Sun, sea and sun cream

Stay protected! Sunscreen is a holiday essential for a vacation in Puglia. We have a daily average of 14 summer sunshine hours. Bearing in mind we have short summer days - today’s Ostuni sunrise was 06:00 sunset will be 19:48 - that’s a lot of sun!

When we are heading out into the sun - even for short periods - we apply plenty of sunscreen.

Know your UVA and SPF

UVA radiation causes the skin damage. It accounts for around 95% of the UV light that reaches our skin. Most sun creams have a star rating from 0 to 5 measuring the protection afforded. Reach for the stars: a 5-star rating will ensure that you are as covered as you can be.

The SPF rating measures the protection against sunburn, caused by UVB rays. We never use anything less than SPF 30, though we usually stick to SPF 50.

Should I buy suncream at home or on vacation in Puglia?

Sunscreen is available at pharmacies, supermarkets and many smaller stores.

Having tried a number of brands, including some of the most expensive, we keep coming back to Lidl. It has effective protection at economic prices.

For children:

• Crema Solare per Bambini SPF 50+ – 100 ml, prezzo 3.39€
• Spray Solare per Bambini SPF 50+ – 150 ml, 4.99€
• Spray Solare Vapo per Bambini SPF 50+ -250 ml, prezzo 5.99€

For adults:

• Crema Solare Anti-Ageing SPF 30 – 75 ml, prezzo 3.49€
• Crema Solare Active SPF 30 – 75 ml, prezzo 3.49€
• Latte Solare SPF 50 – 250 ml, prezzo 4.99€
• Latte Solare SPF 30 – 250 ml, 4.99€
• Spray Solare Classic SPF 30 – 250 ml, 4.99€

Lidl stores are found at various locations across Puglia including Brindisi, San Vito dei Normanni, Lecce, Fasano, Monopoli, Mola di Bari.

We usually buy the children’s cream. Unperfumed and less transparent. It’s kinder on our skin and we can see exactly where it has been applied, avoiding blind burn patches.

After sun care

Forget specialist after sun products. The standout cream that will moisturise and will provide the most effective skin relief for sunburn is Biafin emulsion.

Biafin emulsion is a specialist product known for its moisturizing and softening properties, and particularly recommended as a cosmetic treatment to relieve sunburn.

It is widely available in France, where we first discovered it, as Biafine. In Italy you can buy it from pharmacies. Elsewhere you might find it on Amazon.

Having tried many, many producers, Biafin is our stand out after sun moisturiser and treatment for relief from sunburn if it happens.

(as for the Molton Brown… well, that’s another story)

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