We had a lovely time at Vincenzo’s place. He is such a kind and welcoming host, so much so that we felt at home from the very first second. There were always fresh eggs and figs for us and we enjoyed the chickens and dogs at his place. We really liked his dogs who were very gentle with our kids and who would always leave us alone unless we invited them to play. The trullo was wonderful and its origins go back to the 17th century Vincenzo told us. However, inside it’s the 21st century with a great gas cooker, a microwave, DVD player (which he installed especially for our kids) and everything you need for cooking, living, etc. A major feature of Vincenzo’s trullo is the excellent swimming pool. It has a deep end near the diving board and a shallow end where our little one could paddle. So it servers smaller and older children and of course adults too. The pool is well kept and Vincenzo looks after it almost every day. In fact, it feels like he has a real passion for his “trullo refuge” and we very much benefitted from his dedication. The bathroom is five meters away from the trullo and its entrance. When we read the reviews we weren’t bothered by that and we had it right. The walk didn’t bother us at all and the bathroom with shower and washing machine is actually of a decent size. I think it would have spoiled the trullo to add another room to it and this solution feels much more in line with the spirit of the place.
The location of the trullo, close to Grottaglie, also worked well for us. The closest restaurant is about a five minute drive away and the city center of Grottaglie has many good eateries to offer. Don’t miss the ceramic center there, we have a lovely time going through all the shops and also looking at some of the manufacturing process. We bought some very nice souvenirs there and a whole dinner set. The location overall is also good for day trips and within one to one and a half hours a lot of fascinating places are in reach, e.g. Ostuni, Alberobello, Lecce, etc. So we were quite centrally located. The drive to the trullo from Bari airport is also very easy since Grottaglie has a direct motorway entry / exit.
All in all, we were sad to leave Vincenzo and his trullo and the whole of Puglia. The life in this southern part of Italy is slow and relaxing, exactly what we wanted while on holiday, away from the more hectic Northern European style.