Locorotondo – Guide to Puglia’s Precious Round Town

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Locorotondo in Puglia, Italy has earned the name and title “Borghi piu belli d’Italia”, which means “one of the most beautiful towns in Italy”. Indeed, it is.

The word Locorotondo derives from the meaning “round place”, and the town is literally in the shape of a circle. Perched atop a hill on the Murge Plateau in the Intria Valley, with beautiful views of the countryside below, and full of its famous white-washed buildings, Locorotondo is small, but gorgeous, and makes for a fabulous day trip in Puglia.

I was on a group tour with Exodus Travels, a walking tour, so our approach to visiting Locorotondo for the day was by way of walking. We walked 10 kilometers from the town of Alberobello through Puglia countryside full of olive groves, fig trees, vineyards, lemon groves, Trulli houses, gardens and exquisite landscape. The weather was overcast – with the sun to come out by the time we got to Locorotondo – but it didn’t matter, the walk was scenic, local and not touristy.

I’m showing images here so you can see some of the Puglia countryside, as well as in general it just being a really unique way to visit a town – walk from town to town! We were on a walking path led by our guide, who showed us botanicals, Trulli houses (we went into one that was in decay), fruit trees and more. We stopped for an amazing picnic lunch which he prepared for us, made up of salamis, cheeses, fig jam, olives, sundried tomatoes and breads. It was heaven!

Locorotondo

When we finally arrived to Locorotondo, the sun had come out, and the white-washed buildings were glistening in the light. We entered the town gates into the centro storico, the historic and impossibly charming part of town. Every which way we turned we were surrounded by white buildings and general whiteness. There happened to be an annual flower festival when we visited, so residents and business owners displayed beautiful arrangements throughout the streets, making the pop of color against the white sublime scenery for a walk.

For that’s what you do in this village – you walk. You amble. You curve around the narrow streets and alley ways that take you in a circle. There’s not much to see as far as touristy things go, and that’s the beauty of visiting the town. It’s so picturesque, all in white, that you just want to lazily walk and see what’s around the next corner. You only need a few hours to explore the splendor that is Locorotondo.

As you wander around, you’ll see that the town is made up of pointed roofs, an architectural style known as cummerse. They are tightly packed in the centro storico. There are cafes and boutiques to dip into, though when we were there it was Palm Sunday and most everything was closed. There are some pretty churches, among them the Santa Maria della Graecia as its crowning jewel.

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Outside of the main gate of Locorotondo is a public park and garden called the Villa Comunale, and from here you can enjoy panoramic views of the valley below. Opposite the park and inside the gate is a small square, which is the main town square, with a nice café . After we walked around and caught the views we relaxed at the café with a glass of wine – Locorotondo, it should be mentioned, is in the heart of wine country and is known for its sparkling white wine.

And that about sums up an afternoon spent in Locorotondo. For a truly relaxing day trip – or half-day trip – this picturesque village is a wonderful way to while the time away. Sometimes that’s all you want to do.

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