Last updated on January 11, 2024
We recently went to an awesomely psychedelic light festival in Italy called Notte delle Luci in Scorrano. We’ve shared some photos from the event itself and we also made our first Bridges and Balloons video about the festival. As it’s a nighttime festival, here we have some suggestions for things you might like to do in Puglia during the day. Puglia is a wonderfully relaxing part of Italy with amazing food and charming architecture. You’re sure to be enchanted.
The only way to start a day in Italy is with coffee.
The night’s festivities won’t kick off until around 7pm so you have a whole day to explore the surroundings.
You could go to pretty Lecce, filled with Baroque architecture and sometimes known as “the Florence of the South”.
Don’t miss the historic sunken amphitheatre from Roman times, a setting fit to impress.
If you’re lucky, you might catch an event.
Whatever you do, make sure it involves gelato.
If you’re in the mood for the seaside then Puglia has plenty of it. Try charming Otranto…
…where you can wander along the promenade and…
… marvel at the sea’s bluest of blues.
Or simply wander the streets and…
…and see what treats you’re able to find as alleyways open to plazas.
And of course, remember gelato.
And pizza.
And brushetta. And any food you can get your hands on. Nothing beats Italian food. (See this post on vegetarian food in Puglia for some great recommendations).
And then when daytime starts to fall, head back to Scorrano to prepare for the nighttime lights.
Watch our film of Notte delle Luci festival to see what happens next…
Info on how to get to Puglia
We flew to Brindisi airport, which is the closest airport to Scorrano (one hour by car), but you can also fly to Bari airport in Puglia, which is two hours from Scorrano by car. It’s pretty easy to drive around Puglia although we have found that the reputation Italians have for driving crazily can be true! Just be sure to have your wits about you and drive carefully. It’s definitely a beautiful way to explore the region as you have total freedom to explore for yourself.