Following our week in Bari and weekend in Lecce, we next headed to the middle of Puglia, Valle d’Itria.

southern Italy map with Valle d’Itria inset location

Valle d’Itria towns we visited

Known for vineyards, olive groves, and hilltop towns, we were expecting this area to be a highlight of our trip. The landscape was scenic, but on the food and wine side many spots were trying to sell pricey “experiences” that were really poor value, or just weren’t that good quality, and left us disappointed in the area overall. We are glad we’ve seen it but have little interest in returning.

Towns we visited

Ostuni

Initially you are driving through a fairly standard Italian town, then all of a sudden the buildings in front of you are perched on cliff side. Of course, that makes walking around a vertical challenge – there are a lot of small stairs and narrow roads in the old town! This is the only spot in the valley where we paid to park – in a lot just below the old town.

Our first stop was a sandwich spot, Crumb35, where we sat at small table outside. I had the turkey with rocket, sun-dried tomatoes and gran padana cheese (delicious!) and Leandra had the friselle with smoked salmon, chicory and olive oil (quite messy to eat as no utensils were available!?).

After lunch we walked around the old town, first checking out the overlooks (very, very windy on this day), then up into the narrow streets which featured lots of photogenic plant-filled staircases.

 

In the center we found the impressive Duomo Santa Maria which featured stained glass, 15th century friezes, and painted ceilings.

 

On the way out we also visited Chiesa di San Franseca.

Locorotondo

Our home base for the week, Locorotondo is a hilltop town that is quite small (just a few minutes to walk across the entire old town), and generally very quiet (with the exception of engines). Each time we drove in we lucked into parking either on the street or at a free little lot tucked at the base of the town.

One of our favorite spots was the west-facing open terrace that looks toward Martina Franca and all the farms and groves in between.

In town we found quite a range of plants on and around steps to houses.

 

And of course, there is a church! Chiesa Madre di S.Giorgio Martire. This one features parts of the floor covered in glass so you can see the original foundation into the crypt.

 

And since we drove around the town multiple times, there are also some nice views as you drive in.

Alberobello

Probably the most visited town in the region, and famous for its round trulli homes with stacked rock roofs. Many reviews warned that it was extremely busy and overrun, to the point where we questioned if it was worth visiting. Thankfully we did, as we were both charmed by the town! Yes, it is touristy, but it is also uniquely beautiful in spots. We recommend exploring before 11a or after 5p when many of the tour buses are no longer around. In fact, our first visit was in the morning around 9:30am, and we returned another day at 6p so we could see the town at sunset.

Walking into town from the south, we first went into the new part of town to see the trullis from the Piazza Plebiscito terrace viewpoint.

Then we followed the up-sloping main street to see the Chiesa Madre dei Santi Medici Cosma e Damiano.

On the other side (across Largo Martellotta) we went up the (steeper!) hill to see the trulli up close. It really is a unique and charming area.

When we returned on Friday we stopped at Malart for a beer. They only had two options available, thankfully one was a malty Belgian-style amber. We started inside but quickly grabbed an a bench outside after a few minutes which made for great people (and dog) watching on the lane!

 

Martina Franca

Our 10 minute walk from the large free parking lot took us past the Villa Garibaldi park, through the Porta Santo Stefano, and then to the Ducale Palace.

Next up was the Basilica di San Martino which had a lot of marble.

 

The old town here had fewer plants and flowers than some of the smaller towns, but was generally quite clean. We saw lots of small staircases and tucked away doors, and most of the buildings were painted white.

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On our way out we stopped for focaccia at Angelini. I definitely wanted the stuffed ham and mozzarella, and Leandra went for the tomato and olive oil (puffier style). In both cases the bread had a nice chewiness to it. We tried to eat on the benches in Villa Garibaldi but there were too many mosquitoes so we had to eat walking around.

Overall we only needed 1-2 hours to explore each of these towns, and several can be seen in the same day if you wish. While there is paid street parking closer to the city centers, in nearly all cases we had good luck with researching free lots and then walking.