Our First Taste of Puglia: Trani and Ostuni

*** A series of posts about our travels through Southern Italy****

January 3, 2008

Puglia was probably the place that I was most excited about visiting...I was not disapointed. My only regret is that we did not have enough time there...we'll just have to go back! The writer, Carlo Levi, who was exiled in Puglia referred to the region as "that other world...which no-one may enter without a magic key." It is a very special place that should not be missed and we look forward to exploring it more in the future. If you are planning a trip to Italy in the near future, check out Puglia! If you want suggestions, contact us!

We got up bright and early on Thursday morning to go into Sorrento to pick up our rental car from Avis (FYI: stay away from Avis in Sorrento!! We are currently battling them over incorrect charges on our credit card!). Within an hour we were on our way, heading east towards Puglia, Italy's heel! One of the reasons why I was really interested in visiting Puglia, is that it seems to be gaining popularity; in the past year almost all of the main newspapers, including the New York Times, has featured Puglia in at least one article. With beautiful landscapes and charming cities, Puglia has it all. It doesn't hurt that Puglia is a wine and food lovers paradise and we definitely ate well here, having our best meal in all of Italy in Ostuni!

Within 3.5 hours we had left Campania and were in Puglia, the drive was quite beautiful: rolling hills (that look similar to Tuscany) some of them with huge windmills covering them. It was amazing to see the colors, especially the greens! We also learned Ollie hates windmills as much as hot air balloons!





Trani was our first stop....


Trani is known as the "Pearl of Puglia" and has a magnificent portside cathedral. During the Middle Ages, Trani rivaled Bari, another city in Puglia, for importance, and Trani became a major point of embarkement for merchants going to the Near East. The town's business interests grew so much that Trani devised the first maritime code, the Ordinamenta Maris, in 1063 to help regulate their business interests.

Trani port

We were hoping to make it to Ostuni before dark so we stopped in Trani only long enough to snap some pics of the cathedral (a great example of the Norman style of Architecture), and to have a quick lunch of cavatelli con fagioli e cozze (pasta with beans and mussles) at a portside restaurant.

Cats in Trani

The port and Adriatic

The cathedral

It really was interesting to see this cathedral, which is completely different than any other in Italy that we have seen. The ocean makes a beautiful backdrop!




It was just starting to get dark as we approached the city of Ostuni. Ostuni is known as the "White City" and is perched on three hills surrounded by olive groves. The view on the approach is absolutely stunning and I'm sure much more beautiful when it is not as cloudy. We were staying for two nights in an apartment right near Piazza della Liberta. Although the lodgings were merely adequate, we both fell in love with Ostuni and hope we have the opportunity to return some day!



We spent some time wandering around the maze like streets up the cathedral.

The duomo

During the day from the cathedral there are views of the olive groves at the blue adriatic.

Piazza del Duomo

The owner of the apartment we were renting, Francesco, also owns his own restaurant. He told us to stop by for dinner and I am so glad we did; it was the best meal we had in all of Italy! Locanda dei Sette Peccati (Seven Sins) is fantastic. For a starter we split a mixed antipasto platter that was superb. We did not know what half the things were, mainly vegetables, but there was not one bad thing. We ordered two pasta dishes to share, both specialties of Puglia: orecchiette ortolane (with mixed vegetables) and orecchiette pomodoro cacio ricotta (with tomato and cacio ricotta cheese). Cacio Ricotta tastes nothing like ricotta that we know in the U.S. It is firm and is most comparable to feta. Francesco is the host, waiter, and cook for the entire restaurant!

Our antipasto (we were too hungry to take pictures of our pasta!)

We went to bed tired and full and excited about exploring more of Puglia!

Goodnight Mr. O!

Tomorrow: We head out to visit the trulli in Alberobello and Martina Franca, a baroque city that makes a special kind of meat!

Locanda dei Sette Peccati
Via F.sco Campana 3
0831 339595
72017 Ostuni (BR)