I know I am a little late with my blog on our Easter break, but hey! as they say, ‘better late than never’ 😊

As every year, April for us is a time for holiday with friends and this year was no different. This time around it was a trip to “Italy’s sun-bleached heel” –  Puglia.

If you are planning a trip to Italy, don’t discount the far south of Italy, Puglia (formerly known as ‘Apulia’) which has wonderful sandy beaches, vineyards, pretty villages, mild climate and a relaxed atmosphere. Well, for all you wine lovers, it is in the top 10 wine destinations of the world.  (https://www.arrivedercipuglia.com/NEWS/tabid/170/post/10-best-wine-travel-destinations-2013/language/en-GB/Default.aspx). No wonder! why I just loved the Wine there.

It was a perfect holiday destination, and we did manage to see a couple of picturesque towns including Lecce, Otranto, Monopoli, Ostuni, Gallipoli, Martina Franco but the one that stood out the most for me, was the Unesco World Heritage Site – Alberobello. It is recognized for its ancient stone houses with pointed roofs, constructed with limestone, called ‘Trulli’ (plural of Trullo).

Alberobello is a picturesque white village that looked straight out of a fairy tale. It’s unique and beautifully preserved houses which have changed into souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants were so pretty to look at especially with the conical roofs made of interlocking grey stones. Many of these houses also had white symbols of religious or spiritual significance painted onto their conical roofs.

We did a day trip to Alberobello, looked at the Trulli, climbed up and down the picturesque little narrow walking streets and enjoyed a relaxing meal in one of the restaurants at the Piazza del Popolo. As we walked through the little houses, we found shops for jewellery, souvenirs, and local food and handicrafts. Being a woman, they didn’t have to work hard to make me spend. My favourite buy was a little personalized Trulli souvenir which is a perfect memory of a memorable trip. The people were so lovely, they even led us to the rooftop of the shops to see amazing views of the Trulli.

Being a woman, one daunting task was to decide what to wear in a white background. So, we planned and decided on the most colourful dresses for the day, but ended up in ‘Black’.  Black and White, two simple colours were a great combination to get real drama and spark. Not just that, Black had a slimming effect- so the classic ‘Black and White’ was indeed a winner combination.

In the words of Leonardo da Vinci, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. This little village is a splendid example of ‘Simple is beautiful’. Well, if this doesn’t convince you- then all Bollywood lovers must see the video of ‘khuda jaane song’ from the movie Bachna Ae Haseeno which was shot at various locations in Italy including the trulli romantic Alberobello. I can assure you – you will just fall in love with it.

If you enjoyed this blog post, don’t forget to share it with your friends!

Now that Summer’s here, wishing you all Happy Travels…

Rads