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I just returned from a week in Puglia with Marcello and his daughter, Francesca. We began in Bari, an interesting seaside city that is both modern & upscale as well as historical. The Petrocelli Theater there is magnificent. We continued on to the Alberobello region where Trulli style buildings, white washed with conical, stone roofs dominate. It is a UNESCO Heritage site and well worth the honor. Along the way we ate wonderful meals in places Italians go, with wines aplenty. We visited wineries, a cheese making facility, a fabulous bakery whose products I am still enjoying, trying to spread out the pleasure. We visited Matera, an area of cave homes and another UNESCO site. One side of the valley is preserved as it was, and the other has been developed into restaurants, bars, businesses built above and around the caves. We continued on to Lecce where most of the architecture is Baroque. There are also some Roman ruins, fabulous churches, and modern shopping. It, too is a UNESCO site. We had a cooking lesson at the home of a well known cook and teacher who was featured in the Sunday NYTimes just a week before our trip. The hotels were lovely, the food was great, and, most of all, our host and hostess were caring, knowledgeable and delightful. We were a group of seven, and four of us had traveled with Bluone on previous trips.
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I generally prefer independent travel to tours; in fact, my idea of hell is a bus trip with 60 people and being herded in and out of places with no time to really see anything. Touring with Bluone is the exact opposite! Small group (there were 11 of us) with Marcello and Raffaella taking the time to make sure that everyone was enjoying themselves at all times. This was my first trip to Puglia, and it is a beautiful part of Italy. We started in Bari, spent several days in and around Alberobello, then ended in Lecce. From the minute we arrived, I knew I was on a first class trip! We ate, and ate, then ate some more, all the while learning about the food in the region, how it is grown and how it is prepared. For me, one of the highlights of the trip was Matera...I definitely want to spend more time in this amazing town. As I said, I usually travel on my own, and am usually the planner for the trip. I have to say it was really nice to not have to worry about how we were getting from point A to point B, when and where to meet local guides (after hours of research to find one!) and when and where to eat. Everything was beautifully organized, and there was plenty of down town for independent wandering. Can't say enough about how much fun Marcello and Raffaella are to travel with!
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