Monopoli and Polignano a Mare (coast south of Bari)
Monopoli has a walled old town around a working fishing harbour, with small sandy coves such as Cala Porta Vecchia right under the walls and more to the south. Most houses are in the olive groves inland. Polignano a Mare, about 15 minutes north, is built on cliffs above Lama Monachile, a pebble cove between rock walls. Bari airport is around 45 minutes away.
Best for: Families and couples who want a seaside town with coves close by
Not for you if: You want long sandy beaches: this coast is mostly rock with small coves, and the coves fill fast in August.
Martina Franca (southern Valle d'Itria)
Martina Franca has the largest group of our villas on this page, mostly in the countryside around the town, where trulli still dot the fields. The old centre is baroque, with a ducal palace and the Festival della Valle d'Itria, an opera festival, in July and August. The local capocollo, a cured pork, is sold in every deli. Bari and Brindisi airports are each about an hour away.
Best for: A hill town with cooler nights, within reach of two coasts
Not for you if: You want to walk to the sea, which is around 40 minutes away on either side.
Bari and Mola di Bari
Bari's old town, Bari Vecchia, is a maze of lanes around the Basilica of San Nicola, and women still make orecchiette pasta on tables outside their doors. The long seafront promenade leads to a town beach, Pane e Pomodoro. Mola di Bari, 20 minutes south, is a fishing town with a castle on the harbour. The airport is about 20 minutes from Bari and 35 from Mola.
Best for: Short breaks, food lovers and anyone without a car for part of the trip
Not for you if: You want a quiet country house: these are urban or suburban, with traffic.
Taranto and Marina di Pulsano (Ionian coast)
Marina di Pulsano, around 20 minutes south-east of Taranto, has sandy beaches and clear, shallow water, with holiday villas set back among pine and scrub. Taranto's old town sits on an island between two seas, joined by a swing bridge, and its archaeological museum holds a collection of Greek gold jewellery. Brindisi airport is about an hour away and Bari around an hour and a quarter.
Best for: Families who want sandy Ionian beaches without the Salento crowds
Not for you if: You mind industry on the horizon: Taranto has a large steelworks on its western side.
Barletta, Andria, Canosa di Puglia and Trinitapoli (north)
Castel del Monte, an eight-sided hilltop castle built for Frederick II, is around 20 minutes from Andria, the town where burrata was first made. Barletta has a castle and a huge bronze statue of a Roman emperor in its main street. Canosa has Roman and earlier tombs, and Trinitapoli is near the salt pans of Margherita di Savoia, where flamingos feed. Bari airport is around 45 minutes to an hour away.
Best for: Sightseers who want Castel del Monte and Romanesque towns
Not for you if: You want a beach holiday: this is flat farming country and the coast here is mostly urban.
