Last dinner in Puglia:




MASSERIA PARCO DI CASTRO (Speziale di Fasano)

This is the only repeat visit that we made; more details of the restaurant can be found in my first Puglia report, from late 2010:

Parco di Castro, a SlowFood masseria/restaurant, sits amidst olive groves at the end of an unpaved lane leading west from SS16 at km 868.4.


The masseria offers a quintessential Pugliese eating experience. Food is locally sourced, ample, and hearty. Service is warm and welcoming; in contrast to most other places we ate on this trip, some English is spoken.


We opted to begin, yet again, with the house antipasti for two which was priced at a fairly steep (for the area) 20 euro per person. While we waited for the promenade of food, we were given a dish of fried fave.


Among the antipasti:


Fresh mozzarella and fresh ricotta from Caseificio Crovace, the cheese maker in nearby Speziale.

Thin-sliced, uncooked, pancetta


Fave e ciccoria, the Pugliese staple; quite good here


Foccacia with tomato, a Barese specialty


Artichoke "under oil," or preserved in oil


Red peppers under oil and topped with toasted bread crumbs; amazing, sweet peppers. I felt that this, and some of the other dishes, was served too cold.


Half-moons of zucchini tossed with oil and mint


Timbale di zucchini baked with cheese.Excellent.


Pizzette with tomato


Salad of grano saraceno, or buckwheat, with diced tomato. This puzzles me, as it did not look like the buckwheat sold in the US, yet the Italian term translates as such. Absolutely wonderful.


A plate of sliced cucumber arrived, as intermezzo, in the Pugliese fashion.


Again we chose "primi per secondi," and were served:


Capalacci ripiene di Melanzane, salsa di pomodoro, or pasta stuffed with eggplant in a tomato sauce. Very good.


Also very good: My spinach cicatelli with cardoncelli mushrooms, tomato, and arugula.


We passed on dessert, being too stuffed, but were offered a complimentary plate of the most exquisite almond cantucci from a bakery in nearby Montalbano, along with three digiestivi: wine/sherry; alloro, or bay; and an outstanding limoncello.


With house red, and water, the bill for two was 59 euro.

If you are looking for well-prepared, home-cooked local food in a casual setting, I recommend this masseria/restaurant, which also offers guest rooms and would make a very well-located spot from which to explore the area.

The restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.


http://www.masseriaparcodicastro.it/

ttt
thanks much!

so excited to find this!

cant wait to read through this this weekend!

Fabulous report -- we're beginning to think about a trip here in the Fall. Must go look for your report from the fall trip u mentioned.

Adding a NYTimes article on wines of Puglia:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/di...tml?ref=dining

ekscrunchy- you are a miracle. I have just started planning our trip to Puglia this coming June (I love the planning almost as much as the trip, especially when I read reports like yours). Most travel books talk about paintings, sculpture etc. but my favorite art forms are architecture and...food. (luckily I live in Sonoma in the S.F. bay area), and I especially appreciate your list of dishes including the total price. thanks.
And now I am seeking advice: If we fly into Bari and rent a car, tour Puglia and go north up the E55, and cut across to Naples on the A16 (my husband wants to see underground Naples which we missed last time), is that a harrowing or boring drive. One of us hates curves and the other is afraid of sheer dropoffs on roads. Any advice on what to include on the way, in addition to the sites you mention? And for just the Bari/Puglia itinerary you spelled out, how many days would be ideal (I know, a lifetime), but we have 3 weeks for southern Italy and are open to advice from you and the other wonderful fodorites.

We drove from Bari towards Naples recently. Easy highway drive. Some pretty countryside to look at, some boring. Its only a few hour trip Get good directions for when you get on and off the highway.

We just returned from Puglia. We picked up our rental car at the airport in Naples and drove A16 and a14 to Masseria Barbera It was not a long drive and not particularly interesting, but easy. It took about two hours. I don't remember any curvy roads and definitely no sheer drop offs.

We also had three weeks and found that to be a nice amount of time. We did spend four days in Naples and three in Matera which is a definite don't miss. We used Nadia as a guide one morning, Having read both of ekscrunchy's TR we enjoyed many of the towns she mentions. Our best meal was at Antichi Sapori. It was fabulous, don't miss a meal there.

We stayed in Galatina for five days and used our apt there as a base to explore the Salento. Lecce was about 20 minutes drive south of Galatina. enjoy your planning and your trip.

Oops, Galatina is South of Lecce.

Humanone: Thanks for your kind words. I will defer to the two posters above, who have taken the drive to the Naples area, as I have not done this.

But I would also suggest that, since you have ample time, you might like to investigate meandering from the Bari area to Matera and then on the the Pollino Park (maybe tucking into the Cilento region of Campania for a night or two) and then heading for Naples. Basilicata is a region unheralded by most tourists and one that merits devoting a few days between Puglia and Naples, if you can work it in.

(If you stick to the E55/A16 plan, let me ask you if you are interested in wine, because if so, you might want to consider visiting either the region around Melfi and Mt Vulture, famous for Aglianico, or the area around Avellino, renowned for some of Campania's best white wines.)


http://www.discoverbasilicata.com/



We just returned from our third trip to Puglia. This time (September, 2012), we flew into Bari and drove immediately to Marconia, in Basilicata, where we spent two nights in a grape and orange-growing estate, the agriturismo of San Teodoro Nuovo.

http://www.santeodoronuovo.com/


From there, we visited the town of Bernalda, a food mecca that I fell for immediately and to which I have to return. Food highlight: Dinner at La Locandiera, in Bernalda.

The main focus of our stay was to track down my beloved Senise peppers and I am glad to report that our mission was successful. We spent several hours at the farm of Sr. Giuseppe Pennella, just outside Senise, and we departed with armfuls of peppers in several forms.

From Basilicata, we drove through Taranto, stopped in Gallipoli, and arrived at our next destination for a three night stay: Masseria Don Cirillo, between Ugento and the Ionian coast at Torre San Giovanni. (I wrote a review on TripAdvisor)

http://www.masseriadoncirillo.it/


From here, we visited the Ionian beaches, a few gorgeous, sun-baked Salentine towns, and the lower Adriatic Coast. A food highlight was dinner in Taviano, at A Casa Tu Martinu.

Finally, we returned to which my favorite Italian hotel, the splurge-worthy Torre Maizza, in Savelletri di Fasano.

I will try to put together a brief report about this trip when I get time.

Meanwhile, I will link the report from my first Pugliese adventure, in 2010:


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ern-puglia.cfm

As we are from the Sonoma/Napa area we go wine tasting frequently, and prefer red wines. So,any suggestions for wine tasting, especially in charming local venues. thanks.

bookmarking

NYTimes on Puglia in the off -season (winter/fall)


http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/03/24...anted=all&_r=0

We were there last fall. OUr original plan had been a winter trip and after reading this article I'm glad we chose the fall. Hard to imagine larger portions of food! Every meal we ate in Puglia was huge and I left the table feeling stuffed.

ttt

This report confirms my desire to plan a trip to Puglia.

Caroll I will be more than happy to discuss. Will also try to sketch out a report on our most recent trip, last September. Highly recommend a peek into Basilicata...

topping/ re bookmarking as we are actively looking into an October 2014 trip.

ttt: We are heading off in 5 days, so I want to keep this at the top of my list, to refer to while travelling.

oh dear, sandralist says that we MUST go to the Dolomites, and ek is making the south seem so enticing.

What is a time-strapped traveller to do?

Tedgale: I wish you a wonderful trip, and will be eager to read all about it upon your return.

I am hoping to make a fourth (!) trip to Puglia next year..

Ann: What time of year?

To annhig-go South. Loved Puglia as it is very different from the rest of Italy and no where near as crowded.

ek - no plans at the moment, except a week in Venice in February with our italian class. I've never been to Venice during Carnevale so I'm very excited about it.

So far as Puglia is concerned we could go any time if I can persuade DH that that's what he wants to do!

eks and others: Just got home yesterday afternoon from Provence, via Frankfurt and Montreal.

Prior to our week in Provence, we were in S Italy for nearly 2 weeks. Here is an album of shots I took in Puglia. They're not labelled just yet but will be soon.

These pictures should be accessible to everyone:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=f17c152dac

Lovely photos tedgale. We were there just before you I think. Where did you stay?
We had great weather except for a few days of drizzle during our 5 days near Ostuni.

oh and thanks to you ekscrunchy we brought home some of those peppers and we did the tour of Matera with Nadia which was a highlight of a trip with many bright points.
Many thanks.

Raincitygirl: we stayed as follows:

Matera - 2 nights at Ai Terrazzini, a boutique "cave" hotel in a perfect location

Monopoli - 2 nights in Capitolo on the outskirts of Monopoli at the Masseria Garrappa, a newly restored inn and cooking school.

Galatone, Salentino peninsula - 4 nights in a spotless and stylish (and inexpensive) rental apartment that we previously rented 4 years ago

Corato - 2 nights at Masseria Torre di Nebbia, a newly renovated agricultural property in open country with a direct view of the Castel del Monte.

All those places were good choices, though at Torre di Nebbia (visually very hip and stylish), the handful of overnight guests in their 4 rooms can feel a bit overwhelmed by the large "ricevimenti" - corporate dinners, family events - held on the property.

great photos!

So glad you had a great time, again!

One of these days I hope to stay at the Galatone rental; I remember how much you liked it last time, too.

eks: I thought of your dining reports when we ate at Podere Rega, in Paestum, on our way from Naples airport to Matera.

It is a uniquely integrated concept -- a restaurant and a working farm that also has rooms. The female co-owner (it's a husband and wife team) is the chef.

The restaurant specializes in local products (esp bufala mozzarella and their own pork products) but offers new twists on traditional dishes.

We ordered their prix fixe menu of antipasti and dessert with wine included (35 E p.p.) -- and then sat back while a staggering array of small plates was brought to us.

Everything was freshly made (except the salumi) including a variety of breads -- 2 kinds of brioche, some crostini and a rice bread flavoured with smoked mozzarella -- straight from the oven.

Here are some photos of our dinner. Let me know if you cannot open the album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=34185806bc

Raincitygirl: Here is an album of photos of the places we stayed.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=75233ee5f3

Photos 1 and 2 are pix of the inn in Paestum, south of Salerno, where we spent our first night.

The subsequent ones are, in sequence:

Matera - Ai Terrazzini
Monopoli - Masseria Garrappa
Galatone rental
Corato - Masseria Torre di Nebbia

... and then, as we proceeded back to Fiumicino airport:
Ostia Antica -- Locanda del Passerotto

...followed by our lovely rental at a house called Le Monastier, in La Barben, near Salon de Provence, in Provence.

Lovely places tedgale, thanks for the photos. I loved all the white buildings in Puglia, with the contrast with the very blue sky and the beautiful blue of the sea, it reminded me of Greece.

Is the ivy covered building in Provence? Very pretty.

Yes. The place we rented was 3 storeys with 2 beds and 2 baths. But the owners are just putting the finishing touches to a new stone gite in the courtyard: one big liv/ din/ kihen plus a bedroom. High ceilings. Huge windows, very hip. They mentioned a very reasonable rate for the off season....

Thanks, I will bookmark it. Looks gorgeous.

EKScrunchy: I found it!! This report has been on my mind for the last few days. It is/was so very good, and now we might really go to Puglia, I knew I wanted to re-read and bookmark, etc., but could not for the life of me, remember who did this amazing report. Many thanks for.

Tedgale: Looks like you've done it again. Great photos.

TT: You are so very welcome!

From the NYTimes about Basilicata; we took a trip there a couple of years ago and, shamefully, I never wrote a trip report. but I am most willing to respond to any questions about that trip, our third to Puglia, with a toe into Basilicata, a region I suspect we will be reading about more in the foreign travel press.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/08/tr...ies-below&_r=0

ps. On that visit, we stayed at the agriturismo San Teodoro Nuovo, mentioned in the article, and had a wonderful dinner in nearby Bernalda. How I long to return!

I'm not sure if everyone can access this link from The New Yorker, but a current issue has a fascinating and erudite story on the resurgence of the city of Matera, which will be one of two 2019 Capitals of European Culture.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...ve-with-a-view

Just saw this fabulous trip report...thx EK for reviving this. I may need to start planning a Puglian adventure!