Polignano a Mare

This well-preserved, whitewashed old town, perched on limestone cliffs overlooking the Adriatic, makes an atmospheric base for exploring the surrounding area. Film crews and adrenaline junkies come to experience the town's spectacular cliff-diving championships, which usually take place in early June. Other things have cemented Polignano's reputation for drama: it leapt to fame in 2013, when the cast of the popular soap The Bold and the Beautiful shot scenes on the Scalinata di Grottone. This also the hometown of Domenico Modugno—author of the song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" (aka "Volare")—who has a statue here in his honor.