A Week In Puglia - Part I
To those who have requested travel tips on Puglia, thank you for inspiring me to write and for your patience while I combed over my notes and hundreds of photos. A month of travel translated into heaps of work, not only with Designs by Alina but with our three children, two of whom we just settled into their new lives Back East. Because there is far more information than I envisioned, I have divided this post into two parts.
Part I
Geographic overview
Where to stay in Brindisi/Bari
Beaches and beach clubs
Where to see the famed trulli
A most fortunate encounter
Part II
Seven nights of dining in Puglia
Lecce: Where to stay and what to see
Ostuni must-sees and how to see them
OVERVIEW
To say that Puglia had been one of my bucket list destinations would be an understatement. I have been obsessed with trulli (plural for trullo), the dry stone huts with quaint corbeled roofs typical of the region since I was a young architecture student many moons ago. But between visiting family in Europe and a desire to expose our children to other cultures around the world, carving out time to visit had long become an elusive dream.
Puglia, commonly referred to as the heel of Italy’s boot, like Portugal and Croatia, has become increasingly popular. While not as central as Lazio, Umbria, or Tuscany, its allure lies in its breathtaking seaside, rich history, endless olive groves -the most in all of Italy, and of course, trulli-enchanted villages.
It is not necessary to visit all of Puglia’s six provinces. However, less than a week is not enough time to experience the region. Therefore, after much thought, we split our stay between Brindisi in the countryside near the Adriatic Sea, and Lecce, a beautiful Baroque city about an hour away from the Ionian sea, commonly known as the “Maldives of Italy.”
BRINDISI & BARI
Puglia is teeming with beautiful masserie (farmhouses), and I suspect they each have their charm. We settled on the Masseria Torre Rossa, the only hotel built on the “Lama” historic caves, dating back to the 18th century. A fifteen-minute drive to the seaside, the masseria is surrounded by fruit orchards and miles of olive trees. We knew we would spend every waking hour elsewhere with so many beaches and villages to explore. So rather than choosing a hotel based on amenities we would not use, like a pool and spa, we searched for something truly unique, and Masseria Torre Rossa delivered. Our room at one time was a well, and the decor, right down to the water jug light fixtures and a vintage washboard repurposed as a towel rack, didn’t betray its roots.
Our days began in the garden with a lovely breakfast that included homemade pastries and yogurt made with local fruit. The Pugliese, like most Italians, are friendly and take great pride in their heritage, as evidenced by a staff member who, noticing that I was taking copious notes, offered to show us the property’s newest suite, which was still under construction when we booked. It was spectacular and had yet to greet its first guests.
We had also considered the nearby Masseria Torre Coccaro, which we toured en route to the beach. I highly recommend it if you are traveling with children or enjoy on-sight activities such as cooking classes, golf, swimming, and wine/olive tasting. The property also has a spa, kids club, and beach club a few miles away, which we did not have time to see. However, we spent a day at their newly acquired Le Palme Beach Club, reviewed below.
BEACH CLUBS
When we weren’t exploring surrounding towns, we spent our time seaside. As with many European beach destinations, clubs are a must in Puglia. On the Adriatic coast, both Lido Bambù and Lido Sabbiadoro were beautiful, though I preferred the palapa style decor at Bambù, every detail seamlessly blending in with nature. Even their car-park spaces were delineated by olive trees, a Puglia hallmark. Bambú has both restaurant and beach menus featuring local seafood; a bar, beach beds and canopies throughout the property. The atmosphere is fun, with music playing later in the day, which made Bambù an all-around excellent experience.
The next day, with temperatures soaring in the high nineties, we headed back to the beach, this time to Lido Sabbiadoro (golden sand) which we very much enjoyed. If you are more food-driven like my husband than design-driven like me, you will absolutely love Sabbiadoro. The highlight of our afternoon was our restaurant experience. The seasonal menu curated by Celebrity Chef Fulvio Pierangelini was superb, especially the pesce al sale or salt-crusted fish, reminiscent of what I used to devour as an adolescent in Venezuela. The decor was beautiful though not as chic as Bambú. And the Italians? As always, they were as charming as ever.
On day three we ventured out to Le Palme Beach Club, which had been recently acquired by the same family who owns Masseria Torre Coccaro.
Le Palme has a Miami vibe, but the rainbow ribbons and restrooms' plastic strip curtains made it a bit too quirky, especially after having toured the family's gorgeous masseria. It was the only club with a trendy boutique, and as all the clubs we visited, there were beach beds, canopies and lounge areas throughout. For lunch we ordered the prawns and tuna tartare which were absolutely delicious.
People flock to Le Palme for a lively ambiance like bees to honey -perhaps that explains the festively kitsch decor. And according to the staff, the club is at the top of its game for weddings, parties, and private events. (Photos 5-9 below: courtesy of Le Palme Beach Club).
Honey, our 25th?
IONIAN COAST
On our way to Lecce, we went to Bahia Porto Cesareo on the Ionian Coast, which was far more expensive than the above. The only way to justify that fact is its stunning location. The decor was lovely, but they missed the mark by being the only club to add a surcharge to an already pricey fee for towels. As a result, most of the clientele brought their own, replacing the decor with a mismatched towel melee. The other drawback was that the music was blaring from when we arrived at noon. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy a lively ambiance. Take Scorpios in Mykonos, where serenity seamlessly gives way to a vibrant atmosphere as sunset approaches, offering the best of both worlds at just the right time. Sadly, we ended up leaving the club three hours later due to the noise.
On the plus side, the staff is very attentive (thank you, Andrea and Mario). We also loved that each set of lounge chairs was flanked by a full-size table for two or four, perfect for a seaside lunch. The menu featured traditional bites prepared with local ingredients as well as heavily dressed sushi which, if not watching one’s waistline, was good. The club fee included a bottle of champagne which we exchanged for rosé.
The sea though...Maldives of Italy indeed!
After four days at the beach, the moment to finally discover the trulli I had dreamed of all these years arrived. We spotted the first ones on our way to Locorotondo (which means “round place” with good reason) for dinner, and it was well worth the wild U-turn my husband made to capture them.
ALBEROBELLO
The next day we headed out to Alberobello (beautiful tree) at the crack of dawn. Missing the crowds left me feeling as though I had stepped into the 14th century. Part of the UNESCO World Heritage Program since 1996, Alberobello has the largest concentration of trulli in Puglia. Dozens of fairy tale roofs quickly morphed into hundreds, leaving me as mesmerized as I felt the first time I discovered Venice, Rome, Positano, and Lake Cuomo. I always knew the rooftops were built without mortar, but I never understood why. The reason, I later discovered, was as captivating as the sight before me, but I offer no spoilers here.
UNMISTAKABLY FREE
While at dinner a few nights earlier, we met a charming woman with a contagious smile. Sinead and her husband had just moved to Puglia after a lifetime in Ireland, London, and New York City, where they had raised two children. I was admiring the embroidered silk slip-ons she was wearing and couldn’t help but notice a tattoo above her ankle. It was of a girl in a swing tethered to a pair of birds. When I inquired about it, she told me that it was her first and only tattoo and that she had gotten it just a month prior. “I have never felt as free as I do in Puglia,” she said, “so it felt right.” The conversation did not stop there as she and her husband invited us to the trullo they had just acquired. Their warm welcome included a delicious spread of cured meats, cheeses, olives, figs, and wine. At the end of the evening, after touring the home and rooftop, Sinead noted (and I concurred) that it was as if we had known each other all our lives. And that is pure Puglia magic!
PART II COMING SOON:
Seven nights of dining in Puglia
Three days in Lecce
How to tour Ostuni
Photos: property of Designs by Alina unless otherwise noted.