Tripology Travel Experts Blog: Italy

Puglia - the next Tuscany beckons

A little off the beaten track, the region of Puglia is captivating those who venture towards Italy’s heel.

Rolling hills with vineyards, majestic olive groves, and the Adriatic and Ionian Seas welcome visitors. Once you’ve experienced Puglia, you’re destined to return.

Touring Puglia is best done by car. While I don’t usually recommend driving a car in Italy (Italian drivers defy description), rental cars really are a necessity here. Trains travel north-south along Puglia’s coast but don’t crisscross the region, so you would miss half of Puglia by train. On a local level, bicycles are great fun for toodling about, but not practical for long distances. The country roads in Puglia, by and large, are fairly well maintained, and there is nothing like driving along a winding country road bordered by low, white rock walls to make you feel like you’re truly in Italy. The trickiest part is conquering the signage, but we can map out the roads for you to make your sightseeing stress-free.I toured one organic agriturismo with Silvio, the owner’s son-in-law who proudly showed me his operation. Olive trees with gigantic gnarled trunks spoke of an ancient age; indeed, some of his trees are 1500-2000 years old and incredibly, still producing olives.

The masseria, a fortified farmhouse of old, had delightful gardens, orange orchards, and all manner of fruits, vegetables, and animals. The purpose of a masseria was to protect its landowners and surrounding peasants by becoming a self-sustaining community if under attack by invaders. You can lodge in unique masserie throughout all of Puglia for an authentic experience.

This particular masseria, Il Frantoio, rents only eight special apartments comprising well-equipped kitchen/dining room, spacious bedroom with vaulted ceiling, and a private ensuite bath.

Sadly, I was staying only one night, but this oasis can easily be a restful retreat for a week of exploring the neighboring countryside. This area of Puglia is dotted with innumerable masserie in the country, offering an authentic glimpse into Pugliese lifestyle.

Besides countryside, Puglia is already well-known among Italians for its beaches, both sandy and rocky. The agriturismo in Puglia is quite advanced, which allows you to experience, for example, a comprehensive cooking class: go to the market with the cook to buy that day’s fresh fish, meat, or vegetables, return to the farmhouse for a cooking class, culminated by dining on the fruits of your labors. Or, during season, help to pick the olives, crush, and make olive oil. Or perhaps you’d rather participate in making the cheeses of the region. Puglia has perfected these types of immersion experiences.

Puglia is also uniquely the home to ‘trulli’, circular, one-or-two room abodes with distinctive conical roofs. Originally designed for quick dismantling if the royal tax collectors approached, trulli are now historical treasures. Alberobello in Puglia, home to 1400 trulli, is a designated UNESCO World-Heritage site and well worth a visit.

 

Share:

20 Responses

You must login to post a comment

Request a Free Quote From up to 3 Travel Specialists

Save time. Great values. Tripology.com






  • Services required:

Subscribe to Tripology Blog

Italy

Watch more travel videos at www.tripfilms.com


Latest Tripology Blog Posts