Its January, we are deep in the doldrums of winter, which is just when it’s traditional to get wanderlust. So, today on the blog, I thought we’d take a trip back to the sun baked days of a Puglian summer.

I have booked flights for our summer break already (we’re going to Porto, insurance booked through the post office should Brexit lead to total chaos and catastrophe), and like Puglia, it’s a place I’ve wanted to visit for years. Our stay in Puglia last year was such a magical stay, our first summer holiday abroad as a family, and a place I’d wanted to go to for years (I think it’s one of the few regions in Italy we hadn’t visited despite it always being high on our list!).

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It was pretty much as near perfect as family breaks get, there was beautiful countryside to walk in, pretty towns to visit, stays in charming historic buildings and of course lots of swimming. Neither cheap nor expensive (we spent £1,600 on flights, accommodation and car hire for the three of us booking in February which was a fair amount to us but I’m not sure it actually is in holiday terms for a family – though we are doing Porto for much less this year!) this is one of the more reasonable areas of Italy to stay and also one of the most unspoilt regions, so full of charm.

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We flew to Bari and stayed in the countryside near to Fasano (I would love to return again and visit the baroque beauty of Leche). We chose to stay in Masseria’s (an Italian term for fortified farmhouse), the first was the Masseria Maccarone, we stayed here for one night, then on to Masseria Salamina on the other side of Fasano where we spent the rest of the week. Both were beautiful 19th century villas set in gorgeous countryside, the first reminded me of a church, the second a castle (no, really!). Walking through olive groves, past seas of Queen Anne’s Lace (one of my very favourite flowers) and ginormous cacti this is a very beautiful part of the world to spend time outdoors simply wandering and taking it all in.

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Both places we stayed were apartment style stays with kitchenette with oven etc. Masseria Salamina where we spent most of our holiday also has a gorgeous swimming pool and as there are a couple of rooms available to stay as hotel guests in the main building, the apartments come with a daily cleaning service. They also have an outdoor dining table and sofa to sit and watch the sunset from, we stayed on the first floor and had gorgeous views of the farmland from our terrace. This Masseria is also a small working farm (you can buy the olive oil produced here at the shop in the lobby). The farm was a lovely feature to have as a family, not only as are you allowed to pick fruit and vegetable produce, but also because feeding the chickens and horses became a highlight of our little persons stay.

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Taking the motorway that follows the coastal path we were fairly disappointed by the scarcity of coastal views, and as it was the first time I’ve driven abroad for over a decade I was a little nervous by what people say about Italian driving (and in fairness how ‘unique’ and speedy I’d found the driving in Rome to be). Whilst it’s fast, and cars tend to be thrown into parking spaces with little notice (btw, parking spaces in towns like Ostuni and Monopoli are akin to gold dust) I didn’t find it terribly hairy. And if you read up on peoples tips for driving in Italy first it can feel quite liberating.

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There are plenty of lovely beaches in the area around Fasano, a zoo, and of course easy reach to many of the famous coastal towns; Monopoli, Ostuni and the countryside home of the Trulli (traditional salt houses) in Alberello. Whilst I dont want to do the same holiday two years in a row, it was a really enchanting getaway and I know we will be back!

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