Puglia - The Italian Escape You Didn’t Know You Needed
Video Overview & Insights
What if the best part of Italy wasn’t Rome, Venice, or Florence—but a hidden gem in the south where even Italians go to escape? Welcome to Puglia.
5 Simple (and weird) Italian habits to Improve Your Life: Check it out... https://youtu.be/s2MmLNTdFNw?si=Y_EnvJisvSDYa0Cz
Where I stayed: https://www.relaxpuglia.com/properties/villa-perego.html (Check out their other villas, and tell them Gregor sent you.)
I’ll take you on a slow-travel journey through whitewashed villages, secret beaches, olive groves, wine country, and stone-carved cities like Matera. Plus, I’ll show you what it’s like to stay in a traditional countryside villa—and why it might beat any hotel stay you've ever had.
From trulli rooftops in Alberobello to fresh pasta in Bari Vecchia, we’ll explore why Puglia feels different from the rest of Italy—more relaxed, more authentic, and in many ways, more unforgettable.
Where I stayed: https://bit.ly/GregorVilla
(Check out their other villas, and tell them Gregor sent you.)
Hey Gregor- Quick question, we are going to do a month as digital nomads next March in Puglia. Want to just take trains and not rent a car. Can you recommend a couple of towns we should consider for a month long short-term rental?
I would love to be near the ocean.
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Savelletri the most beautiful village of puglia
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Very good video. Thank you. Isn't booze a logical contradiction when one compares it to healthy exercise? 🤣
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Great video! Can you please share the name of the restaurant in Ostuni? We hope to be staying there this summer… Maybe a few days in Ostuni and a few days in a trullo with a pool to truly relax and enjoy the landscape after our day trips.
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Hi Gregor, I have recently downloaded a few of your guides. Thank you for your guidance! I am wondering if you can assist us. We are unsure how to navigate from Naples or Rome (we can fly into either) & go to Sicily, then Puglia later this year. Please let me know your thoughts on how to accomplish this.
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Calabria
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Puglia has no mountains
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Is it a friendly area if you speak no Italian?
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great video and thanks! but...what is with the sunglasses at night?
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Fantastic work.
Chock full of useful information.
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My wife and I were there last September. Loved it.
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Love love your videos Gregor .... like you I love my vino but I am not a snob but I will leave the 'running' to you 🤍
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Bravo I will look at staying at the same villa in October Do you have a link?
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More User Perspectives
Hello Gregor. I love your Italy videos. I will be going to Porto Cesareo in Sept. Can you recommend a Masserie for 10 people to have lunch? I want my family to experience a lunch of wine and food under the Olive trees.
@1ginarossiHi
@HitenMumbaiWhen we first visited Lecce/Bari/Brindisi in 1997 even our Italian friends were asking "why Puglia? It's the backwater and breadbasket of Italy." LOL. Then Toscana became too expensive so ex-pats and tourists started flocking to Puglia. Now Puglia has become expensive and the new Tuscany, so they are coming up the coast to where we are in Abruzzo....the next frontier, God help us. The tourism/ex-pat thing is a double-edged sword. Campania and Sicilia are next, as well. Just goes to show the beauty of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies! 😀
@jrthiker9908I am considering a few days in Bari on my upcoming trip. We like quiet, and an easy going pace. Couple of questions: can you do okay without a car? We will arrive by train. And it's nice for you to be able to speak to the locals in Italian, but will we do okay if we can't speak it? I don't want to go barging into town assuming people will speak English, but at the same time I don't want to struggle to communicate or use awkward translation apps.
@lisalu910I was just in Ostuni. We stayed at Masseria Valente. It was an absolute paradise!
@lindabrink7033Oooooh... one of these days :)
@michellem7290Really interesting and informative. Some great settings and food/drink…..oh lucky man! We’re off to Naples & Amalfi for 5 nights, then spending somewhere down in the heel for another 5/6 nights in late September. Not booked yet so will be scouring Airbnb for somewhere nice close(ish) to the beach. Any advice about reasonably priced car hire would be most welcome.
@nigelfisher3756i used to live and work in polignano a mare back in the 80s. oh the memories
@ElizaDolittlefun fact: DNA tests show that Primitivo is the same grape variety as Zinfandel 👍
@ArnoldToporowskiHi, Gregor 😊 I just want to thank you for sharing this valuable information, it has been an eye-opener for me and my mother. We are planning our very first trip to Italy but something didn't feel quite right. We were overwhelmed rather than excited about all the places we wanted to visit, because we were thinking our route as those typical tours where the schedule tries to cover the most popular places in a very short time. I saw this video and it felt like having an epiphany: this is exactly the kind of experience we want for our future trip. Ti ringraziamo tantissimo! ❤
@argeliadavilarendon2940No, but we tried Airbnb over the last two weeks. Our hosts in Florence were great, Venice, not so much. Probably won’t do that again, at least not in Venice.
Also, what’s up with all the small tours cancellations? I’m losing lots of money paid for train tickets because the tour companies are canceling at the last minute. Why the cancellation you ask? Because too few people signed up, and it not being profitable. Seriously, that was a direct quote. I understand it’s a different culture, but I’d be out of business if I ran my business that way.
Other than all the stress and frustration, Italy has been amazing.
I need everyone to stop talking about Puglia so it doesn’t become over touristed.😅 great video, loved the wine tasting.
@MyTexasLifeHi Gregor , we have a place in Vico del Gargano and we love this little town . I suggest you to visit this beautiful historic town. It’s little farm but it worth visiting. Thank you for your very beautiful and informative videos.
@azamtehrani644Hi Gregor I really have learned a lot about Italy from you! My husband and I are coming to Verona for our son’s wedding!We will be getting up each morning to get out I’m curious if you can recommend any restaurants?😊
@shawniehughesLove your video Gregor! Thank you !
@charlie_brujoWhy did you move in the the first place?
@sandrastevens2793Will be in southern Italy in early November… Would that be an OK time to visit?
@lreynolds1002I visited Puglia last September when I traveled around southern Italy, I absolutely fell in love with this area, although I like Campagna and Calabria, too. Puglia is a unique part of Italy and well worth a visit or a stay.
@suzib777Wonderful …. I’ll need more of your travel guide!
@Game-w4z2nHow long did it take to learn Italian
@MicheleColottiWhat a wonderful video! I have family in Capurso and Triggiano. I visited in 2023 after meeting them 30+ years ago while studying in Florence. This video brings back many memories.
@lisastrzoda2823@GregorBrown Great work on this video and enjoy your other work as well as I'm a cycling fanatic....Need recommendations for your awesome authentic off the beaten path restaurant picks in or around these towns as well as best beach picks.....We will be there for two weeks visiting Trani, Monopoli, Ostuni, Lecce Otranto, Matera. .....Flying in and out of Naples. Traveling with Family...wife and 11 yr old daughter......We are seasoned Italian travelers ....Last year the North, the year before Sicily , now Puglia. and a few other times in last 10 yrs......Looking forward to your response.....Grazie Mille!!
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@annieaviles4760My 87 year old dad is from Puglia. I visited there with him in the summer of 2008. We stayed in his home town where figs grew wild on the side of the road. I NEED to move to Italy but first I need to get my Italian citizenship—my dad wasn’t a Canadian citizen yet when I was born so I qualify for an Italian passport. It was clearly meant to be. Primitivo and orrichette are my favourites . Che fortuna!
@annienigro4624Great video! Would be interesting to know what you do for a living too :)
@rimantasvaIs carovigno a nice place to visit?
@kellyr4479Hi Gregor, is there a story behind why you never take off those sunglasses?
@carolyn2249Gli italiani hanno fatto i salti mortali per rendere totalmente impossibile costruirsi una vita in Italia agli italiani! Come cazzo fanno questi stranieri a costruirsi una vita in Italia?
@angelodichiara7909Really nice video. Enjoyed this
@funghouls5498Hello Gregor. I prefer not to drive when I’m on vacation. Plan on spending time between Bari and Lecce and exploring some of the areas near those places. Once I get south of Brindisi, will bus and taxi/rideshare get me around?
@kimgrodThe train will take this about the same amount of time is flying between getting to the airport ahead of time for security, etc.
@kimgrodGreat video and fantastic content 🙏
@salentowithlovegosh you are revealing the secret. i am going to Puglia for years and now everyone is started discovering...anyway cant be hidden forever. I just bought a villa there so i ll be going there rest of my life or probably move there permanently..
@Nomad_783Gregor I don’t speak the language. Would I be ok in these smaller towns?
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