Italy With a Greek Accent
Puglia is a region in the southeast of Italy — the heel of the boot — known for its beautiful villages, stunning coastline (the longest of any province in the country), and unique local cuisine.
Unlike Tuscany, with its mountains, rolling hills and fertile fields; or the Amalfi coast, where dramatic cliffs plunge into the sea; Puglia is largely flat — a coastal plain quilted with neatly planted olive trees bordering the Adriatic.
We were there when Mediterranean Europe was engulfed in a heat wave, and only the most determined soul would even consider ambling up a village street in the afternoon. The climate, combined with the sea and so many olive trees (many thick with centuries of growth, their trunks twisted and gnarled like Ents out of Tolkien’s The Two Towers), make Puglia feel like the Peloponnese in Greece, without the mountains.
I did some research and turns out the Spartans had settlements along Puglia’s Adriatic coast in ancient times. Centuries later, the Byzantines were active in the area. So maybe echos of Greek influence still resonate there.
We rented a villa in the countryside a few kilometers from Ostuni, a picturesque village known as “The White City.” From a distance, the stuccoed walls, all clustered behind medieval battlements, appear in stark relief from the surrounding landscape. (Just another reminder of Greece — marshmallow-white town. Dramatic setting. That pretty much describes any chora in the Aegean.)
Ostuni is a quintessential Italian hill town, with cobblestone lanes and stone staircases oozing charm. I imagine 20 or 30 years ago it was a sleepy place, unfrequented by most travelers to Italy, not unlike the towns and villages of Abruzzo, the province just to the north of Puglia where my mother’s family originated.
But today Ostuni’s streets are lined with cafes, enotecas, osterias, gelaterias and shops peddling local products. After dark, in the relative cool of the evening, the town springs to life. Restaurant tables spill onto the cobbles, and every bend reveals another cluster of bars and cafes serving dolces, aperitivos and cones of gelato.
Our rented home was gorgeous, set among gardens and vines, with a pool, modern conveniences, and a lovely outdoor living space with peeks of the sea off in the distance. The location was ideal for exploring our little corner of Puglia (It’s a pretty big province, and unless you’re up for taking long day trips over a couple of weeks, you won’t see all of it).
Out and About
I’m not much of a planner. Once the plane tickets and accommodations are booked, I seldom think much farther ahead until I arrive and have a chance to scope things out. As a general rule, I like to lean on the locals — a cab driver, waiter in the cafe, shop owner — since they’ll often give you better insights than most websites or guidebooks.
In this case we had a ready-made local guide in our villa host. She grew up in Ostuni and we followed her recommendations for the first couple of days….with mixed results. We had lunch at one place in Alberobello — La Cantina — that was fantastic. Friendly, unpretentious and local, it was exactly what I imagine when I think of a good meal in Italy.
But a few of her other recommendations were frankly off the mark. A beach club near Ostuni was not as advertised. And a couple of restaurants were mediocre at best. The die was cast when a Goodyear tire disguised as an octopus tentacle appeared on my plate at one of the more expensive places on the list.
Intrepid travelers that we are, we pivoted, and thankfully the food started getting better, along with the experience.
Boating Along the Coast
Whenever we visit an island or coastal area, we try to get out on the water. It’s a unique perspective on your destination, and takes you places often inaccessible by car.
We rented a boat for 1/2 day through Easy Boat, a small outfit run by really friendly people in the coastal town of Torre Canne, about a 1/2 hour drive from Ostuni. In Italy and other European countries, you can rent a smaller boat without a license (up to around 20 feet) — for larger vessels you need to go with a captain.
Easy Boat had a brand new 6-meter power boat that was perfect for our group of four. In fact it was so new the plastic wrapping was still on the seat cushions, and they “christened” her before backing the trailer into the water and handing me the key. The boat ran flawlessly and it was easy to navigate our way north along the coast. There was hardly a whisper of wind so the water was smooth and the bottom clearly visible in most places.
We anchored and swam in some idyllic spots, venturing as far north as Polignano a Mare, a picturesque area known for its cliffs footed with caves. On the way we pulled into the harbor at Monopoli. I was hoping to tie up at the mola so we could take a stroll and maybe grab a gelato but we decided against it since we weren’t sure where to dock and I definitely didn’t want to scratch the new boat!
Our four-hour tour ended all too quickly but it was a memorable experience on the water and a great way to acquaint ourselves with the Pugliese coast.
Alberobello, Trulli Town
Trulli’s are the traditional homes of Puglia, distinctive for their cone-shaped roofs made of local stone. The town of Alberobello is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its well-preserved trullo architecture. As you drive around Puglia, you’re sure to glimpse trulli’s here and there, but in Alberobello they dominate the town, especially the Centro Storico.
As previously mentioned, we ate lunch at La Cantina which was excellent. A few steps down the hill is La Bottega del Gelato, for a cool treat on a hot day.
Another Greek reference — it just so happens I’ve been re-reading Patrick Leigh Fermor’s book, Mani, and came across this footnote:
“Tourloti is a dialect corruption of the word ‘Troulloti” which means “cupola-ed.” Troullon is a cupola, the same word as trullo. which southern Italians apply to those strange beehive dwellings cohering in scores in the Apulian villages of Aloberobello and Casarotondo near Bari, the old Byzantine capital of Magna Grecia.”
Cooking Class With Nonna Mimina
I had searched on AirBnB Experiences for a cooking class for myself, my 17-year-old daughter and her friend who was traveling with us. Many of the classes included market or farm tours and lasted four to five hours, which definitely would have exceeded the attention span of two teenagers more interested in shopping than cooking.
But there was one experience at a tiny restaurant in Ostuni — Casa San Giacomo, hosted by Nonna Mimina, 80 years old and a virtuoso in the art of pasta making, whose family had owned the restaurant for generations. The class was only two hours and included the opportunity to taste our pasta creations afterword at lunch. Bene!
In hindsight I wish we’d booked a table at Casa San Giacomo for dinner since it was about as authentic as can be, off the beaten path on one of the oldest streets in Ostuni, charming and delicious.
Nonna Mimina taught us how to shape four different pastas from the same semolina dough — orechiette, cavatelli, maccheroncini and the restaurant’s own unique truccioli, which had been invented decades ago to honor the lifelong bond between the two original founders of the restaurant.
It was a great way to spend a morning/early afternoon and one of our most memorable experiences in Puglia.
A Day at the Beach — Lido Bambu
Our final day in Puglia dawned as every other — brilliant blue sky, with the mercury rising and showing no signs of topping out. So we decided to attempt another beach club experience, this time at Lido Bambu, whose website promised comfortable (but somewhat pricey) sunbeds, a nice restaurant and a sandy beach with inviting turquoise water.
After the first beach club we tried (which was none of the above), we were a bit apprehensive, but that evaporated after the very courteous and welcoming reception we found at Lido Bambu.
We spent the day lounging in the sun and swimming in the warm, clear Adriatic water. Interrupted only by a fabulous lunch on a shady terrace overlooking the sea. It was one of those beach days where you look at the time and wonder how it got to be 5 PM so quickly — our cue to pack up and go since we had dinner reservations at eight.
We had wanted to visit Puglia for years but for one reason or another we never made it there. It offers a bit of everything — countryside charm, quaint villages, delicious food, and warm, inviting ocean waters. We only had the opportunity to explore one small area of the province, but hope to return to discover more of what the region has to offer. Ciao!
THE HIGHLIGHTS
La Cantina — Fantastic food, atmosphere and service in Alberobello.
Cibus - in the town of Ceglie Massapica. A modern take on local cuisine. Reservations recommended.
Casa San Giacomo - in Ostuni. Authentic food and tradition on one of Ostuni’s oldest streets.
Alberobello - a UNESCO world heritage site known for its many preserved Trulli’s.
Easy Boat - Boat rentals made easy.
Lido Bambu - for a perfect day at the beach.