We’ve swapped life in London for this rural idyll
Rustic Puglia is owned and run by Claire and Andy James. We moved to Italy in October 2008 to try and combine work with family life and our three young children, Rosie, Lucas and Syra.
We live on site in a home developed from the old summer kitchen, feeding stalls and farmstore. It has its own private entrance but we are on-hand to give guests any assistance you may require.
We have two dogs – Merry and Ember – who spend most of the day outside. All rural properties have dogs, they work as very effective doorbells! Ours are no exception and you’ll hear them bark to let us know when we have visitors. We also have three cats – Nibbles, Sizzles and Millie – who are very cheeky, a rabbit called Ginger, and chickens for freshly laid eggs.
Andy can mostly be found outside where he’s trying to tame the 5 acres of land into some kind of order and Claire is generally in the kitchen wondering what to do with the glut of whatever vegetable is in season! All of our produce is organic.
Ceglie Messapica is our nearest town and Cisternino, Martina Franca and Ostuni are close by. The towns are situated on top of a hill with beautiful views across the Itria Valley, with historic centres dating back centuries. All have wonderful old cobbled streets and fascinating architecture and, when all that wandering has worked up an appetite, there are plenty of restaurants so your exploring will be well rewarded with plenty of the local delicacies.
