Puglia: where you can mix business with leisure
Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot and its most south-easterly outpost, has much to commend it to holidaymakers – but it also has a growing appeal to British people looking to buy abroad.
Such has been the appreciation in property values in this beautiful region over the past few years that it is being seen as one of the safest parts of western Europe in which to see a good return on an investment.
In many areas of Puglia, house prices have doubled in the past five years – and many in the know are confidently expecting to see a similar performance in the future.
Increasing numbers of people are snapping up new or refurbished properties with the twofold aim of seeing a healthy appreciation in their basic value and reaping the benefits of a buoyant and expanding holiday and tourism market.
The area has long been a magnet for Italians from the north, with its marvellous climate, guaranteed sunshine, glorious beaches (along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas), wonderful food and wine, and ancient culture, with its strong Greek influences.
But when summer ends and the Italians return to work, the region’s many attractions draw in a growing number of British and other northern European visitors, who relish the balmy climate, well into the autumn months, the near-deserted beaches and the restored tranquillity.
Frequent low-cost flights from London Stansted to both Brindisi and Bari have made Puglia even more of an attraction for British investors and holidaymakers.
What else does Puglia have? The list goes on and on. It boasts the longest coastline of any Italian region, the eastern side of the peninsula facing the Adriatic and the western side facing the Ionian. The beaches are clean, the water crystal clear.
The climate is reliable, too. The summers are long and hot, spring and autumn are gloriously warm and the winters mild. The rainfall is the lowest in Italy.
Puglia produces more wine and olive oil than any other Italian region. The food is invariably organic, with plenty of locally produced pasta, vegetables, cheeses, meats and, of course, wonderful seafood.
For culture vultures, there are plenty of places to visit, from the ancient fishing port of Gallipoli, to the stunning Baroque city of Lecce, and the World Heritage Site at Alberobello, the heart of ‘trulli’ country.
The little conical ‘trullo’ homes, unique to Puglia, represent good investments, for both rental and capital income, but there are many town houses, apartments and villas for sale all along the coast and in the area’s medieval centres of population.
