Puglia Part 1: Ostuni!

~ Where exactly did we go during our spring break? First, we flew to PUGLIA, the “heel” of the Italy “boot”! I think this trip to Puglia received more attention on all WBS social media than ANY other trip I’ve ever taken…and for good reason, I believe. Puglia is BEAUTIFUL. Puglia also has all of the GOOD aspects of Italy (all the things I love about living here), but…TIMES 10! The best food (get ready for LOTS of food pics….yes, kilos were gained…yes, they were worth every single bite!), the nicest people, the most beautiful beaches, breathtaking landscapes, stunning sunsets, and the perfect pace of life for a vacation (slow!). I’d been hearing a lot about this place from the Italians I’ve met here in Milan. I’ve also been reading more and more about Puglia on all of my favorite travel blogs. It was somewhere I desperately wanted to go…and it exceeded all expectations!

We decided to stay in the top half of Puglia, knowing that we would be flying to Sicily in 4 days, getting our fair share of Mediterranean sunshine! I am so happy with our decision and I am incredibly satisfied with our route. Each destination was only about 20-30 minutes away from each other (with the exception of the airport, which was about an hour).

~ We stayed in 4 incredibly special places, and visited 4 very different locations, and so, I felt it was important to split this trip into 4 separate blog posts for you all! I hope that you can sit back with a cup of tea (or vino?) and really feel like you are THERE! And maybe take some notes for when you plan your own Puglia vacation….

Oh! And by “we” and I mean myself and my dear friend/photographer, Fizia Wang (who is the best travel buddy anyone could ever hope for!). We flew from Milan to Bari (about an hour and a half), and made our way to our first stop: Ostuni, where we stayed at the stunning Masseria Cervarolo!

~ After a beautiful drive through the countryside, which reminded me a little bit of Martha’s Vineyard with the stone walls and wildflowers, we made our way to a long stone road which led us to Masseria Cervarolo. A “masseria” is an Apulian “farm,” and Masseria Cervarolo is a farm with trulli houses which was built in the XVI Century. We were greeted by Sabina and Teo, who immediately had many recommendations for dinner and highly suggested an olive oil tasting in the morning (which ended up being MUCH more than just an olive oil tasting and a highlight of our trip!). Sabina took us all around the property, which is equipped with 12 rooms, a stunning small chapel with a baroque altar and beautiful frescos, a pool with a pool bar, a restaurant, gardens, shared courts, and a stunning shared living area.

There is something so special about this place. It is a very small boutique luxury hotel that feels like home! One of my favorite parts of the property is their unbelievably picturesque shared living room area worthy of Town & Country. There are little decorations and special touches throughout the entire property (and two friendly labs who I wanted to take home with us!). I LOVE the way everything is decorated, from the linens, to the hand-made ceramics, to the amazing tiles and light fixtures. Fizia kept saying, “I feel like this is what your house will look like one day,” and I really hope she is right, because that would be a dream!

We stayed in a magical Apulian trulli hut that was decorated so cozy and beautiful inside. You can hardly refer to our room as just merely a “hut,” for it was very beautiful and spacious with a small lounge area, bedroom, and then a bathroom off of the back. Despite it being so spacious, it still felt so warm and inviting (something not easy to accomplish, I think)!

The breakfast was completely unreal amazing and one of the best meals I’ve had in Italy. We had fresh fruit & vegetables, a tray of traditional meats and cheeses, gooey stracciatella cheese (it’s basically the inside of burrata that you serve with a spoon!), a beautiful spread of homemade pasties, frittata, and so much more! She even had gluten free biscuits for me. I think we talked about that breakfast the whole entire day…

I can’t imagine what this place must be like in the summertime, warm with everything in bloom. Sabina shared that they have weekly cookouts with all of the guests, so that everyone gets to meet each other and enjoy the beautiful landscape! I really wish we could have stayed a few more days…

If you are thinking of visiting the beautiful city of Ostuni (see more on Ostuni, below), you should absolutely stay at the very special Masseria Cervarolo, which is only 6km away (about 3 miles away)! Head on over to their website for even more photos and information!

~ This is where we stayed (above) and what the inside of our room looked like. Pretty amazing, right? ~ ~ one of their labs, Leo, guarding the property at sunset 🙂 ~ The stunning shared living area ~ ~ Outfit details for this look are a few photos down! ~ ~ Outfit details: Striped Bell Sleeve Top with Grosgrain Ribbon (and BOW in back) ~ Similar Jeans ~ Hat ~ Sunglasses ~ Wedges from last season(my favorites), but I found them! Here in sizes 6, 7.5, & 11, and here they are in sizes 8 & 9.5! Similar wedges from this season? Loving these & these ~ ~ Outfit Details: Dress (under $20!) ~ Sandals ~ Hat ~ Tassel Earrings ~ Similar Sunglasses ~ ~ This is that breakfast I was talking about! UNFORGETTABLE! After leaving breakfast we had a VERY special experience at the historical Masseria Brancati ~

~ When we set off to our “olive oil tasting,” we had no idea what a special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity we were about to have (thanks to the staff at Masseria Cervarolo for suggesting this and setting it up for us!). We arrived at a stunning organic farm that was full of olive trees and yellow wildflowers. This wasn’t just any olive grove…some of these olive trees are awaiting UNESCO appointing! The olive trees at Masseria Brancati are over 2000 years old and were used by the Greeks and Romans. Wait for it….THEY STILL PRODUCE OLIVES! My mind was blown.

Anna Rosa, their resident historian and tour guide, was SO enthusiastic and excited to share with us the history of the Masseria and olive groves. When someone is so passionate about what they are teaching, I think it makes YOU passionate about what you are learning. She made the whole morning so exciting and special for us.

Anna Rosa took us to the oldest tree on the property, which is over 3500 years old. Yes, that means it existed before Jesus’ birth! It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my whole life (see below).

After that, we were taken down into a cave turned oil mill, whose origins date back to Pre-Roman times! All of a sudden, I was back in Dr.McColl’s Art History class (wishing he were there to see this!), knowing he would love every second of this experience. The underground mill and the old stone presses were beautifully preserved and I could NOT believe I was touching the stone I was touching. One of the round stone foundations from the first press is from the Mesolithic Period. See the below photos and definitely visit their website because there is more to their history!

Finally, we ended our tour with an amazing olive oil tasting and had the opportunity to meet the owner, Corrado, who gifted us with small bottles of their own olive oil! Such a treasure that I am saving for a special occasion!
~ This tree is 3500 years old…older than Jesus’ birth! IT STILL PRODUCES OLIVES! 18 Kilos per year. Fizia and I both had tears in our eyes as we peeked into the swirling inside of this indescribable treasure.

~ Inside the ancient mill! I’ll never forget that experience.

~ Ostuni is known for being one of the most beautiful cities in southern Italy, and I couldn’t get enough! Known as “The White City” for it’s whitewashed houses, I was completely charmed! The city is rich with Mediterranean architecture mixed with hints of the Middle Ages and big POPS of color on each door, making it seem too magical to be true. I just wanted to wander the streets and alleys for hours. It’s like being in a maze of beauty. Forget the map! Just get lost (and eat!).

~ Thanks for following along! I hope that you have the opportunity to visit these special places some day! Stay tuned for parts 2-4, coming later this week!

Gratefully with love and wanderlust,

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Rhiana