The Beautiful Apulian Region of Italy
Puglia (ancient Apulia) is the strangely enchanting region in the heel of Italy, with beautiful beaches, bustling cities and unique towns. This rural region verdant with olive groves, vineyards and orchards is still essentially unspoilt Italy.
The landscape is full of history, this is where the slave army of Spartacus was denied escape across the seas and turned North to meet their fate. This was the point of departure for crusaders heading East in the middle ages. Castles, forts, ports and incredible magnificent cathedrals & churches are everywhere plus the unique Trulli of the Valle D'Itria.
Notwithstanding the superb buildings - the clearest evidence of the work of men for millenia is in the land. These groves, vineyards and orchards have been shaped by men and women for hundreds of years. It is no surprise that Puglia produces 40% of Italy's olive oil and 25% of her wine.
The best of Puglia? The people - the most welcoming and friendly in the Mediterranean.
The Weather
Puglia has four distinct seasons and although it has the lowest rainfall of all Italian regions that statistic is due to the long hot summers so the rainfall in Winter & early Spring can be significant. Late Spring and early Autumn are on average equivalent to lovely English summers with average daytime temperatures in the mid 20's along with some changeable weather and cooler evenings but from June to August the weather from North Africa settles over this part of the Med and the Summers are hot and dry.
Check out the current weather at www.tempoitalia.it/previsioni/meteo/puglia/alberobello.html
The Book of the House
What started as an essential guide to the equipment and the other necessary things you need to know when you rent a holiday house has grown into a resume of all our experiences of Puglia - and it's still growing (we hope that you will add your own comments, too).
Snippets to whet your appetite - we've blanked out the place names with '****' in the hope that you'll be curious and book your holiday with us!!
Market day in Alberobello is Thursday. Food and vegetables are at the top end of the Largo Martellotta, household stalls are next then a few clothes stalls with lots of shoe stalls at the bottom end near Piazza Indipendenza. Most of the clothes stalls stretch up the hill towards the Basilica. You are expected to haggle, so never pay the full price even though they'll theatrically tell you their children will starve etc.. 15 euros means 14 at the most but try for 12, my wife always ensures she only has small change on her ...
It's traditional on Sundays for people to buy pasticcerie (lovely little pastries, cream buns, truffles) for the family after lunch, the shops package these treats in beautiful coloured cartons. The best in Alberobello are at ******* just off the Largo but if you're in Martina Franca on a Saturday evening, it's the end of market day and you're enjoying passaggiata (everyone takes an evening stroll to meet, greet & generally be seen), there is a shop on Via ******** which sells the best Canolli Siciliana we've ever seen (and eaten). My husband swears it's where they got the canolli for the opera scene in Godfather Part III (the one that poisons the old man) ...
The best restaurant... well there are so many... best food and lowest prices is G** ***** on the outskirts of Alberobello, people come for miles but La ****** & F******** are great too - in general the food is wonderful wherever you eat, these are just our favourites. If you love Italian ice cream, try it at Bar del ***** in Alberobello or at Cafe ******** in Martina Franca - both are fabulous.
You can find snack meals everywhere but we have a couple of 'special' places - the best is hidden away on the small industrial estate on the southern outskirts of Alberobello, the food is to die for (truly), service is wonderful and the prices are ridiculous (we mean cheap!), you won't find a tourist in there (except yourselves of course) it's full of local workmen taking their lunch break - it's a Tavola Calda called ******* (means the big one 'coz , as you'll see, the owner is very large!). Our other favourite is in Putignano it's called **** **** - note that these two places are not open in the evening.
The nearest public beach is 20 minutes away at Torre Canne but watch out for the crowds at weekends, we prefer the dunes and beaches just to the south of Torre Canne or the rock pools at Capitolo. All around are quieter private beaches with covered parking, toilets, restaurants, showers etc, charges vary from only 5 euros up to 30 euros a day (per car not person).
A nearby Masseria has private beach facilities which include a tented Fish restaurant (with Sushi specialities) - it also provides golf, poolside lunches and a beauty spa at good daily rates, the costs and telephone number are shown on page...
Beaches and the Coastal Routes
The Adriatic coast has some beautiful stretches of beaches and dunes along with pretty harbours and small ports – this being Italy there are also overcrowded ‘Summer Holiday’ towns and out-of-place commercial and industrial sites.
The quickest way to the coast is to drive out of Locorontondo on the Fasano road until you come to the coastal highway, the E55, (just before the coastal highway junction you'll pass Zoosafari a wildlife park comprising a safari park, zoo, dolphinarium and funfair with a variety of rides). Join the coastal highway (E55) heading South towards Brindisi, almost immediately leave at the second exit marked Savelletri and follow the road down to the coast (less than 10 minutes from the E55). This takes you to Savelletri, a small working fishing harbour with at least two superb fish restaurants – at almost all the fish restaurants you have the extra bonus of dining overlooking the sea.
Driving South from Savelletri you come first to Torre Canne, a bustling somewhat scruffy seaside town but with well maintained public beaches which are very crowded at the weekend. We prefer to continue round the town to the point where the dunes begin and there are many private beaches and nature trails. These continue for 10 or more kilometers past Torre Canne and you can choose where you wish to stop. We know and like the last one on this stretch of road Onda Blu (10 minutes South of Torre Canne) but there are many others. The private beaches are very good value as they only cost around 5 euros a day for a car (any number of people) – for this low cost you get covered parking (necessary in the heat), toilets, showers, snack bars and often access to a restaurant. You can also hire chairs, loungers and umbrellas for low fees – approximately 6 euros per head.
Drive North from Savelletri through Capitolo towards Monopoli and the coast is more rugged and less beautiful but there are long open stretches of dunes and rock pools, free for public use. There is also the archeological site of Egnazia on this stretch of road.
Another interesting day trip is to take the SS16 (The Adriatica), a very straight tree-lined road with large villas and masseria that follows part of the Roman Appian way from Fasano to Ostuni. Again drive to the E55 coastal highway via Locorotondo as described above for Savelletri, join the E55 at Fasano following the blue Brindisi signs. Leave at the third exit which is sign-posted The Adriatica SS16 then follow the signs along the Adriatica to Ostuni - after or before a visit to Ostuni old town drive down to Villa Nova which is a lovely small marina, mainly yachts but with a few small fishing boats. Afterwards you can drive North on the local roads (Complanare) just alongside the E55 coastal highway and stop at any of the beaches (Onda Blu etc) for an afternoon at the coast.
Ostuni is a beautiful town visible from a distance due to the light and its’ limestone walls and it is known as the “white city”. Within the historic centre the architecture is characterised by narrow and winding alleyways waiting to be explored. The Cathedral built by the Venetians is a combination of roman and gothic architecture from the end of the 15th century. There are plenty of restaurants and bars in the old town and the shops range from artisan to sophisticated.
These are snippets from the 'Book of the House', a guide to everything you need to know about the Trullo, location, equipment, local facilities etc, with sections on where to dine and visit etc - we'll add more as we develop this website.