In October of last year, we took a trip to Puglia, Italy. I think I have been asking Ian to take me to Italy for almost five years, and we finally got to go! We had recently gotten engaged as well, so it turned out to also be a celebratory trip.
Puglia is on the heel of Italy, so it’s quite south. The only real thing I knew about this area was that the wine was great (go figure!). Besides wine, I found out this region was known for olive oil and burrata. And surprisingly, tartare was on most menus as well. Naturally, I ate burrata and olive oil every day just to make sure I was being a respectful tourist.
In the Puglia region, especially near Alberobello, there are these structures called Trullo (or Trulli), which are dry stone huts with a conical roof. While the town of Alberobello was full of trulli being used as restaurants and shops, outside of Alberobello they seemed to be mostly in farming fields. They were used to house peasants and agricultural people / families, and the traditional ones were built using mortar so they were easy to customise and build up / take down (apparently to avoid taxes!). Lots have been renovated for tourists like us.
We stayed in a Trullo Airbnb between Locorotondo and Cisterino. It was separate to the family’s home, but housed on their farm land. They modernised it with a bathroom extension, and equally important, mortar and electricity. It was lovely, and the host even more so. Ten out of ten would recommend.
Close to many white-washed historical towns, it was a great location as well. Driving around, you can see hills in the distance that have these white-washed towns on top, usually with a church spire(s) sticking out of the middle, and white walls that wrap the towns up. The towns have expanded in size, but you can imagine how they might have looked ‘back in the day’, sticking out amongst the olive tree and vineyards.
We had starred all of the towns we wanted to visit, and then made our plan of action once we actually got to Italy. We wanted to feel relaxed though, so we listened to ourselves on the day we needed extra sleep or wanted to lounge in the sun all day, and adjusted. The towns we visited were…
Cisterino - An old town with original medieval walls keeping the historic centre quite tight. We sat on the outskirts of the medieval wall, watching the sun set, while I drank an Aperol Spritz.
Locorotondo - Smooth old stones, small pedestrian only roads that opened to various squares, it reminded me of the Alfama area of Lisbon.
Martina Franca - A little bit larger than the two above, Martina Franca had larger and lovely town squares, still filled with that centuries worn down stone throughout the city.
Alberobello - This is the postcard trulli town. We parked near this church and walked towards the town square down one of the main trulli lined pedestrian streets. There was a certain energy to the town, even for a Monday night.
Monopoli - We ventured here for dinner one night, so we only explored the town briefly. The historical part is quaint, small pedestrian streets that wind their way around. There was a lovely harbor outside the walls that was fun to walk through, some bars even having their windows open directly on to the harbor - great people watching.
Matera - This was my favorite town we visited because it was just so cool. It’s thought to have had humans occupying it for 10,000 years. Made from two gigantic stones, caves have been carved out and evolved through time to now including lighting and plumbing. There’s a deep valley that cuts across it, giving you views to the national park (with more caves!) across the other side. Bring walking shoes because everywhere you walk there are steps. I’d love to come back for several days and take a true cave tour.
Polignano a Mare - En route to our Airbnb from Bari, we stopped here because my Italian hairdresser recommended we eat at Pescaria (very good!). This is probably the most picturesque space of this region. I wish we went back to swim in the ocean and enjoy a day in the sun, but we’ll do a proper coastal trip next time.
Lecce - Anyone who we told we were going to Puglia recommended that we go to Lecce. “It’s the Florence of the South,” they said. I haven’t been to Florence in over a decade, so I am absolutely not the authority on this, but I didn’t really get Florence vibes. The buildings were a warm yellow, and you could tell this town had more money historically by how large the buildings were.
Ostuni - Once you drove over the hills, you could see Ostuni pop up like a small, fortified white town out of nowhere, with the deep blue sea in the background. We had our cooking class here, and I would definitely go back. Still white washed, this town was a bit hillier than her white-washed sisters, but not as much as Matera. You could easily stay here for 2-3 nights and explore it all.
People rave about the food in Italy for good reason. Even the restaurants one might describe as ‘mediocre’ still deliver top quality Italian food. You really cannot go bad here. Since we didn’t have a strict itinerary, we allowed ourselves to pick out the restaurants once we got to the town in mind. Some of our choices were fuelled by local Google searches, some were chosen walking around. We even got takeaway pizza one night - in a surprise to no one, it was great.
Places we would recommend…
Pescaria - This was our first stop because my hairdresser raved about it. He said they had ‘the best fish sandwiches’. But, we missed the English QR code when we walked in, so I attempted to order without knowing any Italian (lol). The tuna tartar (I did piece that one together) was the best tuna tartar I’ve ever had. The other order - frutto del mare - was extremely cold shellfish, mussels and oysters. The oysters I did enjoy though.
Pavi - Our first pasta dinner did not disappoint. It’s set on the side of Locorotondo, so you can see the valley spread out below. Would have been gorgeous during the day.
Garibaldi Bistrot - Set off the side of Martina Franca’s town square, we sat outside for a pasta lunch, able to watch all the town square’s comings and goings.
Le Chicche di Zia Rosa - This restaurant had such a cute outdoor seating area in a little alley off Cisternino’s main square. We had apps of beef carpaccio and meatballs and mains of pasta.
Casa San Giacomo - We made fresh pasta here with Nonna Rosetta in Ostuni. Honestly, it was such a fun morning. The restaurant then cooked up the pasta afterwards with a local sauce and it was delicious.
Condominio 60 - We ate at a tiny table outside in one of the alleyways in Monopoli. This restaurant was one of our favorites. I have pictures of what we ate, but I don’t remember all of the ingredients to list them out. But I promise, everything was delicious here. We opted for an app, a pasta each, and then split a main (twice baked / stuffed squid) and dessert.
00 Doppiozero - We walked past this restaurant a couple times in Lecce, and each time it was full of people and vibrant noises. We got a table for two inside, as that was the only space with room, and it was one of the best lunches we had. We started with focaccia bread loaded with cured meats, burrata and figs. I had a pistachio pesto pasta with tuna tartar and burrata on top. Ian has orecchiette pasta in a tomato basil sauce.
Tenute Capovaccaio - In Alberobello, this is a really cute and fun outdoor wine garden that overlooks the center of town. We had several glasses of their win and people watched while the sun set.
Ristorante Curdunn - For our last night in Locorotondo, we ate at this little gem that’s tucked into two little alleyways. The ambiance and setting were perfect, and the food was simple but delicious.
Whenever we travel, we love to go to local grocery stores to see what types of fresh food they have. We loaded up on bread, cheese, meat and olives for several pool side lunches and one dinner at our Airbnb. My mouth is salivating now just thinking of it.
Since we were driving, we didn’t go to any vineyards or wineries. We just asked for local Puglian wine at whatever restaurant or bar we stopped at. I can’t remember having a bad wine or meal during this week.
My only regret is that we had gelato only once! I know, crazy. Next time, it’ll be a daily occurrence.
We couldn’t recommend Puglia enough. It was different to what you normally think of when you think of Italy. More rustic, farming centered lifestyle. But I loved that! For us, the trip was equal parts relaxation and exploration - what we needed.