Locorotondo, the Round White Town

Locorotondo takes its name from the Latin for round place, and the old centre really is built in concentric rings around a hill, with the church at the top and white lanes spiralling down. It sits on the western edge of the Itria Valley, a few kilometres from Alberobello, and from the belvedere gardens at its edge the whole valley opens out below you, a patchwork of vineyards, olive groves, stone walls and scattered trulli. The town is smaller and calmer than Alberobello, with far fewer souvenir shops, and the old centre is a joy to wander. Low arched passages, tiny courtyards and doorways painted blue or green run between the whitewashed houses, and the unusual steeply pitched roofs, known locally as cummerse, are a distinctive feature that you do not see in other Puglia towns. Locorotondo is also known for its crisp white wine, which is produced in the surrounding countryside, so a glass in a wine bar is almost obligatory.

A circuit of the old town takes about an hour at an easy pace, although most visitors stay longer. Begin at the Villa Comunale, the public garden at the edge of the centre, for the valley views, then walk into the old town through one of its gates and follow the lanes uphill to the Chiesa Madre di San Giorgio, the main church.

Along the way you pass small chapels, flower-draped balconies and corners that seem to have changed little in a century. The cummerse roofs are worth looking for, and so are the narrow stairways that appear without warning. The town is a place for details, not for ticking off headline monuments.

Food and wine are part of the experience. The local white wine, produced from grapes grown on the surrounding hills, is light and dry, and many wine bars serve it by the glass with plates of local cheese, cured meats and vegetables. Restaurants serve classic Apulian dishes, from orecchiette to slow-cooked meat, and several cellars around the valley offer tastings. The evening is a particularly good time to visit, when the day-trippers have left and the lanes glow softly in the lamplight.

Reaching Locorotondo is straightforward. A regional rail line runs inland from Bari through the valley and takes roughly an hour and a half, while by car it is about 70 kilometres from Bari and a few minutes from Alberobello. Parking is easiest outside the old centre, where several lots sit within a short walk.

Many visitors combine Locorotondo with Alberobello and Martina Franca in one day, but the town is just as good as a quiet overnight base. Plan two to three hours on foot, avoid the middle of the day in high summer, and bring a camera for the views from the garden belvedere at sunset.

If you stay longer, look for the small shops selling local ceramics, linen and food, and ask in a wine bar which producers are worth visiting nearby. Many cellars around the valley welcome visitors by appointment, so a tasting among the vines can make a lovely addition to an afternoon in the old town. Spring and early autumn are especially pleasant, with mild days and softer light for photographs.