Italy – Puglia

We’ve been blessed with some amazing travel opportunities throughout the years, something we will forever be thankful for. Our destinations have been inspired by the people we know, travel and cooking programs we’ve seen and other people’s experiences on social media. Although most of our travels consist of eating and seeking out the best coffee shops (it’s kind of become a thing for us), what we love most is to wander the streets (mostly back streets) of every city or town we visit and shoot whatever we feel inspired by. We feel so fortunate to be able to capture what we experience, and we’d love to share some of these with you. The only challenge we find ourselves with, is the fact that we have close to a decade’s worth of images stored on hard drives, and we even have films from years ago that have not yet been developed, so we’ve made a decision to start sorting through these. Life is quick, life is short and life is busy, but it’s been amazing to just look through all of these memories again, almost like life was standing still for a while. The goal would be to get some albums/books made with all of our travel images, but this will probably be a goal for the next decade!

We absolute love Italy, but after visiting some of the big and touristy Italian cities throughout the years, we wanted to try something a little different and decided to visit Puglia, a southern region in the heel of Italy’s famous “boot”. This was inspired after we saw a program on one of the BBC television channels called “Italy Unpacked”.  In this program they visit some of the most unique towns we’ve ever seen and the highlight has to be Matera, a UNESCO world heritage site (Passion of the Christ was also filmed here), as well as Alberobello, which is also a UNESCO world heritage town. The south of Italy offers a slow pace, great food and some really authentic villages!

 

“Travel is like knowledge. The more you see, the more you know you haven’t seen.” Mark Hertsgaard

TRANI

Known as the ‘Pearl of Puglia’, picturesque Trani was our first stop. This historic fishing port is the sort of place to wander along lanes and admire harbour views. The cathedral, which dominates the seashore, is the one really important thing to see.

 

MATERA

The first glimpse of Matera stops you in your tracks. The ancient neighbourhoods are a series of caves carved out of limestone and it’s one of the most unique and breathtaking places we’ve ever visited. Roaming through alleyways, up and down uneven staircases and cobblestone pathways, you are plunged into a magical world that doesn’t quite feel real and it is hard to imagine that until the 1950s, Matera was a source of shame for Italy. These caves where once a place of poverty, malaria and high rates of infant mortality, where people lived amongst their livestock and without electricity, running water or sewage.

LECCE

Lecce is known for its rich Baroque architecture and because of this, Lecce is commonly nicknamed “The Florence of the South”.

Famous for its custard pies, we had to visit Caffé Alvino to sample the Pasticciotto Leccese and the recommended local coffee favorite. It is coffee and almond milk on ice, perfect for a hot day! Lecce also has amazing gelato shops and you’ll never guess, but the tools you see in the image below is made of real chocolate!

 

 

OLIVE FARM – Masseria Brancati

We visited this historic Puglia farmhouse, which is located in a stunning area of olive groves near the provincial road between Ostuni and Rosa Marina.

A 3000 year old tree called “the old man”.

Trulli (singular, trullo) are traditional dry stone huts with a corbelled roof and they were  generally constructed as temporary field shelters and storehouses or as permanent dwellings by small-scale landowners or agricultural labourers. In the Itria Valley, Trulli are everywhere and we were fortunate to stumble across an abandoned one.

CISTERNINO

This charming little town is famous for its barbecuing butchers and a highlight of our trip was definitely a visit to Rosticceria L’Antico Borgo. A favourite to locals, this classic fornello pronto (half butcher’s shop, half trattoria), has a meat counter where you can order your meat and say how you want it grilled! Accompanied with red wine, chips and salad, this was a meal we won’t easily forget! A truly local (and delicious) eating experience!

LOCOROTONDO

With its luminous white-washed walls and panoramic position, Locorotondo is one of Puglia’s prettiest towns.

ALBEROBELLO

Alberobello is a fairytale like picturesque destination and was declared a World Heritage site in 1996. It is to view Puglia’s finest and largest concentration of Trulli which brings people to Alberobello. These curious whitewashed structures are an icon of the region. In fact, this peaceful part of southern Italy is the only place they have ever existed.

POLIGNANO A MARE

Polignano a Mare sits atop limestone cliffs on the Adriatic coast just south of Bari and has a small public beach with blue-green crystalline water and small white pebbles. You’ll find quotes and poems, randomly written on doors, stairs and walls.