Martin van Groenigen
woohoo, you have booked! Your holiday to Puglia is about to begin. The heel of the boot, known for the white trulli, orecchiette and of course the blue sea and white towns. Italy knows how to surprise us time and time again and Apulia is certainly one of those areas where you think: 'Yes, this is also real Italy.'
But it can also be good to get lost among all the Puglia tips. In which region are you going to stay, how many days should you set aside for it, but also: what are useful things to take with you (or leave at home) and which souvenirs are really nice.
In short, in this guide Puglia for beginners you will find everything to make your first holiday in Puglia a great success.
Packing for your holiday in Puglia
First, let's talk about what to pack for a trip to Puglia this summer.
1. Cards, dice: something of a game
You probably know the photos and videos of old men on a square who are playing cards in a circle. No ace, spades and clubs, but often cards with special figures on them. The Italians love card games and they often know dozens of them.
So do you want to get a little claim? Then sit on a terrace Yathzee'en, Qwixx'en or just the 'old-fashioned' bullying and it is sure to be a success. Not only for the address, but also just to not have to look at people.
2. Medicines
Maybe an open door, but I want to give it to you anyway. Where the foreign pharmaceuticals are sometimes much cheaper or easier, that's for you go to pill collection unfortunately not everywhere.
For example, in the Netherlands you pay less than € 2 for a pack of paracetamol or ibuprofen at the local super neighbor and you have to go to the pharmacy with at least paper money and sometimes also with a prescription.
That's a pity if you decide to start the day with two paracetamol during that limoncello room.
3. Sunburn
Is this article all open doors? Yes. And again no. It is a beginners guide. So I can imagine you thinking: ah, nice to Puglia, I'm not going to apply sunscreen because then I'll get extra tan. Don't do it, because you almost burn alive here in the summer.
In the Netherlands you often think that the UV index stops at 8, but in Puglia that is a summer morning or evening. Especially if you are attached to a certain sunscreen because it lubricates well or works well with your sun allergy, for example: bring your own ointment. To avoid disappointment, but also certainly misery.
4. Herbs
This tip is especially if you are going to Puglia for a longer period of time (and I speak from experience). Eating pasta, pizza and other Italian specialties for three weeks might get boring. I can therefore imagine that you sometimes feel like Dutch pot or a nasi, curry or other spicy dish.
Do not assume that you will find the herbs for this in the supermarket. Then it can only be better if you do find them. The Italians are so proud of their cuisine that you will find towering shelves of pasta and tomato sauces, but maybe one small rack of foreign things.
In the big cities it is becoming more and more, but yes: real satay or nasi herbs always remain a lottery ticket on holiday. Also useful if you want to cook for your Italian neighbors at the campsite.
This will leave you feeling at home for your holiday in Puglia
Well, with the holiday must-haves out of the way, let's take a look at the things you should leave at home.
1. Cycling
Yes. Dutch people unite. We proud riders of our steel steed sometimes have a hand in taking our bikes everywhere. And that's fun, because you can explore a new area at your leisure - or better on your very alive Batavus.
Do you rank yourself among the renowned sports cyclists with good equipment and healthy calves? Then you can think again about taking your bike with you. If not? Then leave it at home and save that space in the car or camper for some extra boxes of wine or other souvenirs on the way back.
Puglia is flat compared to Tuscany or Emilia-Romagna, but not so flat compared to the Dutch polder. The roads are hilly, poorly constructed and not designed for cyclists.
Here and there you will find a few cycle paths, but especially if you take your bike to explore the towns, take steep climbs and a lot of honking into account.
2. Pasta (machine)
I get you so well. You go on holiday to Puglia, maybe a few weeks, and think: I'll bring my own pasta machine, because then I can enjoy myself there. Fanatical hobby cook that you are.
Learn more about the special materials you can buy for your pastas at home. For example, the 00 flour, ravioli molds or other gadgets. Because making pasta is fun, but it is also so easy and delicious (!) available in the supermarket.
What should you pay attention to during your holiday to Puglia?
Time for the more important things. Because what should you take into account once you are in Puglia? Here are the best tips.
1. Parking
I told you earlier in a blog about the Italian parking etiquette, but I can't warn you often enough. According to the unwritten rule, parking is allowed (almost) everywhere in Italy. But avoid those yellow boxes!
Do you want to park your car twice to get a coffee? Can. Just park on the entrance lane (!) on the highway to make a phone call? Not very friendly, but possible. You can park anywhere, but make sure you don't put your car in a yellow section, a section especially for pregnant ladies or one for the disabled. Because then you can really expect a receipt. Otherwise… it's not too bad.
2. Old and new towns
Like many cities in Italy, the towns in Puglia are divided into two parts: old and new. The old town, often with the narrow crawl-by-sneak-through streets, white houses and idyllic corners.
And the new town, often with large flats, modern buildings and companies and a lot of noise. So don't be alarmed if you drive into Alberobello, for example, and everywhere trulli expected but not seen. You are probably still in the new section.
Unfortunately, the old cities were always built high to see the enemy coming and the Italians attach little value to the appearance of their city, so you often drive past ugly apartment buildings and other 'junk' into the beautiful town. Oh well, then the appreciation is all the greater afterwards.
3. Siesta
Yes, the siesta. The afternoon nap. The long lunch. In Puglia you can - proverbial - hear a pin drop between 13.00:17.00 and XNUMX:XNUMX. Almost everything is closed by then. Especially in the summer. It is then simply too hot and people are so forced slowly .
Don't worry, in the evening the shops are often open until late. And nothing better than having the opportunity every day for an extensive lunch with a appetizer and a digestive and then also have time to sleep it off.
4. Rent a car
Renting a car can be expensive, especially in the summer. Prices are skyrocketing and to even explore Puglia with a Fiat 500 tucked under your butt, you'll need a big wallet. Especially if you rent a car directly at the airport.
Those fast car guys are of course not stupid and know that everyone who comes by plane almost 'must' have a car. Tip: if you are not staying in the city you are flying into – so you are staying outside Bari or Brindisi – look for a car rental company in a town further up the road. Often the prices here are a lot lower and sometimes they also want to wait for you at the airport.
Driving your own car to Puglia is of course also possible, but then you have to allow a few extra days for your trip.
5. Public transport
They say: the further south you go in Italy, the more you go back in time. And there is certainly a grain of truth in that, but not when it comes to public transport and in particular: train transport. Really, traveling by train is dirt cheap, super chill and a sustainable mode of transport in Italy.
However, be careful which train you take. The Intercity's are fast, you can take your bike with you, but their stations are sometimes in the most illogical places.
The slow trains, on the other hand, are slow, show you several nice places and the stations are sometimes located in the middle of the villages. The buses are less reliable in Puglia. A bus driver just needs to feel like it, have had his cup of coffee on time and be lucky that lunch with his mother doesn't run late, otherwise you can shake it as an unsuspecting bus passenger.
Take home
Ah, time to collect souvenirs. What's nice to take home?
1. Olive oil + pitcher
If you wander around among all those olive trees in Puglia for a while, you really don't want anything else than your own oil in such a nice ceramic pouring bottle. It tastes better, it looks nicer than a Bertolli bottle and well: you just want something as a memento of your holiday in Puglia.
You can see the ceramic oil bottles in (almost) every tourist spot, but if you want to go all out among the ceramics, pay a visit to the ceramics district in Grottaglie. Here you will find the oil cans or bottles in all shapes, colors and sizes.
2. Something ceramic: pumo
If you're in Grottaglie anyway and want to stick to the ceramics souvenir theme, don't forget the pumo. A flower bud that represents new life and is often given at births, removals and the like.
These are also available from large to small and from black to bright pink. You can't think of it so crazy or it's there. And it really is from Puglia, so you probably won't find it in the knick-knack shelf at the local Action.
3. Altamura Flour
Are you a real bread baker? Then be sure to visit Altamura and book a food tour via Casa Didecca (a very special cheese farmer, but Vito is also a specialist in the field of Altamura bread and focaccia).
He will then take you along different bakeries and let you taste everything. Afterwards, take a bag of flour with you in the suitcase and check at home whether you have been paying attention.
4. 00 flour and semolina
Not a bread baker but a good pendulum hand on your pasta machine? Then definitely don't skip the flower, flour and baking section in the supermarket or at a specialty store. Where the Dutch pasta hype often uses extra high prices for 00 flour, in Italy this has simply remained 'nice and normal.'
And as a real 00 flower denier: yes, you really notice the difference between 00 flower with semolina or just plain flour.
5. Peperoncino and other spices
In the summer you will see them hanging everywhere: the drying peperoncino. Hot peppers that look really nice. You can buy them dried, but also already ground. It's nice and sharp (joh), but also has something fresh.
In addition, you will find stalls with dozens of different types of peppercorns, salt and other local spices at the weekly markets. You can buy mixtures there, but you can also get started at home to make a real 'Puglie mixture'. Always a nice souvenir, especially for one foodie.
A few other souvenir tips:
- Taralli: the round pretzels from Puglia.
- Orecchiette: the pasta from Bari (get them from the nonnas who are making them outside their door).
- A Massaia: a fat lady from Lecce.
- A bottle of wine from a nice winery where you have been. Need inspiration? In this article I have listed 4 of them for you.
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