the very minimum! There are endless things to do in Puglia Bari. Explore its medieval maze-like streets, purposely designed to disorient the enemy if they ever decided to invade Bari (it’s a port city after all). The old town was once a really dangerous place (in fact my mother-in-law was never allowed to visit when her family lived there back in the 1960s) but today it is a bustling, exciting hub of activity.

Inside the old town, be sure to visit the Basilica of St Nicolas, soak in the elegance of Piazza Mercantile, and hunt out some of the most excellent street food of your life like the Sgagliozze (fried polenta) and focaccia Barese. My favorite thing to do is wander and get lost. Perhaps you’ll find your way to the fascinating street where Pugliese women sit outside their homes at the street level rolling pasta (orecchiette). It’s no secret treasure and you’ll likely be joined there by plenty of tourists, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. There are so many things to do in Puglia Bari, that you could easily spend a few days here!

2. Eat fresh seafood off the port in Bari

Like seafood? Then you will adore Bari! It’s raw seafood heaven here so skip this suggestion if you’re not a fan. Every morning in Bari, the local fishermen come in from their nighttime fishing and unload their wares on this little port called Porto Vecchio (right next to the Teatro Margherita). The order of the day is normally raw octopus, sea urchins (when in season), oysters, and prawns (shrimp). It’s served with a big chunk of bread and some lemon slices but otherwise is totally raw (and very delicious).

3. Visit an olive oil mill in the Valle d’Itria

Did you know Puglia is famed for their extra virgin olive oil? In fact, it’s responsible for producing 40% of the entire country’s EVOO. I had always read about how connected Italians are to their olive trees, but it wasn’t until my fourth trip to the region that I got chatting to our bus driver Vincenzo about the Pugliese relationship with olive trees. He explained to me that historically, every family had their own trees that had been passed down from generation to generation – they are so important that they felt like a family member. All of which, made it absolutely devastating when the first spread of xylella fastidiosa (a bacteria) started to rip through the Salento, slowly killing family’s olive trees. There is no cure and the solution has been to burn the trees as they die to hopefully stop the bacteria spreading further.

If you have the time, I wholeheartedly recommend visiting an olive grove in the Valle d’Itria where the spread of the bacteria is not yet as devasting as in the Salento. Spend time with the producers who are looking after the trees and creating beautiful extra virgin olive oil. Learn about how this artisanal product is created from beginning to end and the difference between EVOO and a supermarket oil. You’ll come away from this experience with a newfound appreciation for Puglia’s liquid gold, especially as this terrible bacteria threatens to destroy part of the region’s identity forever.

4. Go ceramic shopping in Grottaglie

I had an inkling that I liked ceramics but it wasn’t until I first visited Grottaglie that I realised I’m a full-blown ceramics fanatic! Grottaglie is a small town nestled sort of in the center of Puglia just a 30 minute drive from Taranto. It’s also an easy day trip from the Itria Valley (30 mins from Martina Franca). They have been the heart of Puglia’s ceramic industry for over 1000 years thanks to their easy access to red clay and the historical need for vessels for olive oil, water and wine. Today, there are more than 50 workshops still operating and producing stunning ceramics for your kitchen. My favourite shops to visit are Nicola Fasano and Bottega Vestita but there are so many to explore!

5. Swim in one of Puglia’s magnificent beaches

If you’re visiting in the Spring, Summer or early Autumn/Fall, then you absolutely must head to the beach! There are some of the most incredible beaches in this region and locals will tell you they just get better and better the further South you go. Choose between the gorgeous Adriatic or Ioanian Sea – or even better, why not try beaches along both coasts. The Poetry Cave is a famous Instagram spot just south of Lecce that’s worth seeking out, but for a relaxing day why not try Marina di Pescoluse on the Ioanian Sea which Vincenzo told me was even more beautiful than you’ll find in Sardegna. For a fun beach club experience on the Adriatic, he recommends Cala Maka.

6. Join a cooking class Puglia

One of my favorite things to do on holiday is a cooking class. It’s often the best souvenir you can choose when you visit a new place because it allows you to instantly recreate the feelings from your holiday with friends and loved ones when you return home. It also allows for the opportunity to have a longer conversation with locals and try dishes you might not necessarily find in restaurants. If you love pasta but just know you’re not going to want to buy a pasta machine when you head back home, then orecchiette (the typical pasta of Puglia) is the perfect dish to learn to make. All you need is a butter knife, water, and durum wheat to make this! It really couldn’t be easier.

7. Visit a dairy for fresh cheese

If biting into minutes old creamy burrata filled with pistacchios sounds like your kind of heaven, then you are going to adore Puglia! The region makes incredible cheeses, particularly when it comes to soft ones like burrata, stracciatella (the creamy filling inside the burrata), and mozzarella; as well as more aged cheeses like caciocavallo and ricotta salata. The best way to experience cheese heaven is by visiting a caseficio or dairy so you can watch how they prepare these delicious cheeses and of course, taste along the way. English is likely to be limited in these places so you’ll need to either speak Italian or visit with someone who does. We visit an incredible dairy on our Untold Italy Puglia tour where we have the opportunity to watch the cheese masters make fresh mozzarella and then sample everything in their beautiful terrace outdoors afterwards.

8. Go trulli hunting in the Valle d’Itria

Did you know the Itria Valley is dotted with fairytale-like stone houses known as trulli? These stone huts with a thatched roof were the typical kind of house in this area once upon a time (and there are many conflicting reasons as to why- from tax evasion, to pilgrim routes, to using locally available materials). Of course, Alberobello is the ‘capital’ of trulli and it’s easy to see why so many people visit this tiny town as it’s literally covered in trulli houses.

If you are searching for things to do in Alberobello Puglia, consider booking a guided tour to learn more about the history of the trulli and this fascinating town.

For those of you who want to escape the crowds though, the best thing to do is simply go for a drive through the countryside and stumble upon these whimsical huts interspersed with olive trees and vineyards. Gorgeous!

9. Admire baroque beauty in Lecce

Also known as the ‘city of churches’ or the ‘Florence of the South’, Lecce is a beauty in its very own right. This gem of the Salento is a vibrant university town and full of elegant palazzi, exquisite baroque churches, artisan shops, and excellent food. It makes for a great base in the lower part of the region and has plenty to do to keep you entertained. There are so many things to do in Lecce Puglia, but be sure to not leave town without trying a caffe’ lecesse and a rustico.

10. Stay in a Masseria

One of the most incredible experiences you can have in the region is to stay in a traditional masseria. It’s like a beautiful countryhouse but originally masseria were intended as fortresses that could protect small villages during times of invasion or war. Today, there are many luxury masseria you can stay in fitted out with swimming pools, and fantastic in-house restaurants. The food at masserias can be fantastic and you often get the opportunity to meet lots of farm animals too. We stayed at a gorgeous one outside Martina Franca called Masseria Iazzo Scagno this year and it was rustic and beautiful (the food was excellent too!)

11. Visit a winery

The region has had a bad reputation for winemaking in the past thanks to making the majority of ‘bulk’ wine in Italy. However, things are changing and Puglia is a real up and coming region for wine! Their typical grapes are negroamaro, zinfadel, aglianico, bombino bianco, and fiano. If you’re visiting a winery in Italy, it works a little differently to back home in that you need to make an appointment and can’t just show up on the day. Try family-run Tenute Robino in the province of Brindisi to discover beautiful wines using Susumaniello grapes. For something closer to Manduria, try biodynamic Morello winery run by an Italian/Australian couple that I originally read about in Emiko Davies’ guide to Puglia.

12. Make a day trip/overnight to Matera

Whilst not in the region, you can’t miss a trip to Matera when in Puglia! It’s only an hour’s drive from Bari making it the perfect place to stop over for a night or two. Matera is known as the ‘city of Sassi’ thanks to its distinct caves that were inhabited up until the 1950s. The town is hauntingly beautiful and one of the longest continually inhabited places in the world. There is a dark history to uncover via Casa Noha or booking a tour with a licensed guide to find out more. There are many things to do in Matera Puglia (it’s actually in Basilicata), but exploring the sassi is surely number one!

13. Bike Tours Puglia

One of the most requested things to do in Puglia is a bike tour. Whether you rent a traditional bike or an e-bike, there are lots of great tours you can join throughout the region. Why not try this beautiful tour near Ostuni to cycle through olive fields, and farms while you learn about olive oil with a tasting at the end?

Is Puglia Worth Visiting in 2023?

Puglia is one of the most off-the-beaten-path destinations in Italy for 2023 that still offers a good level of tourist infrastructure. I strongly recommend visiting sooner rather than later because this region is becoming more well known by tourists every year. Looking for more information on travel in Puglia? Take a read of my blog on the best Puglia food, reasons to visit the Itria Valley, best places to stay in Puglia, or best places to visit in Puglia in 2023. What are your favorite things to do in Puglia? Let me know in the comments.