Puglia
Puglia is one of Italy's most beautiful and least-discovered regions. If you're travelling from afar, we warmly encourage you to stay a few extra days and explore.
We recommend renting a car and driving around its rustic countryside to get the best experience possible.
Here's one way to make a full trip of it.
1–2 days before the wedding
Fly into Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport and head straight into the city. Drop your bags and walk the seafront — the Lungomare Nazario Sauro is one of the longest in Europe and best enjoyed at dusk with a Peroni in hand. In the evening, make your way to the old town for dinner near Piazza del Ferrarese, where the restaurants spill out onto the square and the pace of life slows right down.
The day before the wedding
Drive 50 minutes south-west to Santeramo in Colle, our hometown. We'll be organising a relaxed pre-wedding gathering in the evening — a chance to meet family and friends before the big day. On the morning of the wedding itself, you're warmly invited to our parents' house for a traditional aperitivo and to help send the bride and groom on their way. We'll also be running a bus from Santeramo to Luoghi di Pitti, so you can enjoy the day without worrying about driving to the venue.
The wedding night
After the reception, you're welcome to stay in Santeramo. We'll be running a bus from Luoghi di Pitti back into town, so there's no need to worry about driving. There are several good options for accommodation in and around the town, and we're happy to share recommendations.
The day after the wedding
Spend at least a day in the ancient landscape on your doorstep. Matera — just 30 minutes from Santeramo — is one of Italy's most extraordinary cities: its Sassi cave dwellings, carved into the ravines, are a UNESCO World Heritage site and utterly unlike anywhere else. Pair it with a visit to Altamura, where the medieval old town and its legendary DOP bread reward even a short stay. Both towns are easily combined in a single day, though Matera deserves an evening if you can manage it — lit up against the night sky, it is one of the most haunting views in the south.
If you want to stay another 2 days
Drive east toward the Adriatic, stopping in Alberobello to walk among the trulli. From there, the coast opens up: Polignano a Mare for a dramatic clifftop swim, then a few lazy days based around Monopoli or Savelletri — both beautiful harbour towns with excellent restaurants. In late May and early June the sea is warm and the crowds have yet to arrive. If this is where your trip ends, Bari airport is your natural gateway home — and an easy drive from anywhere along this stretch of coast.
Got another 4 days to add to the trip?
If you can stretch the trip to a week or more, the Salento rewards every extra day. Lecce is unmissable — a Baroque city carved from warm golden limestone, with elaborate church façades, shaded piazzas, and a Roman amphitheatre right in the centre. From there, work your way down the coast: Gallipoli, built on an island and surrounded by some of the clearest water in Italy; Porto Selvaggio, a protected natural park where pine forests tumble down to rocky coves of extraordinary clarity; and finally Santa Maria di Leuca, at the very tip of the heel where the Adriatic meets the Ionian. Allow three to four days to do it without rushing — and do not skip Otranto, the white city that watches over the strait, on the way back up. When it is time to head home, Brindisi airport is a convenient option from this part of Puglia — worth checking alongside Bari, especially if your car rental allows a different drop-off point.
We hope to see you there.
RSVP