Puglia, the long heel of Italy, has spent ten years as a quiet alternative to the country's more crowded coasts. In May 2026, it remains exactly that.
Why now
The water is warm enough to swim, the towns are quiet enough to walk through at the pace they are designed for, and the agriturismo prices are, for the moment, half what they will be in July.
A short itinerary
Three nights in Lecce, three on a working masseria outside Ostuni, and a final two on the Adriatic coast at Polignano a Mare. The driving is, by Italian standards, easy; the food is, by Italian standards, exceptional.
