Puglia is better known for olive groves and whitewashed towns than for start-ups, but for remote workers it has a great deal to offer: sea, sun, a gentle cost of living and a growing number of places to open a laptop. From Bari to the tip of the Salento, coworking spaces have appeared in city centres, museums and old palazzi, many of them with a real community attached.
With the rise of remote work and a global community of digital nomads, the region has been quietly building spaces for them. They offer more than a desk and a chair: events, networking and the chance to meet local entrepreneurs, freelancers and creatives. Here are the ones worth knowing, town by town. Opening hours and prices change, so check each space’s website before you go.
Bari
Aulab
Aulab, a Bari company best known for its courses in web development and other digital skills, has run a large tech-focused coworking space in the city, close to the railway station, used by developers, freelancers and tech companies. Its offer has included daily desks, unlimited-access plans, team workstations and meeting rooms, alongside courses such as full-stack development and generative AI. Check its website for what is currently available.
Impact Hub Bari
Part of the international Impact Hub network, Impact Hub Bari is a community-driven coworking space not far from the sea and the city centre. Its flexible meeting and event rooms make it a popular venue for talks and networking, and it is a natural first stop for digital nomads looking to meet the local professional scene.
Bisceglie
DigithON Inventor Lab
Not a coworking space but an event, DigithON bills itself as Italy’s largest digital marathon. Held each year in Bisceglie, it gives start-ups the chance to pitch their digital projects to investors, corporations and banks, and runs networking events through the year.
Its categories have spanned games and entertainment, Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, media, music, robotics, health, tourism, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, blockchain, culture and education, e-commerce and logistics, fintech and food and agriculture. For anyone in the start-up world, it is a good way to plug into the Italian digital ecosystem.
Lecce
Sellalab
Sellalab Lecce is an innovation hub in the heart of Lecce, where professionals, digital experts, start-ups and innovators come together. Members join a wide network of people and companies, with high-speed Wi-Fi, a variety of workstations, meeting rooms, classrooms and event spaces.
For businesses, Sellalab offers open innovation, design strategy, acceleration programmes and support with digital transformation. Italian SMEs have been able to join its OpenPMI programme, a four-month initiative to develop innovative solutions and new business opportunities.
Artem
Artem has one of the most unusual settings in the region: the Museo Castromediano, Lecce’s archaeological museum and the oldest in Puglia. Its motto is “Dream, create, inspire”. Founded by Sara and Matteo, it combines social innovation with a healthy work-life balance, and offers ergonomic workstations, private offices and a meeting room for up to 10 people. It also provides advice on business ideas, grants and funding, and hosts workshops, seminars and courses.
Molo 12
Molo 12, on Via Corte dei Mesagnesi, is a coworking space with high-speed Wi-Fi, 24-hour access and a choice of open-plan desks, private offices and meeting rooms. It has hosted Startup Weekend Lecce in past years.
Members can also use a mail service and a break area, and regular networking events make it easy to meet other professionals.
Knos Manufactures
Manifatture Knos in Lecce is less a coworking space than a hub for creative professionals and social innovators, with shared spaces, workshops and equipment for everything from training to artistic work, built around active citizenship and shared knowledge.
The range of activity is remarkable: theatre rehearsals and a climbing wall, exhibitions, markets and festivals. The Ciclofficina Popolare lets you repair your own bike with recycled parts, and there is a FabLab for 3D printing and a tailoring workshop. Children are catered for too, with sport, theatre and circus activities.
Knos champions sustainability, critical consumption and a strong sense of community, and is a good place to meet Lecce’s creative scene.
Galatina
SIPARIO Social Coworking
Sipario Social Coworking is inside the Gallerie Teatro Tartaro in Galatina, a multi-purpose complex with a bar, a restaurant and a cinema. It offers private offices, shared desks and meeting rooms, with daily, monthly and annual plans, and some desks come with personal storage.
Networking, and bridging the gap between education and work, are central to its ethos. With fast Wi-Fi and a friendly atmosphere, it is the obvious choice in the Galatina area.
Melpignano
M23 Digital Coworking
M23 Digital Coworking was created by Weave Srl together with the municipal administration of Melpignano, the town best known for the Notte della Taranta. It has hosted the Google Hash Code competition and is part of the region’s Puglia Galatticca project network for young people.
It has 30 workstations on fibre broadband, a relaxation corner and a staffed reception from 9am to 7pm, and serves both freelancers and companies, with the mix of skills among its members leading to new projects.
Tricase
Boho 21 Coworking & Creative Hub
Boho21, a coworking space and production studio, occupies rooms in the 17th-century Palazzo Gallone in Tricase, a striking setting for remote work. Several large rooms, including the grand reception hall next door, can be used when they are free.
It sees itself as a cultural hub as much as a workplace, in a bohemian spirit that welcomes artists and creatives as well as digital nomads. Its website no longer works, so check that the space is still open before making plans.
Martina Franca
SPAZIO62 Business Center & Coworking
Spazio62 in Martina Franca offers private offices, dedicated desks, meeting rooms and event spaces, ready to use and paid for only as long as you need them. Prices are all-inclusive, and the space balances privacy with a sense of community, making it the Valle d’Itria’s main address for remote and hybrid workers.
Taranto
Login Hub
Login Hub in Taranto offers coworking desks, furnished offices, meeting and conference rooms, all on fibre broadband, bookable from an hour upwards or for longer periods. It also provides virtual office and business address (domiciliazione) services, and hosts events and training sessions.
Andria
Coco Hub
Cocohub is a large coworking space for entrepreneurs, freelancers and professionals, with private offices available around the clock, dedicated desks, meeting rooms and an event space. Extras include a photo studio, a roof garden, a relaxation area and a bar, and its varied community makes it a good place to exchange ideas.
Over to you
Puglia may be famous for its food and its history, but it is quietly building a community of innovators, freelancers and start-ups too. Pick a base, book a desk for a week, and you will find that the best office views in Italy may well be here.
