In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
Around 750 kilometres from the beech forest of the Gargano via Castel del Monte and the Sassi of Matera to the Itria Valley and down into the Salento – a trip on which you plan water, shade and the midday hours as carefully as the stages.
The spirit of the route
Puglia is a long, flat land with two seas and a hump in the north. On the Gargano the trabucchi stand like spiders’ webs of timber above the surf, and only half an hour inland the Foresta Umbra smells of damp beech leaves. Further south the Murgia turns barren and stony, and Castel del Monte stands like a riddle turned to stone. Matera clings to its gorge; in the Itria Valley trulli rise from red earth between vineyards. Then the Salento: from your sliding door you see white villages, watchtowers, turquoise water over rock shelves – and the grey skeletons of olive trees killed by Xylella. This route is the deep south: midday heat, a siesta in the shade, the evening passeggiata, fish from the boat. If you drive early and rest at midday, you will see it in its best light.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Vieste to Monte Sant’Angelo (via Peschici and the Foresta Umbra) (approx. 90 km)
- The drive
- From Vieste take the winding coast road north-west, past bays, pine slopes and trabucchi to Peschici; then inland via Vico del Gargano and along the SP144 (formerly SS528) through the Foresta Umbra, a narrow, shady forest road with many bends and few passing places. At the southern end of the forest, cross the plateau to Monte Sant’Angelo at around 800 m. About 2.5 hours of pure driving time, considerably more on the coast in summer.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Vieste: the old town on its rocky spur and the 25-metre limestone monolith Pizzomunno at Spiaggia del Castello, at its loveliest in the first morning light.
- Trabucco di Monte Pucci east of Peschici – one of the old fishing machines of timber and rope above the steep coast.
- Foresta Umbra: visitor centre with a small museum and circular trails through the ancient beech forest, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the European beech forests since 2017; in Monte Sant’Angelo, the cave church of San Michele Arcangelo (UNESCO).
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: For the night before you set off, Vieste has numerous campsites along the coast, for example Villaggio Camping Punta Lunga, about 2 km from the centre, by the sea in a pine wood (open until 18 October in 2026 according to the operator; check motorhome facilities beforehand). In Monte Sant’Angelo there are pay car parks near the sanctuary, without services. If you need a service point and electricity, drive down the hairpins to Mattinata, where several stellplätze and campsites lie by the sea – check season and prices beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Foresta Umbra lies within Gargano National Park: tenting and camping are forbidden, and fires certainly are. Motorhomes can be left without problem by day in the unpaved car park at the visitor centre; overnight stays are reported on stopover apps but are not an official pitch – in the fire season (in Puglia generally mid-June to mid-September) it is better to skip it. Along the coast between Vieste and Peschici, almost every bay car park has motorhome bans.
- Insider tip for campers
- In summer Vieste sets up a ZTL and pedestrian zone in the centre in the evening hours (the period and times are set by the municipality each year by ordinance) – leave the motorhome at your pitch and go into the old town on foot or by bike. In Monte Sant’Angelo, do not drive into the tangle of lanes of the Rione Junno: the streets often end in steps. Fill up and shop before the Foresta Umbra; there is no petrol station in the forest.
2Stage 2: Monte Sant’Angelo to Castel del Monte (approx. 115 km)
- The drive
- Descend in wide sweeping bends on the SS272 to Manfredonia, then run flat along the coast road via Zapponeta and past the salt pans of Margherita di Savoia to Barletta, continuing via Andria onto the Murgia plateau. The last kilometres to the castle lead through pasture and remnants of holm oak. About 2 hours of driving; the coast road is straight but narrow, with farm machinery traffic.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Parco archeologico di Siponto south of Manfredonia with the Romanesque basilica and Edoardo Tresoldi’s wire-mesh installation, which traces the outline of the early Christian church that stood before it.
- Salt pans of Margherita di Savoia: flamingos, avocets and herons in the evaporation basins, easy to see from lay-bys along the road.
- Castel del Monte: the octagonal Hohenstaufen castle of Frederick II at 540 m, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996 – in the late afternoon, when the coaches have gone.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Area camper at the C.A.T. (Centro Accoglienza Turistica) at the foot of the castle hill: pitches with electricity, service point, toilets, bar; overnight stays possible according to the operator, shuttle bus to the castle, about 20 minutes on foot. Check prices and opening times beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Castel del Monte lies within Alta Murgia National Park; overnighting is only intended on the designated parking and pitch areas at the foot of the hill. Checks are made on farm tracks and lay-bys in the Murgia, and the grassland is extremely prone to fire in summer.
- Insider tip for campers
- A shuttle runs to the castle from the car parks below; check the access rules for private vehicles beforehand. Book tickets online in high season. Barletta and Andria are the last larger towns with discount supermarkets and cheaper diesel before the Murgia.
3Stage 3: Castel del Monte to Matera (approx. 75 km)
- The drive
- Cross the almost empty Murgia plateau with its dry-stone walls, jazzi (sheep pens) and wind turbines to Altamura, then take the SS99 to Matera in Basilicata. Well-built roads, few bends; about 1.25 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Pulo di Altamura: a karst sinkhole more than 70 metres deep and about 500 m across beside the road north of Altamura, plus the Romanesque cathedral and the durum wheat bread in the old town.
- Sassi di Matera: the cave town of tufa, Sasso Caveoso and Sasso Barisano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
- Belvedere Murgia Timone in the Parco della Murgia Materana opposite the town, with rock churches and the view across the gravina to the Sassi – at sunset.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Several agriturismi and private motorhome areas on the edge of town offer electricity, service point, showers and a shuttle to the centre (the town names, among others, the Matera Camper Area in Contrada Pedale della Palomba, Le Matinelle and Tenuta Lamacchia). Check beforehand whether the area near the town on Via dei Normanni is open (in 2026 it was closed). For a day visit, use the pay car parks on the edge of the centre, without services.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Camping is forbidden in the Parco della Murgia Materana, and the car park at Belvedere Murgia Timone is a day car park. In town the only option is parking under Italian law on permitted areas without camping behaviour – the sites with a shuttle are more pleasant and safer.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Sassi and the Centro storico are a ZTL with cameras; entering without a permit earns a fine that arrives by post. Do not even drive the motorhome towards the old town, but go straight to your pitch. The Sassi are full of steps: sturdy shoes, a water bottle, and in summer schedule your visit for the morning.
4Stage 4: Matera to Monopoli (via Castellana Grotte and Polignano a Mare) (approx. 105 km)
- The drive
- Back into Puglia via Santeramo in Colle and Gioia del Colle through the Murgia, then via Putignano to Castellana Grotte and downhill to the Adriatic coast at Polignano a Mare. The last kilometres to Monopoli follow the coast road. Country roads with many roundabouts and drives through villages; about 2 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Grotte di Castellana: a cave system discovered in 1938 with the great collapse shaft “La Grave”, guided visits only; a constant 16 °C inside.
- Polignano a Mare: the pebble cove of Lama Monachile beneath the bridge of the Via Traiana and the viewing terraces of the old town above the cliff.
- Monopoli: old town with cathedral, Castello Carlo V and the small fishing harbour with its blue gozzi.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping Santo Stefano south of Monopoli right by the sea, with electricity, sanitary facilities and service point; open seasonally, book in high season. In Polignano there are several pay car parks on the edge of town for day visits that also accept motorhomes.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Between Polignano, Monopoli and Savelletri almost every cliff cove is signposted with motorhome or overnight parking bans; in summer the Polizia Locale checks regularly. Staying overnight in town car parks is permitted under Art. 185 as long as nothing else is ordered there – but it is rarely quiet in season.
- Insider tip for campers
- Polignano’s old town is a ZTL and hopelessly crowded at weekends: arrive before 9 am or in the late afternoon. In Monopoli, leave the motorhome at your pitch and cycle the 3–4 km along the water.
5Stage 5: Monopoli to Marina di Ostuni (via Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino, Ostuni) (approx. 75 km)
- The drive
- From the coast climb up onto the Murgia dei Trulli to Alberobello, then through the Itria Valley with its vineyards, dry-stone walls and trulli via Locorotondo and Cisternino to Ostuni and down to the coast. Narrow, winding country roads with walls right at the edge of the carriageway and many bypasses; together a good 2 hours of driving with four town visits – this is a full day.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Alberobello: the trulli districts of Rione Monti and Aia Piccola (UNESCO since 1996) and the two-storey Trullo Sovrano.
- Locorotondo: the circular white old town with its pointed gabled roofs (“cummerse”) and the viewing promenade over the Itria Valley.
- Ostuni, the “Città Bianca”: whitewashed lanes around the Gothic cathedral; from the edge of town, a view across the plain of centuries-old olive trees to the sea.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping Costa Merlata on the coast near Ostuni, with pitches under pines, electricity, service point and sanitary facilities; open seasonally. If you want to stay in the Itria Valley: Camping dei Trulli on the SP113 (Monopoli–Alberobello) near Alberobello, open all year according to the operator, with a shuttle to Alberobello; check motorhome facilities beforehand. Check the opening times of both sites beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Itria Valley the roads are too narrow for freestanding, and many municipalities direct motorhomes to central car parks. Cisternino has a municipal car park listed on stopover apps with water and waste disposal – check the current situation on site. The coast near Ostuni is largely off limits to motorhomes at night in summer.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Alberobello use the pay car parks on the edge of the trulli zone, and never drive into the centre. In Cisternino you eat in the evening at the “fornelli pronti”: butchers who grill the meat you have chosen on the spot. Ostuni’s old town is off limits to motorhomes; stay down at the piazza or the car parks on the edge of town. In the olive plain between Ostuni and Fasano you already see many trees infected with Xylella – the infected zone now reaches into the province of Bari.
6Stage 6: Marina di Ostuni to Lecce (approx. 85 km)
- The drive
- Take the SS379 expressway along the coast past Brindisi and the SS613 to Lecce. Four lanes and monotonous, but fast – a good hour. From Brindisi the landscape changes: olive groves of dead, grey trunks, cleared land, and in between newly planted rows of resistant varieties.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Riserva Naturale Torre Guaceto between Carovigno and Brindisi: dunes, juniper and a watchtower above protected seagrass meadows; in summer, access to the beaches by shuttle from the car parks.
- Lecce: the Basilica di Santa Croce and Piazza del Duomo, the showpieces of Lecce Baroque in honey-coloured “pietra leccese”.
- Piazza Sant’Oronzo with the half-excavated Roman amphitheatre in the middle of the city.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Torre Rinalda Beach Camping & Resort on the coast north of Lecce (Torre Rinalda), a large site, open seasonally according to the operator (May to mid-September); check motorhome facilities and the distance to the city beforehand. For a day visit, motorhomes use the Ex Foro Boario car park on Piazza Carmelo Bene, about 1.5 km from the centre and with a bus connection; no services, and because of the narrow bays you often have to pay for two spaces.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The coastal villages north of Lecce (Casalabate, Torre Chianca, San Cataldo) regularly order parking and camping bans in summer. In Lecce itself the Foro Boario remains the legal city solution – not always quiet at night.
- Insider tip for campers
- The centre of Lecce is a ZTL with cameras – even your sat nav can lead you in. Avoid the town between 1 and 5 pm: then churches and shops are closed and the stone squares are glowing. A pasticciotto (shortcrust pastry with vanilla custard) for breakfast is part of the experience.
7Stage 7: Lecce to Santa Maria di Leuca (via Otranto) (approx. 105 km)
- The drive
- Via San Cataldo, take the coast road south: Roca Vecchia, Torre dell’Orso, Sant’Andrea, past the Laghi Alimini to Otranto. From there the Litoranea Otranto–Leuca via Porto Badisco, Santa Cesarea Terme and Castro: narrow, winding, often directly above the steep coast, tight in the villages. With stops a whole day, pure driving time about 2.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Grotta della Poesia at Roca Vecchia: a collapsed karst funnel with seawater, plus the Faraglioni of Torre Sant’Andrea.
- Otranto: cathedral with the floor mosaic of the monk Pantaleone (1163–1165) and the Castello Aragonese; to the south the Punta Palascia lighthouse, the easternmost point of Italy.
- Ponte del Ciolo shortly before Leuca and at the cape the basilica De Finibus Terrae with lighthouse and the monumental cascade, the end point of the Acquedotto Pugliese.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Seasonally open private pitches with electricity and service point in and around Santa Maria di Leuca; or Camping Santa Maria di Leuca near Gagliano del Capo, a campsite among pines, eucalyptus and olive trees, about 3 km from the sea, with electric hook-up, sanitary facilities and a camper service. Clarify opening times and length limit beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the fire season Otranto closes access and parking in the pine woods at the Laghi Alimini by ordinance; in 2025 numerous vehicles there were fined about €2,065 under forest fire law. On the Litoranea there are hardly any level bays, and the car parks at Grotta della Poesia, Porto Badisco or Ciolo are day car parks. Plan fixed pitches.
- Insider tip for campers
- In summer Otranto has an extensive ZTL; motorhomes park at the designated car parks on the edge of town. Drive the Litoranea heading south, and the sea is on your side, so it is easier to stop at viewing bays. The cascade at Leuca is only switched on on certain occasions – check the dates with the Acquedotto Pugliese.
8Stage 8: Santa Maria di Leuca to Punta Prosciutto (via Gallipoli) (approx. 95 km)
- The drive
- Along the Ionian coast to the north-west: flat beaches and dunes at Torre Pali and Pescoluse, Torre San Giovanni, then Gallipoli. Onward via Santa Maria al Bagno and the Porto Selvaggio nature park to Porto Cesareo and Punta Prosciutto. Mostly flat, with sluggish summer traffic in the seaside resorts; about 2 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Gallipoli: the old town on its island with city wall, fish market at the harbour and the Castello Angioino.
- Parco Naturale Regionale Porto Selvaggio e Palude del Capitano near Nardò: on foot from the car park through pine wood to the rocky cove with freshwater springs in the sea.
- Punta Prosciutto: long sand dunes and shallow, clear water on the edge of the Area Marina Protetta Porto Cesareo.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Porto Cesareo Camping, about 500 m from the sea and 800 m from the town, with a free shuttle to the beach at Punta Prosciutto; check opening times and motorhome facilities beforehand. Near Gallipoli, Camping La Masseria lies in Rivabella, about 2 km from the centre, a large site with shaded pitches under pines, electricity and a shuttle. Book in August.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Ionian coast is the most heavily controlled stretch in summer: Gallipoli issues ordinances every year against “bivacco e campeggio abusivo” with fines and confiscations, Porto Cesareo takes action against litter and damage to the dunes, and the coastguard bans vehicles on beach and dunes. Out of season some beach car parks are more relaxed, but no more legal – heed the signs.
- Insider tip for campers
- Head for the Porto Selvaggio car park early; it is a pay car park and fills quickly. From Punta Prosciutto it is about 70 km to Taranto for the motorway or about 60 km to the port of Brindisi for the journey home. Before departure, fill up with water and empty the cassette at a camper service – along the coast, stations outside the sites are rare.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- Italian law (Codice della Strada, Art. 185) distinguishes between “sosta” (parking, including overnight) and “campeggio”: a motorhome may stand anywhere parking is allowed. What is forbidden is camping behaviour – chairs, tables, awning, chocks, levelling legs, grey water on the ground.
- Puglia’s coastal municipalities override this law in summer with ordinances: night-time parking bans for motorhomes at beach car parks, anti-bivacco ordinances (in Gallipoli, for example) with fines and confiscation, plus coastguard bans on vehicles on beach and dunes. The signs with a crossed-out motorhome apply.
- In the fire season (in Puglia generally mid-June to mid-September) fire bans apply and in places parking and access bans in pine woods – in 2025 Otranto imposed fines of about €2,065 per vehicle at the Laghi Alimini. Barbecues, outdoor gas stoves and cigarette ends are taboo there.
- In the national parks of Gargano and Alta Murgia, in the Parco della Murgia Materana and in the regional nature parks (Porto Selvaggio, Torre Guaceto) camping is forbidden. You can stay legally overnight on campsites, in “aree di sosta camper” and at agriturismi with motorhome pitches. Useful apps: park4night, CamperOnline (with current user reports), Campercontact.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Service points are called “camper service” or “carico e scarico”; in Puglia most stations are on campsites and private pitches, and freely accessible stations are rare. Many sites open only from Easter or May to September/October.
- Water is scarce in Puglia: in the drought years 2024/25 the reservoirs were badly depleted and the supplier Acquedotto Pugliese lowered mains pressure; the region declared the water emergency over on 28 July 2026. Fill your tank at every opportunity, shower sparingly, and expect quantity limits at pitches. Check the current situation with the Acquedotto Pugliese.
- The tap water of the Acquedotto Pugliese is drinking water but often tastes of chlorine; many locals buy bottled water. Take “acqua non potabile” at stations seriously. Empty grey water and the cassette only at the station.
- Gas: German exchange cylinders are not swapped in Italy. Refillable cylinders and gas tanks are filled at GPL stations with the Italian (“Dish”) adapter; in Puglia the network is dense, and often only the staff serve. In summer you need little gas, but the fridge on gas runs at its limit at 35 °C.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: motorhomes up to 3.5 t 90 km/h outside built-up areas, 110 km/h on expressways such as the SS379 and SS613, 130 km/h on the motorway; over 3.5 t 80 km/h outside built-up areas and 100 km/h on the motorway. Combinations with a trailer: 70 km/h outside built-up areas, 80 km/h on the motorway. Outside built-up areas, dipped headlights are compulsory by day.
- Motorway toll on the A14 (Autostrade per l’Italia): classification by axles and height above the front axle (limit 1.30 m) – most two-axle motorhomes drive in class B. Payment by cash, card or electronically via Telepass or an EU toll box. The expressways in Puglia are toll-free.
- ZTL with cameras exist in almost all old towns on the route: Vieste (in the evening in summer), Matera, Polignano a Mare, Ostuni, Lecce, Otranto and Gallipoli. Fines arrive by post, even abroad. Do not blindly follow sat nav guidance into the centre.
- If a load projects beyond the rear – bicycles on a rear carrier, for example – the red-and-white reflective warning panel (50 × 50 cm) is compulsory. Alcohol limit 0.5 ‰, 0.0 ‰ for novice drivers in their first three years; using a phone at the wheel has been punishable since the reform of the Codice della Strada at the end of 2024 with heavy fines and penalty points, up to licence suspension.
- Winter equipment is rarely an issue on this route, but on individual roads in the Gargano and the Murgia, winter tyres or carrying snow chains may be ordered from 15 November to 15 April – heed the signs.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Insulating exterior cover for the windscreen and windows – in July and August temperatures in the Salento regularly climb above 35 °C, and shady spots are rare.
- Folding jerrycan (10–20 l) with drinking-water hose and Gardena adapter – so you can use every chance to fill up, given the water shortage.
- Italian gas adapter for GPL stations and two full cylinders on entry.
- Red-and-white warning panel for the rear carrier, in case bikes or boxes project – the Polizia Locale in the coastal towns carries out checks.
- Mosquito nets and repellent against the tiger mosquito, which is active by day and in the evening in Puglia.
- Water shoes and a snorkel mask for the rocky coast between Otranto and Leuca and at Porto Selvaggio, where instead of sandy beach there are rock shelves and sea urchins.
As of 2026-09. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
