How to have an authentic trip to Italy's 'heel'
Truly authentic travel experiences allow us to get to know a place better, whether through meeting its local people, staying in historic accommodations, eating out at family-run restaurants (and requesting the locals’ favourite dishes), or learning a traditional skill or craft passed down through generations.
What an authentic trip looks like depends on where you’re going. So, if you’re mulling over a trip to Puglia – Italy’s ‘heel’ – here’s what you need to know to make sure you take a wonderfully authentic trip and get the most out of your Italian holiday.
Stay in historic accommodation
It’s not always possible to find truly authentic places to stay in the locations we visit, but in Puglia, there are some options unique to this part of the world and opportunities that are not to be missed.
EXPERIENCE AUTHENTIC PUGLIA WITH CL
Firstly, the iconic trulli, the white and grey conical buildings. You can stay inside these domed-roofed houses, with their white-washed stone walls and feel you’re somewhere special that doesn’t exist like this anywhere else.
Trulli aren’t the only one-of-a-kind accommodation in Puglia. In the beautiful city of Matera, some historic cave dwellings have been converted into hotels, and you can sleep within their storied walls.
On a six-night holiday with Country Living, travelling in a group of no more than eight guests, you'll have the chance to stay in a trullo and a cave hotel.
Taste the food of the region
Puglia is known as the breadbasket of Italy – a good indication you’re in for some delicious treats on your travels. In Altamura, a hill town known for its namesake durum wheat bread, Pane di Altamura, there's a legendary local bakery where you can learn about making this famous bread and taste some of its oven-fresh creations.
The region is also known for its picturesque, ancient olive groves. There's an organic farm just outside the so-called 'white city' of Ostuni where you can tour the groves and sample the extra virgin olive oil produced here.
On a Puglia holiday with Country Living, you’ll have the chance to visit both the bakery and the olive grove and taste some of Puglia's finest produce.
Meet the locals
A wonderful way to get to know Italian heritage is by talking to the people who live there. Passing chats with the characters you encounter on your travels reveals more about their lives and the place you're visiting (not to mention getting some not-in-the-guidebook tips) and sometimes provides the most memorable moments of a holiday.
On any holiday, getting to grips with their food culture under the tutelage of an expert who lives there can be a wonderful way to dedicate meaningful time to discovering more about a culture.
On Country Living's Puglia trip, you'll join a cookery masterclass in the home of a local signora to learn the art of making orecchiette (the 'small ear' pasta this region is known for) by hand using traditional methods passed down through generations.
It’s not the only hands-on culinary experience or chance to meet people from Puglia on this trip – inside a historic stone farmhouse, you’ll learn how to prepare rustic Italian dishes before devouring them with your group.
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