Hotels in Ceglie Messapica

Ceglie Messapica

Ceglie Messapica sits at 296 metres above sea level in the Valle d'Itria, Puglia, roughly 15 km inland from Ostuni and 30 km from Alberobello. The town is widely regarded as Puglia's gastronomic capital — a status earned through centuries of olive-oil production, hand-rolled orecchiette, slow-braised lamb, and the soft almond biscuit known as the cegliese. Culinary schools and family-run trattorias draw food-focused travellers from across Europe each year.

The historic centro storico is a tight grid of whitewashed lanes rising toward a 15th-century Aragonese castle and the Norman tower of the Palazzo Ducale. Two baroque churches — the Collegiata di San Rocco and the Chiesa Madre — anchor the upper town. Unlike the more-photographed trulli villages nearby, Ceglie retains a lived-in, working-town character that suits travellers who want Puglia without the day-trip crowds.

Most visitors arrive by car via the SS581 from Taranto or from Brindisi airport, approximately 40 km to the east. The town has no rail connection, making a rental car practical for exploring the surrounding olive groves and the broader Valle d'Itria. Hotels in Ceglie Messapica range from converted masserie outside the walls to small B&Bs within the old town.