Olives.

Everywhere you look as you travel through Puglia, in southern Italy, you’ll see olives – hanging on the trees that carpet the hillsides, littering the dusty country lanes, served alongside your glass of wine at a cafe and offered as first-press extra virgin oil at roadside stands. The region encompasses the ‘heel’ of the Italian boot – an agricultural region that produces the most grapes for winemaking of any Italian region as well as 40% of Italy’s olive oil (from over fifty million trees). After leaving the Amalfi coast, and it’s crowds, we were thrilled to be driving through rolling hills crisscrossed with limestone walls and small villages. We didn’t stop driving east until we hit the Adriatic Sea at the end of the Gargano Peninsula, in the north of the region. At the tip of the peninsula lies Vieste, a picturesque town atop limestone cliffs jutting out over the sea. The old town, or centro storico, is a maze of cobblestone streets, beautiful cream-colored block buildings, churches and small piazzas. We stayed just outside town at the Agriturismo Posta Pastorella, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. The owners produce a line of wines and their own olive oil, and offer a handful of rooms, though we were the only, and the seasons last, guests. Fabio and his brother Tony were extremely gracious hosts, providing us a personalized tasting of their wines and oil and serving us breakfasts of fresh-baked croissants with homemade jam, fresh fruits, juices and cookies. Each morning we would rise and open our door to the expansive terrace to find breakfast laid out on a table, with Fabio appearing soon after to bring Heather a cappuccino. Following breakfast we spent our days walking through the farm or driving the coast road to visit the towns of Rodi Garganico and Peschici, with wide sandy beaches completely devoid of anyone, a stark contrast to the busy beaches back on the Amalfi coast. When asked for a restaurant recommendation for Vieste, Fabio didn’t hesitate to tell us to dine at Al Duomo, his favorite osteria. We found Al Duomo, as the name would suggest, in the shadow of the main church, along a narrow lane of whitewashed buildings in the center of the old town. At seven o’clock we found the front door open, yet the osteria wasn’t yet open – that wouldn’t happen until seven-thirty, but the hostess invited us in to sit and have a glass of wine while we waited for the rest of the staff to show up. At her suggestion we ordered glasses of spumante, which she served with a basket of taralli, a small baked bread knot, to help curb our appetites. For dinner we started with the charred octopus, followed by grilled lamb chops and baked sea bass and ended the meal with a dessert of rich chocolate mousse over pureed figs.

A typical scene in Puglia – olive trees, stone walls and country lanes

Looking into Osteria Al Duomo

Breakfast on the terrace at Agriturismo Posta Pastorella

A quiet lane in Vieste’s centro storico

Our next stop was just down the coast – the seaside town of Trani. We were deceived at first, turning off the highway and making our way through the bustling ‘modern’ section of town, but when we entered the old town, and came upon the scenic harbor, full of colorful fishing boats, the streets paved with time-worn cobblestones, the tower of the Trani Cathedral looming over all, we were instantly charmed by this village. We parked the car and then wandered through the maze of lanes to find our accommodation, and after checking in went out to satisfy a craving for pizza. Fortunately, we had a clue – our host had given us the name of Al Covo delle Chiacchiere. We found it on a side street a block back from the harbor, and, as is our custom, were the first customers of the evening (still not used to that 7:30 opening time). Pizza is the only thing they do – Neapolitan-style pies baked in a very hot oven that turns out an airy, slightly charred crust topped with local ingredients and fresh cheeses. We barely had time to pour the red wine from the carafe before our pizza arrived. Later, strolling the waterfront, gelato in hand, we took in the sights of the town, made even more beautiful at night.

Yep, had to do it – my first Aperol Spritz, the classic Italian aperitivi cocktail (helped to kill time until the pizzeria opened)

The Trani waterfront by day . . .

. . . and at night

Moving further into Puglia our next stop was the UNESCO-listed town of Alberobello, renowned for it’s trulli – limestone buildings with conical stone roofs, which appeared in this part of the region beginning over a thousand years ago. While trulli can be found throughout the area, the largest concentration of them is in and around Alberobello. Many have been turned into guesthouses, which is where we elected to stay just outside town at Trulli del Bosco. Our host Guilia, in addition to providing all sorts of information on the area, also laid out a pretty impressive breakfast buffet each morning. To start our day we had our fill of homemade yogurt, fresh fruits, local meats and cheeses and a different fresh-baked torte each morning. After tearing ourselves away from breakfast, we spent our days exploring town, walking the countryside or driving to one of the neighboring villages for a wander and lunch.

Finishing up our tour of Puglia we’ll head west with stops in the regions of Basilicata and Calabria as we make our way to Sicily for the final week of our trip. That’s in the next Rhumline.