Martina Franca was a randomly chosen destination from which my friends and I could explore this particular area of Puglia and we certainly made the right choice. Giovanni’s flat exceeded our expectations in that it:
was ideally located, was very comfortable, was equipped with all kitchen and washing facilities, had free parking in the street, shops and supermarket nearby and the building itself was very secure.
All communication with Giovanni was prompt and to the point and at no time was I left wondering about our arrival, who was to meet us etc. Giovanni also advised me on travel arrangements suitable for our needs. That was very much appreciated!
We were met at the flat by Giovanni’s parents after I informed Giovanni of our ETA and they gave us the warmest of welcome. Within minutes we felt as if we had known them for ages. Their welcome gift was a bonus. :)
After they showed us the workings of everything and where everything was kept they left us to our own devices to explore the flat. I do mean explore as the flat was huge and it was great to be able to spread out. We only seemed to meet at mealtimes and when we went on an outing, as the bedrooms were separated by a long hallway, each bedroom had a desk and a working area for computers and such and we could each have our designated bathroom.
The kitchen was well stocked so you could cook or eat out or bring food home.
The only negative was that is was on the third floor with no lift. It was no problem for me as I used it for daily exercise, but it may be for others.
The town itself felt so safe that we had no trouble joining in on the Saturday night’s outing, along with hundreds of residents, to the Central Storico which was about 150 m from the flat. We ate out on the last night at ‘Il Sagittario’ which was a restaurant at the bottom of the building. We wish we had eaten there every night. The food was plentiful and delicious and the wait staff attentive and amazingly helpful. Read the reviews - and do not order more than one antipasto if you are 3 people or less!!!
We explored Alberobello, Ostuni, Polignano a Mare, Monopoli Martina Franca itself, and further afield, Matera in Basilicata. It was great to know we were able to return to our Italian ‘home’ each night to relax.
I know that our stay in Martina Franca will be a treasured memory and I believe it is because we were lucky enough to choose Giovanni as our host.