Luxury Vacationst in Puglia

Puglia — the heel of Italy’s “boot” – only really emerged as a tourist destination in the 1990s, but it was not through a lack of attractions.

Successive waves of invaders have endowed it one of the most interesting architectural mixes in the world, from a string of Norman watchtowers to fortified farmsteads known as masserie and whitewashed huts or trulli with conical, almost comical, roofs. Then there is the white town of Ostuni, rebuilt by the Greeks; the ornate baroque city of Lecce; the formidable fortress of Castel del Monte, commissioned for Holy Roman Emperor Frederik II; and the coastal town of Otranto with its castle, cathedral and tower. Otranto also has a beautiful white sandy beach, and it’s not the only one: the Punta della Suina near Gallipoli, the protected reserve of Torre Guaceto near Brindisi, and Baia delle Zagare north of Bari are among Italy’s best. Add in a new generation of luxe hotels and spectacularly fresh food – lamb, fish, orchards of hanging fruit, near-liquid burrata and orrechiette, or little ear-shaped pasta shells – and you have the beginnings of an unforgettable trip.