While Rome melts under a million selfie sticks and the Amalfi Coast levies a premium just for standing in traffic, something quieter has been happening at the heel of Italy’s boot. Luggage brand Eminent analyzed more than 50 lesser-known destinations worldwide and ranked Puglia, Italy, the No. 1 most underrated summer getaway on the planet. The math: approximately 16.2 million Instagram hashtags versus roughly 6.7 million annual visitors — enormous online presence, manageable real-world crowds. A 2025 report by Italian business association Conflavoro sharpened that point further, naming Puglia Italy’s most-chosen summer destination, with 15.8% of surveyed preferences — ahead of Sicily, Tuscany, Sardinia, and Campania.
The Heel of Italy That Everyone’s Photographing and Not Enough People Are Visiting
Puglia racks up Instagram posts while somehow staying rawer and cheaper than the Italy most tourists know.
Puglia stretches over 870-plus kilometers of coastline — the longest of any mainland Italian region — lined with Blue Flag beaches, ancient olive groves, and the conical trulli hamlets of Valle d’Itria. Where Amalfi sells a postcard version of Italy, Puglia still feels like the actual country. Eminent’s broader list placed Okinawa second (14 million hashtags, according to the study), Sardinia third (9.6 million), and Busan, South Korea, fourth (5.1 million) — but none carry the same combination of European accessibility and local texture.
Towns worth anchoring an itinerary around:
- Polignano a Mare — whitewashed village on limestone cliffs, roughly 30 km south of Bari; the region’s most-photographed coastal drop
- Ostuni — the “White City,” sun-bleached hill town of winding alleys; Puglia’s defining aesthetic
- Otranto — historic seaside town with fine-sand beaches and access to Capo d’Otranto, Italy’s easternmost point
- Valle d’Itria — inland trulli villages set between ancient olive groves; prime road-trip territory
- Santa Maria di Leuca — quiet tip where the Adriatic meets the Ionian; uncrowded and cinematic
Puglia produces roughly 50% of Italy’s olive oil. The cuisine runs on wheat, legumes, coastal seafood, and vegetables — cucina povera in the most honest sense. No elaborate tasting menus. Family trattorias and local piazzas are the entire point.
“Food, sea, people, and simplicity” — Condé Nast Traveller on what locals value most about Puglia.
According to the Eminent study, 830-plus hotels are available for a typical week-long June stay, averaging around $639 — solid value against comparable Italian regions. Summer gets crowded in the headline towns. Smaller places like Gallipoli, Monopoli, and Locorotondo still move at the pace that made Puglia worth the trip. For another angle on European travel value, rural Germany offers a useful budget comparison for cost-conscious travelers weighing destinations.
When to Go – and How to Do It Right
Shoulder season is quieter; summer is fuller — either works with a little planning around the crowds.
Summer delivers warm, dry weather and full beach access. Shoulder months return the whitewashed villages to something closer to their everyday selves. Either way, hire a car. Basing in Ostuni covers Valle d’Itria; Santa Maria di Leuca anchors the southern coast. Day-trip out from there.
The Conflavoro data and Eminent ranking together send one clear signal: the window on Puglia feeling unhurried is open, but it is not staying that way. Some trips get planned well in advance. This is one that probably should have been booked already.
