Sundowner: Autumn/Winter 2019

PUGLIA
baroque archways and aloof architectural twiddles. We wander
all morning, then have lunch at the Trattoria Centro Storico,
recommended by a Pugliese friend. We try the u tridde, a freshly
made pasta with pecorino cheese and chopped parsley, cooked
in turkey broth, and I recall a line I often hear: that visitors to
Puglia cry three times – when they arrive, when they leave, and
when they get on the scales.
Lecce might be the final destination on this rustico road trip,
but there’s still time to stop off at Ostuni, la Città Bianca, the
most fabulous “white town” in the whole of Italy, with steep
medieval alleyways winding their way up to the dramatic
15th-century cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. Here the
limewash served a dual purpose: not only to lighten the
labyrinth of streets but, in the 17th century, to fight the progress
of the Great Plague – or at least that’s what the maître d’ tells
us as we pause for an Aperol spritz on the rather chic terrace of
La Sommità, then scale the heights for a blistering view across
olive groves all the way to the sea.
An hour’s drive south on the smoothest of roads, luscious
Lecce is a parade of creamy limestone palaces, wildly ornate
churches, and elegant squares, all preserved in a 17th-century
bubble of architectural perfection. It even has a classification
of its own: barocco leccese, the baroquest of curly baroque,
the highpoint of which is Giuseppe Zimbalo’s insane basilica
of Santa Croce – described by one prominent 18th-century
cultural commentator as “the nightmare of a madman” –
with allegorical monsters swarming across the façade.
At La Fiermontina, a 16-room resort from French-Moroccan
brother and sister team Giacomo and Antonia Filali set into
the walls of the old city, an astonishing art collection – Léger,
Le Corbusier, Perriand, Zwobada – is dotted around a crisp
17th-century masseria, updated by architect Antonio
Annicchiarico. There’s even a neat little swimming pool
out back – unheard of in the centro storico.
After an aperitivo here, in the garden, we wiggle through
to the Risorgimento Resort for a rooftop dinner at Le Quattro
Spezierie, where chef Alessandro Cisternino’s menu is big on
fish from both the Adriatic and Ionian seas. The night ends at
Alvino, one of the city’s oldest cafés, where the fairy lights from
the terrace illuminate the Roman amphitheatre, half buried
beneath the stones of Piazza Sant’Oronzo. A final caffè speciale
– a local treat of espresso over ice with almond milk – and we’re
back on the road to Brindisi and the airport. Bumps along the
way? Who cares?
clockwise from top left: Guest room in La Fiermontina; typical trulli
houses built with dry stone walls and conical roofs, Alberobello;
the baroque palaces of Lecce; trulli houses in Alberobello
CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT
A&K’s seven-night Discover Puglia suggested itinerary starts at
£1,200 per person (based on two sharing, includes flights, private
transfers, accommodation, and selected excursions). For more
information, call our Europe travel specialists on 01242 547 703.
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