francavilla fontana & pilone

Francavilla Fontana & Pilone - Thursday 9th of September - late summer in Puglia

Before noon we went to Francavilla Fontana.

In the afternoon we drove to the beach in Pilone and had a delicious lunch at Bosco Verde.
It was wonderfully quiet on the beach. Except for a few people strolling through the surf, we had the beach to ourselves and Arielle.

Around sunset we drove back to Ostuni and had an aperitif overlooking the sea and pink sky.

Finisce un'altra bella giornata.

PS 1: Tomorrow the very last day at Anima Puglia and Saturday morning we fly home early again.

PS 2: September is a great month to visit Puglia; the climate, slow tourism, uncrowded beaches, harvest month and super relaxed late summer atmosphere!

ostuni - la città bianca

Ostuni - Thursday 2nd of September - late summer in Puglia

Ostuni rises on a hill eight kilometers from the Adriatic coast and can be seen from a great distance.

Ostuni is nicknamed Città Bianca because of the white color of the city. The inhabitants of Ostuni have to paint their houses white every year (we were told), which gives the town a fairytale appearance from afar. Except for only a few buildings all houses are white and the cathedral at the highest point of Ostuni is brown-colored. From the city wall you have a magnificent view over the sloping land and the clear blue Adriatic Sea.

The city is surrounded by huge olive plantations with characteristic trulli with their conical roofs.

And however it's very charming inside the city walls with a maze of narrow streets (which somehow strongly reminded me of a medina), we preferred our walk around the city wall with marvelous views (and a lot less touristy).

september in puglia

Ostuni - Wednesday 1st of September - late summer in Puglia

A global report in 18 images of our first day in Puglia and acquaintance with Bed & Wellness Anima Puglia* in the middle of olive groves and the nearby village of Ceglie Messapica, one of the oldest villages in Puglia and known as the gastronomic heart of the region.

Our late summer holiday, in the rustic heel of Italy's boot, promised to be a wonderful destination right from the start.

*more on that later