Fans of Puglia include celebs who enjoy a bolthole in down-to-earth Italian surroundings – this includes A Place in the Sun’s Amanda Lamb, who has bought there twice! Here are five reasons you may want to join them in this magical region of southern Italy…

Article written by The Overseas Guides Company

An authentic rustic lifestyle combined with pretty whitewashed towns and uncrowded beaches – Puglia’s unspoilt charm has already wooed celebrities seeking a second home away from the masses and now it’s on the radar of expats looking for the ‘good life’ with an Italian twist.

Amanda Lamb bought her current apartment, with its own guest cottage, in Galatina a couple of years ago. Previous to that she had owned a two-bedroom apartment in Nardo, which she’d found and fallen for while filming the ‘A Place in the Sun’ series in 2006. Actresses Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep; music stars Mick Hucknall, Paul Weller, and Madness frontman Suggs; and comic writer, Charlie Higson, also have homes in Puglia, located in the heel of Italy. If you’re considering your first viewing trip there, here’s what awaits you.

Architecture
From the glorious Baroque buildings of Lecce city, often dubbed ‘Florence of the South’, to the grand old country houses, or masserias, dotted throughout the countryside, Puglia will not disappoint on richness of architecture.
Most famously, it is home to the trullo – a type of conical stone rural building, unique to the region but found mainly in the Itria Valley and town of Alberobello, which has UNESCO Heritage status. The whitewashed hilltop town of Ostuni is itself an architectural landmark, with its winding streets and squares.
“Trullo restoration projects, which make quirky homes, first attracted expats,” said Julia Silk, a Puglia resident, who writes for the Italy Buying Guide. “These days, rural villas with enough land for some olive trees, a swimming pool and kitchen garden are also good value for money.”

Beaches
Puglia has fantastic sandy beaches spread along its 800 kilometres of coast, which includes the Adriatic coastline, although those immediately around Otranto and Gallipoli in the south are especially popular. In the southerthmost tip of the ‘heel’, Pescoluse is regarded as one of the region’s finest, thanks to the white sand and clear, calm waters. Nearer Lecce, Torre d’Orso is another gem, overlooked by two towering cliffs, while options in the northern half include Polignano a Mare and Margherita di Savoia.

Gastronomy
Food is a highlight wherever you are in Italy, but the extra sunshine Puglia gets compared to the north of the country makes fresh fruit and veg especially abundant. Producing most of the country’s wheat and known as the ‘breadbasket of Italy’, Puglia’s bread and pasta are well-known nationwide. Puglia also produces excellent wine, although much of it never leaves the region or Italy – would you want to export it if it was that good?

Lifestyle
Most villas or trulli in the countryside come with land, enough to grow your own fruit and veg, and perhaps keep chickens and bees. Water at rustic properties often comes from boreholes or wells, and increasingly, solar panels are being used for hot water or electricity. Unsurprisingly, many expats embrace the chance to become partly self-sustainable and have a go at living their own ‘good life’.

Prices
Property in Puglia is noticeably cheaper than in the more fashionable parts of northern Italy, such as Tuscany and Umbria. This characterful converted trullo with villa extension includes three double bedrooms, 4.5 acres with 80 olive trees and a vineyard! Near the ancient town of Ceglie Messapica, it is on the market for €160,000. Click on the image (above) for more info.

More info
For more information on buying overseas property successfully, download the Overseas Guides Company’s free Italy Buying Guide, France Buying Guide, Spain Buying Guide, Portugal Buying Guide or USA Buying Guide – and start receiving free news updates by email.

If you are considering an overseas property purchase in 2016 or beyond, whether for lifestyle or investment, opening a no-obligation account with FCA-authorised Smart Currency Exchange will enable you to benefit from their competitive exchange rates and specialist currency knowledge, ultimately saving you money and time. For more information, download Smart Currency Exchange’s free report or visit the Currency Zone.