Are you planning to organize a holiday in Valle d’Itria in September and not sure if it’s a good idea? Our answer is absolutely yes!
In Puglia in September the climate is still crazy: in the coastal areas, for example, the main hours of the day remain hot and quite sweltering, while the late afternoon and evening hours remain fresh and enjoyable. At the most even towards the end of the month, hardly falls below 25-27 degrees, especially along the coasts.
Obviously in September there are not crowds of people like August, and this will allow you not only to fully enjoy our coasts, but also to discover hidden and isolated corners, which often, in the congested summer traffic, cannot be noticed.
September is the best time to enjoy the beautiful countryside, the smell and the coolness of the olive trees and the Mediterranean scrub.
Nearby you can enjoy walking along the paths of Bosco delle Pianelle, a precious wooded area of boschiva fragno, black hornbeam and oak trees, rare peony flowers dwell the area.
(http://riservaboscopianelle.it/wp/). And take a stroll in Martina Franca, after Lecce, the second Baroque city of Puglia and the only one in Valle d’Itria where you can admire the whimsy of the baroque compared to the classicism of the nineteenth century.
Plan a walk in the romantic streets of the historic centre to admire the noble palaces richly decorated with the imagination of skilled stonemasons, who among spirals, volutes, caryatids, putti and garlands have exalted the architectural beauty of every single corner, even the hidden parts. You cannot leave Martina Franca without having tasted the delicious desserts of the historic Bar Tripoli, a centenary bar located a few steps from the Basilica. Our advice is to sit outside and enjoy a sweet “bocconotto” with cream and black cherry, while observing the continuous comings and goings of the square.
If instead you want to combine countryside and the sea, Fasano is your ideal starting point, you can in fact reach the coast along the provincial road Fasano-Savelletri, which is spectacular: lined with beautiful centuries-old olive trees and dry-stone walls you can enjoy the essence of our countryside. Continuing you will find yourself admiring the breath-taking scenery that runs along the ancient Via Appia until you reach the ancient ruins of Egnazia. On arrival here you can visit the polo museum or participate in one of the excursions and activities related to archaeological excavations (https://www.egnazia.eu/).
In Torre Canne, a seaside fraction of Fasano, begins the beautiful Regional Park of the Coastal Dunes, a riot of reeds, sand dunes, scrub and vegetation that slopes down to the sea. The park organizes bike rides, hiking, horse and donkey riding (www.parcodunecostiere.org).
Still in the territory of Fasano, in the fraction of Speziale, you can take a gastronomic tour: in the Crovace cheese factory where you can stock up on fresh dairy products and you can taste delicious panzerotti.
If you wish to stay on the sea from Torre Canne continue towards Ostuni and its seaside area where, thanks to a long and sandy coastline you will be spoiled for choice, between which beach and cove to sunbathe. Torre Guaceto, Torre Pozzelle, Rosa Marina and Creta Rossa are just some of the beaches that you can find in Ostuni and surroundings. If you travel with children, we recommend Lido Morelli and Cala Quarto di Monte, where the water of the coast is completely transparent and shallow.
In the area, to fully enjoy the countryside, we recommend Masseria Brancati, one of the oldest and most original in Puglia, where you can enjoy information from Corrado Rodio – the owner – who will accompany you on a magical journey through the Messapi’s farmers and milling civilization to date. In fact, the masseria has an ancient underground oil mill with a stone mill, cisterns, fireplace, stable and olive grove, and above all a spectacular monumental olive grove, where you can admire the sculptural forms that the olive trees which have taken over through centuries (https: //www.masseriabrancati .com /).
If you are on holiday in Valle d’Itria you can certainly not miss what most characterizes it: the trulli and dry-stone walls. The countryside surrounding Alberobello, Locorotondo and Cisternino are the best places to admire these typical architectures, getting lost in the countryside is one of the activities we recommend you do, especially in September when, thanks to the harvest, the countryside is filled with life and colours. Yes, because the harvest here is really important, it is an ancient ritual of sharing and collaboration, it is the conclusive moment of a whole year of work and above all of hard work!
From Alberobello we advise you to arrive at Locorotondo, and then Cisternino. You can proceed using the faster national highway, or reach the round village in slow drive mode by crossing the countryside and passing first by the Contrada Coreggia and then by San Marco. It will add a couple of kilometres to the route but the rural landscape that opens up in front of you is worth the time. We suggest you to do so to arrive at Cisternino, from Locorotondo it is in fact possible to reach the village passing through the district of Figazzano, where for more we suggest you stop off at the Botanical Gardens “I Giardini di Pomona”.
Finally, if you are a two-wheeler lover, thanks to the mild but certainly not too muggy climate of September, you can fully enjoy our area. Among the various options, we definitely recommend the Ciclovia of the Apulian aqueduct, the cycle path created on the walkways of the Main Canal of the Apulian Aqueduct, the hundred-year-old hidden river that since 1906 has been carrying the water of the Sele river from Irpinia to Puglia. A few kilometres down the way you will be flooded by an enchanting nature, with bridges-canals that cross the alternating countryside of trulli and cultivated fields. Immersed in a hypnotic silence it will seem like you have gone back in time.
Alternatively, you could try another stretch of the Apulian aqueduct route, the one that connects Fasano to Alberobello, and that starts from the Canale di Pirro, a large karst valley which name has a not still be understood. There are many legends that circulate around the explanation of this name: perhaps deriving from the passage of King Pyrrhus in Puglia or more probably due to the presence of numerous cisterns, the pyres, typical circular stone constructions.
This path through the majestic hydraulic work offers breath-taking views, you will also encounter four bridges, the highest of which is the Monte Tondo bridge from which it is possible to admire all around the uncontaminated nature of the Mediterranean scrub, so rich in warm colours. The path that follows the aqueduct ends on the imposing Ponte di Cecca located at a height of about 400 meters below Monte Tondo. A picturesque and panoramic bridge from which it is possible to admire the vineyards of Canale di Pirro and Selva di Fasano.