Everywhere we went in Italy, part 2
Even more Google Maps links for Puglia!
I promise, this will be my last self-indulgent summer vacation post for now. But first, one last rehash of our trip to Italy. After a week in Venice, Bologna, and Florence, we flew down to Brindisi (on Ryan Air—do not recommend) to meet up with friends in southern Puglia. Yes, Sean and I went to Puglia last year, but this trip was totally different. For one, we were with a big group to celebrate several significant birthdays. And this time, we stayed much further south; Puglia is a pretty big region with lots to see and do, and we went to completely different towns than last time—so hopefully none of this feels duplicative, because it definitely didn’t to me. Anyway, thank you for indulging my vacation recaps, and I promise I’ll be back to FASHUN next week!
Where we stayed
We had a group of 14(!) so we rented a 7-bedroom villa in the town of Diso. It worked out perfectly for us—we had plenty of room to hang out, including a backyard with a pool—and while the town itself was quite small and rather sleepy, we could easily drive to bigger nearby towns that had more going on. If you want to be able to walk to a bunch of restaurants and shops, I’d suggest staying in Lecce, Otranto, or Gallipoli (more on those later).
Where we ate
Trattoria al Giardino: Our ginormous group completely overwhelmed this restaurant in town on our first night (we learned to make reservations after this), but they were lovely in spite of speaking zero English and the seafood was incredibly fresh.
L’Ortale Ristoro SAlentissimo: This is a magical terraced wine bar, built into the hill in the seaside town of Otranto. We had an incredibly leisurely lunch that involved a lot of delicious wine, charcuterie, cheese, and bread.
Underground: More fresh seafood in Castro, a coastal town 5 minutes away from Diso. Very patient service, and online reservations (thankfully!).
Antica Pizzeria da Michele: Yes, the famous one from Naples has a branch in Lecce, so of course we had to try it, and it was even more delicious than I remembered (I’ve been to the location in NYC)! So good, we went to the Taranto location too.
La Corte Degli Ulivi: We all ate way too much food here, but it was all so good and beautifully presented. The service was fantastic too. They also take online bookings!
L’Astore Masseria: We took a tour and did a pasta-making class here, and then we ate the pasta we made for lunch, accompanied by a wine tasting. You can also stay on site, as with many masseria in the area.
Friggitoria Ponte Vecchio: A super low-key spot along the Castro marina for simple fried or grilled seafood. Very affordable, and really welcoming service.
Lido Bikini: This was a beach club, but they had the most delicious prosciutto-tomato-mozzarella panini I’ve ever had in my entire life—it was the perfect blend of salty, creamy, and acid-y, and I could have had two of them.
Farmacia dei Sani: This was our fanciest, foodiest meal of the trip—it’s in the Michelin guide but not starred. Definitely more adventurous but surprisingly affordable, and a moody, cave-like ambiance.
Trattoria la Luna nel Pozzo: Not a lot of restaurants were open when we went to Grottaglie, but thankfully this one was, and the pasta totally hit the spot.
There’s one more restaurant in Porto Cesareo where we ate lunch on our last day, however I can’t for the life of me remember its name or find it on a map. (We did a wine tasting in the morning and I was schnackered by the time we got there.) If I ever remember, I will update it here!
What we did
Like last year, we spent most of our time checking out all of the small towns in Puglia; while there are commonalities—the old towns are usually walled with narrow cobblestone streets, many have Roman ruins and/or forts, and they cater to tourists—each has its own distinctive flavor. Otranto is along the Adriatic and has gorgeous views; Lecce is the “Florence of the south” with beautiful Baroque architecture; Gallipoli is on the Mediterranean and had more of a younger, clubby vibe. We also went to Taranto, but it felt more gritty and industrial, kind of like Naples.
Grottaglie is worth a visit if you are into ceramics; there’s an entire district of pottery shops, and many of them make their wares on site. My favorites were Carriero Carmelo, Giusy Patronelli, and FasanoCeramiche. Keep in mind most of the shops close for about 3 hours in the middle of the day, so time your visit either early in the morning or later in the afternoon.
There are beaches on both the Adriatic and Mediterranean sides of Puglia, but we found the latter to have wider, sandier beaches—thankfully neither were as rocky as the beaches further north. Most of the beach clubs don’t open until June, but Lido Bikini just south of Gallipoli was thankfully operating (and had great drinks and food).
Puglia is known for its masseria, which are operating farms (olives, wine, produce, or all of the above) that host overnight guests as well as cooking classes, wine tastings, olive oil tastings, and tours. As noted above, we learned how to make pasta at L’Astore Masseria, which we then ate with their delicious wine and olive oil. Speaking of wine, we did a tour and tasting at Cosimo Taurino, where the pours were generous to say the least, and the wine was so good, I made room in my suitcase for several bottles (and two of my friends each bought a case to take home).
In terms of shopping, Puglia isn’t exactly Florence, but I definitely found a few good spots. There’s an Antica Sartoria in Lecce as well as Otranto, although I didn’t buy anything there this time. I did get beautiful tea towels at Lillo Creazioni Artegiane in Otranto and a gorgeous diffuser at Salentum I Profumi in Gallipoli. The town of Ruffano had some fancy-looking shops too, but they were closed when we went there for dinner and we didn’t quite get the chance to go back. Next time!
This week on the blog
It is officially summer and June Gloom is winding down in Northern California, which means it’s finally prime sundress season. This week I’m sharing two recent favorites from a very unexpected source, with a bonus 15% off code. Enjoy!