Valle d'Itria

Is the Valle d’Itria a good base for a first trip to Puglia?

The Valle d’Itria suits a first trip built around trulli, masserie and small towns, as long as you have a car. It has 18 stays on The Puglia Edit in five comuni, with estimated prices in bands 1 to 3 and a confirmed pool at 13. If a beach day matters more to you than a village lunch, start with a coastal area.

Trulli (singular trullo) are the local building. UNESCO calls them corbelled dry-stone construction, a prehistoric technique still in use in this region, in a style specific to the Itria Valley.

Masserie, the historic farm estates of southern Italy, many now converted into hotels, account for eight of the 18 stays.

Which towns are in the Valle d’Itria, and what is each known for?

The Puglia Edit has stays in five comuni: Alberobello and Locorotondo in the province of Bari, Martina Franca in Taranto, and Cisternino and Ceglie Messapica in Brindisi.

Alberobello has five. Its two trulli districts became a UNESCO World Heritage property in 1996, with 1,030 trulli in Rione Monti and 590 in Rione Aia Piccola. The Alberobello page on Andiamo in Puglia (in Italian) lists what is on in town and what to see.

Grand Hotel La Chiusa di Chietri is a resort with a spa, and Masseria Torricella a masseria with a spa in estimated band 2. The other three Alberobello stays, all in estimated bands 1 and 2, are Grand Hotel Olimpo, with 40 rooms, Le Alcove, a four-star hotel, and La Corte dell’Astore, a trullo retreat.

Locorotondo also has five, and its comune names the Chiesa della Madonna della Greca as the town’s oldest church. Ottolire Resort is a resort with a spa and a gym. The others are Leonardo Trulli Resort, Masseria Grofoleo, Masseria Aprile and Almapetra Trulli Resort, a trullo retreat in band 1.

Cisternino has three. Its comune describes an old town of lime-white houses, alleys lined with geraniums, stairways, loggias and arches, whose main gateway is Porta Grande. The three are Villa Cenci Relais Masseria, a masseria with 34 rooms, Borgo Canonica, the trullo retreat in band 3, and Masseria Calongo in band 1.

Martina Franca has four. Petracone V Caracciolo raised its Palazzo Ducale in 1668 on the site of a medieval castle, and the comune says the building marks the city’s passage from medieval to baroque art. Relais Villa San Martino is a boutique hotel with 21 rooms and a spa; the other three are masserie: Masseria San Michele, Masseria Trulli e Vigne with 13 suites, and Masseria Pentima Vetrana, which allows pets.

Ceglie Messapica has one, Relais Porta del Sud, a four-star hotel with 35 rooms and a pool. Its comune dates a square castle tower to 1492.

For the valley as a whole, with sights, season and getting around, read Andiamo in Puglia’s guide to what to see in the Valle d’Itria, in Italian.

What kinds of stay are in the Valle d’Itria, and what do they cost?

Eight of the 18 are masserie, three are hotels, three are resorts, three are trullo retreats and one is a boutique hotel. Seven sit in estimated price band 1, under €250 a night for a double room in high season, four in band 2, €250 to €450, and seven in band 3, €450 to €750. How we select sets out how each band is estimated.

Four stays have a spa confirmed on their official sites, and the spa retreats collection lists them together.

Choosing a base here

When to go

Martina Franca hosts the Festival della Valle d'Itria in July and early August, on dates that move every year. None of the 18 stays confirms its opening months, so write to the property before you plan a trip outside summer.

Getting there

Bari (BRI) and Brindisi (BDS) both serve the Valle d'Itria: pick the one with the better connection from your city. By train, Villa Cenci Relais Masseria names the Cisternino and Ostuni stations, and Masseria Torricella in Alberobello lists a transfer to and from the station and the airport. By car, Torricella gives the SS 379 between Bari and Brindisi, exit Monopoli towards Alberobello. The 18 stays are spread over five comuni in three provinces (Bari, Taranto and Brindisi), and a car is the practical way to link them. Each stay page shows its distance to both airports when its position is precise.

Towns and villages

Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino, Martina Franca, Ceglie Messapica, Noci, Putignano, Castellana Grotte, Villa Castelli.