Experience the best of Puglia culture with this guide to the region’s specialty foods, wine, festivals, unique accommodations, and hands-on cultural experiences.

About the author: Maria is a travel writer who runs It’s All Trip To Me alongside her partner in crime and travel, photographer Katerina. Through highly informative travel guides, carefully planned-out itineraries and the best travel planning tips, they inspire people with full-time jobs to travel more by making the most of their vacation time.

The sun-soaked region of Puglia in Southern Italy is one of the most authentic and laid-back parts of the entire country.

This land of centuries-old olive trees and vineyards is the ideal destination for a slow vacation under the bright Italian sun. Moreover, with its gorgeous countryside and picture-perfect villages and small towns, Puglia feels like it’s made for a road trip. 

The most important reason to plan a trip to Puglia is because it’s a region with a distinct culture that goes back many centuries. The Apulian way of life is closely linked to various cultures that have impacted the region over time – in particular, Greece.

In ancient times, the area that is now known as Puglia was colonised by the Ancient Greeks, who founded many powerful towns all across Southern Italy. This has made Puglia one of the most important regions in the country in terms of archaeological significance.

Puglia has continued to receive large numbers of immigrants from Greece over history, especially during the 16th century when Greeks fled to Southern Italy to save themselves from Ottoman invasions. 

This perpetual co-existence of Italians and Greeks has forged the very essence of Puglia, and it remains one of the region’s characteristic traits to this day. People who visit Puglia can’t help but be fascinated by this unique blend of cultures which manifests in the region’s cuisine, architecture and traditions in the most exciting ways.

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5 amazing ways to delve into Puglia culture

Here are 5 ways to get acquainted with Puglia’s special culture.

1. Sample Puglia’s Cucina Povera

A bowl of humble Apuglian cuisine on a wooden table.
Traditional Apuglian cuisine.

Food is definitely one of the best ways to delve into a local culture while travelling. Food in Puglia is intertwined with the region’s history and geography in more ways than one.

Historically, Puglia was one of the poorest regions of Italy. As a result, locals prepared their meals with ingredients that were easy and cheap. Up to this day, Puglia relies heavily on agriculture while boasting the longest coastline of any region in mainland Italy.

Apulian cuisine is therefore abundant in vegetables, seafood and fish, while meat is rare. The region’s not-so-fortunate past has earned this cuisine the term povera, which means ‘poor’. Nowadays, however, povera refers to the simplicity of Apulian dishes rather than their quality.

There aren’t many places in the world where you can sit down to a meal and know that everything you eat is locally grown and 100% seasonal. For this reason alone, eating in Puglia is a unique experience in its own right.

For an even more immersive experience, you should definitely attend a cooking class led by a local who will be more than willing to share all the secrets of Puglia culture and cuisine with you.

2. Experience life at the masseria

A beautiful stone heritage building in Puglia.
A masseria in Puglia.

One of the most enchanting places to stay in Puglia is a masseria. Masserie are large fortified estates that are unique to Puglia and date back to the 16th century. Nowadays, most of them have been transformed into superb farmstays.

Far from being just another accommodation, a masseria offers the opportunity for an immersive cultural experience like no other. Staying at a masseria means that you get to enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful Apulian countryside, savour the most authentic food, and take part in centuries-old traditions such as cheese or olive-oil making.

Puglia is dotted with fantastic masserie that range from luxury stays such as Masseria Torre Coccaro, to more traditional yet equally marvellous ones such as Masseria Il Frantoio. 

3. Sleep in a trullo

The conical stone roofs of traditional trulli in Puglia.
Traditional trulli in Puglia.

Yet another accommodation type that is unique to Puglia is the trullo. Trulli are round, stone buildings with conical roofs that were mostly used as storage rooms or stables in the past.

There is one particular area in Puglia – the jaw-dropping Itria Valley – where picturesque trulli are abundant. Villages where every street is lined with these fairytale-like constructions is certainly a sight for sore eyes.

The best place to admire the trulli in all their glory is Alberobello, a quaint town in the heart of Itria Valley which, especially when seen from a distance, resembles a gnome village.

Almost all buildings in Alberobello are fine examples of this architectural style, while the surrounding countryside is also dotted with lovely trulli, many of which are renovated and await visitors for an unforgettable stay within their round walls.

→ Find a trulli to spend the night in on Airbnb.

4. Speak the unique Griko dialect

The Ancient Greeks founded many colonies in Puglia, but the story doesn’t end there. Nowadays, there are still 11 Greek-speaking towns in Salento, the actual heel of boot-shaped Italy. People there do everything in their power to preserve their traditions, culture and, most of all, their special dialect.

The Griko dialect borrows elements from both the Greek and Italian languages to create a unique linguistic system that can be understood by both Greeks and Italians, even if they don’t speak actual Griko themselves.

More related to Greek than Italian, the Griko is an endangered dialect as it is no longer taught in schools nor is it spoken by younger generations. That said, there are associations as well as individuals that are doing their best to safeguard the dialect, which has miraculously survived throughout the centuries thanks to the oral tradition of popular songs and poems.

If you want to know more about Griko and the special culture that’s associated with it, you should take a trip to some of the most important towns in Grecia Salentina (Greece of Salento). There is an informative museum in the town of Calimera, and in Melpignano, a very active cultural centre that mostly focuses on folk music and songs.

However, the best place to learn about the Griko dialect and the efforts made to preserve it is Palazzo Palmieri in the town of Martignano. Here, you’ll find a library where visitors can learn about the importance of Griko.

There are many cultural events held in Palmieri, especially in the summer. If you happen to be in Puglia during the summer months, make sure you attend a couple. Who knows, you may be able to utter a phrase or two in one of Europe’s rarest dialects afterwards!

5. Celebrate the Notte della Taranta

The rooftops of Puglia, Italy lit up at night.
Puglia by night.

The most important festival in Puglia is the famous Notte della Taranta. Every August, the beautiful Convent of Agostiniani in the heart of Melpignano becomes the stage for one of the biggest folk music events in Europe.

The festival’s main focus is the pizzica dance. It’s related to an ancient healing ritual that involved dancing in a frenzied rhythm as a means to overcome the effect of a poisonous tarantula bite. Nowadays, Puglia’s folk music is being reinvented and the Notte della Taranta is the ultimate celebration for pizzica lovers from all over the world.

If you are visiting Puglia in August, plan in advance so that you can be in Melpignano for the Notte della Taranta. Thousands of people flock to the tiny town from all over the globe.

This traditional festival is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be initiated into a different world, where folk music introduces you to Puglia’s best-kept secrets. You’ll be in awe as you watch how the region creates a remarkable bond between its past, present and future.

Experience the best of Puglia culture with this guide to the region's best cultural experiences. Food, wine, festivals, unique accommodations and more.

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