I promised Cindi I’d report back after a wonderfully relaxing fortnight in Puglia. And also, I feel I owe it to Jonathan after all the advice he gave me before we visited the heel of Italy for the first time.
I have to confess it took a few days for us to start to see the potential of the place. The countryside we saw was not particularly scenic, it is arid as one might expect but I think it was the amount of litter at the sides of the roads that put us off a bit at first. But gradually we began to see beyond that and enjoyed the acres upon acres of olive groves, dotted with attractive trulli and dry stone walling demarcating boundaries, and also the prickly pears all fruiting.
Not every day was spent exploring – I’m afraid we’ve become too British for that and the tempations of a good book on a sunlounger beside the pool were a little too great! We stayed at Villa Paradiso, www.vacanzeparadiso.net owned by Paulo and Luisa and ably assisted by the delightful Francesco and Maurisio. It’s a small complex of five self-catering apartments and a sprinkling of B&B rooms with glorious gardens and a fabulous infinity swimming pool – a little oasis that was very hard to leave! We were made to feel SO welcome, they couldn’t do enough for us. I think a lot of their business is repeat and by recommendation and I can well see why. The accommodation is simple but comfortable. I recommend booking breakfast (if you are self-catering) as Luisa’s home-made almond cakes and fig tart are yummy! Villa Paradiso is located between the villages of Tuglie, which is delightful and Neviano which doesn’t have quite the same charm.
Having perhaps been a little negative about the countryside, you are in for a treat when you visit the coast – my special favourites – Santa Maria al Bagna and Santa Caterina on the Ionian coast (this is where we have decided we would like to live when we retire!), between Taranto and Gallipoli which is delightful, with it’s working fishing harbour and fish market. But please do not ignore the Adriatic coastline! Otranto is another touristy but lovely town with terrific and very safe swimming off the beach or the catwalk. Not to be missed is the coastal drive from Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca on the tip of the heel of Italy. With charming little villages and ports to explore on the way and beautiful coastline, you need to allow a day for the drive.
Incidentally, in complete contrast to further inland we saw very little litter in the coastal towns and countryside.
My favourite of the inland towns was Jonathan’s Galatina and it’s not difficult to see why he bought there. Despite two attempts ( long story – we won’t go there!) we failed to see Lecce which I understand is well worth a visit. I’m really not sure I advise going by car, certainly not without satnav. This is a big city and we got hopelessly lost! Francesco from Villa Paradiso has promised to take us there next time. Best perhaps to go there by train!
On our last day we went back to Santa Maria al Bagna. We escaped a ferocious thunderstorm at a little restaurant overlooking the bay. Here we had a brief encounter lasting no more than 10 minutes at most at the end of which email addresses/phone numbers had been exchanged. A friendship has been born. Paula left the rain behind in Ireland 8 months ago, never having been to Puglia before and unable to speak the language. She has bought an apartment in a converted palazzo in the old town of Galatina and is making her home there, working hard on learning the language and loving it. She has followed her dream and I wish her all the luck in the world. We will see her next year when we will definitely be returning to Puglia.
Welcome back, juliajane: glad you had such a good time! I know what you mean about Puglia taking some time to reveal its treasures - which is why all those 'Puglia, the new Tuscany' articles which appeared in the press a few years ago raised a wry smile. Sometimes, I feel Tuscany is a little too well manicured: not a blade of grass out of place, not a single farmhouse that hasn't been beautifully and expensively restored. And Puglia is certainly nothing like that!
The towns can be offputting, too: ugly modern buildings on the outskirts, and hard (as you found in the case of Lecce!) to navigate one's way through to the historical centres. But when you do, it's all worth the effort...
BTW, you've got your Puglia Brits slightly confused - Jim's the one who's got a place in Galatina: our place is up in Ostuni. Slightly greener than the Salento (especially the Valle d'Itria, between Ostuni & Martina Franca): do drive up and see it on your next visit.
Moving from my Puglia-lover's persona to my moderator's duties () can I encourage you to fill out a review for the Villa Paradiso residences? It all looks vvery nice on their site, and a permanent review in the Slow Travel database would be really useful for our growing band of Puglia fanciers!
Jonathan
Posts: 3394 | Location: Stroud, UK | Registered: 18 November 2001
Oops, sorry I got confused! Actually, forgot to mention it, butwe stopped at Ostuni for lunch the day we arrived. A bit too tired to really appreciate it and it was siesta hour so somewhat quiet - but a lovely town. Thanks for the suggestion - and yes, we will visit the Valle d'Itria on the next visit. And yes ... I will complete the review for Villa Paradiso. Thanks again for all your help Jonathan. It really helped.
I am just back from Puglia but so far into denial that I have not yet taken up the reins of Umbrian life yet. I love Umbria, especially the part where I live, but Puglia makes me question everything. I can't even write restaurant reviews this time, because I never got past antipasto! I did channel a donna del mezzogiorno one day and cook a meal of local foods bought mostly at the market, and I will post that meal soon, but overall, I miss Puglia too much to be thoroughly anywhere else.
We also just spent a week in Puglia (2nd time) and it was really special. Ostuni is wonderful. (Thank you Jonathan for the tip on Osteria Piazzetta Cattedrale, we had one of our best meals there.) What surprised me the most is discovering one week was not enough. Much to do, see, eat, drink, explore. I was also pleasantly surprised by its "sophistication" in some places - who knew Bari could be kind of elegant?! We plan on returning in the spring!
It's wonderful to read about your trip and it's getting me very excited about my forthcoming trip in the next couple of weeks. I simply can't wait to get back out there and enjoy some lovely warm weather and the fantastic food! Naturally, I'm completely in love with Galatina too (and it was fantastic to read that news article DDtrav - I've added it to my "links" page of our website - thank you), but when we were out there looking at property, the very first place we saw was in Santa Caterina and immediately we were in love with the area ... Then the sea anemones got us, the doctor told us to put olive oil on the spines, and for a couple of hours we weren't too sure. Still, it wasn't long before we were completely enchanted once again! I just love exploring the area (and Ostuni is a favourite which I really need to give more time to next time I visit!).
Paul, who I bought our place with, now lives in Galatina. I wonder if he knows Paula. Well, if you're in touch and you'd like to pass on our details, then by all means do so! It can be nice to know there are other English speakers near by, even if you don't want to hear the language when you're visiting on holiday.
Anyway, I'm so glad you had a great time, and I'm really pleased you loved Galatina too!
Jim P.S. Thanks for the pointer to the reviews. I notice they cover restaurants too, I'll try and find time to post some reviews myself.
Thanks for your post! We are eagerly awaiting our time in Puglia as well, scheduled for next June and part of July. I like that you were forthcoming - it certainly makes me not just in awe, but understanding what you experienced and saw - the good, the unexpected. Jim's place is rented for a bit so I think we will stay at his home for 2 nights, not sure about the remaining time. It is also good to know that Lecce is hard to navigate. I will definitely wait until my husband is with us to tackle any difficult navigation! :-) Thank you as well for the restaurant recommendation and rental information and review. We have all been hit hard at our house with colds and my son bronchitis, but I am at least now able to get on the computer & are eagerly going to finish up the Puglia planning & reservations!
If you can think of any other suggestions, please let us know!
We spent one week in Ostuni in September. we stayed in an apartment in Old Ostuni. The rental and owner were great, available just around the corner and by cel phone. Enjoyed the area. Had spent the previous week in Pisciotta in the West Coast. We do love Pisciotta, but enjoyed Ostuni as well. Had a seven course antipasta and it was defiantly our favorite meal.
I plan to do a trip report but don't forget Trani, which is a personal favorite of mine. I now have a friend there and was able to go visit on my recent trip. We also took a day trip to Polignano which has a lovely old section perched above clear aqua water and a great little beach for a swim. Very picturesque.
I too ate at Osteria Piazetta Catedralle in Ostuni three years ago and was one of my best meals yet.
) can I encourage you to fill out a 
