Barletta / Apulia / Italy

Situated on the south eastern coast of Italy, just on the heel, if you look at the boot shape of the country, in the historic Apulia region lies the beach at Barletta. Barletta is famous for its grand cathedral, but also has a nice beach. It is a great spot for kite surfers, wind surfers and surfers of all levels and abilities. The best times of the year to surf here are between the months of April and September when the thermal winds kick in. During the summer be aware that zones are set up.

Barletta has two beaches, one to the north and one to the south. The surfing beach is the one situated to the north and this is around 3kms in length and around 75 metres wide. To get here you need to drive north west out of Bari, following the coast road until you get to Barletta,follow the signs for the surfing beach. Here you can park right on the beach itself.

The main wind direction is northerly or variations thereof and these directions work really well here, although south west and south southwest are also good. The water quality is clear and conditions are flat to choppy, with small to medium waves of up to 3 metres in height, if the wind is in the right direction. The water temperatures remain somewhere between 12-26 degrees depending upon the time of year, so you may want to suit up accordingly.

The infrastructure for surfing here is pretty good. You have facilities such as, showers and toilets, a surf school with rental equipment hire and repair, parking, accommodation and eating establishments, all within close proximity to the beach. The town itself is only a short distance away and offers some great nightlife.

Just be considerate towards other surfers and kiters within your vicinity, and keep a look out for swimmers and bathers also.