The Itria Valley, a charming corner of the magnificent Puglia.. Trip to Italy

Itria Valley, the southern part of the Murge, a charming corner of Puglia.
Nature and history in one of the most beautiful in Italy, where white villages, olive groves, Andria, churches, pleasant hospitality and excellent cuisine make it unique in this beautiful area of Puglia, the Valle d'Itria.
At Christmas, our children have given us a bed and breakfast accommodation to choose from among the above in one of the boxes now allow you to make a nice gift and unusual, such as that received by our children, thus prompting us to visit a place that has long was in our travel programs in Italy, the Valle d'Itria in Apulia.
Extended their stay to visit the southern part of the Murge, we chose to stay at the Masseria Selvaggi Gregory Soleti, in Menzella Galante, wild places in Ceglie.
For the selection of Masseria Selvaggi, already great site www.masseriaselvaggi.com had shown us a pleasant, nice, spacious beds and subsequent reviews in Tripadvisor we were convinced we could easily opt for this farm.
The strategic location of Masseria Selvaggi was another paper that has played in favor of the preferred to others, finding this center of gravity compared to Ostuni, Ceglie, Martina Franca, Cisternino, Locorotondo, Alberobello and Castellana Grotte, or the places that we had chefanno decided to know and the Valle d'Itria an enchanted place.
Direct Flight Treviso - Brindisi, rental cars and in a few hours we arrived at the Wild Colonial.
It 'been a winning choice, satisfying because he gave us great satisfaction of both the confirmed location in Valle d'Itria and accurate for both the environment renovated, typical of the area, with its trulli and the farm, but at yet functional, clean, well equipped and skillfully handled by the wonderful Mr. Gregory, who later became Gregory for his affability and kindness.
It 'just that Gregory manages to win the sympathy of his guests because, with the way she always attentive, friendly, helpful, careful not to be intrusive but always ready to receive the desires of those fortunate enough to enjoy a holiday in Masseria Selvaggi her, it makes the memorable meeting him, known to have conversed pleasantly about anything with him, even if not strictly related to our holiday.
The tasty breakfast pastries with almonds, taralli homemade cheese from her mom, friselle prepared before our eyes, broad beans and so attentive Gregory offers its guests have made so that we, like everyone stay in his Masseria Selvaggi, we felt at home.
All this accompanied by the availability of Gregory in giving advice, chat, tell us what not to miss when visiting the Valle d'Itria, direct us where to dine at cafes pleasant tasting the delicious local cuisine, etc.. has made this holiday unforgettable, both for the sites, both for its exquisite people I met and both the special availability of Gregory against those staying in the Wild Colonial.
Getting there by Gregory is simple, along the Strada Provinciale Ostuni from 14 to Martina Franca, Ceglie junction with the - Cisternino, unmistakable for the statue of Padre Pio, continue to Martina Franca, pass under the railway bridge and just exceeded the signpost Cave Figazzano take the first left, and another 400 meters on the left is the gate of the Wild Colonial.
You have arrived at ... home.
If you go to Ceglie, do not forget to enjoy the hospitality that you will find the Osteria Antico Arco, in Celso 4 in the old town, a nice little place finished in stone, with a few places, quiet, offering the traditional cuisine of Puglia also offering customers local products manufactured in house, from orecchiette with pecorino cheese, bacon from the figs with almonds, etc..
The menu is not vast, but what is tasted is prepared at home, respectful of the time recipes, tasty, tasty and authentic, all accompanied by good local wines.
A good choice in the historic center of Ceglie.
A word of advice ... talk to the mother of the young but good restaurant and you will find someone happy to explain how to prepare their meals.
Another choice is the Terranostra guessed, always in the center of town, via Monte Vico III 28, related to Bedroom Itria Fragments, is a beautiful restaurant, wonderful place, not excessive restraint from pleasant, quiet, where the atmosphere inside us made me feel at ease.
The food is excellent, the menu offers meat and fish dishes prepared very well and some a bit 'unusual for the region, like the pork tenderloin steak with balsamic vinegar, fish in various crusts, etc.. dishes or leaving the bonds of tradition to provide guests with unusual flavors, but always tasty.
Friendliness and affability met have made it particularly enjoyable meal eaten at Terranostra, very welcome as was the subsequent exchange of ideas with the operator, which explains why its dining options, also unusual in that land, but needed to present itself with news that captivated the customers.
Obviously, in various other locations visited we found warmth and good food.
How can we forget, for example, butcher-cooker scattered in the center of Cisternino, where the meat is cooked in the choice time and then be quietly savored on one of the wooden tables made available by the same butcher.
How can we forget the orecchiette homemade and seasoned with the fragrant tomato South, three basil leaves and grated pecorino homemade.
Almost everywhere we were lucky enough to taste the traditional cuisine of Puglia, the authenticity of a cuisine that will delight our palates with flavors that today, unfortunately, often, as we remember those of our childhood, the ones we prepared for her grandmother.
We have not felt the slightest need to visit the coastal resorts, the South Sea, as more than someone asked us, as encountered in the environment Itria Valley was a unique beauty, an unexpected environment, where the olive trees , the trulli and the white countries create an almost unreal, where the eye sweeps through the hills of this magical valley, looking from the tick of the trulli and the lush green of olive groves dominate, emphasized their whiteness, perched on the country surrounding hills.
The Valle d'Itria? A great trip, in an environment that has fulfilled our expectations and suggest that with closed eyes for those who want to know this charming corner of Puglia.
Have a good trip.
Wanda & Giancarlo

 

Reaching the goal of our journey, the Val d'Itria

On April 25, 2010, with an unexpected timeliness of Swiss watch, the direct flight lowcost Treviso - Brindisi took us to an environment that, as far as he had seen and reviewed on the Internet to plan what to visit, has left us such as when a child discovers the surprise Easter egg, almost without words to the uniqueness of a valley where the trulli seem almost like mushrooms sprouting between the lush green of olive groves.
A childish feeling that recalls the world of fairies and elves.
This was the feeling that we tried touring around Val d'Itria, particularly between Ostuni and Martina Franca, where the trulli is not as tourist shops in Alberobello, but is home every day, as is the home for us.
Arriving at the Masseria Selvaggi in the late afternoon, the time available allowed us only to know the owner Gregory, who, very kind, after having placed one of its beautiful rooms, we immediately gave the first hints to hear the evening near Cisternino, where we had a preview of what would be the narrow alleys of the villages that we visited in Val d'Itria.

The way to our discovery of the Val d'Itria

We wander around this beautiful part of Apulia was implemented 26 to 29 April 2010, while 30 was the day of delivery, where a lowcost flight to Brindisi - Treviso has returned to the daily reality of our house.
What about the places visited in Val d'Itria ... I have no words to describe this valley by magic, an unexpected environment for those who have a stereotype in his head towards the south, a beautiful valley, well-kept establishment with an enviable olive trees, an area where the industriousness of residents palpabilissima, where the pride of life on this earth is expressed without worrying about going over, because the hard work to maintain what we live in Val d'Itria is plentiful.
Even small towns are typical of the jewels of the south, where the dazzling white building stands out clearly against the blue sky, creating contrasts that make the unique landscapes of the Val d'Itria.
Ostuni, the White City par excellence, but also Cisternino, Locorotondo, Ceglie are no different in having allowed to take their historical centers wandering in a maze of alleys, often connected by stairs, a latch for crendo ' of these villages perch on the summits of the local hills.
Then with its trulli Alberobello, where at the close of the city are still inhabited, as a bulwark of their commercial real function with respect to the use of the core opposite, where the ancient trulli are now a series of tourist shops, activities, however, enabling the country to live with the big flow of tourists who came to create because of the presence of these typical houses of the past.
Loved the way also to Martina Franca, where a succession of well-preserved and inhabited Trulli makes him understand the unfolding of life within them, where a set of local functions perfectly fulfills today's living, ensuring an even thickness of the walls that the thermal stability Modern buildings do not have.
Of course, do not miss the nearby Castellana Grotte, where the tour at famous cave allows us to understand the evolution of concretions that form the whole of this world of pinnacles and slender columns, all very practical and viable through safe routes that allow us to view stalactites and stalagmites in a game of lights that highlight their beauty.
Other jewels to visit, looking for the history of the people lived in the past, the rock churches are scattered in this area, small caves and painted with a stone altar where religious services were held for a time.
With a guided tour, only system that allows you to enter these caves otherwise closed by iron gates, we saw those Mottola, where those three stone churches of St. John and St. Nicholas offer the visitor a view of well-preserved frescoes.
Greeted at the end of the guide visit the cave church of San Gregorio, my wife and I have finished the day visiting Mottola, only from above, the Gravina Petruscio, a set of caves near the river that was visible on the bottom of the ravine itself, a kind of canyon certainly generated over the centuries by the flowing water, water that was vital for people living in these natural ravines.
The advice I can give the person concerned is aware of local laws on visiting hours because otherwise you run the risk of arriving on site and not see anything, as happened to us at Massafra, if we wanted to visit the Wizard of Pharmacy and Greguro ravines, but that has not been possible because access was closed off for hours and we settled for visiting the Madonna della Scala, with its frescoes in Torre Pinta, just outside the town and tourist resources.
All this has been implemented with a DIY for that for years we implement eesere not tied to schedules and souvenirs of the trips organized by the taste that much more special to give substance to that time that was tried in a large well of the Internet .

Il ritorno a casa ed i ricordi del viaggio

Il 30 aprile 2010, con la stessa puntualità da orologio svizzero della partenza, il volo diretto lowcost Brindisi - Treviso ci ha riportati alla realtà di tutti i giorni, una realtà, però, che si è arricchita di un altro tassello del puzzle dei nostri viaggi, un puzzle che continueremo ad allargare perchè il viaggiare allarga anche il modo di vedere il mondo che ci circonda quotidianamente, arricchendoci culturalmente e socialmente.