The best part of Puglia is that the region is relatively small, so day trips are very easy! We hired a driver to pick us up from Polignano a Mare and take us inland to three cities.  Find our more about our day trip below!

We hired Vincenzo (gitesud@gmail.com, recommended by a friend) to take us for the day to Martina Franca, Alberobello, Locorotondo and then drop us off in Monopoli which is where we spent the night.  It was perfect because we were able to leave our luggage in the back of the SUV, so it worked as a tour + transportation to our next city.

il Pastini

First stop, wine tasting in Martina Franca at il Pastini!  We had a 11:00am reservation (reservations required) for the 1 hour 30 minute tour and tasting and the cost was €12.  It was the perfect amount of time – almost too short! We started with a tour of the property – a family owned winery opened up in 1996.  It’s a young winery, but they still practice traditional winemaking with the modern technology.  On the property they have trulli and an estate that dates back to hundreds of years ago.  After touring the property we went back into the tasting room and enjoyed 5 tastings along with some snacks to nibble on in between tastings.  The wines were delicious – both the white and red.  After the tasting, we were able to purchase wine….bottles ranged from €8 to €18.  Yes – I did write that down correctly!! Of course we bought some to enjoy the rest of our time in Puglia.

Alberobello

When you google “Puglia” one of the first images that pops up is Alberobello.  We had to go see the trulli, the whitewashed stone huts with conical roofs.  It was a sight to see, so much of a sight that hundreds of people wanted to see it too.  We walked around and went into the small shops, but after 25 minutes we were ready to go. Driver please !  I feel like the trulli that are scattered throughout the countryside would have been worth stopping and seeing rather than going to Alberobello.  We got our photos and time for lunch in Locorotondo.

Locorotondo

Trying saying Locorotondo three times fast! Did you do it??  Took me a while, but I nailed the pronunciation.  We got dropped off and strolled around the town until we came upon our destination…U’Cuddunn.  What a lovely restaurant in the heart of Old Town.  We dined outside on the patio and enjoyed some vino, prosciutto, burrata, aubergine and pasta!  Highly suggest U’Cuddunn if you find yourself in Locorotondo.  After our late lunch we continued to stroll through the town, walked into a church and finished with an espresso  and gelato in the park.  The town of Locorotondo was quaint, picturesque and a recommended town to visit!

We decided to head towards Monopoli after a full day and check into our B&B.  Can you guess what our next post will be??? You’ll have to wait and see….