Signora Giuseppina Cardona, owner of the Principe del Mare, has set the table: a light cotton cloth and linen napkins, plain plates, and long-stemmed wine glasses. The rustic slices of white bread are wrapped in a paper bag, and there is a wine cooler for the gently sparkling rosé. Her customers are almost exclusively local - they know that the samll family run business, located on the coast neaer Savelletri, serves the best spaghetti alle vongole and a delicate octopus salad. "But our bestseller is the sea urchin," says Giuseppina. "Would you like to try some?

Southern Italy, the Adriatic Sea, a fish stall by the sea - Puglia is a summer dream! The region at the heel of the boot boasts 800 kilometres of coastline, some of it spectacular, with thousand-year-old olive trees, fertile fields and white villages perched on hills like eagle's nests. The road to Cisternino takes you past shimmering grey-green olive groves and pretty trulli - the typical round houses with conical stone roofs. The narrow old streets of the walled town wind like a snail's shell, the winding centre is car-free, and in the beautiful Piazza Vittorio Emanuele you can enjoy a cannolo filled with cottage cheese cream with your cappuccino.

On the coast, baroque towns such as Monopoli have a magnificent basilica and a maze of narrow streets that often end surprisingly in an idyllic piazza. The promenade high above the sea leads to the old port with its well-preserved 16th-century fortress or, in the opposite direction, to the beach or a series of enchanting coves where, in recent years, more and more chic beach clubs have sprung up. Among the hippest are Lido Marzà, flanked by steep cliffs, and the crescent-shaped beach of Porto Giacciolo, at the foot of a mighty coastal fortress.

"Ten years ago, thoroughly styled beach clubs were a rarity on our coast," says Vittorio Muolo, who pioneered his own Coccaro Beach Club, which opened in 2005. And not just that: He also owns the Masseria Torre Coccaro, which was one of the first luxury hostels to welcome paying guests some 20 years ago and is still one of the most romantic and elegant hostels in Puglia. Not far away is Masseria Alchimia, a chic, design-led guesthouse with nine studios and suites that boast Flos pendant lights, Saarinen tables and Charles and Ray Eames rocking chairs. "For the price I paid in 2006, you can't even get a nice holiday home today," says Swiss Caroline Groszer, "the masseria market has exploded in the last few years, the old country estates are in demand like never before".

At the moment, the focus is on Ostuni, a little further south. Even from a distance, the gleaming white town of 30,000 inhabitants beaming at the visitor. There are no ugly buildings on the outskirts, and certainly not in the centre, with its spacious Piazza della Libertà, the imposing cathedral, the cobbled streets of the old town and the mighty city walls, which offer a cinemascope view of the rural plains of the Valle d'Itria and the turquoise waters of the Adriatic. "This place has a special magic," says Parisian Laurence Pineau Valencienne, who adds urban flair with her pretty boutique Galleria Valencienne, "compared to other regions in Italy, Puglia is still authentically Italian. Until now, that is.

Where to eat
Culinary delights await you  along the coast of Savelletri and in the picturesque mountain village of Locorotondo. 

Where to drink
In Puglia, tempting bars and cafes invite you to experience the regional gastronomy. 

Where to sleep
In the rural idyll of Savelletri, tucked away in the hinterland, stunning accommodation awaits in historic masserie..

Shopping
In Puglia, a rich world of design and art unfolds in small, exclusive shops such as the "Galleria Valencienne," "Vico dei Bolognesi" and "Peppino Campanella".

To visit