Day Trip to Alberobello, Puglia

Happy New Year! I hope 2018 brings you much joy, peace, and happiness.I have read about and seen photos of the infamous trulli. Alberobello, which we visited during our Eat, Pray, Move, retreat, was packed with many American tourists even though it was late September.  I can see why.  There's nothing like it.  This region is the only area in Italy that has these unique buildings and there's a concentration of them in Alberobello.The white, cone-roofed houses in Alberobello are a UNESCO World Heritage site.  We had a great tour guide who explained the history of the trulli.  There are many theories but the most popular one (and likely) is that during the 1600's the nobility imposed a high taxation on any permanent structure.  The poor farmers built their houses so the roofs could be dismantled easily, by bascially removing one stone.   Very clever.We were able to tour a trullo.  It was incredible to learn some of them hosted whole families and their livestock.  Other homes were comprised of several trulli with each one being a separate room.Our Masseria had several trulli on its property.  I love how the architects incorporated them into the modern structures.  Inspiring.There are trulli with curious symbols on them.  Some are clearly religious, the others?  Another area for debate.As you enter the main street of Alberobello, there are two hills.  The one on your left is the old town/Historic Center and the main tourist street.  It's filled with gift shops and places to eat/drink.  There are a few shops selling items made locally. The other hill is more residential and the modern town.  There are several piazzas with caffes, and butchers, clothing stores, etc. etc.  The restaurant EVO, where I had one of the best meals ever, is located in a quiet corner near the Basilica.  I wrote more about it for the Casa Mia Blog. Grazie, Erin for arranging this unforgettable meal and wine pairing.I suggest spending time on both hills. Alberobello is tiny.  The old town does have a bit of a Disneyland vibe but don't let that stop you.  The view from the "new" town is spectacular.Alberobello was celebrating its Saint's Day.  On the new hill everything was lit.We were there on a raining cloudy day so my photos of the old town are not great.  Here's a better one from zee Internets.I took this one in the backyard of a trullo in the old town that was under renovation. These trulli were in the new town. Photos: Me and my iPhone unless otherwise noted.  

Eating, Praying, and Moving in Puglia

I made it to Puglia, finally!I've wanted to visit this region of Italy for years.  I was excited to learn that Eat, Pray, Move had a yoga retreat in Puglia and signed up.I wrote about my first yoga retreat which was in Tuscany.  That retreat had an art component. This retreat had a Move + Manifest one.We went on days trips to Alberobello, Polignano al Mare, Martina Franca, Matera, and Ostuni.  We covered a lot so instead of writing the longest blog post on earth, this is more of an overview and I will write about some of the individual towns we visited later.  There was free time built into the schedule so you never felt rushed. All classes and activities were optional.We were a group of twelve women with most of us being from the States and one from Australia.  It was a great group and fun to get to know everyone.  Small world alert...I was speaking with one of the women and she made a passing reference to the university she graduated from. I told her that I was an alum too. We talked about our previous jobs and she mentioned a best friend, a Hollywood screenwriter, who also graduated from Syracuse University.  Her friend was one of my former assistants and it was his first job in the industry.  Random!Michelle's workshops were excellent and helpful.  I'm slightly biased as I've worked with Michelle earlier this year.  It's one thing to open up one-on-one but in a group, not so easy.  On the first day I was a little skeptical about the whole thing.  By the end of the week, this was me:I went to Puglia in late September. While we had some rainy days, I've heard from my Pugliese friends that it's a great time to visit.  The weather is still warm and it's less crowded.  Puglia gets packed in the summer with Italians coming home from other regions, and Italian tourists.  It seems that for at least the last five years, there's been a ton of press about Puglia being the "next" Tuscany.  Alberobello and Matera had a lot of tourists but overall Puglia is still off the beaten path for most American tourists.  It's a shame as Puglia is a beautiful region and the food is off the chain. Seriously, I cannot stress how fresh and delicious the food was.  Puglia's in my top four along with Piemonte, Emilia-Romagna, and Sicily as my favorite Italian food regions.Our base was the Masseria Fumarola.  It's an hour or so drive from the Brindisi airport.  Thankfully, Alitalia wasn't on strike and was still solvent at the time.The Masseria (which is what country estate houses are called in Puglia) was perfection.  It's located in the heart of the Valle d'Itria area. The main farmhouse dates back to the early 1800s. Once a working farm run by the grandmother of the current owner, Masseria Fumarola was renovated by the owner's architect father.  He turned it into a beautiful boutique hotel without stripping the buildings of their original charm.Love the stone floors.  I was so busy enjoying the conversations and the food, I forgot to take photos of the dining room.The Masseria is surround by six acres of woodlands that includes, olive groves, vineyards, several vegetable gardens, and orchards.Each room/bungalow is unique. I loved how the trulli were incorporated.The pomengranate tree outside our bunalow.The meals we had were simple, outstanding, and very local.  Most of the vegetables came from the gardens.The one day it was warm enough to go swimming in their pool, we went to the sea.  We appreciated the huge fireplace in the main building during the cool evenings.  We would meet there for workshops, or a glass of wine (or both) and in the morning, there were fruits, tea/coffee available for us before our 8:00 a.m. yoga class.I was a tightly wound ball of stress when I stepped onto the plane in Rome.  I'm still processing everything I learned during the workshops but physically I feel much better.I walked around the property at sunrise. I was greatful for the stillness, the scents, the freshness of the air, and the beauty of it all. My yoga has improved by leaps and bounds since the summer.  This time my mind didn't wander.  While Erin's classes sometimes kicked my butt (my abs were on fire the next day) I looked forward to that hour and fifteen minutes.Rome can be a very difficult city and this year has really tested my perseverance.  During my trip to Puglia, I was able to reconnect a bit with the main reasons why I moved to Italy in the first place.I cannot wait to return to Puglia. Bari and Lecce are on my list.Photos: Me and my iPhone, except for the pool photo from Masseria Fumarola.