There are two ways to spend a week in Puglia. The first: make a list of everything you “must see” and rush to tick it off. The second: choose a fixed base, move when you want, return to the same place every evening.
This itinerary follows the second approach. Trulli d'Amore is the base. Seven days. No hurry.
Day 1 — Arrival: Bari and first impressions
Fly into Bari Karol Wojtyla (BRI). Hire a car at the airport — essential, no decent alternative exists. From Bari to Monopoli is about 60 km: under an hour on the SS16 towards Taranto.
Afternoon: check in at Trulli d'Amore, first exploration of the masseria. The courtyard, the olive trees, the kitchen. No need to go anywhere on day one. The place itself is the first point of the itinerary.
Day 2 — Valle d'Itria: Locorotondo and Cisternino
Leave at 7am. Locorotondo before the others arrive. White streets, round houses, low light. Coffee at the square bar lasting half an hour.
One village at 7am is worth more than three villages at noon. Valle d'Itria is understood when you stop, not when you rush.
Lunch: Cisternino. The butcher-kitchens — Cisternino institutions. You enter, choose the meat, they cook it in front of you. Bombette — rolled pork with cheese and parsley — is always the order.
Day 3 — Alberobello and Martina Franca
Alberobello: before 9am. The Monti district is empty. Tourist coaches arrive from 9:30. Those already inside have the village to themselves.
Martina Franca's baroque architecture is among the least known in Puglia and among the most interesting. The historic centre has a quiet quality that Alberobello can no longer have.
Day 4 — Polignano a Mare and the coast
Polignano is 20 minutes from Trulli d'Amore. The old town takes forty minutes on foot. Lama Monachile cove — the photographic beach — is reached from the main road.
Capitolo beaches are 10 minutes away. Less famous, quieter. Le Palme, Kulto, Macramè, Agavi Beach: equipped and accessible.
Day 5 — Matera
Matera is in Basilicata, not Puglia. Under an hour from Trulli d'Amore (about 70 km). The Sassi — the cave city — are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
The best visit is an independent one, no guide, no map. You get lost, you find yourself. The quality of the alleys, cave churches, light that changes every hour.
Day 6 — The slow sea day
The only day without a plan. Beach. Silence. Back in the afternoon. Market in Monopoli for the evening shopping. Dinner outside, under the olive trees.
Day 7 — The return
Check-out by 10am. Monopoli to Bari airport: 60 km. Under an hour. Recommend leaving an hour and a half before the flight.
Using Trulli d'Amore as a base for this itinerary means having a home to return to every evening. 4 suites, exclusive use, real kitchen. The best periods book up months in advance.