It’s not so very long ago that Puglia was off the tourist map, judged the poor southern relation to culturally rich northern Italy. In the last decade or so, tourists, particularly Italian holidaymakers, have cottoned on to the region’s charms – lovely beaches and the small, cone-shaped dwellings known as trulli have perhaps been its biggest draw. However, although the heel of Italy’s boot is no longer considered downtrodden, a holiday here remains low key, connecting with the culture, people and nature in an unhurried way, in keeping with the region’s rural simplicity.
Spring and autumn are the loveliest times to visit, the perfect seasons for a gentle pedal through an ancient olive grove or to watch the flamingos flock at Sentiero Airone Nature Reserve, or to stroll through the sun-drenched, white-washed alleys of tiny Cisternino, one of the most appealing of the città bianche (white towns).
Apart from visiting Lecce – long been described as the ‘Florence
