we thought Alberobello with its charming Trulli was fabulous...until we decided to drive to the coast. Only 30 minutes away was the most striking cliff drop into the most azure blue sea...I have ever seen. Polignano a mare had a lot of vista and a lot of culture....a highlight of our recent trip to Italy

A very beautiful beach which you get to via the old bridge in polignano a mare. The beach is narrow and there’s lots of people there. The beach is rocky and stones, no sand. So take shoes. There’s a grotto on the left side of the beach that goes through the hill and brings you directly to the sea . People jump from the rocks there. Beautiful to watch. The sea is just great. But the water near the beach is a bit dirty because there are so many people in a small place so it’s better to swim from the grotto.

Absolutely amazing to look at from a distance, but hugely uncomfortable both as a beach and for swimming. The pebbles make sunbathing a real ordeal (there are no facilities available so you just have to place your towel on the pebbles and then try and lie on it - if you manage to find a spot, that is, because that place is packed with people like sardines in a can). Also it's very painful to actually walk into the water and because the sea is shallow for quite a distance, it's pure torture for your feet till you finally get to the point where it's deep enough for you to be able to swim. I did it once, just for the record, but it sure was my last. I ended up with a few bruises.

Definitely the Polignano, and even Puglia landmark and one of the most photographed spots. Lama Monachile beach is set in a rocky sea inlet, surrounded with high cliffs with houses perched on top. The best views of it are just from that cliffs (several view points) and from the bridge opposite the cliffs. However, have in mind the beach is highly popular and in high season is packed with people. There are no facilities down there - sunbeds, restrooms, drinks,... While the scenery looks spectacular from above, I had no desire to go down to cool myself despite the scorching heat. Instead, I went to the other side from the high cliffs (beneath the singer Domenico Modugno monument) where're the low cliffs with very few people from where you can jump and swim up to the beach.

This is the rocky beach that appears in all the captivating photos of Polignano, and its most popular landmark. We spent some time seated by the rocks, the water was slightly cold to swim. Don't also miss the wonderful viewpoints on either side of the cove, and from the bridge itself.