The ancient fortified farmhouses called masserie, found only in the region of Puglia, are increasingly being turned into boutique hotels, most notably Rocco Forte’s Masseria Torre Maizza, and the 17th-century Castello di Ugento, where guests can take cooking classes at the Puglia Culinary Center.
For the Italians, Puglia is like Cornwall: they come here for sun, sea and seriously good food, fished from nearby waters and produced in the fertile pastures that supply much of the fresh contents of the country’s larders, and to sup the increasingly admired local wines, negroamaro, primitivo di Manduria and Salice Salentino.
The Salento is the tip of the heel of the Italian boot: the southernmost third of Puglia. The location of its northern boundary is a matter of ongoing debate. Is Brindisi part of the Salento? Depends who you’re talking to. You can rent a car from there or hop on a bus that will take you directly into Lecce…
