Puglia in the Spring

Spring flowers in Puglia

At the end of March I spent a week with Vic and Jude, staying at Vic and Gina's house in Puglia. Based near the white city of Ostuni I wanted to see if it would be a good central base for a walking week.

Approaching Ostuni through olive groves

The towns are full of history, particularly the Centro Storico of Ostuni itself. The old town of Cisternino and the castle at the heart of Carovigno are both beautiful.

Cisternino's centro storico

Courtyard of Carovigno's castello

 There are older traces of human history, too; bronze age cave dwellings, menhirs and dolmen (Is that a plural? I've no idea.), and relics of classical Greek and Roman cultures, most notably Egnazia. We had a busy week touring these hotspots.

Trullo near Cisternino

The walking was more difficult. There's not a culture of countryside walking - I guess it's too hot for much of the year.

More wildflowers

Old olive trees

 So there are few footpaths and much of the walking must be done along white gravel roads and small tarmac lanes. Some of these are lovely, bordering farms with picturesque Trulli houses and gnarled olive trees, but at times it feels like a sub-urban wasteland, with fly-tipping and litter.

View towards the Adriatic from the escarpment near Ostuni

 So the jury's out. I'll give it some more thought and make a decision later in the year, but we enjoyed our recce and the place is certainly photogenic and unique within Italy.