If the crowds in Ostuni’s main square are getting between you and your coffee, fear not: your saving grace is a few streets back. Sponda serves its coffee with a side of calm, a dash of retro chic and staff who actually want to chat with you. The bright room spills out onto the street, and on a sunny morning that’s where you’ll want to be (little ones welcome). Come for a flat white or for a bistro-inspired lunch, and pop up to the tiny concept store “just to have a look".

In a town built on olive oil, Burro has sided with butter. Their signature creations are easy to mistake for sculptures: whipped into tall golden peaks, ready for thick slices of homemade sourdough and a spoonful of jam (the cafe’s specialty). The room is all vaulted ceilings, peeling plaster and blue-framed doors, with barely enough tables to go round. Come early, or make friends in the queue.

This Ostuni bread-oven-turned-osteria is one of the best-loved tables in town. Dining in the 16th-century cave, among white tablecloths, hand-painted plates and wine bottles wedged into the rock, feels like being let in on a very old secret. You can’t go wrong with the courgette flowers, the orecchiette, the tiramisù – anything, really. Just book ahead.

Long before it went designer, Malibu was a windsurf and streetwear shop. That was 1985. Founder Giuseppe “Peppino” Suma has since swapped wetsuits for a sharp edit of men’s and women’s fashion, from big Italian names to smaller labels you won’t spot back home. You’ll find it a short wander from the old town’s lanes.