Italy has a great train offering, including night trains. You can check out trenitalia.com

If, like me, you are in road trip mode in Italy, you may have considered doing it in a van, an experience that can be incredibly enjoyable. However, I recommend avoiding the months of July and August for this adventure, as these months can be quite crowded and hot.

ITINERARY FOR 7 DAYS IN PUGLIA WITH CHILDREN

Our day-by-day itinerary for visiting Puglia with the family:

• DAY 1: POLIGNANO A MARE
• DAY 2: ZOO SAFARI IN FASANO - MONOPOLI
• DAY 3: O STUNI
• DAY 4: LECCE - CAVE OF POETRY
• DAY 5: VISIT MASEIRIA - BEACH
• DAY 6: LOCOROTONDO - ALBEROBELLO
• DAY 7: BARI

DAY 1: Landing in Bari – drive to Polignano a Mare (50km-45min)

We arrived late in POLIGNANO A MARE to spend 2 nights there.

Polignano a Mare is THE iconic seaside destination in Puglia! This picturesque town perched on cliffs several dozen meters high is simply fascinating. Even at this time of year, the color of the water is sublime. Some brave people swim in the coves, while others explore the natural caves. When you go down to the beach you can see the entrance to a cave that gives access to the other side of the cliff, the children loved "this secret passage".

We enjoy the panoramic view and stroll through the charming historic center. At the end of October, the streets are peaceful. For lunch, we chose the paninos from La Pescaria , a delicious fish sandwich restaurant. (let yourself be guided by the panino of the day)

After lunch, head to the beach. First stop at San Vito beach. In October we had quite a bit of east wind so it wasn't easy to swim but this beach must be great in summer with children. Many natural pools have formed and offer a real playground for children.

Second stop at Torre Incina beach. This beach is bordered on both sides by rocky cliffs where diving enthusiasts like to meet. The children really enjoyed walking on the rocks.

Day 2: Zoosafari and Monopoli

After a 10/15 minute drive we arrive in Monopoli. Less touristy than Polignano A Mare, Monopoli is nevertheless great to visit: the historic center is just as cute and bigger, enough to keep you busy!

We got lost in the city until the small port of Monopoli. At the end of the morning, we headed to the beach: Porto Vecchia (almost in the city center), Porto Bianco, Porto Rosso (mainly stone in coves for swimming) or my favorite, Cala Paradiso (2km walk from the center but you have a great view along the small cliffs!) At lunch we enjoyed a pizza at Chinè .

After lunch, to please our children we joined the Zoosafari Fasanolandia in Fasano. I let you imagine the joy of our girls when they discovered the afternoon activity!

During our visit, we were able to admire a wide variety of wild animals up close, from majestic lions to graceful giraffes, all while sitting comfortably in our own car. What I liked was that we went through areas specially designed to recreate the animals' natural habitats. There is a second part that we do on foot and that is just as fun with a parrot show, immersion among the monkeys...

Count 89€ for a family of 4 with two children aged 6 and 3.

DAY 3: Ostuni, the “White City”

For this third day in Puglia, we headed to Ostuni, the white city. The beautiful surprise of our trip! We loved it, arriving by car you can't miss it, perched on three hills, this white city seems to emerge from nowhere in the middle of the countryside.

We loved getting lost in the old town, a human-sized labyrinth . The city is literally all white and the door fronts are beautifully flowered. With my daughters we had fun finding all the colors of flowers possible, an idea to invite them to the walk without them noticing.

Explore the whitewashed old town, reach Piazza della Liberta ,before going back up Via Vittorio Emmanuele to reachthe magnificent Cathedral of Santa Maria. Then we discover a fabulous view of the Loggia , inspired by the Bridge of Sighs in Venice.

In October, life is sweet in Ostuni. We decided to spend 4 nights there because of its fairly central location.

Our addresses:

The best pasta in town: La Pastasciutta, the address doesn't look like much but the pasta is to die for.

Borgo Antico Bistrot , aperitif board and nice view. Trendy address with sunset view.

Pizzeria Bellavista is one of the city's references for its delicious Neapolitan pizzas made with local products. Nice terrace.

Osteria Del Tempo Perso : in a cave it’s a superb address

Sapori D'eccellenza delicious panino

DAY 4: Lecce and the Cave of Poetry

Lecce is said to be the Florence of the south. The city's baroque spirit certainly has a lot to do with it. We arrived via the Roman amphitheater. A little disappointed to only be able to observe it from above, but it is very beautiful and especially right in the city center.

Lecce is a beautiful city and we enjoyed getting lost in the alleys. We took advantage of this Italian city to taste the specialties of the region like the " rustico leccese " at Caffè Alvino.

Il Pizzicotto , in via Degli Ammirati, makes very good pizzas by the slice in the historic center of Lecce. Ideal for a tasty lunch break

Buy a pasticiotto at the Pasticceria Durante. You can enjoy these filled pastries just opposite, at the Titanic bar, accompanied by a coffee or orange juice.

After lunch we went to explore the cave of Poseia, which is sublime. Entrance costs €3 per adult.

The famous Poetry Cave is a geological opening into which turquoise waters flow. Few people in October when we went there. Access is easy for children who wish to swim accompanied by an adult.

Day 5 - Visit to a Masseria

A "masseria" is a fortified farmhouse typical of the Puglia region of Italy. On this fifth day in Puglia in southern Italy, we visited an authentic Masseria and discovered how Mozzarella, Burrata, Caciocavallo and many other typical products of southern Italy are born!

An activity that will please children! The discovery of the stable with cows, calves and pigs. Then visit the milking parlor. Entrance to the dairy with explanation of the production technologies of cow's mozzarella, Burrata, Stracciatella and other typical cheeses of Puglia.

Then tasting of dairy products and cheeses: Mozzarella, Stracciatella or Burratina, Canestrato Pugliese, Caciocavallo and Giuncata or Ricotta. + jams or mustards; Charcuterie: Capocollo, or Bacon and Salami. Bakery products: Tomato Focaccia, Taralli or homemade bread and fry in oil.

We booked this tour on tripadvisor for around €90 for 4 with 2 children. Our daughters really enjoyed seeing the animals and the cheese making.

End of the day at Di Torre Pozelle beach, very pretty and calm at this time of year.

Day 6 - LOCOROTONDO - ALBEROBELLO

We started this sixth day in the town of Locorotondo. A pretty town with once again churches and pretty alleys with white walls. A bit like Ostuni, we stayed there for a coffee.

What are Trullis?

To understand it properly, it is a rural habitat, modest and comfortable, built by peasants. In their infinite wisdom, they used the most abundant raw material of their territory: limestone. Since 1996, UNESCO has classified the trulli as a World Heritage Site.

The day continues with the very famous village of Alberobello , here we find no less than 1500 trulli. At first glance I don't know if it's a real favorite for these houses with pointed roofs or if I find the place really too touristy. Maybe we appreciate the village even more by spending the night there. The place remains intriguing and I am delighted to have been able to visit it.

The trulli is really the image that one has of Puglia before coming to this region of Italy, so just for the postcard, come and take a look.

DAY 7: Discovery of Bari and pasta making.

With the Get your guide app I found a nice activity to discover Bari and its history . We followed Federica, a local French/Italian guide, through the streets of Bari for about 2.5 hours. We passed by the city's emblematic monuments, Federica offered us an ice cream in the central square and told us all the secrets of the city. It was really cool and we learned a lot. The churches, the street of the ladies who make pasta, the central square, the 3 theaters...

The visit ends at a nonna's house to learn how to make orrechiette, the emblem of Puglia. A very good time that our girls loved experiencing.