Summer. Holiday. In. Italy. Where are you thinking about right now?
Maybe Amalfi? Tuscany? Sicily? Sardinia? Surely not Bibione!
Italy has always led Europe in creating the next hot destination for jet setters and trend-setting explorers. It will happen again in summer 2022.
Are you thinking about Puglia?
Italy Always Sets Summer Holiday Trends
Sardinia changed Europe’s jet-set holiday scene in the 1970s.
Cinque Terre was paradise on earth only ten years ago. Now it’s an overcrowded summer hotspot.
More recently, The Amalfi Coast was the place to be seen. It’s still incredible, but it’s so popular you’ll struggle to find a five-star hotel room for this summer. And the superyachts have departed for Sicily and Montenegro.
The less said about Bibione the better. If you think an Italy beach holiday is the umbrella to umbrella mass tourism of that horrible place you need to get out of the mid 80s and early 90s.
For 2022? Let us introduce you to Puglia.
Introducing Italy’s Beautiful Southeastern Corner
Puglia’s landscapes have never changed. While Instagram suggests Amalfi is Italy’s prettiest coastline, Puglia is right up there for spectacular cliffs, green-blue waters, sea caves and hidden beaches.
Think medieval villages on the cliffs, winding coastal roads, olive groves and vineyards.
The cliffs of Polignano, white city of Ostuni, World Heritage Alberobello, and then small beaches on both the Adriatic and Ionian seas.
So why has it been so undiscovered until now?
Firstly, there are no broad sandy beaches to ruin with beach umbrellas and terrible hotels. It will never be the next Bibione.
But mostly, Puglia was undiscovered because it lacked the five-star hotels to match the setting. That’s changed.
Puglia Has Some of Europe’s Hottest New Properties
Firstly, let’s honour Borgo Egnazia, a reconstructed Puglian village that was the only true five-star in the region for years.
In May 2019, Rocco Forte Hotels opened Masseria Torre Maizza, a contemporary twist on the brand’s dazzling Anglo-Italian style. It’s comfortably on par with Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie, even their Verdura Resort in Sicily.
Palazzo Ducale Venturi is a refurbished palace, now a five-star Relais & Chateaux hotel with a superb spa and wellness offering. Not the highest luxury, but definitely an option.
One of our favourite boutique hotel brands, Baglioni, will open their new Puglia property in May 2022. We love their properties in Rome and Sardinia.
And then there are almost a dozen lovingly restored farmhouses and castles, now available on an exclusive-use basis. Did you hear about Castle Elvira? Yes, you can sleep in that 19th-century castle!
Ready to Explore Puglia?
How You Can Explore Puglia
Five years from now we expect Puglia to be as busy as Amalfi is now.
Ten years from now, this untouched Italian region will be unrecognisable to what it is now.
The problem we see is that Puglia is mostly connected by the cheapest airlines. You can fly direct from Prague to Bari on WizzAir and Ryanair. Sure, it’s not a comfortable flight but we think the destination is worth it.
But what about all the holiday makers who board the plane with their sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil? They could be crowding Puglia ten years from now. By which time you will be exploring somewhere else.
Destinations change quickly in Europe. Are you ahead of the trends? Are you going to Puglia?
