I have wanted to visit Puglia for as long as I can remember and to stay in a trullo was the dream! So when we came across Grazia’s beautiful property we jumped at the chance to ‘borrow’ the dream for a week.
Finding the property after our drive from Bari airport was a little tricky… in the end Grazia’s delightful son, Piero came and rescued us and we were able to follow him to the property.
The trullo, the garden and the pool all looked gorgeous in the photos, but were even more lovely in reality. There is a pretty view across the valley, which is beautiful at sunset, and lovely trees scattered across the property, including several ancient olive trees, giving shade and character to the property. There were ripe figs and almonds just hanging there!
There is a quarry just below the property but little is visible as there are trees in between, and any noise from that direction was minimal and of no consequence to us.
The covered sitting and eating areas with their stone seating provided welcome protection from the sun and we spent many hours reading or eating and chatting in their shade. They also provided a couple of comfy garden chairs with foot rests which we moved into the shade and used a lot.
We barbecued several evenings using the built in barbecue with bought foil barbecue kits sat on the grid provided. This worked very well. We didn’t barbecue during the day, but Grazia has thoughtfully provided a sun shade to use while barbecuing if needed.
The trullo - the small but beautifully restored remnant of Puglian history - was a sight to behold, with its circular stone living area with conical stone ceiling, and alcoves housing the kitchen units and the sofa bed. We ate outside the whole time as the weather was hot in the day, warm in the evenings, and largely dry.
We were there with our daughter and her boyfriend - they slept on the sofa bed in the living area and used the second (single) bedroom to house their belongings. The air conditioning in our room and in the corridor kept the trullo cool when we needed it and worked very well.
Although the kitchen area is small, they have managed to incorporate a gas hob, small dishwasher and a full sized oven, along with a large fridge freezer. The coffee machine took a little working out but we mastered it eventually!
The shower in the bathroom was very powerful and we never ran out of hot water. It was also very pretty, being made of stone with some beautifully appropriate tiling.
The washing machine took half a normal load but was all we needed. Washing liquid was provided (as were dishwasher tablets).
The property is in a very convenient area, only about 1hr 10mins from Bari airport, and within easy travelling distance of some lovely places including Alberobello (a must-see but hugely busy and I suspect much quieter in early morning), Ostuni (quant and pretty with some lovely shops and restaurants), Locorotondo (we found a bar with a wonderful view over the countryside - the town lies on the top of a hill), and even Lecce which was a bit further to go but well worth seeing. We were able to spend a few hours seeing Bari, too as we’d booked and evening return flight. That too was well worth seeing.
We absolutely loved Puglia, and Grazia’s delightful property was all that we hoped it would be and much more. We would return in a heartbeat.