Puglia

“Girls….this place is paradise.”

This is what I wrote to my sister and best friend the first time I went to Salento, which is the province of Lecce in the southern tip of Apulia, back in the summer of 2015. I had just spent a summer in the mountains of Switzerland and then travelling through Germany on my own. I went from the mountains and foggy woods to sunshine and beaches, having taken up an offer from a friend of mine who has a home there.

This is an area well known to Italians but less so to foreigners; it’s one of Italy’s best kept secrets. Because it has avoided mass tourism, it’s not even equipped to handle it, this remote gem has remained pretty authentic.

Salento is a narrow strip (the heel of the boot) made up of lots of small towns that in the summer gets overcrowded with tourists. Fortunately, it seems that in recent years less people have made their way down there for some summer beaching, probably because of the ridiculous prices that its popularity brought about to what’s actually a very economical region.

Unlike Florida, where we have miles and miles of beaches but everywhere you go it’s all the same – flat and sand – here, you’re in a small peninsula and every day you can drive in a different direction, go to a different beach, and each one is diverse. They have sandy beaches, rocky beaches, a mix of the two, beaches with caves, beaches with hills and cliffs, others with archaeological sites, then with parks, and so on….the locals choose which one to go to in the morning depending on the direction of the wind that day.

However different than where I come from, there are also things about it that remind me of Florida and make me feel at home – in addition to the sun, heat, and humidity, it’s very green and the people are so friendly.

I just can’t speak good enough about the people. They are the kindest, friendliest, warmest, and most hospitable people in the whole boot. They take the top two spots in the country, along with my beloved Sicilians, which of course are not actually part of the boot.

What’s more, the food is so tasty and different from Rome and even more different than the north. Particularly delicious are the tomatoes, breakfast pastries (pasticciotto and flaky croissants), caffè leccese (a shot of espresso with almond milk and ice – the perfect cool pick-me-upper for the summer), puccia (a type of sandwich), orecchiette (type of pasta), seafood, wine, olive oil, fruit (especially figs), and the local cheese (burrata) oh my…

Apulia, along with Sicily, is the place I can’t seem to get away from. I’ve ended up returning five times since, as it seems that I always have a reason to go and something or other always has me returning. My best memory from this place is just the relaxing vibes it leaves behind…