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What to Buy in Puglia: Our Favourite Souvenirs

After exploring local shops, markets, and towns, here’s our guide to what to buy in Puglia—what we loved and would happily buy again.

Traditional Puglian orecchiette pasta, a popular souvenir from Puglia, ItalyA pack of orecchiette — the perfect little souvenir from Puglia!

After travelling around Puglia, we came home with a few things we simply couldn’t resist.

From delicious local treats to beautiful crafts and unique souvenirs, these are our favourite Puglian finds.

We didn’t want a suitcase full of random souvenirs, so we looked for things that felt genuinely connected to the places we visited.

After exploring local shops, markets, and towns, here’s what we bought, loved, and would happily buy again.

What to buy in Puglia for souvenirs

  1. Extra-virgin olive oil — probably the #1 purchase. Look for small-producer oil, ideally with the harvest date and producer clearly marked. Puglia is particularly famous for its olive oil.
    Best: 250–500 ml bottle if you’re flying.
  2. Handmade ceramics — especially from Grottaglie, the region's major ceramics center. A small hand-painted bowl, plate, cup, or serving dish makes a much better souvenir than a mass-produced trinket.
  3. Orecchiette pasta — the little “ears” are quintessentially Puglian. Buy dried handmade pasta so you can easily bring it home.
  4. Taralli — crunchy, ring-shaped snacks made with olive oil; very easy to pack and great as gifts. Try fennel, black pepper, or plain.
  5. Primitivo or Negroamaro wine  — particularly if you’re in the Salento area. Primitivo di Manduria is a great choice for a rich red.
  6. Lecce stone / papier-mâché crafts — Lecce is known for its distinctive pale stone carving and traditional papier-mâché work. A small decorative piece is much easier to transport than a large sculpture.
  7. Dried figs, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes & local herbs — inexpensive, authentic and luggage-friendly.
puglia what to buyIf you see “Prodotti Tipici,” you know you’re in the right place for a Puglian souvenir!

Puglian souvenirs for €100

  • €25–30 excellent olive oil
  • €15–25 handmade ceramic
  • €10 orecchiette (3 packs)
  • €5–8 taralli (2 packs)
  • €15–25 Primitivo
  • €10–15 dried figs/almonds or another local specialty

Where to look:

  • Grottaglie → ceramics
  • Lecce → papier-mâché, Lecce stone, crafts
  • Bari → orecchiette and food specialties
  • Alberobello → trulli-themed crafts, though watch for touristy mass-produced items
  • Ostuni / Valle d’Itria → ceramics, olive oil and food products

Our 3 favourite Puglian souvenirs

If we had to pick just three, we'd go for orecchiette, taralli and Zio Pasquale fagottini — delicious, authentic and easy to bring home from Puglia.

Taralli (or Tarallini) — A beloved savoury snack from Puglia

Long before we visited Puglia, we tasted taralli (or tarallini, which are the same but smaller) and have been hooked ever since.

Zio Pasquale tarallini in a variety of flavoursZio Pasquale tarallini come in a delicious variety of flavours!

These thick, savoury rings made from dough are popular throughout Italy but originate from the Puglia region in the south.

Italians often serve them with a drink in a bar (like the bowl we got at Aqua Marea Café in Polignano) or nibble on them alongside prosciutto and cheese.

They come in many varieties and flavours. Some are so hard that you need to dip them into a drink, while others are crumbly (especially those made with lard).

As soon as we arrived in Monopoli, we saw them in every shop.

We bought a bunch of taralli from a deli, and they were so crumbly and soft—perfect for pairing with salami from Che Buono di Tota Anna.

Crumbly, soft taralli from a deli shop in Monopoli, PugliaWe couldn’t get enough of these crumbly, soft taralli from a deli shop in Monopoli! 😋

The cute packs of Zio Pasquale taralli we found at Apulia - La Finestra sul Mare store in Monopoli also make wonderful gifts for loved ones. We loved them too!

We also bought Zio Pasquale’s fagottini—traditional sweet biscuits with ultra-thin, crumbly pastry and a delicious jam filling.

A lovely little Puglian gift that’s easy to pack and share! Order them online directly from Zio Pasquale!


Orecchiette — A top food souvenir from Puglia

When we think of Puglia, one of the first things that comes to mind is orecchiette, one of our favourite Italian pasta shapes.

Handmade orecchiette pasta with a rough, textured surface, bought in Monopoli, PugliaYou’ll recognize handmade orecchiette by their rough, textured surface on one side, like these we bought in Monopoli

Traditionally made with just durum wheat semolina and water, without eggs, they are simple but full of flavour.

These little ear-shaped pasta are one of the most unusual and iconic shapes in Italy — thick, rustic, and perfect for holding onto every bit of sauce.

Anywhere in Puglia, you'll find orecchiette pasta, both fresh and dried. If you're looking for souvenirs from Puglia, handmade orecchiette make a wonderful and authentic choice to bring home.

We brought handmade orecchiette from Apulia - La Finestra Sul Mare (Via Porto 8) for only €3 per pack.

These make an ideal little souvenir from Puglia for your dear ones.

And if you ever want to learn how to make them yourself, you’ll need someone who truly knows the craft — an Italian woman to show you how it’s done.

As we walked through Bari's centro storico, we stumbled upon a street where you can see Italian women making orecchiette on the doorsteps of their homes.

You can buy them here too, making them an even more special Puglia souvenir to take home.


Olive oil from Puglia: A delicious souvenir

If you have space in your luggage, be sure to bring home some olive oil from Puglia, where they produce some of the best olive oil in Italy.

Ceramic orcio filled with Puglian olive oil, a traditional souvenir from PugliaA ceramic orcio filled with Puglian olive oil makes a wonderful souvenir from Puglia

It’s also one of the easiest ways to keep enjoying a little taste of Puglia long after the trip.

We found real Puglian olive oil at these local shops in Monopoli:

  • Annese (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 57)
  • Apulia – La Finestra sul Mare (Via Porto 8)

We bought a ceramic orcio filled with olive oil, which you can see in the photo above.

If you don't want to take olive oil with you on the plane, you can order some online — they ship worldwide.


Our favourite souvenir shops in Puglia:

Apulia – La Finestra sul Mare, our favourite souvenir shop in Monopoli, Puglia

Apulia – La Finestra sul Mare (Via Porto 8, Monopoli)

This cute shop is full of beautiful handmade ceramic products — plates, bowls, cups, olive oil bottles, and decorative pieces. Here you can find the perfect memento to remind you of Monopoli once you’re back home.

They also offer a wide selection of extra-virgin olive oils, pestos, jams, and pasta.

The olive oil is from their own production, and you can even taste it on the spot. It’s available in bottles, cans, and "orci" - colourful hand-painted ceramic jars.

Annese (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 57, Monopoli)

This small grocery store sells their own products made in the countryside outside of Monopoli.

Great for picking up gifts like orecchiette and cavatelli pasta (you can even learn to make them yourself at this pasta class in Monopoli), taralli, or local olive oil and other jarred goodies to take home.


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