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
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
As a child I must have passed through Brindisi numerous times; as a family we used to drive down from Rome and get the car ferry to Greece. At the end of a long drive there was little inclination to explore … Continue reading
photo copyright Alex Edwards
One of the things I love about this area of Puglia is that each little town has it’s own character, it’s own dishes and even almost it’s own climate..”Locorotondo (literally round place,as the roads of the centro storico are laid out almost in concentric circles) is no exception.
I first started hearing about Bina Ristorante a while ago; the (Italian) word on the street was that it was refined and stylish and well worth a visit, with ‘e poi si mangia bene’- you also eat well, as an after thought. I didn’t feel compelled to rush over there. It is difficult to eat badly in Puglia, and Italians in general go crazy for anything new which ticks the ‘stylish’ box, whatever the current definition of stylish happens to be. Suffice it to say that the fairy story of the emperor’s new clothes is not widely known here, nor the expression ‘all that glisters is not gold’. Continue reading
Antipasti play a huge part in the Puglian cuisine – possibly as a result of the Spanish occupation (think tapas) or the Greek (meze)… At their best they can be a meal in themselves and never more so than at one of my favourite restaurants, Casa Nova in Alberobello, where you can sample well prepared local dishes in a converted 18th century ‘frantoio’ or oil press. Continue reading