The Valle d'Itria

Our town. Baroque balconies, a morning market, and the best evening passeggiata in the valley. Go for capocollo, a glass of local white and dinner in the old centre.

A perfect circle of whitewashed houses looking out over the vineyards. Beautiful at sunset, and the wine is worth the trip alone.

Choose your meat at the butcher, sit down outside, and they grill it for you. A slow, entirely local evening.

The UNESCO trulli town. Busy at midday, quietly magical early in the morning or after six.

The white city, stacked on its hill above the olive plain, with the coast just below.

Cliffs dropping into clear turquoise water, with the famous beach tucked between the rocks. Go early, stay for lunch above the sea.

A working harbour town with a beautiful old centre, small beaches along the city walls and some of the best seafood on the Adriatic.

The regional capital. Lose yourself in Bari Vecchia, watch the nonnas roll orecchiette in the street, and walk the long seafront at dusk.

The Florence of the South. Honey-coloured baroque churches, lively squares and a completely different, southern atmosphere. A perfect day trip.

Just across the border in Basilicata. The ancient Sassi cave dwellings, carved into the rock and glowing at dusk — one of the most extraordinary places in Italy.