Beachgoing pros in Puglia understand the sea’s winds and move accordingly. Whether you’re chasing a calm day or wind-filled waves, one step outside (or a glance at the weather app) will send you either east or west: to the Adriatic or the Ionian coasts, respectively. Many Pugliese locals, however, are less divided between the two seas.

Despite the winds, where we go most often corresponds to where we were born, or where we (or our parents, or grandparents, or great grandparents, etc.) once decided would be our seaside getaway. After all, this is the very definition of villeggiatura: the Italian tradition of escaping the city during the summer, most often to the same seaside or countryside spot.