Galatina – Glorious Architecture, Gourmet Food

I have always loved Galatina which is larger and, originally, grander than Nardò, where I live. The grandeur may be now somewhat faded but this adds to the romanticism of the Centro Storico where the sheer density of beautiful buildings, … Continue reading

Nardò Nosh part 1 – L’Inferno

The joys of living in a small town in Puglia are many, and you soon acquire your favourite places to eat and drink. Generally, meals are so affordable that you tend, like the locals, to eat out a lot and, … Continue reading

Cardoncelli mushrooms: Possibly not an aphrodisiac but delicious nonetheless

cardoncelli mushrooms r

When autumn approaches, ‘one off’ stalls, selling mushrooms that people have collected, join the regular stalls in the market. Pride of place goes to the Cardoncello mushroom, which grows in the ‘Murgia’ area – the stony elevated plateau that occupies more or less the centre of Puglia. Continue reading

Zucchine alla Poverella

DSC_0569okZucchine allla poverella, has to be one of my favourite dishes from Puglia; golden discs of zucchini, with the taste of good olive oil, garlic, the summery freshness of the mint and the slight tang of vinegar. When I first came to Puglia and was staying at a Masseria I was fascinated to say tray after tray of zucchini slices laying out to dry in the sun, and delighted to taste the results later that evening. Continue reading

April News

poppy reduced

The weather has been glorious here for the last couple of weeks and it is now warm enough to lie on the beach in a bikini though the water is still very cold. There have been a spate of last minute holiday requests from people desperate to get away from the lousy weather elsewhere but , although some have made it, the flights to Puglia often get more expensive at the last minute, rather than cheaper so, in an ideal world, you want to be booking at least three weeks ahead. Continue reading