The Modern Nomads

Polignano a Mare translates to “Polignano at sea” and rightfully so as it is perched high upon a cliff with beautiful views of the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic! Located in the Metropolitan City of Bari (BA) in the Italian region of Apulia (Puglia) with origins dating back to the 4th century BC.

Now before we get to Polignano a Mare let’s talk about our first stop on our way there. Driving from Lecce we stopped in the little town of Alberobello.

Alberobello and their famous Trulli

Alberobello started as a farming community in the 1500’s and is iconic for their cone shaped dwellings called Trulli. There is a story around why this town has these structures so I will try and make it short and sweet. Count Giangirolama Acquaviva used these buildings as a way to cheat the government from the taxes when the town was officially organized around 1654.

The Trulli were built without mortar and could be easily demolished when the court or city representative would arrive to the properties to calculate the tax amount owed on dwellings. Then they could be easily rebuilt. Thus the Trulli were born.

The town still uses this cone shaped architecture on many of its buildings but if you visit Alberobello you should take the opportunity to tour the Trullo Sovrano to see how these dwellings would have originally looked like inside.

Where we stayed

We stayed at San Lorenzo Boutique Hotel and Spa and it was fantastic. Our room was enormous and had a full patio that even though we weren’t staying right along the coast, we had beautiful views of the sea! There was an amazing pool and really nice restaurant on site and the staff was great! We would definitely stay here again if given the opportunity!

Grotta Palazzese Hotel Restaurant

One of the most iconic places to visit in Polignano a Mare is the Grotta Palazzese Hotel Restaurant. And yes, we did get to have dinner at this unique restaurant! Now we did have to make reservations WAY in advance (like 6 months in advance!) but having dinner tucked into a cave on the cliffs of Polignano is something we will remember for many years to come! Parking is very limited and lucky for us, our hotel booked us a Tuktuk from to and from the restaurant.

Grotta Palazzese is pretty amazing because of not only the view, but also the ambiance. The seating is outdoors tucked into the cliff and there is a sax player up on he cliff that serenades the guests throughout the evenings. The view was amazing and the food was good as well. Not the best meal we have had but it was a really nice evening and honestly, it was more about the experience for us!

Note: If you plan on dining here you will get an email confirming that this is an upscale dining establishment and to dress accordingly. It is an open air restaurant so keep in mind the time of year as well as the time of day (certain times of the year can be pretty hot).

The last thing I will say is be prepared for an expensive evening. Meals will run you at least 200 Euro (per person) and if you want to add a bottle of wine you can expect to add an additional 150 Euro (minimum) to your tab!