For our latest girls’ trip we’ve been to Puglia for four days and it’s been amazing. Although at the end of February it is still quite cold in the south of Italy, we enjoyed our trip so much and had the best time ever living ‘IL DOLCE FAR NIENTE.’
Here in short, where we’ve been:
ALBEROBELLO
We’ve stayed at Trulli Holiday in this cute little place. The trulli (little white farmhouse with pointed stone roofs) are former farm houses, which are completely renovated and nicely decorated inside.
A great breakfast location in Alberobello is Cosi Comera. They offer breakfast for the Trulli Holiday guests, but also for passersby. Great Italian bakery, fruits and coffee as well as tea is offered. But there are more little cafes around to stop by day by day.
What is also great about Alberobello, that there is a cute little market available in Via Barsento, which is open from 07:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays, so you’ll have to be quick with breakfast these days! It is dedicated to Italian Fashion, fabrics and groceries.
A must-see is the gorgeous view over ‘Trulli Land’ (how we called it, as it feels as if you’re living on another planet with all these little white stone houses) from the terrace behind the fountain at the main square of the market.
MATERA
Truly must-see in Puglia! Famous for it’s so called ‘sassi‘ – which are former cave habitations. Also the modern buildings are very well integrated into the stone environment in this city built on rocks. They also have a beautiful cathedral at the main square and a delicious Keiv Cafe with the most animal-friendly staff (they feed the kittens on the streets) and definitely the best panini, we’ve ever eaten. Try the one with tuna, salad and olive oil – you’ll love it!
What’s also great is, you can stroll around in this UNESCO World Heritage Site – there’s a pathway through a natural park along the river and you’ll be able to enjoy the nature and calm down from all the sightseeing for a while.
BARI
The capital and biggest city around. You can go there for shopping – there are loads of outlet centers and malls around. We’ve been to Puglia Outlet Village nearby (Molfetta) and had some great coffee, ice cream and cake in the nice cafe inside this shopping village.
POLIGNANO A MARE
You gotta go there to take a look at this cute lil’ village with it’s neat little beach strip, where all the locals pile up to take a swim in summer. When we’ve been there in February, it’s been quite cold due to the wind in this bay. But the view alone definitely pays off to visit this gorgeous place.
OSTUNI
This city in Puglia is famous for it’s typical white lil’ houses, which are mainly on a hill. So when you enter Ostuni by car, it really looks cool and it’s one of the favorite Picture spots, because the city is directly behind you all in white. In the old city centre you’ll find loads of small, narrow and contorted streets leading to the Piazza della Libertà, which separates the old town from the new town.
SPECIALITIES IN PUGLIA
As we’re already far down by the boot heel in Italy, the food becomes more and more Mediterranean. So regarding pizza, you should definitely make sure, which one you choose (bianche – very popular, but without tomato sauce or rosse – with tomato sauce). Most of the pizzas with fish or seafood in general come without tomato sauce.
Also the pasta is very different to the one we’re used to further up in the north of Italy. So the most famous pasta in Puglia are ‘orichiette‘ (see picture above) with spinach, tomatoes, olive oil and crumbles.
And don’t forget to enjoy an aperol spritz ahead of dinner to get a feeling of the real Italian lifestyle.
xoxo, Kris
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