Puglia, located on the heel of Italy, is a little known tourist destination but Italians, who realize its beauty and appreciate its charming way of life, flock there during the months of July and August. Puglia is surrounded by two seas, the Ionian on the south and the Adriatic on the north, so it is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Slightly seedy estates sit along the coast road, their gardens tumbling down into the sea. It feels like the French or Italian Riviera must have felt like in the ‘30s--the whole area is from another time.

Some people are calling Puglia the new Tuscany because it produces gorgeous wines, has wonderful spicy olive oil (in fact we were told that some of the Tuscan olive oil originates in Puglia) and is an agrarian society—it has been called the Bread Basket of Italy. But it bears no resemblance to Tuscany at all. It's a very quiet and peaceful area. Some of the architecture is inspired by Greece. The people are friendly, caring, and not particularly entrepreneurial--the attitude in a lot of places is "this is the way my grandparents did it, and this is the way I will continue to do it." Everything closes between 1pm to 3:30pm or later—the bishop of Lecche (sometimes called the Florence of the south because of its beauty) will not allow people into the cathedral between 1pm and 5pm—he must take a long lunch!
 
However, things are beginning to change. Antinori, a major Italian wine producer, has just bought a great deal of land in Puglia because they believe that they can make good wine inexpensively in that area. The estate is called Tormaresca. There are two properties: one near Bari called Bocca di Lupo and the other, Masseria (which means “farm”) Maime, is located in one of the most beautiful areas of the Salento. Still, the best wine that we had was from A Mano. Elvezia Sbalchiero and Mark Shannon (he is originally Canadian) have started to make very fine wine on a small scale. Mark worked in California making Zinfandels and other wines. Primitivo, which is the native Puglian grape is a kissing cousin to Zinfandel. Mark is making wonderful primitivo, which unfortunately is not available in Ontario until January of 2007 (it is all sold out).
 
While in Puglia, we stayed at Il Convento di Santa Maria Constanopoli, a very upscale B&B that is really more like an English country house, near the tiny fishing village of Marittima. It was built in the 15th century and has been beautifully restored by Lord Alistair McAlpine and his wife Athena. There is African, Indian and aboriginal art everywhere. I counted 47 Indian sensual figures on my bathroom wall alone. Your 250 euro a day fee includes breakfast and lunch (make sure you stay for lunch!), cooked by their young Italian protégé. They also serve unlimited wine and grappa. It means having a siesta afterwards, which kills the rest of the day, but it’s worth it!

Puglia is a holiday for the slightly more adventurous. People who like to see new places, experience different kinds of food and are willing to drive the Italian back roads--it’s the best way to get around!