Great Things to Do Near Villa Pietra e Bianca
Go underground and visit the ‘Grotte di Castellana’
The town of Castellana is famous for its network of caves, the largest in Italy. They are over 3km in length, go to a depth of 122m, and the temperature stays a constant 16.5C, so a refreshing place to visit when the outside temperatures soar. There are a couple of tours available: visit the full length or a shorter version of 1km.
Gargano Peninsula
For a full day out, explore the Gargano Peninsula. Most Italians tend to flock to the seaside towns of Vieste and Peschici – make time to go as they are lovely places. But there is also the Foresta Umbra (UNESCO listed) which is home to over 2000 species of plants and trees – a beautiful place to walk and cycle. The town of Monte Sant’Angelo is famous for its Basilica and, surprisingly, for its sourdough loaf!
Florence of the South
Otherwise known as Lecce, the capital of Puglia. It is a city that fully embraced the Baroque style of architecture. Much remains today making Lecce a wonderful city to walk around. Visit the Basilica di Santa Croce and see if you can spot, on its ornate façade, griffins, dodos, angels and sheep…
Città Bianche
The white towns of the Valle d’Itria are charming places to wander around. They all have the whitewashed buildings and a ‘centro storico’ (historic centre) with a maze of narrow streets but each one is different. Spend a morning in each (followed by lunch of course) to discover its charm.
Cartapesta - Papier-Mâché
Remember making things from papier-mâché in school? Well, Puglia is famous for it and has elevated it to a fine art! It was used to construct statues for the many churches and monuments being built in Lecce. In the North of Italy, marble was commonly available and therefore used but in Lecce and the surrounding area, there wasn’t the access to marble and so the craftsmen improvised! Visit the Church of Santa Chiara in Lecce to see the cartapesta decorations on its ceiling. There are still workshops in Lecce making papier-mâché items and throughout Puglia you will find examples both to see and buy.
A blue door
There is a famous 'blue door' set into the one of the walls in the old town of Ostuni. The striking contrast between the blue of the door and the crisp gleaming white of the walls has made it famous (possibly thanks to many Instagram posts). For more photo opportunities, head to Piazzetta Martiri delle Foibe for a wonderful view over Ostuni and the coastline.
Weekly markets
Puglia is known as the Garden of Italy, supplying the country with vegetables and fruit, so where better to shop than in one of the local weekly markets? Visit Ostuni on a Saturday, Cisternino on Monday, Wednesday Martina Franca, Friday Locorotondo. They take place in the mornings until lunchtime, when you can head to one of the local restaurants or back to the villa to enjoy all the local produce you have just bought!
Walk (Run?) in the footsteps of Bond
and visit Matera, the fascinating troglodyte city just over the border in Basilicata. It has many accolades: a UNESCO World Heritage Site, European City of Culture in 2019 and the location of some great scenes in the Bond film 'No Time to Die'.
Un caffè 'alla Salentina'
Have a coffee ‘alla Salentina’, an iced glass with 5 ice cubes, a layer of almond milk and hot coffee.
Trulli of Alberobello
The UNESCO World Heritage site of Alberobello is famous for its trulli: tiny limestone houses topped by conical roofs. Built without mortar, the houses mostly date from the 14th century, but the building technique has been used since ancient times. You will see them everywhere in this part of Puglia, especially in the Valle d’Itria but Alberobello is quite literally made up of them, there are over 1500. Visit early morning or late in the day to see them without the crowds.
Picture Postcard Polignano
Gracing many a postcard and Insta post, Polignano a Mare is a picture postcard seaside town – white washed houses line narrow streets and perch atop the cliffs with fabulous views over the turquoise sea and beaches below.
La Citta della 'Nzegna
Carovigno is known as ‘La Citta della ‘Nzegna’ – the town of flags. It is renowned for its troupes of ‘sbandieratori’ who put on spectacular displays of flag throwing which are incredible to witness. Huge colourful flags are thrown between the men in displays of pageantry, accompanied by the sounds of drums and trumpets. If you get a chance to watch, do so - they are very impressive
