Apulia, Italy: Towns to Explore on Foot

The best things to do in Apulia include exploring historic towns, walking along Adriatic and Ionian coasts, discovering local food traditions and listening to the region’s many layers of history. Also known as Puglia, Apulia occupies the heel of Italy, from the Gargano promontory in the north to the Salento peninsula in the southeast. Neywo offers free audio guides for 11 cities in Apulia, with 221 narrated places in total and 18 walking tours.

What to see and do in Apulia

Apulia is a region of contrasts: long coastlines, flat agricultural land, low hills and mountain landscapes in the north. Its towns also reveal a history shaped by Iapygians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Aragonese and Spanish rulers.

Discover Alberobello and the trulli

Alberobello is one of Apulia’s most distinctive towns. Its narrated places include Museo Casa Pezzolla, Trullo Sovrano, the town’s trulli and the church of Santi Medici Cosma e Damiano. The trulli are a reminder of the region’s particular architectural identity and make Alberobello a natural stop when exploring the interior.

Explore Bari’s historic and religious landmarks

As one of Apulia’s major cities, Bari offers a broad introduction to the region. Its narrated sites include the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Castello Normanno-Svevo and Stadio San Nicola. The city brings together religious heritage, defensive architecture and more recent urban history.

Walk through Lecce’s historic centre

Lecce has 68 narrated places on Neywo, more than any other Apulian city in the guide. Among them are San Marco, Lecce Cathedral, the Basilica of Santa Croce and Abbazia di Santa Maria a Cerrate. The city is an important place to explore the cultural and architectural character of Salento.

Visit Locorotondo in the Valle d’Itria

The small town of Locorotondo offers a more compact walk, with four narrated places. They include Madonna della Greca, the Ecomuseo della Valle d’Itria, San Rocco and Spirito Santo. Its location connects the town with the landscape and rural traditions of the Valle d’Itria.

See the coast and heritage of Monopoli

Monopoli combines coastal history with religious and civic landmarks. The Neywo guide includes the Castle of Monopoli, Church of Santa Teresa, Museo diocesano di Monopoli and Monopoli Cathedral. Together, these places show different sides of the town’s past.

Discover Ostuni’s historic landmarks

Known among travellers for its hilltop setting, Ostuni has 11 narrated places. The route includes San Vito Martire, Hotel La Terra, Arco Scoppa and Castello di Villanova. These sites offer a way to explore the town’s historic fabric and its changing uses over time.

Follow Apulia’s eastern edge in Otranto

Otranto stands on the region’s eastern side, facing the Strait of Otranto. Its narrated places include Otranto Cathedral, Castello di Otranto and the Monastero di S. Nicola di Casole. The town reflects Apulia’s position between the Adriatic, the Mediterranean and the wider eastern Mediterranean world.

Explore Polignano a Mare and its coastal sites

In Polignano a Mare, the guide reaches eight narrated places, including Torre Incina, Galleria Santo Stefano, Badia di San Vito and Grotta di Sella. These locations present the coast through its towers, religious buildings, former places of worship and caves.

Visit San Giovanni Rotondo and the Gargano

San Giovanni Rotondo is linked to the Gargano landscape. Its two narrated places are Gargano and the Sanctuary of Saint Mary of Graces. The town provides a starting point for understanding the northern promontory, one of the major geographical features of Apulia.

Discover Taranto between land and sea

Taranto has 51 narrated places, including Chiesa di Sant’Andrea degli Armeni, Palazzo Pantaleo, Castello Aragonese and Concattedrale Gran Madre di Dio. The city also illustrates Apulia’s continuing relationship with the sea: fishing boats work from its port, using gillnets or trawling.

See Trani’s cathedral, castle and Jewish heritage

Trani offers 19 narrated places. Its highlights include Trani Cathedral, Scolagrande Synagogue, the Castle of Trani and Monastero di Santa Maria di Colonna. The city’s landmarks reflect the religious, defensive and cultural variety found along Apulia’s Adriatic coast.

Landscapes, history and food in Apulia

Apulia’s geography shapes almost every journey through the region. The Gargano forms the spur of Italy’s boot, while Salento forms its heel. The region faces the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Otranto and Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Taranto to the south. Its coastline is longer than that of any other mainland Italian region.

Much of Apulia is flat or gently rolling, particularly in Salento. In the north, the Daunian Mountains meet the Apennines, and Monte Cornacchia reaches 1,152 metres. The region also contains two national parks: Alta Murgia and Gargano.

The climate is Mediterranean, with hot, dry and sunny summers and mild, rainy winters. Coastal snow is rare, while winds can quickly alter how a day feels. The Bora may cool the air from the Adriatic, whereas the Sirocco can bring warmer, more humid weather and sometimes red dust from the Sahara.

Food is closely tied to the landscape. Apulia has an estimated 50 to 60 million olive trees and accounts for 40 percent of Italy’s olive oil production. Vineyards extend across the region, while artichokes, tomatoes, eggplant and asparagus are important ingredients. Along the coast, seafood remains part of local cooking and working life. A particularly local ingredient is carosello, a type of muskmelon often eaten before it is ripe.

The region’s languages also tell a story of continuity and change. Italian has been the national language since 1861, but local speech varies across Apulia. Northern and central areas have Southern Italo-Romance dialects, including Bari and Tarantino. Salentino is widely spoken in Salento, while some parts of the peninsula are home to Griko, an Italiot Greek language still spoken by a few thousand Griko people.

Explore Apulia with Neywo

Download Neywo’s free Apulia audio guide to explore 11 cities, 221 narrated places and 18 walking tours. Narration is available in 11 languages. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.