9 Best Restaurants in Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria, Italy

One of Diamante's most popular restaurants, in the old town center just off the seafront promenade, has atmospheric stone interiors. In the summer, sidewalk tables are the perfect relaxed place to watch the evening passeggiata while savoring inventive fish dishes.

Renowned local culinary experts run this cove-ceilinged trattoria, where traditional Salentine cuisine is treated with both respect and originality. The white-walled interior is stark, but there's plenty of character in the simple, tasty fare and the gregarious chatter of local families. Menu mainstays include ciciri a tria (homemade pasta partly boiled and partly fried, with chickpeas), rice with potatoes and mussels, and crispy deep-fried squid.

Run by genial Giuseppe, this family-run trattoria serves classic seafood dishes in a relaxed, modern dining room. Freshly netted catch are heaped on hearty plates, like insalata di mare (seafood salad), seafood cavatelli pasta, and grilled gamberoni (prawns).

As befitting the "artisan gelato laboratory" moniker, this whitewashed parlor with vibrant colors has an array of vegan-friendly and alchemical ice-cream combos. Among the more unusual "angels" vices' flavors served in coppe (tubs) and freshly made coni (cones) are pineapple and ginger, lavender and licorice.

This cheerful family-run hostelry a few miles outside Cosenza, in the hamlet of Castiglione Cosentino, offers an authentic Calabrian experience, with dishes highlighting maialino nero (local black pork), Podolica beef, truffles, pistachios, and wild mushrooms. In the homey dining room, locals feast enthusiastically—perhaps starting with a wooden board piled with salumi and formaggi—at tables adorned with brightly checked tablecloths.

Local families favor this tiny old-fashioned trattoria, where no-frills charm is matched by wholesome, unfussy food. Cucina casereccia (home-cooked) specialties include polpo in teglia (stewed octopus), baccalà al forno (baked salt cod), and the ubiquitous rustic purè di fave e cicoria (bean puree with wild chicory).

For a great-value on-the-hoof snack, pop into this tiny, popular place for filled panzerotti (deep-fried pockets), friselle (crunchy durum-wheat bread), and schiacciatella Romana (pizza-like flatbread). Check the board for daily specials, including meaty ragù sauces and seafood like polpi (octopus) to fill your freshly fried pockets.

Waves lap at the shore just inches from your table at this elegant but unpretentious trattoria, which often has a cozy fireplace ablaze in winter. You must follow a narrow twisting lane to get here, but it's worth the effort for specialties like the raw seafood antipasto, which features shellfish you might not find anywhere else. Cozze pelose (local mussels), hiding inside their spiked-hair shells, are briny and buttery, and big local oysters are all about rich texture.