Let's go to Valle d'Itria, Apulia
An exclusive gift for you, an Apulian itinerary for curious families written by Giorgia Matrone, a talented Travel Curator
Today I’m so excited to share with you this exclusive Apulian itinerary curated by Giorgia Matrone. We met online several months ago when we were both attending a Personal Marketing Mentoring Program. We realized we had so much in common, especially the will to share an authentic side of Italy, immersive experiences, and the authentic taste of the Italian life.
Giorgia Matrone is a Travel Curator. She creates aesthetically unique tailor-made travel itineraries for curious families in love with boutique hotels and destinations off the beaten track.
After more than 10 years in buying luxury fashion for some of the biggest international department stores, she recently opened her boutique travel consultancy firm combining her past experience in planning with the influences that fashion and aesthetics have had on her.
Contact Giorgia if you are searching for a fully personalized travel itinerary if you are interested to live your next immersive boutique travel experience, or simply if you are looking for a suggestion on where to go to find beauty.
You can read more about Giorgia on her website and social media. Her Website: www.giorgiamatrone.com Her IG account: @giorgiamat
Puglia, my love
As we will be leaving in a few weeks for Puglia - holidays! yay! - I asked Giorgia if she could give us a few tips to explore this land we love so much, and she came up with an exclusive itinerary I’m so thrilled to share with you.
I started visiting Puglia in my twenties when I was working for an association promoting the culture of the extra virgin olive oil in Italy and abroad (now you see where my passion for good extra virgin olive oil comes from). We used to go often to Andria, the motherland of the Italian olive growing. When you leave the city and drive around Castel del Monte, you are immersed in a landscape where ancient olive trees dot the land as far as the eye can see.
I fell in love with their generous hospitality, with the simple, vibrant food, and with their extra virgin olive oil - intense, with typical bitter and spicy notes.
When I met Tommaso, I admit I fell head over heels when I discovered his mother, Lucia, was from Salento, the heel of the Italian booth, the Southern stretch of land of Puglia.
Now that a percentage of Apulian blood also runs through Livia’s veins, we have even more reasons to visit Puglia. Puglia is family for us, taralli and orecchiette, shopping for fresh sheep milk ricotta at the local masseria and buying tiny capers, dried oregano, and crates of ripe mulberries at the market, eating sea urchins and fava bean puree with bitter greens, a familiar accent, and a safe harbor.
This is what we’ve written last year after our trip to Salento (paywalled content).
Or listen to the Salento episode of Cooking with an Italian Accent.
Have you ever been to Puglia, and specifically to Valle d’Itria? Which is the most vivid memory of your holidays there?
Valle d'Itria, Puglia
“Thinking about my Apulian roots, the first images that come up to my mind are: olive groves, trulli, white-washed villages, and rural roads that lead you to beautiful sunsets. Waking up by the smell of nature, the crickets in the background, the slow barefoot life, the salty air, and the blue sea. I used to spend all my summers in Valle d’Itria, where my nonna lives, and little I knew that that area of Italy where I was born, nowadays would become one of the most dreamed of Puglia. There is something very precious there, all contained in a few kilometers, that allows you to take a dip in the mediterranean sea, relax in a quiet Masseria surrounded by olive trees and spend every night in a different picturesque town.”
Valle d’Itria is the perfect holiday destination for a family who wants to enjoy a bucolic atmosphere, and regenerate, but is also interested in being surrounded by beauty.
Here kids can really run free and you can soak up all that unique golden light that cameras often fail to capture.
WHEN TO GO/
Plan a visit in June or September, instead of August, to have less crowd and enjoy Valle d’Itria in all its glory.
HOW TO GET THERE/
The region is served by two major airports, Bari (BRI) and Brindisi (BDS). Once there, I would recommend renting a car if you have children.
WHERE TO STAY/
Choose a Trullo or Masseria around the area of Cisternino or Martina Franca, like this you’ll be really at the core of Valle d’Itria.
Trulli di Maya There are many different trulli and masserie to choose from, all nestled in Valle d’Itria but this one won my heart. Three different trulli nestled among the olive groves, with a swimming pool and no one else for kilometres. Everything is just so perfect and very family-friendly.
Masseria Potenti This is possibly my favorite. Chiara and her mum will make you feel at home. Every detail is taken care of: the flowers on the tables, the vintage tablecloths and the expertly cooked vegetables picked in the garden each morning.
WHAT TO SEE/
Alberobello The town that made Trulli famous is one of the UNESCO world heritage sites since 1996. Get lost walking through the alleys of this village, taking the most beautiful pictures of these limestone dwellings with conical roofs. Locorotondo One of "The most beautiful villages in Italy" and considered into the top 10 of the most beautiful towns in Southern Italy. This little village is very close to Alberobello, and you can visit both in the same day. Martina Franca A fourteenth-century town with baroque architecture, this is the chicest one of them all. Grottaglie Famous for its traditional handmade and very elegant ceramics. (Yes, here is where I was born). Take a tour into one of the many laboratories (Francesco Fasano’s is outstanding) and book a pottery workshop to create your Apulian plate. Cisternino A very simple medieval town, now famous for its “fornelli”: butcher shops turned into restaurants where to taste Apulian “bombette” (stuffed rolled meat). Get in, choose the cut and type of meat you’d like and they’ll roast it for you. Ostuni Called “La Città Bianca” (white city) as its houses are all painted with white lime. Set on a lively hillside it is the only town of Valle d’Itria with access to the sea. Ceglie Messapica One of the oldest villages of Puglia. The center is located on the top of an hill, surrounded by olive groves.
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