PTW Puglia: Antiquing Edition is a comfortable, relaxed, welcoming retreat created for women who love antiques, creative living, and the thrill of discovering treasures that tell a story.

Our founder, Carolyn Peeler, invites you to attend the inaugural Puglian spin off of our popular antiquing retreats. While continuing our strong tradition of community focused camaraderie, this retreat is specially focused on visiting antique markets, antique stores, and second hand shops where guests who have a passion for vintage treasures will enjoy the thrill of the hunt!

As you consider joining us, I think it’s important to set expectations properly. Puglia is not Tuscany. In fact, one of the most common things I’ve heard from guests who have joined me in Puglia is some version of, “I can’t believe how different this feels.” And they’re right. When many Americans picture Italy, they often imagine Tuscany. Rolling hills lined with cypress trees, Renaissance cities, stone farmhouses, and landscapes that seem almost impossibly beautiful at every turn. Tuscany has earned its reputation, and I love it dearly.

But Puglia tells a different story.

Located at the heel of Italy’s boot, Puglia feels less polished, more rugged, and in many ways more surprising. There are moments when guests tell me it reminds them more of Greece than the Italy they expected to find. Whitewashed villages gleam in the sunshine, the sea glows shades of turquoise, and ancient olive groves stretch across the countryside. Laundry hangs from balconies. Neighbors stop to talk in the street. Shops close in the afternoon so families can gather for lunch. Life here still moves to a rhythm that feels increasingly rare in our modern world.

But, Puglia isn’t polished perfection. Oftentimes, just moments after visiting the most gorgeous stretch of coastline, you’ll drive past a blocky 1960s apartment building, an industrial area, or a stretch of countryside marked by olive trees lost to disease. Beauty and hardship exist side by side here in a way that can surprise first-time visitors.

The antiques reflect this same spirit.

Historically, Puglia was a poorer agricultural region than Tuscany. It did not produce the same abundance of grand furnishings and decorative arts that emerged from wealthier parts of Italy. Instead, the objects that survive are often deeply connected to everyday life; weathered pottery, handmade baskets and furnishings, religious pieces, vintage kitchen wares, linens softened by decades of use, tools, olive jars, wine jugs, and the practical objects that helped families build their lives.

For antique lovers, this is part of the magic.

Most pieces you find will not be grand, high-end antiques. Instead, they will bear the marks of use, history, and human hands. They feel connected to the people who owned them and the landscape from which they came. Many are also considerably more affordable than comparable finds in Tuscany, which is another reason antique hunters find themselves drawn to this region.

If this sounds like your kind of adventure, I’d be delighted to welcome you along.