Puglia from above: Polignano, Ostuni, the Valle d'Itria and the Salento

Under the old town of Polignano, a natural cave in the cliff holds the terrace of the hotel's restaurant: tables on a platform above the water, the vault of rock overhead, the sea as the fourth wall. It is expensive and you are paying for the place more than for the plate. Few rooms in Italy look like this one.

Don Ferrante is a small hotel of historic rooms built into the walls of old Monopoli. Its restaurant, open in the warm season, is set on the terrace over the sea. Monopoli is less polished than Polignano and more lived-in; this is the table that shows why people prefer it.

A five-star hotel built in the former tobacco factory of Ostuni. Its rooftop bar looks over the plain of monumental olive trees, the white town and, beyond, the sea. Signature cocktails play with local produce and there are DJ sets in the evening. Named by Panorama among the terraces of summer 2026.

La Sommità is a five-star boutique hotel in a sixteenth-century house at the highest point of old Ostuni. Its restaurant is called Cielo, and the hotel describes it as intimate, with every detail thought through. Reach it on foot through the white lanes: getting there is half of the evening.

A bistrot on a stairway of old Ostuni, known for its sunset aperitivo with focaccia, cured meats and small plates. The tables spill onto the steps and the terrace looks out over the plain towards the sea. Informal and usually lively; sources disagree on the closing day, so call before climbing up.

Not a rooftop and not really a hotel in the usual sense: a resort designed as an Apulian village of tufa stone, with a square, lanes and courtyards, between the olive groves and the coast of Savelletri. It is here as a destination in itself. Restaurants and bars take bookings from outside guests on some days: ask before driving out.

A small public terrace beside the church of Santa Lucia, on the edge of the modern town. From here the Rione Monti lies in front of you: hundreds of grey cones on the opposite slope. Free and open at any hour. See it from above first, then walk down into the lanes.

On the roof of the Patria Palace, the historic hotel in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce. The hotel puts it simply: a drink or an aperitivo while you look at the basilica, so near it seems within reach. Open on summer evenings. The gourmet restaurant Atenze, with its own terrace, is downstairs.

Palazzo del Corso is a five-star hotel in two historic buildings on the main street of Gallipoli. The restaurant is on the roof garden, where from May to September there is also a whirlpool. A composed alternative to the beach-club side of the town, a short walk from the bridge to the old island.

Palazzo Papaleo is a five-star hotel inside the walls of Otranto, a few steps from the cathedral and from the sea. The hotel lists Terrazza Papaleo among its places to eat and drink, with the restaurant Peccato di Vino. Otranto is the easternmost town of Italy: the light here arrives first.