Winter in Puglia and Matera, Italy

We were keen to experience winter in Puglia and Matera, in the heel of Italy’s boot. It’s much quieter during the winter months with far fewer tourists and lots of places shut for the season. Many people wonder about Puglia and Matera in winter, whether it’s worth visiting and I think it’s a wonderful time to explore the region. This is everything we got up to on a family visit to the area with kids.

Experiencing winter in Puglia and Matera, Italy

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“My favourite pasta is the ear pasta now”, announced my eight year old son as we stood, aprons donned, in the kitchens of the Masseria Torre Coccaro in Puglia.

We were learning from the Masseria’s own chef and had discovered that this orecchiette or ear pasta which we’d eaten so much of, was typical of this region.

We spent a morning kneading pasta dough, making spaghetti, calzone and aubergine parmigiana and learning a little about this region’s food.

Travelling to Puglia in February meant we were creating a unique itinerary filled with exploration, relaxation and fun experiences like cookery schools. As the beach resorts were closed and many of the parks and zoos had also shut up shop for the winter.

But this was a wonderful time to visit Southern Italy  in the “heel of the boot”. The weather was beautiful with blue skies, very warm sunshine, and lots of pasta to eat and enjoy.

Staying in a masseria – Winter in Puglia and Matera, Italy

The Masseria Torre Coccaro was an ideal base. Centrally located in the region it meant we could easily drive out and visit the towns and sites we wanted to. Before retreating to our cosy suite in this converted olive mill, light our fire and eat more pasta…or delicious Italian chocolate cake.

Masseria are unique to Southern Italy and converted from working farms and mills. They are such interesting places to stay in as no two are alike.

The Masseria Torre Coccaro was beautiful to look at with rustic charm oozing out of every stone and detail.

The children spent hours splashing in the indoor heated pool which was set in the caves. A really unique place to swim.

And I sat in the sunshine on our private little terrace and gazed out over the olive groves that surround it. It felt a million miles away from everyday life.

Taking trips out – Matera

We hopped into our hire car for a number of sun filled trips out. A highlight was the Unesco World Heritage Site of Matera, just outside of Puglia in Basilicata.

Here, as one of the oldest inhabited towns in the world, homes sit higgledy, piggledy on top of each other with people living as they had for thousands of years.

We got lost in the streets and walked hundreds of steps and loved this quirky town.

Lecce – Winter in Puglia and Matera, Italy

We also visited Lecce, known as the Florence of the South which was very reminiscent of the Tuscan hilltop towns of the north. 

We gasped at the Roman remains in its centre which included a full-sized amphitheatre.

And loved looking at all of the detail on the Basilica di Santa Croce, somewhere The Marchese Grimaldi said made him think a lunatic was having a nightmare. I loved it.

As evening set in the carnival atmosphere took over and all the town’s children dressed up for this important, fun time of year.

Stalls were set up all over Lecce and people were handing out confetti to throw which created a brilliant atmosphere.

Alberobello

As if one Unesco World Heritage Site wasn’t enough, this area has another with Alberobello being the strangest looking town around.

With large numbers of these beehive-shaped dwellings, held together without concrete, filling up the hillside it’s a brilliant place for a wander.

These homes are called Trulli and are hundreds of years old. No one is exactly sure why they were built, whether it was because they could easily be taken down to avoid paying taxes, or homes of an itinerant workforce.

They are interesting to explore and many are now restaurants or shops.

Much of this area is given over to pungent olive groves. It was a treat to just drive around and see them lining the roads, twisted, large and proud.

Our base on our winter in Puglia and Matera, Italy trip with kids

But it was back at the Masseria Torre Coccaro that we really relaxed.

Puglia felt undiscovered and full of surprises. It’s a place we have fallen in love with and can’t wait to return to.

See our video of our time exploring Puglia

See our complete guide to Italy with kids here

A cruise around Italy and Croatia

The best things to do in Puglia with kids