When people plan a holiday to Italy, it’s not likely that they’ll go out of their way to spend time in a smaller city like Brindisi. Many move on, making their way to other notable places, like Alberobello and Monopoli.
Even though Brindisi may not be a top-rated tourist destination, there are plenty of reasons why you should give Brindisi a chance. There’s grand cathedrals, yummy food spots, an ancient Roman column marking the end of the Apian Way, and so much more.
All The Reasons Why You Need To Visit Brindisi, Italy
I spent four gloriously slow-paced days in Brindisi, walking the city street’s street, feasting on all the pasta I could eat, and visiting the city’s numerous cathedrals.
Brindisi has been an important port city since Roman times and is known as the “Gateway to the East.” Resting on the edges of the Adriatic Sea, it’s one of the largest cities in the Puglia region and has one of the most active trading and transport hubs in all of Italy. With a Mediterranean climate, the city enjoys an abundance of sunshine almost year-round, as well as super hot summers. As a visiting tourist, you’ll find most shops and restaurants closed during the early afternoon, as people escape the heat, spend time with their families, nap, and have a leisurely lunch. Things usually start to open again around 16:00 onwards and stay open until around 21:00.
So why visit Brindisi?
1) It’s The Perfect Place To Base Yourself For Day Trips
Due to its central location, you can easily reach several beautiful towns within a couple of hours. We recommend Monopoli, Ostuni, And Alberobello. All can be visited by car or train within 1-2 hours.
If you’re looking to explore more faraway places, you can even take ferries to Albania and Greece.
2) You Can Learn More About The Ancient Romans
You can visit this Roman column and stairs, which signify the end of the Appian Way, a stretch of road that connected the city to ancient Rome.
3) It Has The Loveliest Of Port Areas
The port area is a little like Beauty and the Beast. There’s the sea, pretty buildings, palm trees, restaurants, and the view to the other side of the city. Then there’s the blight of industry, cargo ships, and factories. I found the times I spent walking along the port, and I did so several times, rather magical nonetheless.
Be it midday or at dusk, there’s something special about walking through this area as you can see by my numerous photos.
4) There’s A Monument To Italian Sailers
If the port area alone isn’t enough, there’s always the Monument to Italian Sailors dedicated to men who died at sea during WWI. Take the short ferry ride across the water and either climb the stairs or take the elevator to the top for a great view over Brindisi.
5) Piazza Duomo Is A Beautiful Place To Hang Out
Why else visit Brindisi? Piazza Duomo for beautiful architecture like this. Be sure to check it out during the day and at night.
6) Brindisi Cathedral Is Stunning To Behold
Brindisi Cathedral (also located in Piazza Duomo), is an 11th-century cathedral built in a Romanesque style. The original church was destroyed in an earthquake in 1743 so what you see today is the 17th century reconstruction.
7) You Can Check Out 14th Century Frescoes
The Church of San Giovanni al Sepolcro has historic fading 14th-century frescoes that need to be seen to be believed.
8) It’s Easy To Walk Through The Streets And Get To Know Brindisi
Another great reason to visit Brindisi? To aimlessly wander the streets of Old Town, getting lost and finding surprises along the way. Parked vespas and laundry hanging outside to dry all make for a dreamy scene.
9) It’s A Haven For Door Lovers
Yes, doors. As odd as it sounds, Italy just does doors better. They’re all so unique and pretty.
10) There Are Many Well Loved Street Cats
Also, cats. You’ll see many felines wandering the street, looking plump and content. Being a cat lover (I have a cute mustached cat named Burt Reynolds), I was delighted to see that the cats were well taken care of in Brindisi.
11) The War Memorial Is Massive And Should Be Visited
Check out the massive war memorial when you’re visiting Brindisi. At first glimpse, you see this lovely square and statue. But see how giant the memorial is from the other side, looking back from the harbor front.
12) The Wine Is Cheap And There’s Plenty Of It
Another reason to spend time in Brindisi? The wine. Not only is the wine good, but it’s also super cheap. I scored a liter of red wine at Il Carpaccio (now permanently closed), a small family-run restaurant specializing in Puglian cuisine, for just €3.
13) Experience The Real Italy
This is a place to come and experience the real Italy. There are few tourists around and at times, you feel like you may be the only person who’s not local. You may save money by staying here, vs. staying in a more expensive town like Monopoli.
So what do you think? Would you visit Brindisi when you’re touring your way around Puglia?
Good To Know
1) I’d suggest renting an apartment for the duration of your stay. I found a large one-bedroom in Old Town with Mare Nostrum, costing €40 a night. Tucked away on a narrow street, I enjoyed the sounds of life outside, like the coo of the pigeon on my balcony, the meow of a hungry cat walking down the street, or the neighbors cheering as they watched a soccer match. The owner of my bed and breakfast Giuseppe was kind and helpful, providing me with a map of the city and passionately telling me all about the points of interest. It was easy to see that he loved Brindisi.
2) If you want to check out more places to stay in Brindisi, see what’s available on booking.com.
Booking.com3) When you’re in Brindisi, take a guided tour with Get Your Guide.
4) If you love Italy as much as we do here at cherylhoward.com, check out some of our other posts:
- Beautiful Italy, Wandering The Streets Of Brescia – Get a glimpse of everyday life in the Italian city of Brescia through these photos taken while wandering the streets of Brescia.
- Dreamy Amalfi Coast Photos That Will Convince You to Go There Now – Travelling to Italy sometime soon? Then check out these 15 Amalfi Coast photos that will convince you to visit as soon as possible.
- Photos To Inspire You To Visit Alpe Di Siusi, Italy – These photos will inspire you to visit Visit Alpe Di Siusi where you can hike, go paragliding, eat fresh Tyrolian cuisine, & more.
*Disclosure – This post contains some affiliate links. If you book a tour or hotel, I’ll earn a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Great images, Cheryl. I would definitely stop by for a visit when I get to Puglia. Looks like a beautiful town with some nice historic sites as well.
Lovely lovely stuff, Cheryl. Makes me want to go and spend heaps of time in Italy.
Thanks Jenna! It’s a very photogenic city. Also, the prices are great – the hotels are not that expensive, as the food and wine. I mean a liter of local wine, for 3 euros! Can’t go wrong. 🙂
Thank you Henry! I’d never been to Puglia before and fell in love with almost each and every place I visited. I’d love to spend the summer there, writing and enjoying life under the sun.
I can only wish. 🙂
Looks lovely! My partner and I have been strongly considering visiting eastern and southern Italy later this year, and I think if we do, Brindisi will be a must.
Yep, your post definitely tempts us to Brindisi. Wonderful photos, & experiencing the real Italy via renting an apartment is always such a draw. Nice!
Hey Sam! This was my first time in Southern Italy and I loved it. I’ll be going back someday for sure. I hope you and your partner will enjoy Brindisi as much as I did. 🙂
Hey Susan! Thanks, I hope that I can draw you to Southern Italy. It really is such a gorgeous region, It’s now one of my favorite parts of the country.
Brindisi looks really lovely and vibrant and with all those lovely reason to visit I definitely shall if I make it to the region one day. I also like the idea of renting an apartment instead of a hotel.
Reeta, it’s funny as I just read in a NY Times travel piece that Brindisi was simply depressing. I think it’s an unfair judgement of the place. Maybe it’s not a perfect place to live, but I think there’s some nice things about the city as well. 🙂
Renting the apartment was great! Especially, hearing all those sounds late at night … such a different experience than a hotel.
This is a very convincing post! The photos are beautiful. The city has a beauty of its own. The cathedral is stunning. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mary! It’s definitely worth spending some time there.
You had me already at reason number 1. Still, all of them are very convincing.
Laura – That’s great! I hope that this post will really attract more people to Brindisi.
I love how the two cats strike the same exact pause!
Ha ha, they are pretty adorable. The one on top of the car kinda won my heart!
I really enjoy smaller towns like this, the slower pace is so calming. Which is a perfect contrast for us natural born city folk. Brindisi seems like such a peaceful place to really get away and rest your mind & soul.
Devlin – it was a great way to spend a few days. A much different way of Life than Toronto.
I have a fascination for doors too! Windows and especially balconies!
I’m more obsessed with doors for some reason, and obviously cats. 😀
Brindisi probably isn’t for me other than passing through to other areas of Puglia. I definitely need something to do or sights to keep me interested, but that is because I also live in real Italy every single day.
That’s why I feel that Brindisi is a little underrated. It’s not as gorgeous as some other nearby towns, but there’s more than meets the eye if you stay a while and look for it. 🙂
Thanks Cheryl!!!!
Finally someone spend some kind words on Brindisi
I was born here and decided to come back a few months ago and open a bnb….funny that
It’s a gorgeous city with a not so gorgeous council unfortunately
It has a lot to offer as you discovered and is
well located for people who want to travel just about anywhere in the south
Grazie Mille !!!!!
Bnbbuenavista.it
Hi Massimo –
You’re welcome. I’m so happy you like the article. And grazie mille for coming to my site!
BTW – how did you discover this article? I’m interested to know where it is being shared online.
Thanks,
Cheryl
We should need of a Canadian to appreciate what we have here in Italy! Thank you so much for your travel diary of Brindisi. I would like to invite you to my Bed&Breakfast ArcobalenTo.it near Brindisi, you can stay here for free e I can suggest you many others places not so known by tourists but amazing! I hope to see you! Ciao!
Thank you for your kind words. I sometimes think that although I am Canadian by birth, I’m Italian by heart!
Thank you for your kind invite as well. I will definitely let you know should I be in Brindisi again. I long to visit nearby Ostuni which I missed on my last visit.
Thank you very much for the beautiful words you spent for my “little town”. I was born here and I never wanted to go away. I like to live here and it’s so nice that the tourists appreciate what I see every day. If you’ll return, you could also think to visit all the storic centre, rich of little streets and beautiful churces.
I’m not from brindisi, but I’m currently living in one of the very next cities. I’ve been living there for one year, I feel really oppressed and depressed by the sense of NOTHING you can strongly touch in this city. Citizens get really obsessed by their sense of protection for Brindisi, I cannot explain why. All the photos you can see published in this page show just the ONLY 2, or at least 3 places quite good to be mentioned( such as the Cathedral and the very new seaport). The rest (85%) of the city looks really like a kind of disordered ghetto. Really not what southern Italy could give at last. Visit Lecce, Alberobello, Fasano, Ostuni, <leuca, Otranto, Bari, Trani, Giovinazzo, Bisceglie, Barletta, Andria, Conversano, Monopoli, Polignano, Cisternino, Bovino, Minervino Murge, and much more, but forget about Brindisi
Hi Vince –
Thanks for your comment. I understand that not all of Brindisi is nice and that many of the other towns can be seen as nicer or prettier. And I also understand that living somewhere is definitely different than visiting. From what I’ve heard, life can be difficult there.
However, I think there is a charm to visiting places that people do not normally go and showing others why they should go. There are always beautiful things one can find – and not just for how it looks but for the people you meet and the food you eat for example.
This was really what I was trying to get across in my article.
Cheers!
Cheryl
I agree with you when you are saying that as “Brindisini”we can’t look after our own city.
However I am not sure what you refer as the sense of “nothing”as it is a city with lots of history and natural beauties and you can actually breath culture as you walk in the center amazing streets but of course you also have to know about it in order to be able to do that.
After all is a traveling blog we are on and they are not going to tell you about our day to day struggles
Thanks Massimo! This is a travel blog and well, I love your city nonetheless. And all the responses on this article just makes me want to come back and visit. 🙂
Hi Marzia –
You are welcome and thank you for reading! 🙂
I really loved my time there and now really hope to come back. I love Italy so much, especially the South.
Cheryl
Hi Cheryl, my friend sent me your article, since I am living in Brindisi since June (2014). I am from Holland and now run a B&B in Brindisi with my Italian boyfriend (yes, he is the reason why I live in Brindisi now, haha). Funny to see that you made pictures at Piazza Santa Teresa (where you found the “massive war memorial”), because that is where I live :)!! I might have seen you! Anyway, if you decide to come back and would like to get in touch, let me know! Good luck with your blog, ciao ciao,
Carlijn (or here in Italy: Carolina)
Hi Carlijn – Thanks for your kind comment! Hope you’re enjoying your new life in Brindisi. If I come back, I’ll definitely get in touch. 🙂
Cheryl
Thanks for the lovely pictures Cheryl!
My husband and I will be in Brindisi for New Years Eve December 31, 2016 through the first week of January 2017. What celebrations are you aware of?
Hey Karen!
Glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
I’m not personally awards of any celebrations as I visited in late January. I’d suggest checking the Brindisi tourism site for more info.
I am visiting Brindisi in July. I’ve heard that is wonderful and they told me to go to Alberobello. Is it far off?
Hiya Raymond! Alberobello is not far off, at just over 60 kilometers away. I’d definitely recommend visiting as the Trulli houses there are so unique and beautiful. The cheapest and most environmentally friendly way to get there is to take the train. Enjoy and all the best!
I will only have a few hours in Brindisi, as the ship docks at 16:00 until 22:00.
Won’t really need to eat, but would like to see local shops or markets.
Any suggestions what to do or to go in the late afternoon?
Hello Patricia! Check out Dede Couture for vintage clothing shopping and Enoteca Fedele for wine, cheeses, pastas, etc. Otherwise, I’d suggest wandering around and ask some of the local shopkeepers for their tips. 🙂 Have a wonderful time!