Puglia is famed for its spectacular coastline which stretches nearly 500 miles, picturesque towns and of course mouthwatering cuisine. Situated in the heart of the Mediterranean, this region of southern Italy is surrounded by the Adriatic with the Ionian Sea at the heel. Sometimes referred to as ‘the breadbasket of Italy’, historically Puglia made much of the country’s
Puglia’s Mediterranean climate makes it a great holiday destination for much of the year. We travelled at the end of October when we were blessed with sunshine for the majority of our time there. Our flight from London to Bari (you can also fly to Brindisi) took just less than 3 hours and we pre-booked a hire car so we had the freedom to explore. Our Trullo accommodation was through Bookings For You who specialise in Italian villas and apartments. Not just in Puglia but the Italian Lakes, Tuscany, Florence and Umbria. They also have properties in France – Provence, Normandy and Monaco. I cannot recommend Bookings For you highly enough, owner Jo Mackay has the best properties to suit varying party sizes and budgets from the authentic through to the contemporary. Last year I stayed in Country Relais and Spa Le Capanne with some of my fellow travel bloggers whereas this time around it was just the three of us at Trullo Stella.
Trullo Stella is situated near Casalini in a quiet location, amid beautiful gardens, with easy access to Cisternino (10 minutes) and Ostuni (25 minutes) via the SP17. We relish this combination, a rural retreat but with easy access to life’s essentials when we needed them – like the Csette+7 supermarket in Cisternino! Trullo Stella made a great base for exploring too from the Valle d’Itria (Cisternino, Alberobello and Locorotondo) to Ostuni, Grotte di Castellana and Matera. Plus we managed to squeeze in some of Puglia’s beaches.
Nestled in the beautiful Puglia country-side, Trullo Stella provided the peace and tranquillity we craved but with all the mod cons you’d expect – including wifi. We loved the portable Bose sound system as it meant we could listen to music when we chilled by the pool after a day’s exploring. I suspect in the summer months, we’d certainly spend more time at Trullo Stella – you really do need to force yourself to leave when the sun’s shining!
The Trullo combines both traditional and modern design and there’s ample space. Not what you’d expect from a Trullo perhaps but we had a generous lounge area and sizeable kitchen, two double bedrooms and two bathrooms. One of the bedrooms and its en suite was accessible from outside the main part of the property but with it only being the three of us, we all slept in the main Trullo. Seven-year-old POD loved her ‘special bed’ which was in a large alcove in the living space. There was enough room for two here as I crept in as well when JD was snoring.
The master bedroom had a comfy king size bed with funky chairs on the opposite wall and storage for clothes and bedding in the alcoves. The bathroom opposite had a walk-in shower, the usual bathroom furniture (loved the pretty blue and white tiles around the sink) and a bidet. I particularly liked the little touches – a white a blue jug for example which complimented the tiles perfectly. The second bedroom, which we didn’t need to use, had a queen bed and an en suite bathroom.
Trullo Stella is a beautiful property which combines both old and new. It has an abundance of character. From the front door, which you had to duck to enter, to the cosy living area (which had a fireplace if we’d needed that) and the large separate kitchen with a table and chairs for dining. The kitchen was fully equipped with a fridge/freezer, dishwasher and toaster. There was a washing machine too although we didn’t use that – anyone else pack way too many clothes?!
With the Trullo being air-conditioned, it was always the right temperature and the light in the kitchen when the doors were open was just fabulous. There were two that led outside – one that led to the outdoor dining and pool area, the other to the gardens and the most unforgettable views. Our favourite time of the day was watching the sunset, the warm glow would hit the Trullo before the sky turned orange and disappeared from view.
The private pool wasn’t heated so with it being late October, the water was too chilly to take a dip in – JD did brave it a couple of times albeit briefly. But it was a beautiful pool and I know in the summer months, we’d struggle to get POD out of it! The temperature was a more than pleasant 20 degrees so the pool area made the perfect spot to admire the views before heading indoors for dinner.
With it being in a rural location, there was plenty to see at Trullo Stella if you were quiet enough – butterflies and lizards were our favourites. There were some interesting looking cacti around although we couldn’t tell you which type. POD found a great climbing tree too.
There was another Trullo down the hill from us which was occupied for the latter part of our holiday – more than enough space between us to never hear a sound from them though. We also discovered a couple of
We managed to squeeze a lot into our week in Puglia and really enjoyed exploring the region. It’s different to other parts of Italy we’ve explored and truly is unique. If you’d like to see what we got up to while we were there, check out our Puglia highlights post which will give you a taste.
