In the last edition of Planning your Italy Vacation, I wrote about traveling north from Rome, with Venice as the final destination. In this post we’ll explore the alternative: traveling from Rome southward. This alternative will be attractive to travelers who have already seen the major sights in the north of Italy, and to travelers …
A panzerotto is a fried version of a calzone that is unique to the Puglia region of Italy. Piping hot and stuffed with mozzarella and tomato sauce, eating a panzerotto is a sinfully satisfying experience. Panzerotti (plural) have crossed the Atlantic and become popular in the United States, particularly Texas and New Jersey, but tasting …
A coastal town on Italy’s Salento Peninsula, Otranto is a city out of a fairytale (in fact, the first Gothic novel ever written was inspired by Otranto’s castle), but the city also has elements of a tourist trap. Fortunately, the tourist-focused areas of the city can be easily bypassed with just a little know-how. …
Each summer, Italy’s Salento peninsula is absolutely overrun with food festivals and wine tastings. A land known primarily for its stunning white-sand beaches, sea caves, and Baroque architecture, the Salento peninsula is also known as “the breadbasket of Italy,” and has some of the most fertile land in the country. Its summer festivals are …
The wine world has focused more and more on Puglia, better known as the heel of the Italian boot, because its wines boast high quality and low prices. In a climate that is similar to California’s, Puglia’s vines grow among crops of all kinds, including olive trees, fig trees, grain fields,watermelons, and wild loquats, making …