Unlocking Puglia: A Soulful Encounter with Italy’s Best-Kept Secret
- Andrew C.
- Aug 15
- 12 min read
Updated: Sep 1
The Definitive Insider’s Guide to Puglia’s Land & Soul
When I think of summer, I think of Puglia. I first learned about Apulia, the Italian name for Puglia, from my longtime Italian friends. I always wondered where they vanished when they were on vacation, not to Capri, not to Lake Como, not even to Tuscany. The answer, whispered with affection and a knowing smile, was always the same: Puglia. When I finally visited the region through an invitation from my director friend Giuseppe Mottola, I understood why Italians have kept it a beloved secret for so long. Over the past four years, I’ve returned again and again, exploring its backroads and coastal stretches, tasting its seasons, and falling deeper into its rhythm. These journeys culminated in our visual story "Unlocking Puglia", an ode to a place shaped by presence, craft, and connection.
In the heel of Italy lies Puglia, a land where ancient traditions and wild landscapes converge in quiet harmony. Unlike its more polished counterparts to the north, Puglia doesn’t seek to impress. It simply invites you to sink in. With its sun-bleached towns, endless olive groves, and crystalline coastlines, this is Italy unfiltered, poetic, and proudly rooted. This Puglia story guide is a personal invitation to explore this soulful region, Italy’s best-kept secret, from the inside out, to wander its stone-paved towns, to hear its music, to taste its past and its future...
A Mystical Ride to Italy’s Most Enigmatic Castle
We begin at dawn, where stories stir beneath our feet. In the rolling hills of northern Puglia, Castel del Monte emerges from the mist like an apparition—elegant, exacting, and entirely unlike any other castle in Italy. Built in the 13th century by Emperor Frederick II, its striking octagonal design is steeped in symbolism, aligning with the sun, the stars, and mathematical perfection. No drawbridges or moats, no military defenses, this was never meant to be a fortress, but a philosophical statement in stone. We approached on horseback in the hush of early morning, the only sound the rhythm of hooves against gravel. As the rising sun cast golden light across the limestone façade, the castle revealed its symmetry, eight sides, eight towers, eight rooms on each floor, each number a clue, each shadow a suggestion. Stepping through its arched doorway, the temperature dropped, and silence thickened. The interiors are stark, monastic, designed to heighten awareness. Castel del Monte felt like a meditation rather than a monument—a place where power, intellect, and nature converged.
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