Whitewashed towns, olive groves and two long coastlines — one of Italy's fastest-rising spots for foreign retirees.
Get in touchPuglia is the heel of Italy: flat, sunny and wrapped by two seas, with whitewashed hill towns, endless olive groves and a food culture people travel across the world for.
It's easy to get around, increasingly welcoming to foreigners, and dotted with more than two hundred towns where the 7% flat tax applies. For a retiree who wants beauty, great food and an easy pace without the crowds of the north, Puglia is hard to beat.
Four very different corners, each suited to a different kind of retirement.
The regional capital: an airport, hospitals, ferries and everyday city life on the Adriatic.
Ostuni, Locorotondo and the trulli of Alberobello — the whitewashed hill towns of the postcards.
The baroque "Florence of the South" and the sun-baked heel between two seas.
A green national park and dramatic coast, quieter and wilder than the rest of the region.
Puglia is affordable — a little above Sicily, still well below northern Italy. A couple can live well on around €2,000–€2,500 a month, though the fashionable towns like Ostuni cost more. We work out real numbers for the specific town you have in mind. See the full cost of living
As a resident you can join the national health service for a low yearly fee starting around €2,000. The main hospitals are in Bari, Lecce and Foggia, with local clinics across the region; specialist care means a trip to one of the larger towns. More on cost & healthcare
More than 230 Puglian towns qualify for the 7% flat tax on foreign income — pension included — for up to ten years. It's one of the reasons the region works so well for retirees on a fixed income.
Puglia has two airports — Bari (BRI) and Brindisi (BDS) — with flights across Italy and Europe, and trains run down the coast. For the US, you'll usually connect through Rome or Milan.
Puglia is affordable — a little above Sicily, still well below northern Italy. A couple can live well on around €2,000–€2,500 a month, though fashionable towns like Ostuni cost more.
It helps, especially inland. The coast has trains, but a car opens up the countryside and the beaches.
Mild and sunny for much of the year. The region is flat and breezy, pleasant in most seasons.
Increasingly, thanks to a growing expat community, especially around Lecce and the Valle d'Itria.
Bari for amenities, the Valle d'Itria for charm, and Lecce and the Salento for beauty and buzz.
Yes — over 230 Puglian towns qualify. You can see them all on the interactive map.
Tell us what you're picturing and we'll help you find the right town — and set up the tax and paperwork properly.
Prefer to read first? The whole journey is in Marco's book.