Calling Ekscrunchy and other pugliaphiles: Puglia itinerary in progress
Jun 21st, 2011, 03:41 AM
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bookmarking;
Our Oct 2010 introductory visit to Puglia was a huge success. I hope to get back to Puglia soon. Probably not this year, alas, as we are planning France/ England for the Fall 2011....
Our Oct 2010 introductory visit to Puglia was a huge success. I hope to get back to Puglia soon. Probably not this year, alas, as we are planning France/ England for the Fall 2011....
Jun 21st, 2011, 02:13 PM
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ek, you may be perfectly right that the name of Mamma Mia should have warned me; but the place just looked nicer than the rest of the (very limited) choice. Already in front of the first restaurant we came across, the owner hit on us in English (!), which for me is always a trigger for stampede...
The cathedral of Bitonto is actually Puglia's best IMO, and the pulpit inside is beyond any doubt Puglia's best piece of sculpture. And I forgot to say that, as you anticipated, the renovated Petruzzelli is actually a gem, architecturally - the lounge in particular may well be the prettiest I've ever seen in any theater.
lbelgray, I'm afraid you're already sorry that you've allowed me to make use of your thread for my travel notices... but since I've started this enterprise, here goes:
5. Casalini (near Cisternino), 5 nights at a trullo at www.acqua-rossa.com - nice accomodation but somewhat mixed between pretty old pieces and pretty cheap ones. Trulli, by the way, are generally nicer from outside than for living inside: almost no natural light can enter, and the roofs seem to leak inevitably. Breakfast at Acquarossa is wonderful, though.
Places visited: Conversano, Castellana Grotte, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino, Ostuni, Martina Franca, Palagianello, Mottola, Massafra, Taranto and Grottaglie. The Valle d'Itria (the famous trulli area) is less nice than it could be: it has been heavily disfigured by modernization, and almost each and every trullo is now neighbouring an incredibly ugly 1970s/1980s concrete farmhouse; Locorotondo and notably Martina Franca have so brutally ugly faces glaring into the landscape (the modern quarters surrounding the - unspoiled - historical centers) that it's impossible not to think of Sicily's mafia-shaped areas, where organized crime has thrown up zillions of incredibly cheaply built, incredibly ugly structures, building speculation being one of the Cosa Nostra's main sources of revenue. Well, this seems also true for the Sacra Corona Unita, the Puglian mafia... Those problems are minor, however, in comparison with the province of Taranto. Taranto itself, see also above, is a place that makes you cry, though situated on the best and most beautiful natural harbour I've ever seen: a cove is separated from the open sea by two narrow tongues of land that almost encircle it, and between the two tongues, an island is actually closing the cove, leaving just two narrow straits - on that island, the old town of Taranto has been built, a historical center full of large baroque mansions. It could be such a splendid place... however, the whole bay and adjoining coast is littered with ruins of 1970s smokestack industries that have long ceased to work, and those baroque mansions have literally never been restored since they've been erected in the 16th or 17th century; a great many of them have no roofs anymore, shrubs are growing out of the windows, and the few still inhabited houses in between are in just slightly better condition - it doesn't feel like Europe, and even in a third world country, this would be a miserable city. What a shame, what a disgrace in a wealthy European state! Needless to say that the whole province (the pretty center of Martina Franca aside) is affected; the great Puglian recovery has not yet set in thereabouts, and signs are unfortunately very few that it ever will. All in all, not exactly an area inviting to stay.
Of the sights, Alberobello, Castellana Grotte and Mottola excel; Alberobello being the pretty tourist disneyland that it has already been for a long time, even when the rest of Puglia got no tourists at all, the cave of Castellana a dripstone marvel of rare beauty, and Mottola boasting some of the very best grotto church frescoes in late Byzantine style (at S. Nicola, the so-called Sistine Chapel of the Puglian cave civilization). For all grotto churches (Mottola, Palagianello, Massafra, Grottaglie), more guided tours are indispensable; organizing them is easy enough, except for Mottola, where the local tourism authority is totally unable to do this job properly (but it's worth enduring their incompetence in order to see S. Nicola).
Food: just two lunches due to the huge and excellent breakfast-brunches at Acquarossa, one lunch at La Luna nel Pozzo in Grottaglie, the other at Casa Mia in Locorotondo, both of them unremarkable. One dinner in Martina Franca at Osteria Piazzetta Garibaldi, see above; great, and perhaps the very best antipasti feast we had all over Puglia - and extraordinarily friendly people. I wish we could have dined here once more. One dinner at Masseria Parco di Castro, www.masseriaparcodicastro.itOne dinner at Masseria Parco di Castro, www.masseriaparcodicastro.it; with the exception of one good secondo (grilled rabbit with laurel emulsion), I found the food really miserable there, the place's good reputation notwithstanding (we already got a bad start with the amuse bouche the kitchen sent: a - fortunately small - slice of COLD pizza; I mean, who would want to eat cold pizza??). Two dinners at the locally famous fornello Antico Borgo, see above; you can guess how good it was since we went twice! For those who don't know, fornelli are typical Puglian eateries (particularly in the Valle d'Itria, and particularly in Cisternino): butchers who prepare their own meat, sausages and so on in a huge wood oven, the - yes - fornello. What you enter is actually a butcher's shop; you go to the counter, select your - raw - meat, it's sold by the weight, and then you sit down and wait for it to be cooked in the fornello. You do NOT eat any primi at a fornello (even if some may be available pro forma), just an antipasto (a small one, here) and a huge secondo, mixed to your own taste of grilled meat (at Antico Borgo, I particularly recommend the donkey tenderloin, if available), various fresh sausages, various stuffed rolls of meat and - another particular recommendation - gnumarieddi, or morsels of entrails wrapped in pig's caul, yummm. Actually, a good fornello is heaven for meat lovers! And all that for negligible prices... And last but by no means least, one dinner at La Strega in Palagianello, tel. 099-8444678 (call ahead - not because you'd need a reservation, but in order to determine whether they're still in Via Fratelli Bandiera 61 or already at a masseria in the vicinity where they're going to move in the course of this year). What an incredible place in so many respects! Usually, I don't hold Italian inventive cuisine in high esteem, as I've often said on Fodor's... well, this is the first restaurant in Italy that I found to serve not only good, but truly great inventive cuisine; it would easily stand its ground in France, as well (and it actually has a Michelin star, for what it's worth). Just one example: as an amuse-bouche, they served a sour marinated anchovy fillet on first-class, creamy burrata - just imagine: fish and cheese, certainly a less than easy combination, but what a memorable result! Just wonderful. The kitchen uses local products, but definitely without respecting local culinary traditions - this is a cuisine that is fantastic in the double sense of the word! An incredible place, this one, also because of the price: for a full meal for two persons (three and four courses, respectively), first-class ingredients only, a constant stupendous level of food preparation over the whole meal, with wine, water, coffee, I paid 90 Euros; of course, that's about half of what a restaurant like this would charge anywhere else. Yes, the location is another reason why this place is incredible: Palagianello is at the back of beyond, in the poor province of Taranto, in the middle of nowhere. And consequently, nobody seems to dine at La Strega; almost the entire evening, we were the only guests, just when we left at about 10.30, another couple came in. I just cannot imagine how they are able to maintain that level of quality if they have no customers; do they buy all that super-fresh fish (the choice on the menu is quite impressive!) day by day only to throw it away in the evening? Of course, La Strega has a reputation for being not only in the wrong place because Palagianello is not where anybody would expect such a restaurant, but even in the wrong place within Palagianello, in a barn-like, stunningly ugly 1970s building. I truly hope they'll fare better, economically, at their new masseria...
Olive oil: Vetrere near Grottaglie, www.vetrere.it; another absolutely terrific oil, produced by the Bruni sisters, who are also well-known for their white wine (surprising but true: yes, this is excellent South Italian white wine, particularly from the rare old Fiano Minutolo grape variety; the red, on the contrary, is skipable). And Masseria Ciura near Massafra, a stunningly restored place that is unfortunately not quite geared to welcoming visitors (obtrusive people like yours truly, who manage to get inside nonetheless, are rewarded with absolutely amazing and unforgettable hospitality, though); but of course, you can buy their oil elsewhere and don't need to visit the masseria for that purpose. This large estate's manager is a true quality fanatic, and his oil is entrusted to everybody who likes very mild first-rate extra vergine olive oil (personally, I'm more into intense, fruity olive oil, and to my great pleasure, Masseria Ciura is offering, other than their mild standard blend, also a "fruttato intenso" oil that I liked very much).
Gelato: Conversano, an otherwise less than remarkable town, has very probably the best gelato that I've ever had in my life: at Caffè dell'Incontro, Piazza XX Settembre 2 (no website). This is a wonderfully old-fashioned, elegant café, and their gelato (which somehow reminded me of Turkish gelato, so I guess some honey goes into it) is very unusual in texture, and heavenly both in texture and taste. Definitely worth the detour to Conversano in and of itself.
The cathedral of Bitonto is actually Puglia's best IMO, and the pulpit inside is beyond any doubt Puglia's best piece of sculpture. And I forgot to say that, as you anticipated, the renovated Petruzzelli is actually a gem, architecturally - the lounge in particular may well be the prettiest I've ever seen in any theater.
lbelgray, I'm afraid you're already sorry that you've allowed me to make use of your thread for my travel notices... but since I've started this enterprise, here goes:
5. Casalini (near Cisternino), 5 nights at a trullo at www.acqua-rossa.com - nice accomodation but somewhat mixed between pretty old pieces and pretty cheap ones. Trulli, by the way, are generally nicer from outside than for living inside: almost no natural light can enter, and the roofs seem to leak inevitably. Breakfast at Acquarossa is wonderful, though.
Places visited: Conversano, Castellana Grotte, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino, Ostuni, Martina Franca, Palagianello, Mottola, Massafra, Taranto and Grottaglie. The Valle d'Itria (the famous trulli area) is less nice than it could be: it has been heavily disfigured by modernization, and almost each and every trullo is now neighbouring an incredibly ugly 1970s/1980s concrete farmhouse; Locorotondo and notably Martina Franca have so brutally ugly faces glaring into the landscape (the modern quarters surrounding the - unspoiled - historical centers) that it's impossible not to think of Sicily's mafia-shaped areas, where organized crime has thrown up zillions of incredibly cheaply built, incredibly ugly structures, building speculation being one of the Cosa Nostra's main sources of revenue. Well, this seems also true for the Sacra Corona Unita, the Puglian mafia... Those problems are minor, however, in comparison with the province of Taranto. Taranto itself, see also above, is a place that makes you cry, though situated on the best and most beautiful natural harbour I've ever seen: a cove is separated from the open sea by two narrow tongues of land that almost encircle it, and between the two tongues, an island is actually closing the cove, leaving just two narrow straits - on that island, the old town of Taranto has been built, a historical center full of large baroque mansions. It could be such a splendid place... however, the whole bay and adjoining coast is littered with ruins of 1970s smokestack industries that have long ceased to work, and those baroque mansions have literally never been restored since they've been erected in the 16th or 17th century; a great many of them have no roofs anymore, shrubs are growing out of the windows, and the few still inhabited houses in between are in just slightly better condition - it doesn't feel like Europe, and even in a third world country, this would be a miserable city. What a shame, what a disgrace in a wealthy European state! Needless to say that the whole province (the pretty center of Martina Franca aside) is affected; the great Puglian recovery has not yet set in thereabouts, and signs are unfortunately very few that it ever will. All in all, not exactly an area inviting to stay.
Of the sights, Alberobello, Castellana Grotte and Mottola excel; Alberobello being the pretty tourist disneyland that it has already been for a long time, even when the rest of Puglia got no tourists at all, the cave of Castellana a dripstone marvel of rare beauty, and Mottola boasting some of the very best grotto church frescoes in late Byzantine style (at S. Nicola, the so-called Sistine Chapel of the Puglian cave civilization). For all grotto churches (Mottola, Palagianello, Massafra, Grottaglie), more guided tours are indispensable; organizing them is easy enough, except for Mottola, where the local tourism authority is totally unable to do this job properly (but it's worth enduring their incompetence in order to see S. Nicola).
Food: just two lunches due to the huge and excellent breakfast-brunches at Acquarossa, one lunch at La Luna nel Pozzo in Grottaglie, the other at Casa Mia in Locorotondo, both of them unremarkable. One dinner in Martina Franca at Osteria Piazzetta Garibaldi, see above; great, and perhaps the very best antipasti feast we had all over Puglia - and extraordinarily friendly people. I wish we could have dined here once more. One dinner at Masseria Parco di Castro, www.masseriaparcodicastro.itOne dinner at Masseria Parco di Castro, www.masseriaparcodicastro.it; with the exception of one good secondo (grilled rabbit with laurel emulsion), I found the food really miserable there, the place's good reputation notwithstanding (we already got a bad start with the amuse bouche the kitchen sent: a - fortunately small - slice of COLD pizza; I mean, who would want to eat cold pizza??). Two dinners at the locally famous fornello Antico Borgo, see above; you can guess how good it was since we went twice! For those who don't know, fornelli are typical Puglian eateries (particularly in the Valle d'Itria, and particularly in Cisternino): butchers who prepare their own meat, sausages and so on in a huge wood oven, the - yes - fornello. What you enter is actually a butcher's shop; you go to the counter, select your - raw - meat, it's sold by the weight, and then you sit down and wait for it to be cooked in the fornello. You do NOT eat any primi at a fornello (even if some may be available pro forma), just an antipasto (a small one, here) and a huge secondo, mixed to your own taste of grilled meat (at Antico Borgo, I particularly recommend the donkey tenderloin, if available), various fresh sausages, various stuffed rolls of meat and - another particular recommendation - gnumarieddi, or morsels of entrails wrapped in pig's caul, yummm. Actually, a good fornello is heaven for meat lovers! And all that for negligible prices... And last but by no means least, one dinner at La Strega in Palagianello, tel. 099-8444678 (call ahead - not because you'd need a reservation, but in order to determine whether they're still in Via Fratelli Bandiera 61 or already at a masseria in the vicinity where they're going to move in the course of this year). What an incredible place in so many respects! Usually, I don't hold Italian inventive cuisine in high esteem, as I've often said on Fodor's... well, this is the first restaurant in Italy that I found to serve not only good, but truly great inventive cuisine; it would easily stand its ground in France, as well (and it actually has a Michelin star, for what it's worth). Just one example: as an amuse-bouche, they served a sour marinated anchovy fillet on first-class, creamy burrata - just imagine: fish and cheese, certainly a less than easy combination, but what a memorable result! Just wonderful. The kitchen uses local products, but definitely without respecting local culinary traditions - this is a cuisine that is fantastic in the double sense of the word! An incredible place, this one, also because of the price: for a full meal for two persons (three and four courses, respectively), first-class ingredients only, a constant stupendous level of food preparation over the whole meal, with wine, water, coffee, I paid 90 Euros; of course, that's about half of what a restaurant like this would charge anywhere else. Yes, the location is another reason why this place is incredible: Palagianello is at the back of beyond, in the poor province of Taranto, in the middle of nowhere. And consequently, nobody seems to dine at La Strega; almost the entire evening, we were the only guests, just when we left at about 10.30, another couple came in. I just cannot imagine how they are able to maintain that level of quality if they have no customers; do they buy all that super-fresh fish (the choice on the menu is quite impressive!) day by day only to throw it away in the evening? Of course, La Strega has a reputation for being not only in the wrong place because Palagianello is not where anybody would expect such a restaurant, but even in the wrong place within Palagianello, in a barn-like, stunningly ugly 1970s building. I truly hope they'll fare better, economically, at their new masseria...
Olive oil: Vetrere near Grottaglie, www.vetrere.it; another absolutely terrific oil, produced by the Bruni sisters, who are also well-known for their white wine (surprising but true: yes, this is excellent South Italian white wine, particularly from the rare old Fiano Minutolo grape variety; the red, on the contrary, is skipable). And Masseria Ciura near Massafra, a stunningly restored place that is unfortunately not quite geared to welcoming visitors (obtrusive people like yours truly, who manage to get inside nonetheless, are rewarded with absolutely amazing and unforgettable hospitality, though); but of course, you can buy their oil elsewhere and don't need to visit the masseria for that purpose. This large estate's manager is a true quality fanatic, and his oil is entrusted to everybody who likes very mild first-rate extra vergine olive oil (personally, I'm more into intense, fruity olive oil, and to my great pleasure, Masseria Ciura is offering, other than their mild standard blend, also a "fruttato intenso" oil that I liked very much).
Gelato: Conversano, an otherwise less than remarkable town, has very probably the best gelato that I've ever had in my life: at Caffè dell'Incontro, Piazza XX Settembre 2 (no website). This is a wonderfully old-fashioned, elegant café, and their gelato (which somehow reminded me of Turkish gelato, so I guess some honey goes into it) is very unusual in texture, and heavenly both in texture and taste. Definitely worth the detour to Conversano in and of itself.
Jun 21st, 2011, 02:14 PM
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Ah, I notice that I forgot the website of Masseria Ciura: www.masseriaciura.it, not very surprisingly.
Jun 21st, 2011, 04:05 PM
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This is ridiculously great, Franco. So happy to have your impromptu trip report here to put in my Puglia folder.
Best gelato you've ever had? That's a strong statement. I'll definitely need to see if I agree. Detour to Conversano now in the itinerary.
Best gelato you've ever had? That's a strong statement. I'll definitely need to see if I agree. Detour to Conversano now in the itinerary.
Jun 21st, 2011, 07:08 PM
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Glad you don't regret your invitation to post here, lbel.
6. Brindisi, one night at www.albergocolonna.it - our only classic hotel in Puglia, a four star, and the worst of our accomodations by far. It never ceases to amaze me just how bad those classic hotels are as compared to B&Bs or apartments, how tastelessly and impersonally furnished, how relatively dirty... There's a reason why Brindisi has a bad reputation: that city is really ugly, a fatal mix of Southern Italy and Germany - partly poor and decayed like large parts of Southern Italy (not that much of Puglia!) still are, partly terribly modernized in what I usually call the German pedestrian area style (with more concrete plaster and concrete slabs than one could possibly imagine). But for architecture buffs, it's nonetheless indispensable to visit Brindisi: there are two truly great (if small), well-restored Norman-Romanesque churches, S. Benedetto and S. Giovanni al Sepolcro.
Sightseeing: Brindisi of course, S. Vito dei Normanni (more precisely, the cave church of S. Biagio nearby), Oria. Other than those two Norman churches in Brindisi, no first-rate sights.
Food: Lunch en route at L'Incontro, Via Svevo Manfredi 43, Mesagne - an unassuming place, but really excellent pasta ai ricci di mare (sea urchins). Dinner at a Neapolitan restaurant in Brindisi (for lack of any faintly inviting Puglian restaurant): Sciuè Sciuè, Via Colonne 51 (no website) - very very good, though!
Olive oil: Stasi, Masseria Arciprete, Torre Santa Susanna, www.agricolestasi.it - another excellent producer, four different oils at surprisingly low prices.
6. Brindisi, one night at www.albergocolonna.it - our only classic hotel in Puglia, a four star, and the worst of our accomodations by far. It never ceases to amaze me just how bad those classic hotels are as compared to B&Bs or apartments, how tastelessly and impersonally furnished, how relatively dirty... There's a reason why Brindisi has a bad reputation: that city is really ugly, a fatal mix of Southern Italy and Germany - partly poor and decayed like large parts of Southern Italy (not that much of Puglia!) still are, partly terribly modernized in what I usually call the German pedestrian area style (with more concrete plaster and concrete slabs than one could possibly imagine). But for architecture buffs, it's nonetheless indispensable to visit Brindisi: there are two truly great (if small), well-restored Norman-Romanesque churches, S. Benedetto and S. Giovanni al Sepolcro.
Sightseeing: Brindisi of course, S. Vito dei Normanni (more precisely, the cave church of S. Biagio nearby), Oria. Other than those two Norman churches in Brindisi, no first-rate sights.
Food: Lunch en route at L'Incontro, Via Svevo Manfredi 43, Mesagne - an unassuming place, but really excellent pasta ai ricci di mare (sea urchins). Dinner at a Neapolitan restaurant in Brindisi (for lack of any faintly inviting Puglian restaurant): Sciuè Sciuè, Via Colonne 51 (no website) - very very good, though!
Olive oil: Stasi, Masseria Arciprete, Torre Santa Susanna, www.agricolestasi.it - another excellent producer, four different oils at surprisingly low prices.
Jun 22nd, 2011, 05:22 AM
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I echo the "ridiculously great" comment of LBelgray above! Incredible information here, Franco, and evocatively written, too.
Your take on Taranto is a classic. I have to laugh at this paragraph, then, in my Cadogan guide:
"Taras, now Taranto, is still an interesting place, with an exotic old quarter, a good museum, and maybe the best seafood in southern Italy (!!) (exclamation points mine). It wears a decidedly north Italian air--this si one city in the Mezzogiorno where things work, and where not quite all the public's money goes down the drain. Nevertheless, the best part of the story is all in the past."
Back later with further comment..
Your take on Taranto is a classic. I have to laugh at this paragraph, then, in my Cadogan guide:
"Taras, now Taranto, is still an interesting place, with an exotic old quarter, a good museum, and maybe the best seafood in southern Italy (!!) (exclamation points mine). It wears a decidedly north Italian air--this si one city in the Mezzogiorno where things work, and where not quite all the public's money goes down the drain. Nevertheless, the best part of the story is all in the past."
Back later with further comment..
Jun 22nd, 2011, 06:07 AM
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Hi lbelgray,
Sounds like a nice trip and September is generally beautiful in Puglia - minus hordes of tourists, so you're sure to have a wonderful time. I live in Rome and visit Puglia fairly frequently (most recently the Salento last month).
I like Trani a lot, but I think 3 days is a lot there. Since you mentioned the Gargano, I think a 3-day base in Vieste would be an alternative to consider. Vieste is a beautiful town and you can explore the coast, the Gargano National Park, and the towns of Peschici and Vico del Gargano to take a boat for a day trip to the stunning Tremiti islands.
The Salento is my absoluteley favorite part of Puglia and I've based myself in Gallipoli and Ostuni in the past and travelled all around the region. On this past trip I stayed in Lecce - a city I love. It's a very easy base and the driving is easy and the city is so stunning illuminated at night, so it's always a pleasure to return after a day of exploring and to take long walks around the city. I love the Patria Palace hotel, right in the old town. The views of Santa Croce from the rooftop terrace are spectacular.
Enjoy your trip!
Sounds like a nice trip and September is generally beautiful in Puglia - minus hordes of tourists, so you're sure to have a wonderful time. I live in Rome and visit Puglia fairly frequently (most recently the Salento last month).
I like Trani a lot, but I think 3 days is a lot there. Since you mentioned the Gargano, I think a 3-day base in Vieste would be an alternative to consider. Vieste is a beautiful town and you can explore the coast, the Gargano National Park, and the towns of Peschici and Vico del Gargano to take a boat for a day trip to the stunning Tremiti islands.
The Salento is my absoluteley favorite part of Puglia and I've based myself in Gallipoli and Ostuni in the past and travelled all around the region. On this past trip I stayed in Lecce - a city I love. It's a very easy base and the driving is easy and the city is so stunning illuminated at night, so it's always a pleasure to return after a day of exploring and to take long walks around the city. I love the Patria Palace hotel, right in the old town. The views of Santa Croce from the rooftop terrace are spectacular.
Enjoy your trip!
Jun 22nd, 2011, 07:04 AM
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Hi Romana2,
Thanks for the input. I've actually trimmed the Trani part to 2 nights (also looked into Giovinazzo per Franco's suggestion, but the nice hotel is booked). Will add the extra day on to Lecce or to Naples. An extra in Naples would make my husband very happy. But I hear such great things about the Salento that I'm wanting more time there.
In Lecce, deciding between Patria Palace, where the views do look fantastic, and the Risorgimento, which might have a fresher, less faded feeling in the rooms. Tough one. Though they both get stellar ratings, so I'm not afraid of going wrong.
The Gargano sounds great, but I think we should save it for another trip. I'd trade Trani for it, but I'm looking forward to trying Antichi Sapori and Masseria Barbera, both near Trani.
Thanks for the input. I've actually trimmed the Trani part to 2 nights (also looked into Giovinazzo per Franco's suggestion, but the nice hotel is booked). Will add the extra day on to Lecce or to Naples. An extra in Naples would make my husband very happy. But I hear such great things about the Salento that I'm wanting more time there.
In Lecce, deciding between Patria Palace, where the views do look fantastic, and the Risorgimento, which might have a fresher, less faded feeling in the rooms. Tough one. Though they both get stellar ratings, so I'm not afraid of going wrong.
The Gargano sounds great, but I think we should save it for another trip. I'd trade Trani for it, but I'm looking forward to trying Antichi Sapori and Masseria Barbera, both near Trani.
Jun 22nd, 2011, 05:32 PM
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Just briefly now, lbelgray: if the reason for the northern leg of your trip is primarily to dine at Masseria Barbera and Antichi Sapori, I think you should really consider staying at Lama di Luna. This has nothing to do with my hesitation about a stay in Trani - I just think that traveling back to Trani on both evenings is a far longer way than you originally wanted to drive after dinner, while in the opposite direction - daytripping to Trani, Barletta, wherever - you'd drive the same distance just once, and before having wine for dinner.
I won't be able to add another installment of my short report today - bear with me until tomorrow, please.
I won't be able to add another installment of my short report today - bear with me until tomorrow, please.
Jun 23rd, 2011, 02:56 AM
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I will wait a very long time to read your comments on this trip, Franco! Take your time and thank you again.
LBel: I agree about Lama di Luna. Photos on their website are accurate. The owner is a lovely person. Keep it in mind as a possibility. Very close to Castel del Monte, too.
LBel: I agree about Lama di Luna. Photos on their website are accurate. The owner is a lovely person. Keep it in mind as a possibility. Very close to Castel del Monte, too.
Jun 23rd, 2011, 03:11 AM
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First of all, addendum to 3: I forgot to mention a very good gelateria - Antica Gelateria Gentile, Piazza Federico II di Svevia 33, Bari.
7. Lecce, two nights at Palazzo Personè, www.dimoresalento.it (see above). The 16th century room we lived in had once been Lecce's synagogue. A wonderful, stylish and tasteful accomodation in that brilliantly restored, bustling town (see above, once more). The recovery of Puglia is nowhere more obvious than in Lecce; it's now really difficult to imagine what a dreary, decayed and deserted place this was 20 years ago.
Sightseeing: Lecce, Santa Maria di Cerrate, Copertino, Galatina, Galatone, Nardò - Galatina and S. Maria di Cerrate being the places that excel as far as art and architecture. (Lecce is more about atmosphere and townscape; frankly, the barocco leccese is more entertaining than of any architectural importance, and its architecturally most significant example is the Santuario del Crocefisso in Galatone.)
Meals: lunch at www.borgoantico.it in Galatina was so good that we returned for dinner - which unfortunately didn't come up to then high expectations. One lunch at Locanda Rivoli in Lecce, inexpensive and unremarkable. Dinner at famous Le Zie in Lecce, www.lezie.it - I didn't quite understand the fame, though. Old-fashioned home cooking, grandma style; nice but nothing special.
Gelato: Natale at Via Trinchese 7 in Lecce is really stupendous: www.natalepasticceria.it (I suggest to skip the pastries, and stick to the memorable gelato).
7. Lecce, two nights at Palazzo Personè, www.dimoresalento.it (see above). The 16th century room we lived in had once been Lecce's synagogue. A wonderful, stylish and tasteful accomodation in that brilliantly restored, bustling town (see above, once more). The recovery of Puglia is nowhere more obvious than in Lecce; it's now really difficult to imagine what a dreary, decayed and deserted place this was 20 years ago.
Sightseeing: Lecce, Santa Maria di Cerrate, Copertino, Galatina, Galatone, Nardò - Galatina and S. Maria di Cerrate being the places that excel as far as art and architecture. (Lecce is more about atmosphere and townscape; frankly, the barocco leccese is more entertaining than of any architectural importance, and its architecturally most significant example is the Santuario del Crocefisso in Galatone.)
Meals: lunch at www.borgoantico.it in Galatina was so good that we returned for dinner - which unfortunately didn't come up to then high expectations. One lunch at Locanda Rivoli in Lecce, inexpensive and unremarkable. Dinner at famous Le Zie in Lecce, www.lezie.it - I didn't quite understand the fame, though. Old-fashioned home cooking, grandma style; nice but nothing special.
Gelato: Natale at Via Trinchese 7 in Lecce is really stupendous: www.natalepasticceria.it (I suggest to skip the pastries, and stick to the memorable gelato).
Jun 23rd, 2011, 06:03 AM
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8. Otranto, three nights at www.palazzodemori.it, another really beautiful place (though somewhat lacking in organization), and good breakfasts. The southern Salento is Puglia's nicest part: no obvious poverty here anymore, kind people, happy villages large and small, where life seems blessed; plus, quite surprising after the totally flat interior, a steep, beautiful east coast. (Just Otranto proper is more touristy than you'd wish for, though very pretty.)
Places visited: Carpignano Salentino, Muro Leccese, Casarano, Specchia, Tricase, Patù, Giurdignano, Otranto, Poggiardo, Vaste, Santa Cesarea Terme. Most of those sights may not exactly be milestones in the history of art and architecture, but in combination with the particularly pleasant flair that the area has, it's strongly recommended to explore them, the best among which are certainly Carpignano Salentino (that one IS a milestone) and Giurdignano - but I particularly loved also Tricase and Muro Leccese.
Meals: One pretty bad lunch at La Pignata ("Otranto's best restaurant", guidebook fiction). One really good lunch at Corte degli Aranci in Specchia (see above). Our first dinner was at Masseria Gattamore in Uggiano la Chiesa, www.gattamora.it - with very mixed results, but my primo and my travel companion's dolce were absolutely excellent, so we decided to give them another try. Definitely a mistake; other than those two dishes, everything we had was so-so at best, and outright bad the rest. The owners are among the nicest people I met all over Puglia, but very unfortunately, they have no idea about food, not even the one coming from their own kitchen. (For example, about a dish that involved mushrooms, I asked WHICH mushrooms. "Beh, prataioli normali", came the answer - which would be "normal" wild champignons. What actually went into the dish were cardoncelli, a famous Puglian specialty: king oyster mushrooms, excellent if wild, totally bland if cultivated. Needless to say that at Masseria Gattamora, they were cultivated.) I would consider this place, though, as a hotel for a future stay, gladly dealing it for Otranto. The third dinner was at a locally well-reputed agriturismo, Il Contadino near the Alimini lakes north of Otranto. Quite good but not memorable either.
That's it, as far as Puglia is concerned. Thank you for all the accolades so far... but ek: I'm not sure whether I should really go on with the Basilicata part of my trip here on this thread - lbel is not even traveling to Basilicata!
Apropos of guidebook fiction: the Cadogan excerpt on Taranto is really a good one. Facaros & Pauls?
Places visited: Carpignano Salentino, Muro Leccese, Casarano, Specchia, Tricase, Patù, Giurdignano, Otranto, Poggiardo, Vaste, Santa Cesarea Terme. Most of those sights may not exactly be milestones in the history of art and architecture, but in combination with the particularly pleasant flair that the area has, it's strongly recommended to explore them, the best among which are certainly Carpignano Salentino (that one IS a milestone) and Giurdignano - but I particularly loved also Tricase and Muro Leccese.
Meals: One pretty bad lunch at La Pignata ("Otranto's best restaurant", guidebook fiction). One really good lunch at Corte degli Aranci in Specchia (see above). Our first dinner was at Masseria Gattamore in Uggiano la Chiesa, www.gattamora.it - with very mixed results, but my primo and my travel companion's dolce were absolutely excellent, so we decided to give them another try. Definitely a mistake; other than those two dishes, everything we had was so-so at best, and outright bad the rest. The owners are among the nicest people I met all over Puglia, but very unfortunately, they have no idea about food, not even the one coming from their own kitchen. (For example, about a dish that involved mushrooms, I asked WHICH mushrooms. "Beh, prataioli normali", came the answer - which would be "normal" wild champignons. What actually went into the dish were cardoncelli, a famous Puglian specialty: king oyster mushrooms, excellent if wild, totally bland if cultivated. Needless to say that at Masseria Gattamora, they were cultivated.) I would consider this place, though, as a hotel for a future stay, gladly dealing it for Otranto. The third dinner was at a locally well-reputed agriturismo, Il Contadino near the Alimini lakes north of Otranto. Quite good but not memorable either.
That's it, as far as Puglia is concerned. Thank you for all the accolades so far... but ek: I'm not sure whether I should really go on with the Basilicata part of my trip here on this thread - lbel is not even traveling to Basilicata!
Apropos of guidebook fiction: the Cadogan excerpt on Taranto is really a good one. Facaros & Pauls?
Jun 23rd, 2011, 07:53 AM
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Let's hear what lbel says, ok? By the way, I forgot to correct an embarassingly silly mistake: the baroque mansions of Taranto are from the 17th/18th centuries, very obviously (16th/17th, that's the usual mistake deriving from Italian seicento/settecento).
