Puglia, A Reset in the South

Knowing more and more about myself, takes a lot of time out of my daily life, if that makes sense, to plan a trip. Honestly, I have loved planning trips since I started traveling and I still enjoy it; however, that changed as I grew in my career. I started to feel like planning a trip isn’t as easy as it used to be, if I’m being honest. This is why Puglia was spot on when I needed a charming, slow-paced destination that was easy to roam around.

Anyway, I remember seeing a lot of vlogs (or "reels" as they call them on Instagram) about Puglia. It was very random; Puglia as a region was never on my list in particular, but the Italian coast was, though I never knew where to start discovering. I started reading about the Italian coast, and there it was, something unique about Puglia that I wanted to see, and believe me, the beaches there were one of them. When I started planning the trip, I realized it is not like other European destinations where you need to plan where to eat every day and book things in advance. The only things I booked ahead were my ticket, hotel, and car, and it was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

Now, we must be arriving by now! Upon arrival, we picked up our car and began the journey to our base. The drive from Bari to our stay was almost 90 minutes, and it was the perfect introduction to the region. Set in the heel of southern Italy, Puglia is a coastal region known for its charming towns, olive groves, and crystal-clear seas. Now let me start by saying how stunning the olive trees were, and how calm it was just to be there.

To keep things simple, we didn’t move a lot when it comes to accommodation. We wanted to do most of our wandering by car but without changing our stay, so we chose Trullo Jale in Ostuni, as it was in a great location central to everything that we wanted to visit. Our stay was designed in a "trullo" way, which is one of the authentic experiences that you have to try while you are there (or you could do a Masseria as well, which is a farmhouse style). We stayed at Trullo Jale Boutique Apartment, a delightful boutique trullo that perfectly captures the spirit of southern Italy with its traditional cone-shaped design and warm, intimate feel. The hosts were amazing and very welcoming. We were amazed by the location and we wanted to catch our breath at how wonderful this world is and how much beauty we have witnessed. We took a couple of walks inside the trullo and checked everything there; the customized pottery coffee cups and plates were beautifully simple.

Everyday, we just packed our beach clothes and extras into the car and just drove across villages. Each day we were village-hopping, exploring different beaches and charming local corners on the way to see which we loved the most. Everything had its own charm, but Polignano a Mare was my favorite, and the Monopoli beaches were wonderful.

I have always seen through my life experience how close Italian culture is when it comes to family and connection to our own culture; they appreciate "Family" and how important it sits in their journey. From the moment I stepped into Puglia, the Italian community was just as sweet as honey could ever taste. They were so genuine, incredible, and hospitable. I don’t usually judge a destination by its people, but I felt completely welcomed. I felt like I was in my second home, this is how deep they made me feel.

Concluding my post by telling you about my most memorable moments in Puglia. First, we are talking culinary: the art of simple, delicious food. On our first day, we asked our hosts if there was any restaurant nearby, and they mentioned there was a simple, local spot just across the road. Since the trullo is in the middle of farms, not a commercial area, we went there, and when we arrived, we felt like we had joined a family gathering. There were big families around and I believe they were celebrating a kid's graduation; it was just heartwarming seeing how families come together and how deep those roots are in the Italian culture. While we enjoyed the vibe, we had the best orecchiette pasta with tomato sauce, it was just perfect, and surprisingly the fries were good too! That was the most affordable dinner I had, especially for that quality. It's called Sale & Pepe.

My second highlight would be the gelato experience. As I'm not the biggest fan of ice cream or gelato, I had a blast trying all the delicious, tiny gelato shops. Let me tell you, the almond flavor was to die for! I literally enjoyed them by the beach, in the middle of the alleys, or under the sun. I have concluded this trip knowing that I was always wrong thinking I don’t love gelato, because I do now. I know it's simple, but it really gave me that moment to reflect on how places change your perspective about yourself. Maybe it was the place, the people, or the weather; many things could affect our own view of things.