Is Puglia the New Tuscany? Inside Secret Italy!

Azure seas, characterful hotels, heavenly pizza and endless olive trees – Suzy Palmer falls for Puglia.

- Suzy Palmer

Is Puglia the new Tuscany? The southern peninsula – the stiletto in the Italian boot – has long been a favourite getaway for Italians, but we Brits tend to overlook this intriguing region. Now, with frequent direct flights to Bari and Brindisi via the budget airlines, plus a good choice of accommodation from luxury resorts and villas to trulli (ancient white, dry-stone conical houses) and boutique hotels in masserias (farmhouses), it’s fast becoming the hip Italian destination.

Picking up a hire car in Bari, my husband, Andy, and I plan to spend the next seven days exploring its shimmering coastline, trulli-dotted hills and Baroque cities. For our first three nights we’ve booked into the five-star seaside resort of Borgo Egnazia in Savelletri di Fasano. About an hour’s drive from both airports, this 155-room sanctuary is modelled on a traditional Puglian village with beautiful white town houses, individual villas, plus the main hotel. It’s large, sprawling over 250 acres, but with three swimming pools, several restaurants, golf and beach clubs and a spa, it never feels overcrowded, even at the height of summer. The decor is incredibly chic, beds are super-comfy and the whole resort is landscaped with lemon trees, cacti, bougainvillea and an abundance of rosemary scenting the night air.