Reviews
The Marshalls, May 2011
It has been a week now since we returned from our fortnight-long holiday at Rustic Puglia but we are still floating in a blissful holiday bubble. Claire and Andy have renovated their trulli to an extremely high standard, it is simply a beautiful building with its conical roof, creamy stone walls and glorious views over the Valle D’Itria. The small-holding itself is a toddler’s dream. Our two (Rosa, 3 and James, 2) spent hours happily exploring the wild flower meadow, befriending the two resident soppy dogs or wandering down to the chicken coop to collect freshly-laid warm eggs for their breakfast. As a suburban family, it was lovely to see them have the freedom to roam wherever they liked in total safety.
The surrounding area is a joy to discover. We spent several sun-soaked mornings enjoying coffee and pastries in the various squares of sleepy local hilltop towns (we visited in early May and I suspect everything springs to life in a few weeks time but we rather enjoyed having the place to ourselves). The trulli-scattered landscape of rolling olive groves peppered with wild flowers and tumbled down stone walls is like something out of a fairy tale. The coast is within easy reach and spectacular to visit but, to be honest, with the pool and such a lovely place to stay, we only ventured there a couple of times.
It is the warm and welcoming hospitality of hosts’ Claire and Andy that are the key to such a cracking holiday. Their home is also on the small holding site so they are on hand to answer any questions and provide invaluable local knowledge (a much needed trip to an emergency dentist in my case!). We were also encouraged to help ourselves to the delicious fresh produce grown there by Andy including lettuce, rocket and fresh herbs. Despite being close by, Claire and Andy successfully walk the fine line of being readily available whilst not intruding at all upon your holiday. For us, it was lovely to see our two wandering off with Claire and Andy’s children, playing for hours and getting up to mischief. Thanks to Rosie and Lucas, this is the first holiday, post-children, where I actually got to finish not just one book but – count ‘em – five!
Both my husband and I agree our two weeks at Claire and Andy’s trulli was the most relaxed we have been for ages. On one of our last nights, as we sat under the gazebo with its twinkling fairy lights, glass of wine in hand, listening to the breeze rustling through the olive trees we decided there and then that this was a little piece of undiscovered Italian paradise that we will definitely be returning to.
The Leonards, June 2010
We had such a lovely time at the Rustic Puglia trullo – the James family’s retreat in the rural Itria Valley is a perfect bolt-hole and we would gladly have extended our stay…
Let’s start with the practicalities. The accommodation is fantastic – stylish and thoughtfully restored. Comfortable beds, thick walls to keep us cool through the heat, a lovely terrace with a huge stone table and a kitchen with everything you need. And best of all, fruit and veg to pick just yards from the front door, not to mention freshly-laid eggs from the bottom of the garden.
If you can tear yourself away from the trullo itself, then there’s lots and lots to do. As we had a relatively short time, we decided to combine a spot of lounging with a wee bit of exploration of the locality by bike. The area is great cycling country – the roads are generally quiet with good surfaces, whilst local drivers are really respectful to cyclists. Don’t be surprised that you get beeped at – it’s just the driver behind warning you that they are going to give you a wide berth as they overtake. Claire and Andy organised the local bike hire before we arrived and the mountain bikes we got were perfectly adequate for our level of wandering, but if you wanted to hire proper touring bikes, that can also be arranged.
In between times, we focused on enjoying the peace and quiet of the trullo and visiting a few feeding stations. Puglia is renowned for its produce throughout Italy, and we can confirm that it’s all pretty tasty. As is the local wine, so we tasted a fair bit of that too…
The Procters, May 2009
We spent an incredible week at Rustic Puglia. If I could, I’d do it all over again right now. The Trulli is stunning – somehow manages to be cosy and elegant at the same time. I would sit and stare at the walls (in a non-crazy kind of way) of exposed stone, pad my way through the rooms on the cool tiles, or revel in trying out the facilities of both bathrooms. Claire and Andy have thought of everything and there are careful touches throughout… from the welcome pack of food for weary travellers, to the well equipped kitchen to the open access to a washing machine. We lived most of our life outdoors, shifting from beautiful marble table, to sun loungers, to gazebo when the sun became too fierce. Our 2 small children had become quite feral by the end of the week as they wandered freely, checking on the chickens and playing with the kittens and dogs. When we managed to drag ourselves away from the property itself, we hung out in the nearby white towns or headed for the sea. An amazing holiday and one we are hoping to repeat next year.
