The locations everyone Googles, Polignano a Mare cliffs, the Ostuni white town, the Alberobello trulli, are beautiful, but they are also saturated. You shoot there and your campaign looks like every other fashion campaign that shot there in the last five years. Permits are slower. Tourists are visible in the frame.
The actual work happens at the locations that only locals know. Five we use regularly:
1. The 17th-century masseria above Locorotondo
Stone courtyard, two indoor halls with original vaulted ceilings, a working olive grove on the property. Three minutes from the SP172 road. The family that owns it has been hosting fashion shoots since 2018, they understand crew, parking, electric needs.
Best for: hero campaign with an Italian-craft narrative. Look matches Loro Piana, Etro, Edward Crutchfield territory.
2. The cliff cove between Polignano and Monopoli
Polignano is overshot. The cove three kilometres south is not. Pebble beach, sandstone cliffs, water depth manageable for half-body swimwear shots. Public access via a fishermen path, no permit needed for crews under 10 people. Light from 9am to 11am, then again 4pm to sunset.
Best for: swimwear, beauty, beachwear lookbooks.
3. The terrace overlooking the Itria Valley
Private property, 600 metres elevation. The view is the Itria Valley with Alberobello in the distance, without going to Alberobello. Trulli visible as background scale element, fields and olive groves below. Best in late spring when the wheat is high but not yet harvested.
Best for: editorial-driven campaigns. Vogue Italia / L'Officiel territory.
4. The whitewashed back alleys of Cisternino
Cisternino is the unsung version of Ostuni. Same white walls, same Mediterranean architecture, one-tenth the tourist density. We have a network of residents in the historic centre who let us shoot from their terraces and use their building façades, for a respectful fee and a thank-you in the credits.
Best for: editorial fashion with a southern-Italian narrative.
5. The abandoned modernist villa near Ostuni
Built in 1962, abandoned since 2015, owner waiting for permits to renovate. Concrete and stone, brutalist details, full ocean view. We have a relationship with the owner, accessible with 48 hours notice for a daily fee. No electricity (bring generator), no running water (bring service truck).
Best for: editorial fashion that wants a strong architectural anchor. Riccardo Tisci-era Givenchy / Saint Laurent feel.
How we work locations
We never sell access to a location we have not personally shot at. Every location in our scouting deck has been used by at least one production we managed in the last 24 months, we know the light angles, the parking situation, the nearest emergency room, who to call when something breaks.
If you have a brief and want a location shortlist matched to your reference deck, send it to info@moimodels.com. We come back within 48 hours with three to five matched options, photographed, with full logistic notes.
