For years I've been hearing tales of Puglia, the rocky heel of the Italian boot that had for so long escaped the hordes of British and American tourists that mob the Amalfi Coast and Portofino in summer (not so now). My first cousin - raised, like me, in Mississippi - has lived in Lecce, the Puglian capital, for twelve years now, drawn there by love from the home she'd made in Florence for twelve years before heading south. I tease her that she speaks English with an Italian accent after twenty-four years as an expat. Her flawless Italian and understated chic make it impossible to tell she's not Florentine. On every trip home for Christmases, baptisms and weddings, Grayson brings gorgeous gifts wrapped in heavy tissue paper and boxes as pretty as the gifts inside - Pannetone, hand-marbled books and boxes kept closed with silk ribbon. Despite my fascination with her newly-adopted home, I had never visited her in Lecce. 

That all changed last summer. For months I had been working with a few laboratori di ceramica -  ceramic studios - in this region known for its beautiful pottery. I was on the hunt for classically shaped pieces glazed using traditional techniques, most notably the schizzato - or splatterware - that has become so popular outside of Puglia. As the distance and language conspired against me, and the August closure of most businesses in Puglia approached, I decided one Thursday afternoon that I would just have to go present myself in person to these talented craftspeople and place my order face to face. My cousin would translate. By Monday I was on a plane.

What follows is a rambling account of my week in Puglia, with recommendations of places I found delightful, many well-known to lovers of Puglia, some recommended by my cousin and her husband, who is the largest coffee importer and producer in the region. Chances are, if you visit a cafe anywhere in Puglia, you'll be served a Quarta Caffe. I was lucky enough to visit Antonio and his sons in their impressive factory and to see the coffee production in process. Sadly for anyone visiting the area, tours are not open to the public. I wish they were. It was a highlight of my visit.

With Antonio Quarta at the Quarta Caffe Headquarters

Getting There

Puglia is an expansive region, bounded on the East by the Adriatic Sea, on the West by the Ionian, and at the Southern tip by the place in the Mediterranean where the two meet. Between the coasts lies a rocky, arid landscape, that in some places resembles a moonscape, but a moonscape dotted by large cacti and other exotic succulents, and an occasional masseria - the traditional fortified farmhouses of the region.

There are two major airports, both on the East Coast, Bari to the north and Brindisi to the South. Because I planned to focus my travels on the southern portion of the region, I chose Brindisi for its easy access to Lecce and the beautiful hill towns scattered not too far away.

Where to Stay

I decided to base the first half of my stay on the East Coast in Ostuni and the second half on the West Coast in the tiny town of Ugento (more later on why).

Ostuni is known as the Cità Bianca or White City. It sits impressively atop a hill with stunning views over a valley filled with olive groves out to the Adriatic and its rocky coast beyond.

The view driving into Ostuni

Most of the people I spoke to before leaving for Puglia advised me to check out the five- star Borgo Egnazia hotel in nearby Fasano, an uber-luxury resort with four swimming pools and built in the style of a medieval masseria. The G7 had recently held their meeting there, and it was much in the news. 

Beautiful as their website was, it felt very commercial and was outside the center of any village, but near the many lido beach clubs that dot the coast. It wasn't the right place for this particular trip, but it is known for its impeccable service and beauty.

I opted for the more modest, but very lovely Hotel Paragon 700, in the center of Ostuni within walking distance of shops, restaurants, churches and vistas. I loved it. Housed in the former Palazzo Rosso, a red stone palace, it has a lovely pool and a restaurant with exquisite food. Breakfast was served every morning in the garden under a vine-strewn trellis - strong coffee, fresh pastries and a selection of other delicious offerings. While its interiors left something to be desired - the rooms were a strange mix of massive Italianate furniture and modern light fixtures that were more like brutalist sculptures - the service was impeccable, the food truly divine and the location par excellence.

Friends who happened to be in Ostuni just after me stayed at the Hotel Relais La Sommita, which I would probably have chosen had I been traveling with my family. It boasts a state-of-the-art spa, a large swimming pool, stunning views, and impeccable interiors. It sits high atop the hill of Ostuni and also offers nice walking proximity to shops and sites. Its price reflects its luxury, but I would certainly stay there if I returned.

In the second half of my trip to the West Coast, I chose to stay at a property I'd heard about through six degrees of separation. Each time I mentioned Puglia - whether to American or Italian friends - every recommendation included the Hotel Castello di Ugento, in the tiny, non-descript village of Ugento, in the rocky, arid hills of the Salento. Owned since 1643 by the d'Amore family, the castle was most recently renovated with impeccable attention to detail by its current owners, Massimo Fasanella d'Amore di Ruffano and Diana Bianchi, both known to many of my New York friends. The hotel has become a sort of pilgrimage destination for foodies because of its well-known cooking school and restaurant. While I didn't attend any cooking classes, I delighted in cocktails in the gardens, lunch on the terrace, and wandering the courtyards and castle perimeter where art and artifacts were beautifully displayed. The one disappointment at the Castello was its lack of a swimming pool. Inland Puglia in July is brutally hot, and I found I needed a few swims a day to keep myself going late into the night, when so much of Puglia's joy is on display in the streets and squares of even the smallest towns.

Where to Visit, Eat & Shop 

Visiting Villages and Towns

I won't take up space or time here sharing what little knowledge I gained of the history of the villages I visited or the churches that are a must-see. Most towns, even Lecce, are so small that it's not impossible to wander every street and visit every historical site in a day trip. They are all charming and pretty, and many are so free of tourists, you get a true sense of what it would be like to live in Puglia. The interior of the region, almost entirely free of tourism, shows signs of its poverty, and stands in stark contrast to the commercialism and wealth of the coastal towns.

So many villages I didn't have time to get to, and I regretted most not being able to make it to the Trulli of Alberobella, a UNESCO world heritage site that contains the best examples of the strangley-Hobbit-like trulli unique to the region. Trulli are small round buildings with conical roofs, constructed using prehistoric methods of mortarless stonework. They are scattered across Puglia, and it was fascinating to pass a few lone trulli on my drive across the region's interior between the coasts. I hear, however, that to get the full effect of these mystical buildings, one must go to Aleberobella.

My favorite of the villages I visited were Ostuni, which is just so lovely and lively, Polignano a Mare, known for its impressive cliffs and its cliff diving, and worth seeing by boat, I learned only after it was too late to book a tour. I had a lovely evening swim there on my first night, followed by a very good dinner in the central square strung with lights with a view of the town's beautiful church. Grottaglie, the ceramics capital of Puglia, was the reason for my visit, and it did not disappoint. I found more treasures of the ceramics craft than I could imagine, and I'm happy to have brought so much back to Reed Smythe.

It has been so helpful to have made personal relationships with several of the ateliers in the town, some of which don't wholesale to America. I'm lucky to carry some wonderful exclusive pieces.

On the recommendation of friends of friends, whom I have never met - Permele Doyle and her daughter Permele - I spent the most perfect Sunday in Tricase, swimming in a tranquil rocky inlet where I heard not a word of English spoken. It was like being in an Italian film from the '50s. The Taverna del Porto was the top recommendation for lunch, but it was closed the day I was there, so I ate a plate of pasta at a casual taverna overlooking the bay.

Swimming in Porto Tricase 

The drive along the coast near Tricase was spectacular, with winding roads perched above the rocky coast with unobstructed views of the Adriatic. I decided to make a visit to Otranto because I had heard it was a must-do to visit the castle, the setting for what is considered the first English Gothic Novel, published in the 1760s by Horace Walpole. The castle was impressive and massive, but the town was overrun with tourists and shops catering to anyone looking for a painting of the Pope or an embroidered shawl. I'm sure there are lovely spots in Otranto, but I didn't find them, and I quickly headed back to my hotel for dinner in the relative calm of Ostuni.

While on the west coast, I made a jaunt to Gallipoli (not to be confused with the tragic site of the battle in Turkey), in search of a shop I have long loved and followed on Instagram - Tulsi Shop, selling interesting clothes, bags shoes and belts. I loved the shop, but the town was mobbed with tourists and cheap seafood restaurants. Again, I'm sure there are charming areas of Gallipoli and it's worth doing more research, but like Otranto, Gallipoli overwhelmed and I quickly headed for quieter shores.

Staying in Ugento was the perfect antidote to the more crowded coastal cities. It offered a perfect opportunity to explore the sandy beaches and the various lido that allow for pleasant swimming in the Ionian. While the Adriatic coast is known for its rockier terrain, the west coast has stretches of famous sand beaches, and as a result has some of the high rise development that plagues all attractive seaside spots. I spent a fun day reading and sipping Aperol Spritzes at Lido Marinelli Vacanze, where the swimming was heavenly. Still, I much preferred the rocky coast of the Adriatic, and I would swim at Tricase again and again if given the chance.

Lecce deserves a blog of its own, and much of my time there was spent reconnecting with my cousin. It suffices to say that it is a stunningly beautiful city, one of the prettiest I've visited in Italy, with its charming streets and shops and its Baroque churches. It earns its reputation as "The Florence of the South."

While the tiny village of Gagliano del Capo may be a dot on a map, I spent the most magical evening there attending the town's sagra, a festival celebrating local food, crafts, dancing and the region's many traditions. My cousin's friend, Cristina, happened to have tickets to the event and generously invited me to join her while my cousin spent the weekend in Greece (a boat ride across the Adriatic). Apparently the sagra is an integral part of Puglian life, and they are held all over the region, especially in celebration of the various harvests of grapes, cherries and the varied bounty of Puglia. I can only speak to the one sagra I visited, but it was much like attending a private party at someone's villa and taking part in a delicious dinner with friends while watching traditional dances, tasting local wines, and shopping the local crafts on display. There was absolutely nothing touristy about this evening, and I would highly recommend checking out the calendar of sagre on any visit to Puglia. They are open to all.

This particular sagra was held at the Palazzo Daniele in the center of this tiny town. It is also a boutique hotel and well worth checking out as an option for a few nights. It was really beautiful, and had a great pool and vibe.

Dancing at the sagra held in the courtyard of Palazzo Daniele, also a small hotel.

Eating

Because I was traveling alone, I did not research the finest restaurants of Puglia. My most delicious meal was at my hotel - The Paragon 700 - in Ostuni, where every dish was better than the first. My most inventive meal was at my other hotel - the Castello di Ugento - where the dishes were worthy of a Michelin Star (maybe they have one by now). I'm not such a fan of haute cuisine, though, and I'll confess to having enjoyed more thoroughly my dinner at a pizzeria in a side street in Ugento, where members of an extended Italian family were seated to my left and a gentle waiter brought pitchers of local red wine to my table without my even ordering it. By day, the street that had been filled with tables and diners the night before was navigable again by the few cars that pass through.

I was also lucky enough to have Friday lunch at my cousin's lovely house in Lecce where, among other delicious offerings, we ate fresh potted tuna, made by her husband Antonio who spends nearly every weekend fishing in the Adriatic before returning to their beach cottage on the opposite coast of Greece. Antonio charmingly comes home for lunch every day at 1 o'clock, naps for 20 minutes then heads back to the coffee factory to oversee expansive operations. Such a  lovely pace of life.

I long to return to Puglia and spend more time there, and I can imagine that renting a masseria on the Adriatic Coast would be one of the very best ways to get to know this heavenly region even better. The Thinking Traveler, a villa rental site that specializes in Puglia in particular, is a wonderful place to explore villa options, and they also have a fantastic blog giving much more expert advice on Puglia than I can. Still, as a new traveler to Puglia, I felt proud of the travel intelligence I was able to gather and to share here with you.

A few final notes: it is absolutely critical to rent a car in order to see the many worthy sites in Puglia. I had such a great time driving around in my little Fiat, both on the coast and in the interior. I think my husband was a little nervous about my traveling alone, and there are some desolate stretches of road in the interior where GPS is spotty and towns are few. I never felt nervous alone for any part of my trip, but it is probably safer to bring along a sidekick in the more un-populated areas of the interior. 

Bring plenty of sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat! The heat and sun in summer are brutal in Puglia, and even after growing up in Mississippi, I've never been so hot. Fortunately, the place is low on humidity, so it's not as draining as the heat of the Southern United States, but it's worth a daily siesta, no matter how hard napping in the middle of the day is for us Americans.

I can't recommend a trip to Puglia highly enough. I'd go back in a heartbeat, and plan to when my cousin is next able to have guests. I might try an autumn visit next time. There's sure to be a host of harvest sagre waiting for a curious and adventuresome American to turn up.

With thanks, as always, to my partners in all travel planning, Gallivant Ltd.