Thinking of Italy for the summer? Again? And why not right? But I suggest you do it a bit differently this time. Lake Como, the Amalfi coast, Cinque Terre, and even South-Eastern Sicily seems a bit done don’t you think? Well, they will always be popular, and that means they will be booked out very early and will definitely be crowded!
Puglia. Or Apulia.
Italy’s calm and rugged heel has lived in the shadow of its northern neighbours for far too long. But things are beginning to change.
This southeastern corner of Italy is rustic, beautiful, and balmy and is known by Italians as the ‘pantry of Italy,’ bursting with fresh produce and some brilliant cooking.
No this is not the Mediterranean. Puglia is the Adriatic and the Ionian! It has been attacked, invaded, ruled, and fought over by the Greeks, Normans, Byzantines, and even the Spanish. And they all left behind a little something that makes Puglia what it is today. But it is still all Puglia. Gorgeous and so authentic with its mangled 1000-year-old olive trees, blues in all hues, freshest produce, delicious wines, a land of spontaneity, and taking life slow, indulgently, peacefully, and easy. It is a land where people are warm, humble, and simple, has huge hearts and the most contagious laughter, and know the true meaning of luxury. It is bright and warm, even hot in the summers but still welcoming in the winters too.
I had the pleasure of visiting Puglia not once but twice! In the summer and then just now in the first week of March. I have seen UNESCO world heritage towns and sites, baroque richness, archaeological digs that still show intact roads and trullis and masserias (farm stays), cliffs and pine forests, and some of the best beaches in Italy!
And all of this was experienced in the most unique, authentic way because our guides were born and have grown up here and they gave us all the little trivia and stories, showed us a bunch of hidden coves and secret spots, and of course, we got the best food and wine – all from a truly local perspective!
“Puglia is something more than a postcard, it is a state of mind, a state of vita lenta.”
The seductive charm of its curves and unexpected edges has the power to captivate your soul. Fields of wheat and ancient olive trees, interspersed by white limestone trullis and alleys, thorny fig trees and dry stone walls, and the blues lapping its coasts, languidly, here you rest, reflect, and just be.
If you’d like to visit Puglia this summer or even in the spring, or hey in the autumn and winters too, connect@theubuntu.life
Suggested Itinerary: Coming Soon
