Puglia Italy - POLIGNANO A MARE: THE PERFECT SEASIDE BASE
For this 8-night trip, we chose to base ourselves in the adorable seaside town of Polignano a Mare for 5 nights. We wanted someplace we could stay the majority of the nights that would allow easy driving to the places we wanted to go – and Polignano a Mare fit that bill! It is a jaw-droppingly gorgeous seaside town, and we could easily access what we wanted to see from there.
This is another beautiful cliffside town famous for its dramatic limestone cliffs hanging over the crystal-clear, azure Adriatic Sea. We started our time here with another Tuk Tuk tour to get an overview of what was there.
Our driver took us to several viewpoints with breathtaking views of the beautiful blue water and the caves under the cliffs (including a view of the Grotta Palazzese restaurant). We also saw where they hold cliff diving competitions (this town hosts the annual Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series). We drove through the old town with its whitewashed buildings, flower lined balconies, and winding cobblestone streets. We learned that Polignano a Mare is the birthplace of Domenico Modugno (who wrote the world-famous song “Volare” and whom they are very proud of).
One of the most famous beaches here is Lama Monachile (Cala Porto). This iconic, highly photographed pebble cove sits between steep cliffs and is crossed by an ancient Roman bridge. It got extremely crowded during the day with beach goers, so we only looked at it from the bridge above.
We enjoyed wandering through the maze of white stone alleyways that make up old town and seeing things like Arco Marchesale (the grand 16th century gateway that is the entrance to old town), phrases and poems painted onto the stone steps and walls by a local street artist, and the words to the song Volare in lights overhead on one of the cute main streets.
One day, we drove down the coast just to see more of it. We stopped at a very local restaurant off the tourist path and enjoyed drinks by the beautiful water in a place where we were the only non-locals and where no one spoke English.
We also enjoyed time in the water with 2 afternoons at our hotel pool (which was awesome) and one at a local beach club. At Coco Beach Club, we rented chairs right on the edge of a deck over the water and spent the better part of a day under an umbrella in lounge chairs enjoying the beautiful scenery and time with each other. With our beach chair rental, we also got towels, a bottle of wine, 2 bottles of water and a local Puglian snack. The beach club had a bar and restaurant, and we could order and have things delivered to our chairs if we wanted.
The sad part - We also had a boat trip scheduled to sail up the coast, see all the sea caves and beaches from the water, and swim in the ocean. But the day it was scheduled, the sea was too rough and they had to cancel. We were disappointed but it gives us another reason to go back - so we can hopefully get out on the water the next time!
Where we ate – The food in this area was amazing – pasta, pizza, and THE SEAFOOD! Restaurants we visited included:
Il Super Mago del Gelo Mario Campanella – I’d read about the local “special coffee” online, so we went to find this place that had invented it… Il Super Mago del Gelo Mario Campanella. It is a rich, dessert-like coffee served warm with 5 ingredients: espresso, amaretto, fresh cream, lemon zest, and sugar. It was YUMMY!
Casa Orecchietta – Our tuk tuk driver recommended this restaurant and it was great! It was outside the old town so mainly locals were eating there. We sat on their outdoor patio and had a caprese salad to start. Mike had orecchiette pasta and I had an octopus salad (wouldn’t be my only octopus on this trip!). And we shared a tiramisu for dessert.
Grotta Palazzese – I’d made reservations for this famous cave restaurant in Polignano a Mare weeks before we left. Get the full review and see all of the pictures here.
Ristorante Neuro – This night we didn’t have reservations and just stopped at this outdoor restaurant in one of the piazzas. We shared some meatballs to start. I ordered orecchiette pasta and Mike ordered lasagna. It was good, the service was great and it was a lovely evening outside with live music playing around us.
And we had some yummy gelato afterwards!
Pizzeria Il Quadrifoglio – Mike wanted pizza for dinner one night, so we did some online searches and found this fantastic restaurant right in the old town. We got the last table available when we arrived and by the time we left, there was a VERY LONG LINE of people waiting for tables. The pizza was fantastic (per Mike) and I had an amazing fish stew with shrimp, octopus, clams and squid. Highly recommend!
Villa Degli Aranci – We found this lovely restaurant online. It was up the hill from the old town so away from the touristy area. It was another one where we were the only people speaking English and the waitstaff mostly didn’t speak English. The setting is beautiful! We ate on the balcony overlooking the gardens with twinkle lights below us. We had an amazing antipasti platter with a great mix of local meats and cheese to start. Then it was the fish of the day with a side of the yummiest lobster and shrimp risotto with orange zest for me and pizza for Mike. The food was good. The service was good. The setting was beautiful.
Where we stayed – Mike is a Marriott guy and there was a Marriott associated property on the outskirts of town, so this is where we elected to stay. The Cala Ponte, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, is a five-star retreat set among ancient olive groves and the Adriatic coast. It features a lagoon-style outdoor swimming pool, spa and wellness area, fitness center, and onsite dining and parking. It was close enough to Polignano a Mare that we could take a quick tuk tuk ride back and forth to town.
Our room was big enough for us, had great air conditioning, and had a private pool off of our patio. We spent time at both our room pool and the hotel pool.
Summary - Polignano a Mare is definitely a “must visit” on a trip to Puglia and served as a great base for 5 of the 8 nights we were there. We were close enough for quick drives down the coast, to Alberobello, and to a Masseria. Polignano a Mare offers beautiful scenery, dramatic cliffs against the azure sea, stunning pebble cove beaches, a network of caves, rich history, shopping, culture, great food, and the friendliest people.
Return to the Puglia overview blog: Puglia, Italy: What Dreams Are Made Of.
