This is one of Italy’s most affordable destinations to visit this spring

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A cheeky pasta with Aperol Spritz and Carbonara on a terrace overlooking that imposing Duomothe winding cobbled streets and beautiful pastel buildings that look like a movie set, and that glittering, azure blue Mediterranean Sea to top it all off:

Southern Italy is nothing short of the quintessential Mediterranean experience, and there’s no place we’d rather start our season of spring travel. After all, it’s not like England or Germany are known for their wonderful weather so early in the year.

There is only one warning:

A week of beach hopping on the Amalfi Coast, or chasing sunsets in Capri, isn’t exactly gracious when it comes to visitors on a budget: from sit-down meals and wine starting at $59, to limited-service hotels ranging from luxury-priced $236 – $413 per night– sometimes that doesn’t even include breakfast!

The point is: life the dolce vita You don’t have to spend like you’ve got millions in the bank: in the far south of Italy, on the inside of the boot, there’s a dreamy coastal retreat waiting to be discovered (and it won’t empty your wallet):

Is this one of Italy’s most underrated seaside holidays?

However, Puglia is already quite the off-road destination for most Americans traveling through Italy That won’t be the case for much longer.

Known for its whitewashed towns, with medieval houses perched on coastal cliffs, and its unique gastronomy, it is set for a major wave of popularity in 2026 with the new direct flights from JFK to Bari.

Bari is the capital of Puglia and a bustling port, a stone’s throw from many of the region’s most famous sights, such as the beach of Polignano a Mare and the iconic trulli from Alberobello.

Something anyway most tourists have been blissfully ignoring until now is that Bari is also a short, direct 1-hour train ride to one of the most culturally important destinations in all of Italy: Tarantoor, like the Greeks in ancient times called it Taras.

Taranto was founded by none other than the Spartans – as in King Leonidas 300 Spartans –all the way back to the 8th century BCwhen the area was not yet Italian in culture, but Greek.

The Greeks colonized much of southern Italy, from the regions we know as Calabria and Campania (which includes Amalfi), all the way to Sicily. They called their Italian territories ‘Magna Graecia’, and if you’re wondering, yes, this was it prior to Rome’s rise to power.

Needless to say, Taranto is virtually a history buff’s playground:

Greeks in Southern Italy?

For starters, it’s home to the seriously impressive National Archaeological Museum of Taranto (MArTA), a huge archaeological exhibition with beautiful Greek gold jewelry, perfectly preserved from millennia ago, Spartan artifacts, ornate ceramics and even grave finds from Magna Graecia.

If you only have time to see one thing in Taranto, make it this.

Unfortunately, not many monuments from the Hellenic period have survived intact, and those that are still found to this day end up in the museum, so it really is your best bet for soaking up the city’s Greek past.

MARTA’s entrance fee is just €10 (about $12), and unlike the average large Italian museum, this one usually doesn’t have lines at the door, nor do you have to reserve your spot months in advance.

That’s not all there is to see in Taranto: right in the heart of the historic city, the Temple of Poseidon is a (largely destroyed) Doric temple from the 6th century BC, of ​​which only 6 columns have survived the test of time.

They are the oldest visible remains in the city and just sit there, surrounded by much more modern buildings. It’s certainly no Temple of Concordia, mind you, but there’s none of the Sicilian temple crowds at 3pm, and the contrast between ancient columns and modern buildings is pretty cool.

An old town on a historic island

Now, I love an old Italian town that’s on an island.

Taranto’s Citta Vecchia (Italian for old town), it was also built on, like its Magna Graecia sister Syracuse, and its winding cobbled streets bear traces of Greek street layout. Roman foundations and pavingand architectural contributions of many a civilization that has risen and fallen.

Unlike the average Italian city, walking in Taranto somehow feels much more atmospheric.

The pastel colors on the walls of the building don’t exactly look freshly painted – for the most part, there aren’t even any bright, Instagrammable colors at all, just bare, old, medieval stone – and the atmosphere is authentic, not polishedalmost stubborn.

It’s certainly Puglia, except it lacks the polish of Polignano. Not that that’s a bad thing. We like our cities to be a little rough.

Taranto’s iconic seaside fortress

If so An structure that perfectly embodies the spirit of Taranto, it would be massive Castello Aragonese guarding the harbour:

It has a layered history, with Greek and Roman foundations, medieval fortifications and Renaissance adaptations, and it feels particularly epic at sunset, when the sun sets over the city, casting a soft, golden glow on the 15th-century walls.

It is not the beauty of Florence or Venice. You know, the one that slaps you hard in the face and leaves you disoriented for a few days while you try to process everything. Taranto feels more like a gentle caress.

It comes and goes like the waves crashing against the castle battlements, and before you know it, between a forkful of seafood linguini here and there, it has sneaked up on you and you have fallen madly in love with the place.

Taranto is one of the cheapest cities in Italy

There’s more: Taranto is one of the most affordable destinations in all of Italy.

Here’s what the data shows us, but I didn’t even need the data to state the obvious: I’ve been to 11 of Italy’s 20 administrative regions now, and up and down, it’s up there with the underrated Agrigento and the equally underrated Trieste when it comes to budget-friendliness:

• Cheap meal (local eatery/cafe): $15 per person
• Street food/quick bite (sandwich, slice of pizza): $5
• Capuccino/coffee: $1.70
• Domestic beer (0.5 l): $3

Some of my favorite places to eat in the city for a simple, casual meal, where the locals go himselfincluding Trattoria da Zia Franca (for traditional, home-made dishes from Puglia, such as orecchiette), Gente di Mare (the best place for seafood) and Passione in Pasta (the name speaks for itself).

Food may be cheap, but if you’re smart enough, you’re probably thinking right now that accommodation prices are the big catch this time.

How cheap are rooms?

I’m sorry to disappoint you (or not, I guess?), but there are no hidden price tags here: if you fancy a two-room apartment in a historic guesthouse right in the center of the city, That will cost you $60 per night this spring.

Do you want to stay in the heart of it all, just a stone’s throw from the main ancient attractions, and still pay cheaply? Due Delfini has rooms starting at $75 in mid-April.

Or perhaps a modern, well-equipped loft with an external jacuzzi, a short drive from the old town, is for you. Check out Cristina Home, for a “whopping” nightly rate of $101.

If you’re used to Positano, Lake Como, Milan, Venice and the like, Taranto will both feel like a much-needed breath of fresh air.there’s actually no one around!– and a sweet bargain of a deal.

Before everyone else takes our recommendation and posts it on their own website as if it were their idea, remember: you heard it here first.

Vinicius Costa

Vini, our senior head writer at Travel Off Path, has over 60 countries to his name (and is currently weaving stories from Paris!), and a knack for turning off-the-beaten-path experiences into informative stories that will have you packing your bags.