she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track Laura has a passion for all three disciplines When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads UCI governance and performing data analysis you will then be prompted to enter your display name creative flair and a strong environmental philosophy From humble trattorias helmed by tradition to Michelin-starred restaurants that push boundaries while prioritising locality and seasonality Taverna del Porto, TricaseDown south, along the coast of Salento, lies the Taverna del Porto, which effortlessly exceeds expectations. There are no unnecessary frills; rustic repurposed tables and chairs and paper placemats complete the rustic, beach-style interiors the setting is nothing short of charming; during the day an unbeatable backdrop for savouring fresh seafood (be sure to book a table on the first-floor terrace for the best views) Taverna del Porto is one of the first restaurants in Puglia to completely embrace contemporary style dishes from the home-baked bread basket through to the final mouthful of dessert (the lemon meringue tart is always a winner) including la Pizzetta del Marinaio (a puff-pastry pizzetta with Octopus) and Pane Pomodoro e Alici di Mario (toasted bread with tomato and anchovy) the daily specials are great but the Gran Fritto is one of the best in the region Address: Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo, 121, 73039 Tricase Porto LEWebsite: tavernadelporto.com casareccio (home-style) restaurant located in the small town of Ceglie Messapica where Giuseppe and his team deliver an incredibly simple but authentic experience while the cuisine is no short of deliciousness come pouring out of the kitchen with a generous selection of antipasti such as meatballs (one of their signatures) all daily specials are scribbled up on the blackboard Favourites include the orecchiette with sugo di braciola (a slow-cooked meaty tomato sauce) and arrosto misto (a mixed grill of local meats) the stewed donkey offers a taste of Puglia’s rustic and historical culinary traditions end the evening with a shot of homemade liqueur Address: Via Malta, 12, 72013 Ceglie Messapica BRWebsite: osteriadagiuseppe.it Polignano a MarePerched on the limestone cliffs of Polignano a Mare this one-of-a-kind restaurant has entered a new era under the ownership of Modesto Scagliusi At the helm of the culinary experience is Apulian-born chef Martino Ruggieri who earned two Michelin stars in under two years for his Parisian restaurant The menu (or three tasting menus) celebrates the flavours of Puglia while injecting some international notes and sharp techniques Ingredients are sourced with meticulous care and from local producers The setting still remains as breathtaking as ever with elegant tables set in a cave carved into the cliffs that overlook the deep blue Tyrrhenian sea This dining experience truly deserves a place on your bucket list Address: Via Narciso, 59, 70044 Polignano a Mare BAWebsite: grottapalazzese.it Sophie KnightSophie KnightTrattoria delle Ruote Martina FrancaThis place has existed in a time warp for decades the menu is exactly the same as it was fifty years ago eating is a ritual not to be rushed; tables are limited and diners are encouraged to take as long as they need What makes this place special is the farmhouse setting it exists within; tables fit snugly into a small trulli decorated with ancient tools The food is rustic much like the surroundings; you’ll eat artisanal salumi and formaggi from local farmers that taste of the Pugliese land followed by perfectly dense orecchiette and buoyant balls of milky mozzarella even the herbal liquors that linger on the table alongside the modest cheque Address: Strada Monticello, 1, 74015 Martina Franca TA, ItalyWebsite: facebook.com don’t miss the carpaccio di cavallino at Pein Assutt order the orecchiette con salsiccia e fungi the region’s signature ear-shaped pasta with hand cut sausage sheep cooked with vegetables and wild herbs in a clay pot Ceglie MessapicaEzio Pietro Maria D'onghiaCibus Ceglie MessapicaLocated in the undulating alleys of Ceglie Messapica’s historic centre Cibus sits in an ancient 15th-century convent with stone walls and lime-painted arches The restaurant was brought to life by a husband and wife duo who consider food not only as a source of pleasure but as a way to understand the culture and history of a destination; every dish shows a dedication to exploring different pairing possibilities using the exceptional produce on offer Cibus has been practising hyper-locality long before the term “zero-mile produce” was coined Sit under the vines with a bottle of Primitivo and make your way through the antipasti and primi and finish with a very sticky almond cookie filled with jam known as biscotto cegliese — best paired with a glass of homemade dessert wine Address: Via Chianche di Scarano, 7, 72013 Ceglie Messapica BR, ItalyWebsite: ristorantecibus.it The outside of Il Cortiletto is the epitome of a traditional Italian restaurant with its bright green chain curtains complimenting the bold ‘trattoria’ sign above the entrance Step inside and make your way towards the internal courtyard where bunches of dried tomatoes and chili peppers hang from the walls while a tangy The restaurant is quaint: with whitewashed walls and simple wooden furnishings that create an inviting and rustic setting While this family-led eatery celebrates traditional Apulian flavours Il Cortiletto is also committed to locally sourced ingredients many of which come straight from the lands of the Itria Valley though timeless classics like Orecchiette al Ragù remain a comforting staple Desserts are always delicious and homemade and to be savoured with a glass of sweet wine Address: V. Lecce, 91, 72015 Speziale BRWebsite: trattoriailcortiletto.it Castellana GrotteIf you head to Castellana for the underground caverns make a stop at Osteria Caroseno for dinner The dining room is exactly what you might expect from a local eatery rustic wooden tables dressed with white linens and handmade ceramics flecked with colour in typical Pugliese style Chef and owner Giovanni Longo spent time travelling and working as a chef before settling back into the town he grew up in to realise his dream of opening a neighbourhood restaurant that is rooted in tradition but flirts with innovation Caroseno is very much a family affair and Nonna Rosetta still plays a part Address: Via Santomagno, 18, 70013 Castellana Grotte BA, ItalyWebsite: ilcaroseno.com Put your trust in Cante’s five-course tasting menu (sensibly priced at €65) which showcases the best ingredients available on the day and pair it with a bottle of locally produced white wine from their thoughtfully put-together cellar Address: Via Cenobio Basiliano, 23, 73028 Otranto LE, ItalyWebsite: laltrobaffo.com RuffanoLocated at the entrance to Ruffano surrounded by old palazzi this family-run restaurant is undergoing a gastronomical renaissance led by Valentina Rizzo Having worked in the kitchen alongside her mother from the age of 15 before cultivating her skills abroad bringing a new energy to the food offering the menu is firmly anchored to regional traditions punctuated with just the right amount of international influence Farmacia dei Sani is a modern iteration of the traditional family-run restaurant everyone wants from a trip to Italy and Valentina has carved out her place as an innovator while respecting the traditions that Pugliese cuisine was built upon Don’t miss the homemade pappardelle with rabbit broth and rosemary oil Before you dive into the wine list try the homemade liquors; their lip-licking negroni is made from direct maceration of botanicals Address: Piazza del Popolo, 14, 73049 Ruffano LE, ItalyWebsite: farmaciadeisani.eu Sophie KnightLe Zie Trattoria, LecceDubbed ‘The Florence of the South’, Lecce leans into tradition like no other region of Puglia Locals take pride in their home-style cooking using locally foraged ingredients and wear their allegiance to centuries-old recipes like a badge of honour Le Zie is what you might imagine eating in a nonna’s dining room to be like; the walls are filled with random paintings and photos of celebrities the floor is a mosaic of patterned tiles that must have seen decades' worth of patrons and the tables are covered with chequered tablecloths owner Anna Carmela Perrone and her all-female team roll thimbles of orecchiette every day her mother’s sun-dried tomatoes and her aunt’s olive oil go hungry and make your way through the menu of classics and don’t be surprised if you’re sandwiched between foodies from New York as well as locals Address: Via Colonnello Archimede Costadura FasanoWith a light to non-existent digital footprint Ristorante da Silve feels like a well-kept secret among those in the know With Silve on the floor and his mother Maria in the kitchen taking a seat at their table is like becoming an extension of the family for an evening The small but carefully considered menu is loyal to Fasano tradition while adding its own creative slant; think zucchini flowers and peppery rocket with burrata over cavatelli and gelato made with extra virgin olive oil and honey all rounded off with a chilled glass of Silve’s homemade digestivo made with chamomile and black pepper The restaurant interior adds to the feeling of dining with a family albeit one with a taste for nice interiors making Ristorante da Silve fit nicely into the design-conscious aesthetic Puglia is fast becoming known for The coastal towns of Puglia are all about seafood and where better to feast on the fruits of the sea than sitting at the edge of the Adriatic This no-frills joint is all about the food the plastic chairs wedged into rocks and paper table settings only add to its brilliance helping you to slide into summer-y oblivion Expect to join a queue during high season and spend half an hour watching trays piled high with spiny sea urchins being ferried from kitchen to table Order a bottle of local wine and everything crudo Address: Strada Provinciale TorreCanne - Savelletri 72015, Savelletri BR, ItalyWebsite: facebook.com No trip to Puglia is complete without visiting a no-nonsense rosticceria This classic Italian butcher shop specialises in bombette de cisternino – rolls of pork filled with local cheese – but just about everything is delicious Rosticceria Antico Borgo di Menga Piero has remained unchanged for years: diners still choose their meat at the butcher’s counter and take a seat in the rustic canteen-style restaurant while the meat is grilled in a wood-fired oven so skip lunch and be prepared to indulge your inner carnivore as this place is popular among locals and tourists; it’s the kind of place you visit once Address: Via Tarantini, 9, 72014 Cisternino BR, ItalyWebsite: rosticceria-lanticoborgo.it Masseria Moroseta, OstuniMasseria Moroseta represents the evolution of Puglia from a rural farming region to a design-conscious holiday hangout This farmhouse-turned-guest house sits against a backdrop of ancient olive trees on the outskirts of Ostuni The land was once occupied by three different families who lived and worked together producing olive oil and working the land; today the small six-bedroom masseria serves a similar purpose centred around connecting guests to the land through food and design It’s impossible to have a conversation about food in Puglia without Chef Giorgia Goggi’s name cropping up Her main intention is to showcase the incredible abundance of produce on offer using ingredients cultivated in the Moroseta gardens (with the help of fishermen and farmers where needed) The ever-changing menu is always served on large communal tables to encourage chat among guests and there’s plenty to talk about: Giorgia plates up six or seven courses using Italian traditions as a starting point before introducing culinary influences from further afield; highlights included handmade cappelletti with duck and kimchi filling and beetroot sorbet with whipped lemon ganache Arrive an hour before dinner to enjoy a glass of natural wine from the likes of Cantina Giardino while wandering around the organic gardens stay a couple of nights and indulge in Giorgia’s equally as delicious breakfast and delicious pastries made by a Michelin star chef Address: Contrada Lamacavallo, s/n, 72017 Ostuni BR, ItalyWebsite: masseriamoroseta.it Book a one o'clock table for lunch and watch the restaurant come to life stirring with a satisfying Italian hum and the clattering of empty plates You’ll be thankful for booking when you watch the waiter pacing the restaurant with a biblical-sized reservation book and a phone permanently cradled to his ear This is a destination for seafood: cornucopian plates of crudo under ice a bruschetta of scarlet prawns atop chicory and salty sun-dried tomato cream or pots of scorpion fish and seafood guazzetto There’s a smartness to the restaurant and a slickness to the service that allows you to sink into your chair and watch what’s happening around you smug with the knowledge that you’re probably the only non-Italian in the vicinity Address: Via Cristoforo Colombo, 10/11, 70043 Monopoli BA, ItalyWebsite: lalocandasulporto.it you’ll find a humble wooden kiosk surrounded by a few tables and chairs shaded under a canopy of trees You’ll also find Vito Dicecca and his partner Roberta a fourth-generation cheesemaker and the duo behind the cheese bar in the forest Vito will guide you through a menu entirely dedicated to what he knows best: cheese Favourite dishes included a creamy sphere of butter made from three different types of milk served with hunks of Pane di Altamura (which has DOP status) a tomato and olive focaccia finished with a twist of stracciatella bruschetta of blue goat cheese with pickled onion and capers and a blue pecorino aged in Primitivo grapes that looks more like a wedding cake than cheese Every dish is served with an anecdote that takes you back to Vito’s childhood in Altamura or tells of his travels across the globe to India Address: Foresta Mercadante, 70020 Cassano delle Murge BA, ItalyWebsite: vitodicecca.it sleek dining room in Lecce is the best place to experience the most exciting movements in Salento cuisine Chef Solaika Morocco – the region’s most revered upcoming chef – breathes new life into ancient recipes using the traditional flavours of her childhood as a starting point before intervening with intricate techniques and Solaika became the youngest Michelin-starred chef in Italy The ten-course tasting menu and wine pairing offer a strong sense of place a series of entrees each as tasty as the last Solaika’s signature Parmigiana which folds all the flavour of the cheese crust (everyone’s favourite) into a paper-thin veil of tomato then there’s the sweetbreads slicked with an orange glaze alongside raw shrimp Everything on the menu – including the wine – paints a picture of Salento while adding something fresh to the story and pushing Pugliese traditions into the future Primo is not the quaint nonna-helmed trattoria that many imagine when thinking of the South of Italy but to understand the region’s food properly you have to look to the future as well as the past Address: Via 47 Reggimento Fanteria, 7, 73100 Lecce LE, ItalyWebite: primorestaurant.it Andrea MaliziaLe StanzieIt’s difficult to put the magic of Le Stanzie into words It’s the kind of place that’s fit for folklore with row upon row of chillies hanging from the ceiling slow-burning fireplaces carved into stone walls and a labyrinth of dining rooms lit by candlelight The magic of Le Stanzie is so striking that everyone seems to talk in hushed voices so as to preserve the atmosphere – the occasional sound of a phone jolting you back to the 21st century After the fire next to your table has been lit and wine has been ordered what follows is a typical Masseria-style feast of vegetables cooked in clay pots followed by generous bowls of horse meat ragu Nearly everything that arrives on the table has been plucked from the farm surrounding the sixteenth-century farmhouse: its orchards Address: SP362 Km 32.900 Supersano - Cutrofiano, 73040 Supersano LE, ItalyWebsite: lestanzie.com Search for shows online and experience them offline Il Tacco di Bacco is a tool designed to enhance the quality of our lives A fulfilling existence is built on authentic connections which we believe can only arise in the real world This is why we’ve created a guide to help you navigate We provide the means; you discover the purpose Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights 01:00am ESTShareSaveThis article is more than 5 years old.A view of Krakow's Wawel Royal Castle (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Polish and Italian populations breath dangerously polluted air, a new report by the Swiss air monitoring platform IQAir shows. According to the research among the continent’s 100 worst cities for air quality IQAir collected data on toxic fine particulate (PM2.5 or particulates < 2.5µm whose diameters are less than 2.5 micrometers) whose deleterious health impacts are particularly serious as they can be drawn deep into the lungs and may cause and respiratory problems As for the World Health Organization’s guideline a maximum of 10 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter is considered acceptable “Air pollution continues to present varied challenges across different parts of Europe as only 36% of European cities with PM2.5 monitoring in place met the WHO’s annual target for PM2.5,” the report reads 2019’s PM2.5 levels were generally found to be highest in Eastern and Southern Europe with the cleanest cities and regions mostly found in Northern and Western Europe While PM2.5 emission sources vary considerably across the continent common sources include energy production and use IQAir ranking: Europe's most polluted cities Similar figures also appeared in flat industrialized areas such as the Po Valley “Making the invisible visible is the mantra repeated by environmental activists to increase the awareness in citizens and politicians on this tremendous silent killer,” said Laura Po, associate professor at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and the leader of the EU project TRAFAIR “For fighting air pollution in such risky areas for the protection of human health new tools are needed to help gather additional insights about local environmental conditions in the city to in-deep and extensively monitoring urban air quality to hypothesize and test new effective scenario that might fix the air pollution issue to go over the actual traffic limitation rules that have been shown to be inadequate in these contexts.” an air quality dashboard showing real-time measurements from low-cost air cubes in Modena (number 38 in Europe 9 in Italy) will provide measurements of four polluting gas in different areas within the city Over half of the air pollution in Poland comes from domestic boilers and furnaces, says Piotr Siergiej from Polish Smog Alert an organisation aiming to make Polish air clean and compliant with Polish and European air quality standards) “Each year about 4 million polish households equipped with old solid fuel furnaces burn 12 million tonnes of coal and an unknown amount of wood Replacing these furnaces with a clean source of heat is a significant challenge for polish society It is not easy for economical and social reasons but it is the only solution for heavily polluted polish towns and villages we can see a big shift in public opinion on clean air and growing understanding of the causes of air pollution.” “Polish government has created a legal framework and announced support of 103 billion zł for retrofitting houses and replacing heat sources anti-smog resolutions were adopted ordering the liquidation of the oldest boilers But the process of smog removal in Poland will be long and painful The government support program is completed in only 3% the process of liquidating old furnaces is going very slowly Society expects bigger financial support from local and national governments.” the director of Air Quality Monitoring Yann Boquillod told Forbes.com the use of coal power plants is one of the main drivers for air pollution especially in the winter heating season when the electricity demand surge and the weather conditions are creating temperature inversions,” Boquillod explained “Moving away from coal as a source of energy is the way forward for Poland and it will still take years for that transition to happen.” the air pollution comes from emissions of the industry and transport the weather conditions are very unfavorable due to temperature inversion that prevents the air pollution from dispersing in the higher layers of the atmosphere The biggest problem in Italy is the lack of awareness by citizens The Italian government is publishing little or no real-time air quality data therefore preventing access to actionable air quality information for citizens there will be limited demand for a change from Italian citizens.” IQAir also showed that air pollution continues to pose one of the biggest threats to human health with 90% of the global population breathing unsafe air It highlights that elevated air pollution levels are a result of climate change events while pollution gains from the rapid urbanization of cities in regions such as Southeast Asia Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker tiny fortified villages perched above the sea and noble palazzi punctuate the entire region of Puglia in Southern Italy. When artfully made over they are often converted into charming restaurants Whether located in the countryside or on the coast they all share the unique charm of this Italian region which looks out onto the deepest part of the Mediterranean sea.  Here are some tips to explore the region from the north to the south discovering some of the most fascinating places to eat in Puglia Borgo Egnazia in Savelletri (Brindisi) is one of the most famous and luxurious establishments particularly well known among American celebrities who come here on holidays to occupy the suites or the exclusive villas in the village and so is the restaurant managed by executive chef Domingo Schingaro and supervised by starred coach Andrea Ribaldone The Due Camini is the gourmet restaurant of Borgo Egnazia The menu was also renewed and now features dishes which give a gourmet twist to the great classics of local cuisine Every meal draws to a close at the "chef’s table" where the diners take a seat to enjoy their dessert and watch their personalized dessert being created before their eyes The Bar del Portico offers unprecedented experiences in the ambit of cocktails and mixology under the guidance of the Apulian-born beverage director Dario Gentile who came back to Puglia after an international experience acquired at the Otto e Mezzo Bombana The Apulian cooking classes are highly popular particularly the ones on how to make the typical “orecchiette” pasta Angelo Sabatelli Restaurant, in Putignano (Bari). Rome, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Mauritius are some of the locations chef Angelo Sabatelli worked in before returning to his own region The restaurant is housed in the fascinating historical palazzo Romanazzi an old stately home in the centre of Putignano Its highly appreciated gourmet menu goes under the name of “Verde ma non troppo” and presents dishes such as chard millefeuille farinella (barley and chickpea flour) and egg be sure not to miss the hazelnut Paris-Brest with intense chocolate sorbet Angelo Sabatelli continues to be one of Puglia’s most avant-garde starred chefs A female chef, Antonella Ricci, together with her companion Vinod Sookar has transformed a country house and a “trullo” into a gourmet destination. Al Fornello da Ricci stands on a hill of the Valley d’Itria at Ceglie Messapica (Brindisi) food is served on the veranda surrounded by greenery while winter-time visitors will be invited to take a seat around the large fireplace in the central room the star attractions are the stuffed zucchini flowers pancetta and toasted breadcrumbs or the tagliolini with a medley of raw vegetables Second courses include the traditionally mixed skewer of lamb Relais Sommità is located on the highest point of Ostuni (Brindisi), the magical white city, in a historic residence dating back to 1500. It is here that chef Andrea Cannalire reigns over the starred restaurant Il Cielo The restaurant is housed in a stone vaulted room but aperitifs are served in the Spanish garden where the cocktails mingle with the scents of citrus plants at dusk Andrea Cannalire’s cuisine melds ingredients from the land and sea. Don’t leave without tasting his spaghettone Benedetto Cavalieri with spring onion chilli pepper and tomato flavoured breadcrumbs Masseria Le Carrube this time we are up on the slopes of the Ostuni (Brindisi) hills ready to enjoy a full immersion in nature dominated by century-old olive trees This authentic experience consists in enjoying the olive grove and forgetting about the seashore even though it is actually no more than a few kilometres away The farmhouse is a building of stone and white lime occupied by a restaurant that is truly one of a kind specialized in vegetarian and vegan cuisine The style is country chic and the dishes prepared by Massimo Santoro put the accent on the vegetable garden the chef offers his guests a different gourmet menu featuring typical Apulian dishes reinterpreted in a vegetarian key Già sotto l’Arco in Carovigno (Brindisi) where Teresa Buongiorno has cultivated her passion for cooking ever since she was a young girl The starred restaurant occupies the first floor of an elegant 1700 Barocco-style palazzo Two of her dishes we would strongly recommend are fish-based: the tuna tartare marinated in tequila, smoked salt and blackcurrants, and the crisp red mullet with pistachios on a creamy bed of asparagus Those who are less fond of fish may prefer the Veal braised in Aleatico wine There is also an intriguing wine cellar with over 500 interesting labels Borgo Valle Rita lies in one of the lesser known areas of the region This country resort located in Alta Murgia at a crossing point between the Stones of Matera the Ionian coast and the trulli of the Itria Valley is an Apulian gem just waiting to be discovered the added value derives from the fact that the resort is surrounded by an organic farm belonging to the same owners which supplies chef Antonio Padula’s kitchen with its ingredients Borgo Valle Rita offers guests a delightful country life experience combining relaxation with outdoor activities Rather than the location, what makes this address so special are the emotions aroused by the cuisine of Bros’ continue to pursue their experimental cuisine Follow Fine Dining Lovers on Facebook If you were travelling through Italy during the spring of 2019 you might have passed the British food writer and broadcaster Sophie Grigson rearranging her packed Chrysler PT Cruiser in a layby on the autostrada near Bari. Perhaps you might have thought you should stop and offer help. Don’t worry, she was fine. “Some people see a middle-aged woman travelling alone and they feel sorry for her,” she says. “There’s no need. What you saw was me in the middle of completely changing my life.” Grigson has been writing books and presenting TV cookery shows since the 1980s and until 2019 was running a successful cookery school in Oxford. Things were trundling along, she says, but as she approached her 60th birthday something bothered her. Registered in England No. 894646. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Here's a slice of Sophie Grigson's adventuresEver dreamed of packing up your life and moving to Italy That's what food writer Sophie Grigson did Join her as she makes new friends and learns how to cook the way to way her neighbours do.Sophie Grigson on her balcony Credit: Finestripe Productions / Martin Willcocks A very Malaysian feast with Engku Putri Irna Mysara Mezze dips (whipped chilli feta dip & melitzanosalata) terraces and historic walls in Ceglie Messapica contemporary artists are showing their gaze on the places landscapes and cultural and anthropological heritage of the area with Nucré a contemporary art exhibition that opens to the public Aug We are in the town that gave birth to Emilio Notte (Ceglie Messapica one of the most important exponents of the Italian Futurist movement Notte in 1977 donated a part of his personal collection to his Ceglie Messapica particularly in the rooms of the Pinacoteca named after the artist which the public will finally be able to admire.The Nucré project bears the signature of Rita Urso and Arechi Invernizzi ( Artopiagallery Milan) and is divided into two exhibitions: the Castello Ducale - Pinacoteca Emilio Notte in Ceglie Messapica will be the venue for the group exhibition Frammento e ornamento in dialogue with the works of Emilio Notte curated by Roberto Lacarbonara; the Trullo Rubina will host the group exhibition Dove la terra incontra il cielo is a word made up of the dialectal terms “nu” + “cré” and represents a recurring vernacular formula of the area with which “a tomorrow” is generally indicated an allusion and suggestion used in the form of hope The term refers to one of the most famous poems by Pietro Gatti a Cegliese author among the most influential regional poets of the 20th century Closely related to the work Oggetti (1969) by Emilio Notte housed in the Castello Ducale - Pinacoteca Emilio Notte in Ceglie Messapica includes the works of contemporary Italian and international artists called upon to investigate the always partial understood as an element of a lost or indefinite unity Objects belongs to the series of “still lifes” and collages that Emilio Notte creates in the midst of a crisis of figure and composition: a laceration capable of privileging partiality over unity further accentuated by the use of zig-zag frames this canvas-along with the coeval Fragment and Composition-shows a debt to the beloved Braque and Cubism albeit with an awareness of gathering its fragments in light of new spatial needs The works of the artists in the exhibition thus define a hypothesis of discovery the unearthing of residual and discontinuous visual fragments “quasi-archaeological” presences that reactivate imaginative signs of great evocative power A suggestion that seems to be further strengthened by the memory of the precious iconographic and ornamental apparatuses that decorated the castle richly frescoed in the 15th century by the Sanseverino family traces of which are still visible on the walls of the adjacent “Pietro Gatti” Library The public will find on view works by Emanuele Becheri is proposed as a reflection on the relationship between the traditional agricultural vocation of the Trulli and the importance that observation and knowledge of nature have always characterized the work of the land are in fact linked to peasant origins as much in their architectural form as in a historical-anthropological sense - Trulli were originally built using materials obtained from the stripping of soil to make it more easily cultivable and were used to house farmers and animals the Trulli soar upward and often bear signs and symbols on the outside belonging to different cultures (Christian which refer to the knowledge of atmospheric regimes The relationship between earth and sky emerges spontaneously in the encounter with the territory and is observed both from the material point of view linked to cosmological and existential visions the artists involved invite us to observe the architecture that hosts them and the surrounding landscape in new relationships capable of activating new meanings and sensations The exhibition features works by Pamela Diamante As it was for my mother and father who in the 1960s moved from Ceglie Messapica to Milan and there transformed their lives in meeting and frequenting assiduously with the artists of the time But who returned every year in the summer to bring back to their places of origin the seeds of their own change and experience But these are also the places where the art of Emilio Notte originated the futurist artist to whom the Civic Art Gallery is dedicated and from whose confrontation the exhibition ”Fragment and Ornament" was born a collective that opens to the exchange between authors of different generations in dialogue with a work of the Cegliese master An initiative that we believe serves to bring attention back to the research of one of the greatest interpreters of 20th century Italian painting and videos of the exhibition Dove la terra incontra il cielo (Where the earth meets the sky ) dialogue spontaneously with the archetypal simplicity of the architecture of the trullo its primary form and its paradoxical grandeur made of poor stones gathered in the fields with the bright colors of the earth and plants and the intense blue of the sky," comments Rita Urso of Artopiagallery creator of Nucré together with Arechi Invernizzi Pictured: work by Fabio Roncato at Trullo Rubina The first men's grand tour of the season kicks of the cycling season Twenty-three teams will take part in the 108th edition of the Giro d’Italia set to start in Durres and finish in Rome All 18 UCI World Teams are automatically invited and will be joined by five UCI ProTeams: one of the two highest ranked UCI ProTeams in 2024 (Israel–Premier Tech) along with four teams selected by RCS Sport The three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race have two individual time trial stages and three stages longer than 200 kilometres A swathe of big names heading to Italy for the race including Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and UAE Team Emirates-XRG pairing Adam Yates and Juan Ayuso Other major names on the startlist include Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike) Stage 1 - 09 May | Durazzo – Tirana | 164km Broadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 2 - 10 May | Tirana – Tirana |13.7km Broadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 3 - 11 May | Valona – Valona | 160km Broadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 4 - 13 May | Alberobello (Pietramadre) – Lecce | 187kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 5 – 14 May | Ceglie Messapica – Matra | 145kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 6 – 15 May | Potenza – Napoli | 226kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 7 – 16 May | Castl di Sangro – Tagliacozzo | 168kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 8 – 17 May Giulianova – Castelraimondo | 197kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 9 – 18 May | Gubbio – Siena | 181kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 10 – 20 May | Lucca – Pisa | 28.6kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 11 – 21 May | Viareggio - Castelnovo ne' Monti | 185kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 12 – 22 May | Modena – Viadana | 172kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 13 – 23 May | Rovigo – Vicenza | 180kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 14 – May 24 | Treviso - Nova Gorica/Gorizia | 186kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 15 - 25 May | Fume Veneto – Asiago | 214kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 16 - 27 | Piazzola Sul Brenta - San Valentino | 199kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 17 - 28 May | San Michele all'Adige – Bormio | 154kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 18 – 29 May | Morbegno - Cesano Maderno | 144kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 19 – 30 May | Biella – Champoluc | 166kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa via Lattea | 203kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa Stage 21 – 1 June | Rome – Rome | 141kmBroadcast details: SS Variety 1 and SS Variety 1 Africa All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team however we may make commission on some products The new series has been a while in the making the director and I hatched the idea three-and-a-half years ago It’s based around life in the little town I live in in Puglia called Ceglie Messapica but there is something very seductive about it the little towns are gorgeous and the food is beautiful.  I first came to Puglia over 40 years ago when I was 19 and backpacking and interrailing around Europe I was at home going down an article spiral on my computer and I came across a piece about a little town in the north of Puglia where they were paying people to move there because they were having such a problem with the population I had this sudden moment of inspiration and it was as straightforward as that Two weeks later I was in that small town with my children but it wasn't the right place for me – but it did confirm that I was going to move I had local friends and knew the area well enough and in the north of Italy there were very high numbers of cases we were quite lucky as the number of cases was relatively low and didn't rocket in the same way the pandemic was like a normal lunchtime here where everything closes at 1pm and doesn’t open again until 4.30pm. If you go out in any town in this part of Italy at lunch it's like an alien ship has arrived and sucked out all humanity and there's nobody left – it was kind of like that all the time so I tested a lot of recipes and had few interruptions The only pain was that I couldn’t even do exercise classes at home as my flat’s above someone else’s and I got complaints I studied maths at university but it’s very useful for writing recipes – I can work out ingredient ratios very quickly so it seemed like a perfectly normal career to me growing up I fell into it really – it wasn't a deliberate choice Somebody who knew my mother said: “Would you like to write an article for us?” I think it was because I was the daughter of my mother That was that was how I started – luck Food was a big topic around the table and we were often going out to eat But it's a funny thing to be the child of a food writer – it’s not always plain sailing because you tend to go through cycles of only eating one type of thing I remember at one point my mother wrote this wonderful book on mushrooms and early on in the process she gave us a mushroom dish with one bad one in it but it didn’t taste very nice and put me off mushrooms for a long time But then we had a year of her testing a lot of mushroom dishes on us I was very lucky because we spent about three months every year in France – which is where my mother’s food writing career took off We’d visit the local food market once or twice a week and I encountered that whole French fascination with food there was a residual feeling that you didn't talk about the food you ate – it was a British thing everybody talked about food around the table My parents’ place was a cave built into a hill it was literally a hole in the rocks – this was in about 1963 – but it had great views and was part of a village of these cliff houses Trôo was an idyllic place for a child to spend time I had friends there and we’d end up playing all round – there weren't many cars so we could have the run of the hillside We spent two blocks of time there each year even though the kitchen which was located in the old fireplace was tiny My mother produced the most amazing meals using the most basic equipment – it was pretty much one step up from camping gear thinking ‘How did my mum do this?’ I miss it There are two dishes I remember learning to cook in France as a little girl One of them – curiously – is a British dish that my mum loved and I've included it in one of my books and it turns out the Italians love it as well It's made up of a pastry case with chopped candied peel and hazelnuts in it egg and sugar that’s poured over the top and baked – it's just divine That was a favourite of mum’s and become a long-time favourite of mine Another recipe she often used to make in the cave which I love – although it seems very rich these days – is pork with prunes in a cream sauce There are a lot of recipes that take me straight back to childhood – another my mother adored was a simple grilled pepper salad with capers and olives and whenever I make one I always think of her I don’t have a signature dish if I’m entertaining at home because I don't like to have favourites it’s dangerous to have a favourite dish because it would mean going back to all the same recipes rather than wanting to explore and discover new things there are certain dishes I go back to again and again and I have done for centuries: one is a spatchcock chicken because you get the really crispy skin; I do endless variations on the aforementioned pepper salads; and I love simple things like a grated carrot salad because it's so damn easy and people always adore it That for me is the perfect combination – something that isn’t too complex that people love and think was much more work than it really was There are some little bread and cheese fritters that I just love I made some in my kitchen once and took them down to this little bar on the corner It was nerve-racking taking Italian food to Italians rice and mussels on the half shell all together – they’re big on their carbs here it’s really good and is a crowd-pleaser when it comes sizzling out of the oven I also love to make a chocolate olive oil mousse – olive oil is such a big thing down here So often we lump all Italian food together Most of what we know is northern Italian food – and maybe a bit of Sicilian – but the rest of Italy produces great food as well It is Italian – you’ll recognise the pasta dishes – but it's done in a very particular way enjoy it and then maybe come down next year and enjoy the real thing but I think any collector gets to a magic number where even though you might buy more pairs you never go above that number because you always lose some Today I’m wearing a pair with a nutmeg grater on one side and a griddle pan on the other I don’t wear quite as many as I used to and they’re not so prominent – perhaps it’s part of getting older I’ve now got a whole new set of Puglian earrings – there’s a lot of cactus growing around here so I have some prickly pear ones and some with trullo houses on heat a 7.5-10cm depth of oil in a saucepan Sophie Grigson: Slice of Italy premieres at 9pm on Monday 3rd October on Food Network DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. 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Request a new password Contact us on: 01 564 7963 / 01 564 7964 Online queries digital@thegloss.ie Print queries letters@thegloss.ie Home | Lifestyle & Travel | Saturday is Market Day: Writer Sophie Grigson on Life in Puglia by by | Aug 14, 2022 | Lifestyle & Travel When food writer Sophie Grigson came across a story about a little town called Candela in the north of Puglia that was paying people to move there she decided she was going to move to the south of Italy her Oxford flat was empty and her car was so full she could barely squeeze herself in She dropped the keys through the letterbox and headed south … rammed full with pretty much everything I owned unpropitious with its potholes and twists and turns squiggling along the northern perimeter of the Gargano Peninsula to Vieste at its tip About a year earlier I’d had one of those light-bulb moments I’d just interviewed the author and restaurateur an account of a year lived in the backstreets of Venice learning to cook like the locals so I was trying to appear professional and thoughtful but was horribly distracted by two thoughts: (1) This man is so bloody gorgeous and charming and (2) I am so jealous – why haven’t I ever done something like this Vieste soon squashed any lingering doubts that I was doing the right thing Like so many of the beautiful white hill towns of Puglia and a greater or lesser number of tourist shops and restaurants with a meal in a restaurant picked at random where the chef/patron/brothers had a yen for molecular playfulness bracketed with the traditional in the form of tiny octopuses braised in tomato and red wine And later an epic firework display over the harbour It also happened to be the festa of the town’s patron saint Candela itself turned out to be a fetching little white hill village I discovered that the relocation money was long gone but by then I’d realised that it wasn’t the place for me somewhere I could earn a living with my minimal Italian the small town of Ceglie Messapica found me There are no particular tourist attractions but the town styles itself as a città gastronomica In practice this means that there are a lot of restaurants most of them good and a handful that are excellent There is also a professional cookery school for young chefs set around a frescoed courtyard in the very heart of the old town A stroke of luck leads me to a small sunlit house with stupidly steep stairs and pale ochre and ivory stone walls Though Puglian cooking is obviously Italian it has a beating heart that is all its own about all of 24 hours to begin to spot the differences Keep looking and they merge into a unique cuisine carved out of the land cavalcades of invaders and a joyful greed for good food scribbling in notebooks as I first travelled through Italy’s south You soon learn here that food is highly localised I asked for a “pasticciotto” (a divinely crumbly pastry filled with crème patissière) “They’re a speciality of Lecce (all of 40 miles away) We don’t make them here.” Actually you can get them all over the place (including the deep-freeze section of a local supermarket) Ten miles in the other direction is the town of Cisternino where so many of the town’s restaurants aren’t restaurants selling impeccably displayed raw meat to whoever wants it but the back rooms have opened and the butchery is transformed into a braceria or rosticceria buried overnight in the embers of a wood-fired oven horse or donkey in a lake of rich tomato sauce Some of that sauce is siphoned off to dress pasta the rest eaten with the now phenomenally tender meat Octopus cooked so slowly in its earthenware that it is as soft as butter When I first looked out from the heights of Candela’s main street the early June landscape was a patchwork of golden wheat stubble vines jacketed in plastic sheeting to protect against storms The foundation stones of every meal in this blessed Spaniards and Romans have all claimed it at one time or another) cured capocollo and chilli-seared soppressata salami crabs and mussels to strings of small ports with their bobbing fishing boats and early-morning harbour markets One of Candela’s home products is grano arso not the mistranslated “big bottom” that makes me giggle childishly Whole grains of wheat are roasted to within a millimetre of their lives then ground to a fine flour and used for pasta (particularly orecchiette) and bread Negroamaro and Primitivo grapes put flasks of wine on tables and in the increasing warmth of the sun the inhabitants of Turi turn out to celebrate the Sagra della Ciliegia Ferrovia juicy variety named for the train tracks that ran alongside the original granddaddy of a tree I knew when I arrived that Puglia was a region I want to get to know intimately reflecting through the prism of the food that’s put on the tables of locals and of tourists scribbling in notebooks as I first travelled through Italy’s south When I moved into my little house in June 2019 the words coronavirus and pandemic meant little to me or most of Ceglie Messapica’s inhabitants It seemed that I had arrived in a town that lived life to the full with events and celebrations of one sort or another every weekend and often midweek I tootled off on little trips to other parts of Puglia I sampled new foods and drinks and generally had a ball Autumn and winter were quieter but the restaurants were still full every weekend Then Covid-19 happened and the party ended as spring set in 2020’s first lockdown brought silent streets and muted the natural Italian exuberance that comes with warmer weather The exploratory excursions I had planned to the very south and the very north of Puglia were now impossible The cases of Covid-19 in the town remained low and food supplies were never an issue Much of what I write about in my new book is based on my experiences before Covid-19 but it also spans spring to autumn of 2020 It’s been a strange time to move to a new country and a strange time to be writing a book about food We have a new president in the White House and new vaccines to keep us safe the world will be finally trundling along the path to recovery and renewal New horizons and new hope are ahead of us all A Curious Absence of Chickens: New Horizons Sign up to our MAILING LIST now for a roundup of the latest fashion interiors and entertaining news from THE GLOSS MAGAZINE’s daily dispatches Former Ferrari sporting director and mananger of the legendary Lancia rally team Cesare Fiorio was hospitalised in a critical condition late last week after a cycling accident near his home town Fiorio was cycling in the countryside of Ceglie Messapica and is now hospitalized in critical condition at Perrino Hospital in Brindisi where he was admitted with injuries to his head and arms but it has been established that the 78 year old was found lying on the main road between Ostuni and Carovigno in Natalicchio district on the A passer-by at the scene found him on the ground unconscious and immediately called for an ambulance Fiorio is one of the most important figures of Italian motorsport having led the Lancia rally team to seven constructors’ titles in the World Rally Championship in addition to three titles won with Fiat as well as five drivers’ titles He also headed up Lancia’s world endurance campaign during the nineties winning the world championship with them on three occasions In 1989 he debuted as sporting director of Ferrari with the task of making the team competitive again after some disappointing seasons in the eighties During his tenure in charge of the team they scored 25 podiums and nine victories in 36 races coming close to the title in 1990 with Alain Prost he returned to Formula 1 as team manager of Ligier but he was released the following year when Tom Walkinshaw took over the team Durazzo (Durrës) – Tirana (Tiranë) Tirana (Tiranë) – Tirana (Tiranë) TUDOR ITT Valona (Vlorë) – Valona (Vlorë) Alberobello (Pietramadre) – Lecce Ceglie Messapica – Matera Potenza – Napoli Castel di Sangro – Tagliacozzo Giulianova – Castelraimondo Gubbio – Siena Lucca – Pisa TUDOR ITT Viareggio – Castelnovo ne' Monti Modena – Viadana (Oglio-Po) Rovigo – Vicenza Treviso – Nova Gorica/Gorizia Fiume Veneto – Asiago Piazzola sul Brenta – San Valentino (Brentonico) San Michele all'Adige (Fondazione Edmund Mach) – Bormio Morbegno – Cesano Maderno Biella – Champoluc Verrès – Sestrière (Vialattea) Roma – Roma Sign up for free to Fanzone to access tons of exclusive content medieval quarters and several hundred miles of coastline to enjoy not to mention the region’s star attraction: fantastic food Poor Puglia. For centuries rampaging armies used this heel of Italy as a convenient motorway en route to richer pickings further afield. Nowadays, tourists treat a large part of the region in much the same way – barely touching the ground at Brindisi or Bari before speeding south to newly trendy Salento, Puglia’s far southern tip (which we’ve covered in a separate guide). What they’re missing as they charge pell-mell for Lecce, Gallipoli et al is a profusion of medieval hilltop towns, olive groves, a coastline peppered with interesting towns, more olive groves, restaurant menus stuffed with local speciality dishes, two national parks, vineyards, yet more olive groves, and enough castelli, cattedrali and palazzi to keep even the most demanding of history buffs content. Oh, and Europe’s largest colony of pink flamingos. Read moreThe geography is fairly simple. The uplands are in the Gargano promontory in the north-east and the Alta Murgia national park in the west often pockmarked with small hills topped with a settlement of some sort There are several hundred miles of Adriatic coastline to the east wildlife-rich lakes in the north (Varano and Lesina) which are separated from the sea by low hills and sand dunes Since Puglia is basically the shape of an upturned hockey stick finding a way to see all this is an uncomplicated affair Hug the coast from Vieste in the north-east to Brindisi in the south before turning inland to take in the città bianche north to the mysterious hilltop Castel del Monte to experience one of its wonderful sunsets west to Foggia and then back into the Gargano to complete the loop take the train – the main line passes through Foggia before heading for the coast – to visit Trani The branch lines that crisscross the region are great for inexpensive day trips to places such as Altamura the local fish-based stew – but the port city is rather down at heel Broad thoroughfares of blanched stone flanked by tall palms brim with little shops and tempting places to eat The ancient settlement of Alberobello is so well preserved it’s been given Unesco World Heritage status Trulli scrumptious … Stone dwellings in Alberobello. Photograph: AlamyWhy Italians love Salento: great weather, beaches and party atmosphereRead moreAlmost as numerous as San Pio sightings are Puglia’s trulli these small beehive-like stone dwellings give the landscape the appearance of having been scattered with upturned ice-cream cones While most can be seen in the midst of plots of mature olive trees made square through decades of judicious pruning – the town of Alberobello boasts 1,400 trulli in a maze of narrow streets The ancient settlement is so well preserved it’s been given Unesco World Heritage status Just don’t mention hobbits – they’ve heard it before Alberobello is just one of Valle d’Itria’s string of città bianche or white towns each on their own little hilltop rising up from the plain and each staring out defiantly at the rest as if the days of petty fiefdoms were still with us Ostuni and Locorotondo are all worth a gander and are within easy striking distance of one another making a day’s medieval hilltop città tour pretty much obbligatorio if you’re in the neighbourhood are dwarfed by the northern stronghold of Foggia where ancient churches and palaces are so numerous it makes you wonder what the city’s inhabitants did beyond worshipping and living it up By the sea there’s a good mixture of wild coastline and more happening spots. Among the latter is Trani, a slow food city (do try a moscato di trani, the local dessert wine) whose pièce de résistance is a magnificent Swabian fortress and a Romanesque cathedral Polignano a Mare’s tiny cove. Photograph: Dixe Wills10 of the best country hotels in Italy with great foodRead moreHowever ask locals what their favourite seaside resort is and you’ll hear one name over and over again: Polignano a Mare Polignano has a compact medieval quarter that might have been designed expressly for lovers of indolent pre-prandial ambles The little town pushes itself right to the edge of limestone cliffs undercut by caves hewn by the ceaseless nibbling and gnawing of the Adriatic while its tiny and postcard-pretty beach could be a Cornish cove if it weren’t for the terrace of tall venerable buildings North up the coast is the Sentiero Airone nature reserve, home to those pink flamingos. The reserve is squeezed between the forest and peaks of the Gargano national park, which spreads over the eponymous northern peninsula, and the Alta Murgia national park are no fewer than 30,000 dinosaur footprints That’s not even the region’s most dramatic subterranean feature. Castellana Grotte (about 12 miles south-west from Polignano a Mare) is a two-mile-long labyrinth of passages and caverns – making a particularly welcome diversion on a hot summer day The Mint Cucina Fresca Polignano a MareThe region’s star attraction is the food Relatively impoverished though Puglia may be the Pugliese take their alimento very seriously indeed but there’s also a host of local specialities The inland town of Altamura produces bread prized all over Italy It’s baked in wooden ovens to a recipe unchanged since the Middle Ages with the u puène muedde loaf cheekily mimicking a priest’s hat Gioia del Colle is the place to go for mozzarella and burrata cheese; while in Murgia cardoncello mushrooms and lampascioni (wild onions) abound a traditional peasant dish consisting of a warm broad-bean pâté mixed with the local olive oil and served with bitter chicory Washed down with a carafe of an Apulian primitivo Rail tickets were supplied by Voyages-sncf, voyages-sncf.com Return fares from London to Brindisi start at £330 standard-class return per person using the overnight service from Paris to Milan and a direct service from Milan to Brindisi I’m talking to food writer Sophie Grigson on Zoom from her Puglian kitchen in Italy It is 27 degrees in both Oxford and Puglia although temperatures soared to 41′ in Ceglie Messapica last week packing her remaining possessions into her car and driving through France to Italy to find somewhere to live She blames restaurateur Russell Norman for her erratic decision having interviewed him about living in Venice for a year before launching his Polpo restaurants and cookbook and wondered why she couldn’t do the same And then Sophie read about a village in Southern Italy paying people to live there and that was that “It was the best decision I ever made,” she says even though when she arrived in said village Candela she realised it wasn’t for her “It was too remote and the money had long gone I couldn’t have made a living there,” she says Continuing on her journey Sophie chanced upon the small town of Ceglie Messapica in Puglia near the sea, fell in love with it and the small whitewashed house she found Ceglie Messapica cited itself as a gastronomic centre boasting a cookery school and lots of fabulous restaurants “The first thing everyone asks you is ‘what you are eating today’,” she laughs Sophie had finally found what she was looking for and set to work A year later she has produced new cookbook A Curious Absence of Chickens food and recipes from Puglia‘ a charming insight into her recent journey What is also evident throughout is how happy she is I love going down to the square every day to order a coffee and write I’ve made friends and I have no regrets whatsoever.” and while I love Oxford I’d been there for quite a long time “And while I didn’t know where I would settle Until then life had been governed by where I lived children… but suddenly I had this complete freedom to do something completely different “I feel like I’ve come back to life and for that I am eternally grateful Italy has reawakened my passion and given me my enthusiasm back I feel younger and happier than I have for a long time But of course what Sophie is really interested in is food and how to make it. She has over 20 cookbooks under her belt as well as several TV series. She also ran Sophie’s Cookery School in Oxford for years, living in the city since 2002, and is now setting up an Italian version Trulli Delicious instead. https://www.trullidelicious.com So what’s so different about Puglian cookery “Well it’s not a big pizza and pasta region It’s full of very vibrant flavours and colours “The food here is gutsier and a bit rough around the edges which I love “But then every region in Italy is so different even the towns and villages have their own specialities and while usually I’m a bit of a generalist and a terrible magpie these are all new recipes which is really exciting.” Her new cookbook A Curious Absence of Chickens reflects this – is a charming book full of recipes I spent last weekend cooking from it and every recipe was novel and popular and the habit has stuck meaning the locals don’t cook if often Sophie is improving her Italian and hopes to follow up A Curious Absence of Chickens with a sequel which I’m already looking forward to She also plans to explore the region further once Covid restrictions have lifted particularly further south which has more Arabic and Greek influences “I miss Oxford and my friends and I’d do anything for some Asian food – a Thai takeaway would be pretty amazing right now But other than that I’m very happy thank you.” A Curious Absence of Chickens is available at all good bookshops including Blackwell’s, Daunt Books and Amazon https://dauntbooks.co.uk/shop/books/a-curious-absence-of-chickens/ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Curious-Absence-Chickens-journal-recipes/dp/1472278860 Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time When you think of Puglia, you probably think of the trulli, olive trees and perhaps the white town Ostuni Ceglie Messapica may not be known as Het Witte Stadje 'the city of gastronomy' is a much better title The houses in Ceglie Messapica are just as white the sky is just as blue and the biggest difference is that it is all just a bit cozier a city is of course not simply given the title 'city of gastronomy.' But with no less than 90 (!) restaurants on a meager 16.000 inhabitants did you know that one of the best cooking schools (if not the best) in Italy is located in this small town an excellent cook and an ambiance that speaks to you and you'll have a smile on your face all evening is located on the piazza in Ceglie Messapica In summer they move all the tables from the inside to the outside and it's one big party In this Gastropub you can eat Pugliese dishes with a modern twist but it is all slightly more modern and western than the old orecchiette with cime di rape Both Pierangelo and Francesco are currently learning the English language and they invariably close with a 'when you want If that doesn't turn out to be a great night you will find the slightly hidden restaurant L'Antico Arco You may not be immediately convinced from the outside In the summer the old nonna sits in the restaurant de orecchiette and other fresh pastas In winter it is wonderful to relax next to the large fireplace two charming Italians ensure a pleasant evening out but also has a nice story to tell about what he makes and occasionally serves some plates at the table Order the antipasti here anyway and be surprised. If you still have room afterwards, it is good to know that everything in this restaurant is prepared on a wood oven. Tagliata, sirloin steaks but also the fish. Oh, and finish with the homemade Tiramisu!  if there is one pizzeria in Ceglie Messapica that should not be missing from this list The restaurant is located slightly outside the center This used to be an old olive factory and you can still see it from the inside Get ready for a grand venue with towering ceilings Such a large building could get very chilly the service is great and the menu is really something to write home about Although you can also order 'regular' restaurant dishes but the chairs are made of an ice-cold material I liked to put something on the seat against cold buttocks.  The other extreme of Pizzeria Garden is Pizzeria Fiscolo The pizzas are slightly thicker than 'normal' The combinations on some pizzas are surprising and super tasty but the traditional pizzas are also just good here He's already on almost every Puglia list and actually it's only double to mention him fritti & cucina they don't have a menu sit down and the waiter asks: 'vino bianco "Si!" She will be happy and you will be even happier because your table is now filled with more and more dishes and plates with goodies After the antipasti there will be more questions and choices the bottles of spirits are put on the table to top off the book again Grandpa Lino runs everything here and you can see him keeping a close eye on everything As I said: a phenomenon in Ceglie that you should not miss (especially in the summer because then it is even more fun than inside under the fluorescent lamps).  Note: do not assume charming Italian scenes with attentive The food is good and I mention the vino fritti because you have to experience it once but you have the antipasti part at (almost) all restaurants in Ceglie cherry jam and sometimes with a sugar and cocoa glaze are Ceglie's showpiece The most delicious cookies baking Gaspare and Maria Cristina from Caffè Centrale you also get a taste of their homemade liqueur Gioia Mia I warned you: once you get to the cookies starts Certainly among all the other goodies you will find here.  A contrast that makes you stand out: this super hip coffee bar just outside the center of the city The pastries sparkle at you and all look fantastic but what really takes the cake here are the pasticiotti Pugliese pastries filled with pastry cream Order it like the locals do at the bar with a caffè or sit down in the ultramodern area with a cappuccino on the side.  I can imagine it's not attractive (or maybe it is depending on your fantasies) to try the nuns' tits At Les Folies you can taste the tette delle monache as they were once conceived in Altamura (Northern Apulia) but want to play the chef at home after all those gastronomic experiences You will find that at Sapori di Vini – popularly: the wine tap Here you go with a pitcher of 3 or 5 liters - or you take it with you from there - and tap the appropriate wine for home The gentleman of the shop is very nice and let you taste everything he can mix it (!) with a slightly sweeter wine And if you pour it into a nice glass bottle or carafe it looks a lot better than from a plastic tank it is strongly recommended to pour it into glass Unless you drink 3 or 5 liters in one evening I can imagine that all those culinary influences on the market in the village and in the restaurants have made you want to stir the pots and pans yourself you may also want to learn something new to pass on at home Or just to imagine yourself among the locals in a class Med Cooking School often gives short courses or one-off workshops, especially in the summer, where you can sit down to learn the tricks of the trade. A different theme and dish every time. For more information, it is best to website keep an eye on or give us a call apuliaToastCeglie In 2016 Martine van Groenigen lived as an au pair with an Italian family for six months She learned all the tricks of the Italian kitchen and lost her heart there there hasn't been a day that she doesn't wonder 'what the weather would be like in De Laars.' On This is Italy she writes enthusiastically about her own experiences in Italy and her 'Italian Dream' that is getting closer and closer This is Italy is a web magazine by and for Italy lovers learn the Italian language with free and paid courses be inspired by Italian cuisine and culture Here you will also find everything about Italian regions the landscape of Italy and the famous Italian lakes Read more >> © 2009-2025 This is Italy is published by DYC media (by Francesco Matera) The Italian premier Giorgia Meloni he is still in Puglia for a period of rest before tackling important and very hot dossiers concerning the urgent measures to be put in place to combat the cost of living the new budget law and the crux of alliances at the next European elections are just some of the obstacles that undermine government action and the stability of the majority Shaky majority but still firm though Alloy e Forza Italy they didn't like Meloni's solo initiative on the issue of bank extra profits and on the aspirations to ally with Le Pen and Afd to run together in the next community consultations in order not to give in to the left as happened recently in Spain where the division of the centre-right liberal forces favored the left in the final victory in national politics The only sure thing is that the Italian premier will return to Rome as early as August 28 to prepare the CDM scheduled for the last Monday in August Interviewed by the Puglia newspaper Meloni said she wanted "spend a few days in Puglia to recharge your batteries in view of an autumn that will be very demanding and important for Italy" his sister and his brother-in-law (Minister Lollobrigida) the premier is spending the last few days of a very hot summer at the Masseria Benefit in Ceglie Messapica as reported in the interview "It is an extraordinary region An Italian pearl in which culture and history blend with the beauties of nature among centuries-old olive trees and breathtaking beaches Not to mention the food and wine excellences that tell of a culinary tradition to which one can only give in It is no coincidence that Puglia was also chosen as the location for the next Italian-led G7 (end of June 2024) It must be presented to the Chambers by 27 September Update note to Def must instead be sent to Europe by 15 October Draft budgetary plan a draft of the Maneuver complete with an estimate of the costs of the interventions to be implemented The bill bonus expires on 30 September and from the first calculations made by the Mef are missing from the appeal to keep the commitments made with the Italians Hence the surprise move to intervene on the extra profits of the banks which could lead to state coffers come on 3 to 10 billionaccording to some very rough estimates The new measure One-off it is provided for in the Asset Decree approved by the Council of Ministers and follows the model already tested by the Draghi government on energy companies the third tranche of 18,5 billion of the Pnnr already granted by Brussels should suffice Our prime minister will be in Greece on August 29 to visit Mitsotakis and then fly to the G20 in India on September 7 and to the UN general assembly in New York at the end of the month