The Valle d’Itria‘s (Itria Valley) rolling green landscape chalked full of fairytale-like trulli and pergola style vineyards is home to three of the unique towns we visited this trip.

Alberobello

The trulli capital is what captured my attention many years ago on the cover of Italia! Magazine and drew me to Puglia. As you walk the Zona dei Trulli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you’re surrounded by over 1,000 of these mysterious structures.

The limestone buildings date back to the Middle Ages and served as peasant homes. The conical roof which makes them famous is made of grey stones called chiancarelle. With few windows and a round base, they stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The name Trulli comes from the Greek word ‘tholos’ which means dome although Trullo, the singular version of the word, means silly in Italian.   You’ll see many roofs painted with symbols which is said to keep evil spirits away.

While the town is quite touristic with lots of souvenir shops, it gives you access to the inside of many trulli. Our favorite shop was Matarrese (Via Monte Pertica, 9) where we picked up some fabulous handmade linen towels, table runner and bread bag from the friendly owner Claudia Caporaso.

If you want to linger longer, grab dinner in a trulli at the Il Trullo d’Oro restaurant (Via Cavallotti 27) or rent your own for a stay at Trullidea.

Ostuni

As you approach Ostuni through the valley’s flat farmland, you see the breathtaking ‘white city’ sitting atop the hill in the distance. Find a spot for your car then make the short walk up to the Old Town dotted with churches including a 15th-century cathedral.

Called the ‘white city’ because of its white washed architecture, you feel like you’re in a Greek island as you meander through the town lanes busy with locals enjoying gelato or an aperitif at a local bar. Especially beautiful at sunset, we got to town in time for a great walk around and sunset views of the sea from the city’s limestone walls. We popped into one of the ‘direct from producer’ shops to pick up the region’s best olive oil, DOC Collina di Brindisi, which is delicious!

Thirsty, we stopped for a cocktail and people watching at Parisi Café (Via Cattedrale). Then stumbled onto a cute new restaurant, Casa San Giacomo (Via Bixio Continelli, 4), down a few stairs in a grotto with amazing local food and wine! We had the most delicious Incapriata di cicoria e purea di fave alla moda Ostunese, their local staple of fava bean puree with local chicory, and Orechiette al ragu misto e braciola, ‘little ear’ pasta which is THE local pasta shape with a mouthwatering sauce of pounded thin beef rolled with cheese and herbs). Squisito!!

Ostuni’s Old Town is full of restaurants and has one of the region’s best passeggiata, evening stroll. Parisi Café is also lively spot after dinner to cap off your evening in the ‘white city.’

More to come…Locorotondo, Lecce and Gallipoli, plus Puglia’s wine and cuisine!

Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot, first captured my attention several years ago when I saw pictures of Alberobello‘s fairytale-like trulli, white houses with conical roofs, on the cover of Italia! Magazine. Not only is it Italy, it has sun, beach, culture, cuisine, wine and spa, making it the perfect vacation spot in my book. After Our Big Fun Italian Wedding in Positano, we headed east across the country for our honeymoon in this relatively undiscovered region of Italy.

As we drove across, we zigzagged through the valleys of the Basilicata region’s mountains. Rolling hills then gave way to the arid landscape of Puglia and we were greeted by the land of olive trees. I’ve never seen olive groves like this before… forests of them and the olive trees were HUGE, many dating back thousands of years. The sides of the road were dotted red with poppies growing wild and in between lots of prickly pear cactus.

Puglia is a region of rural farming and as the land between two seas, the Ionian to the west and Adriatic to the east, its lined with coasts of beaches and cliffs. Its history dates back 8,000 years. The first settlers of note were the Greeks who settled here in 750BC…their influence can be seen across the region. At times you feel like you’re in small Greek villages. The Romans built the Apian Way in 190BC running from Brindisi (one of the two big ‘cities’ of the region) to Rome making Puglia the gateway to the East. Today Brindisi still serves a major ferry terminal to Greece.

With a week in Puglia, we barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer. We spent all of our time in two areas: the Valle d’Itria which is heart of the Murgia region (south of Bari, the region’s capital and other big ‘city’) full of rolling green hills full of olive groves, vineyards and orchards; and the Salento, the even hotter and dryer region with some of Italy’s best beaches and the country’s most southern point, Santa Maria de Leuca. Our home base was the fabulous Masseria Torre Coccaro in Savelletri di Fasano (north of Brindisi) with mostly Italians and a few British mixed in (we only came across one American couple the whole week of our travels).

The highlights of our trip…

* Towns: We made day trips to the top five on my list…Alberobello, Ostuni, Lecce, Gallipoli and Locorotondo. Each different and special in its own way. I’d love to spend weeks living in each one.

* Cuisine: The food in this area is one of the best I’ve had in Italy…steeped in their local pasta, bread, vegetables and seafood.

* Wine: Once only considered a producer of grapes for blending with other Italian region grapes, Puglia is now making fabulous wines. We tried many and found some favorites including a rosé.

I LOVE Puglia! The region is full of culture including historic ruins, music and local crafts like ceramics, papier mache and lacework. It’s also a great place for outdoor sports like hiking or camping in Garagano National Park, horseback riding in the Valle d’Itria and sailing, snorkeling and diving around the heel. And we stayed at a fabulous old restored masseria (fortified farmhouse), Masseria Torre Coccaro.

Puglia weather is the best in Italy… sun most of the year and very little rainfall. There are two airports, Brindisi and Bari, accessed via London, Milan and Paris mostly with a few flights (something that has kept it a hidden gem). We drove over from Positano then back to Rome to fly home (to Rome was four hours).

Looking forward to sharing more of Puglia with you over the next several posts and very much looking forward to my next visit!

When planning our wedding over the last several months, I wanted to welcome our friends to Positano, Italy on the Amalfi Coast with something special after their long journey. What better way I thought, than to surprise them than with my favorite wine from the coast and the best winery in the area, Cantine di Marisa Cuomo?! I discovered their Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco 2009 during our visit to Postiano last September at the fabulous restaurant Da Vincenzo. Now to figure out how to get my hands on twenty bottles upon our arrival in May.

After some digging I found their website, all in Italian, but located the email icon on their homepage and sent off a request. Was so excited to receive a response the next day from Dorotea Ferraioli. We exchanged information and I could buy the wine no problem. She’d drop if off at the hotel when we arrived. When we landed in Rome last month, Dorotea called while we were waiting for our bags. She asked if I’d like to come by the winery to pick up the wine and thus be able to see their winery. Perfecto!

We arrived at the winery many hours later after a very long drive. Furore, where the winery is located is approximately 25 miles / 40 minutes down the winding road from Positano and close to Amalfi, is often called the non-town. There’s not really a town center, just lots of houses and businesses built into the cliffs.

Dorotea greeted us…she’s the daughter of the owners. In 1980, her father Andrea Ferraioli acquired Gran Furor Divini Costiera wine, established in 1942, and gave it to her mother, Marisa Cuomo, as a wedding gift honoring their shared passion for wine. Thus was born what is now the award wining winery of the Amalfi Coast…Cantine di Marisa Cuomo.

The family owns 3.5 hectares of the 18 that grow the grapes for their nine wines and two grappa. 41 families own the other hectares of terraced vineyards. The area is a site to be seen…grape vines growing on the pergola system planted into small plots of land that stair step the rocky cliffs with the sea 500 meters below. Harvesting is done by hand with dangerous climbs to be made while carrying the grapes. With no irrigation, the wines must grow on their own. The pergola system also allows the growing of other fruit and vegetables underneath. Due to the rocky soil and sunny conditions, the wines produced are salty and fruity in nose and taste.

After Dorotea took us on a tour of the small but impeccable winery (they do tours by reservation), including the aging cellar dug out of Dolomatic limestone rock that took three years to build by hand, we stood outside overlooking 120 year old vines when up walked Marisa, the winemaker and namesake of the winery. What a pleasure to meet her! While we couldn’t speak Italian or her English, we communicated through Dorotea talking about the winery and how much we love the wine.

Back in their office, they proudly shared their many recent awards and great photos of the winery and area. Before we left with our boxes of Costa d’Amalfi Furore Bianco 2009, Marisa and Dorotea gave us a wedding present, a bottle of their most special D.O.C. Costa d’Amalfi Fiorduva.

As we drove away, we left with so much more than wine. Salute to Marisa Cuomo and the great wines of Gran Furor Marisa Cuomo!

A wedding in Italy was our dream. Saying our vows and celebrating with thirty-one dear friends in one of our favorite towns, Positano on the Amalfi Coast, for a long weekend was our dream come true!

We arrived a few days early to tend to all the details. With the wedding on Sunday late afternoon, the celebrating was to get underway on Friday. Our base… our favorite hotel Albergo California with Maria and the Cinque family in corner room #58 with two cute balconies looking out over the picturesque stair step of pastel buildings. We weaved all our favorite spots into the weekend.

After a sunny day trip over to Capri Friday with those in town, we dined with newly arrived friends at Chez Black on the beach with fresh pasta and grilled fish. We scheduled an impromptu after dinner cocktail a few steps downy the beach at Bucca di Baco for everyone in town. When last call was ‘called,’ one of our Dutch friends said “Its still Friday and I’m without the kids!,” so we headed over to Music on the Rocks at the end of the beach for the first night of dancing.

Saturday called for a relaxing day at L’Incanto beach club on Spiaggia Grande, Positano’s main beach, and a yummy picnic lunch we picked up from Enogastonomia Positano Delicatessen in town (Via dei Mulini 5/13/15). Then off to get ready for the start of the official festivities, Welcome Cocktails at La Zagara on their terrace under the lemon trees.

We opened the curtains on the morning of THE BIG DAY to crystal clear blue skies and sunshine! After a leisurely breakfast with friends on the hotel’s terrace, I enjoyed a sit in the sun on our balcony, a bath in our jacuzzi tub and a picnic in our room with my soon to be husband. Next up… two relaxing hours of pampering as my fabulous make-up artist Zoe and hair dresser Tonino worked their magic. My girlfriend (and top wedding planner) arrived to tend to all the details with Maria while Paul and I ventured onto the lanes of Positano with our photographer Raffaele. He knew all the special nooks to get fabulous shots. Strolling through town greeted by Italians with “Aguri”, good wishes, we felt like celebrities. Up the hill at the hotel, our guests were gathering for the ceremony enjoying Prosecco and live Italian music.

We snuck in just in time for the ceremony and I walked down the aisle of the terrace on the arm of a dear friend through the smiling faces to my gorgeous fiance clad in his Italian linen suit. One of our closest friends married us in an intimate personal ceremony with the breathtaking views of Positano and the Bay of Naples as the back drop.  After a toast to the new married couple, we climbed into an adorable bright orange classic Fiat Cincquecento and zoomed off for some photos. The drive up to Montepertuso was magical…Salvatore rounded the roads as many of his friends lined the streets shouting “Aguri.”

Our guests arrived at our favorite Positano restaurant, La Tagliata, high in the hills in their beautiful new location before us, welcomed by sparkling cocktails and the beginning of the evening’s food fest including the BEST bruschetta ever! Their Fiat got us there in time for our entrance down the stairs as “Esposo and Esposa” and to enjoy cocktails and the amazing views down the coast as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Then we were all invited down to the second terrace overlooking the restaurant’s amazing vegetable and fruit gardens for dinner.

We welcomed everyone around our u-shaped dinner table and the food and fun escalated with each of the four divine courses. Antipasta della Tagliata was parma ham, salami, parmigiana di melanzane, pizza, fried vegetables, sauteed spinach and more (I lost track as the plates kept coming ). We were serenaded between courses by a fabulous local duo with Italian classics like That’s Amore, Volare and O Sole Mio. Trittico di Pasta was next with cannelloni, manicaretto, ravioli, scialatielli and gnocchi. Grilled mixed meats were next from t-bone to sausage to pork chops to chicken breasts served with fried potatoes and green salad. We sang and danced the night away to the Tarantella and Funiculi Funicula with everyone waving their napkins high.

Final course, and my personal favorite, was our mouthwatering cannoli cake! And if the amazing house white and red wines weren’t enough, the homemade limoncello started to flow as the dancing continued and grand finale was unveiled…an Italian fireworks spectacular!

Peppino, Giorgia and the Barba Family created the most magical wedding we ever could have imagined! You’re like family when you’re there. And while the noise ordinance on the hill brought the music to an end signaling our departure, we continued the party into the wee hours with our friends, our family at Music on the Rocks back on the beach. One final night of Hello, Barbara Streisand.

Salute!

more wedding photos, more Positano

This week I spent an evening at a cool new spot in Seattle…Urban Enoteca. Open since December, this wine and event space in SoDo (South of Downtown) is a warehouse turned hip wine bar.

You open the huge wooden doors of the warehouse and are transported into a wine land from Eastern Washington. With a lovely greeting at the front desk, you’re introduced to The Wine Library and Wine Lounge. We pick up our Wine Library Card and head into the Library to explore the seven Eastern Washington wineries featured in their new Seattle wine bar homes.

The rustic Wine Library is lined with tasting booths staffed by the wineries…Cave B Estate, Côte Bonneville, Five Star, Fidelitas, Fielding Hills, Kiona and McCrea. You can browse the room and enjoy tastings, pours and flights from each winery. After a visit to each, we picked a few to sample and settled into bar stools around a wine barrel table not far from the warm fireplace and other comfy leather chair seating areas.

My favorite wines of the evening…

• Cave B Estate’s Sagecliffe 100 White Wine: This un-oaked Chardonnay is full of tropical fruit nose and taste. 97% Chardonnay, 3% Viognier.
• Côte Bonneville Cabernet Franc Rosé: Delicious, crisp, refreshing and full of raspberry.

After checking out our Wine Library Card (each winery swipes your card for each tasting), we went over to the Wine Lounge for a yummy taste of Chef Chris Opsata’s menu (he’s formerly of Corkscrew Café in Manhattan Beach, CA). Loved the Ahi with sesame, red wine vinegar, cumin, compressed pear and basil; Gnocchi with peas, tarragon, preserved lemon and gruyere; and Fingerling Potatoes roasted in duck fat with aioli.

This is a great spot for wine exploration, a happy hour with friends or even a big group event (they have 3 private rooms that can accommodate up to 200 people). And a MUST GO for wine lovers living in or visiting Seattle.