Episode 2

Puglia

Alessandra heads to the land between two seas, the Ionian and Adriatic, to visit Puglia.

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Puglia Travel Tips

  • Try the bread in Altamura. The focaccia is the absolute best! I’ve tried the ones from Forno Santa Chiara, deliciously baked in a wood oven as tradition dictates. I’d also recommend Panificio di Gesù, if you prefer innovative and creative combinations.

  • Visit the ancient mill in “Molino Artigianale Dibenedetto,” where they still use the original mill to grind the wheat.

  • Experience Carnival in Putignano. It’s the oldest one in Europe! The whole town gets involved in building the paper mache allegorical cats, which come to life in the city streets followed by dances, folk music and costume parades.

  • Park outside of the city center in Polignano. Remember that parking is also paid on Sunday, unlike other Italian cities.

  • Visit “Ristorante la Nicchia” in Alberobello to avoid touristy places on the main road before entering the city. Set in a Trullo, it offers good local food for a reasonable price.

  • Stay overnight in Trulla. It’s a great experience! I’d go for a B&B, you’ll find good people and they’ll likely give you an amazing breakfast. There are many other options as well.

Alessandra heads to the land between two seas, the Ionian and Adriatic, to visit Puglia. In Altamura, her first stop, she tries her hand at making ancient coarse grain bread and samples the best focaccia in town. The eating continues as she visits Vito Di Cecca and tastes his refined blue cheeses and traditional mozzarella and burrata, which he learned from his family before traveling the world at age 18 to share his passion for cheese with 64 different countries. It’s off to Alberobello in the Itria Valley, to view hundreds of Trulli, old white stone houses, and to meet one of the world’s few trullari, or builders, left: Giuseppe Micollis. Alessandra heads next to the coast of Polignano, entering Peppino Campanella’s Creative Center, where his lamp sculptures reflect the crystal clear water and scenery of the area. Then it’s off to Ostuni Plain, covered in millennial olive groves, to visit a local country house “Masseria,” complete with an ancient mill from Roman times. And finally, Alessandra heads to Sava, a small town not far from Taras, to meet an authentic luthier: Antonio Dattis, who fixes old instruments and invents new ones.

Follow Alessandra as she seeks out the real Italy. All of which you can visit!

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