OK, now let’s dive into the cities I had the pleasure of visiting the September all within the stunning region of Puglia!
Bari Vecchia
All I can say is this city is REAL! The energy of the residents was palpable. Everyone knew everyone, yet outsiders were not shunned. I had some of the freshest and most delicious seafood of my life from a simple fish market on the corner of our B&B on the very first night of our arrival. You got to hand select each piece of fish that you wanted and choose how you’d like it cooked, grilled, fried, etc… WOW! Note from my gluten free sister: she was able to find several places that accommodated her dietary restrictions and had more options that she typically would in the US! There was even an exceptional completely gluten free bakery that offered everything from pastries, to breakfast dishes and pizza!
Also, Bari has a major shopping pulse, as we strolled through several streets of extremely high end European retailers like Gucci Louis Vuitton and more!
Matera
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, I’m sure you seen videos of this unique town all over your social newsfeeds. (Unless that’s just me and my travel obsessed algorithm)….. regardless, this city is not just hype, it’s actually breathtaking! I’ll say I’m very glad we did an actual tour here with an extremely knowledgeable historian and guide because this town is all history, having ties to pretty much every major point in European history and cinema. The restaurants and bars here are also divine! Sure, some rely heavily on the view, but not all! We had an AMAZING meal and wine experience at Ranido Wine Bistro… a quaint little restaurant carved out of cave! The decor and vibe did not disappoint. And the wine was spectacular!
*Pro Tip wear comfortable shoes here and bring a reusable water bottle if you can because it’s all stairs, like everywhere!! Some people choose to stay here for a night or two, I actually think it's a large enough area to do so. There are many small boutique hotels scattered around the city center that are beyond charming. However, if you only have a day, that is also completely do-able as well!
Arobello
OK, now on to possibly the most Instagram famous town in all of Puglia! If I’m being honest, I think I preferred the stunning scenery on the drive in more than the actual “town” itself! Now what you see in photographs is actually a very small section of the town, which almost feels like make believe or something out of Disney when you walk through it. It’s not very large and the vast majority of these “Trulli” are gift shops, restaurants etc. I don’t think many people actually inhabit this little village and it seems to be entirely catered to tourists. To my dismay, we found that most shop workers here looked exhausted and somewhat bothered by the tourists. I mean, I can’t blame them, thousands and thousands of people coming through merely for photos? Yeah that probably gets exhausting... It’s cute and looks exactly like the pictures, but personally I didn’t need to stay here for very long. I actually found the surround town before you descend the steps to the trulli to be more enjoyable. There seemed to me more approachable local restaurants here and well as several awesome supermarkets! I'd probably only recommend this town as a day trip, and really more of an afternoon. It's in a great location along the Puglia coast, which means it can be a short stop on your way to another destination!
Monopoli
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