Puglian Pleasures

With a record breaking heat wave hitting Puglia and daily temperatures soaring towards 40°C, you’d think the nightlife here would be realtively quite, with people seeking refuge from the heat and staying at home with the aircon on. But you’d be wrong! The place comes alive at night and there’s something for every generation. Young couples with their new borns ‘fanno un passengiata‘ in the town centre from about 8pm and the young teenagers head to the centre to see who’s out and about and to meet-up with their friends. The old guys hangout in small clusters, chewing the fat, talking politics, food and of course glancing at the pretty ladies as they walk by. If you want a pre-dinner drink and an aperitivo, this is the perfect time to go.

But the real nightlife doesn’t get going until much, much later. Many events are geared around food, drink and music, there are Sagras, festivals, live music, huge concerts, art exhibits, traditional folk music and dancing (Pizzica), and most of the time, you’re spolit for choice; what to do and where to go! Most of these events start around 9pm, but the live music events usually don’t start until about 11pm or even later, unless they’re part of sagra which usually consists of traditional local food and wine and local dance groups or musicians. During the summer months each town has its own ‘What’s on’ brouchure or flyer and most events are listed there, so just pick-up a leaflet for more details.

For those who want to party hard til the early hours, head to one of the open air disco clubs and dance the night away. Some of the best clubs are located near the beach so if you’ve over done it on the dancefloor and need cooling off, take a dip in the sea and watch the sun rise (clothing is optional!).

Evening events not to miss

Negroamaro Wine Festival, Brindisi – June
Scorrano Light Festival: (Festa Patronale a Scorrano, Santa Domenica) – July
Boccon di Vino, Carovigno – July
Torneo dei Rioni, (Medieval Tournament), Oria – August
Rezzica, San Vito Dei Normanni – August
Cegile Food Festival – August
Cavalcata di Sant’Oronzo, (Traditional Horse Parade), Ostuni – August