Matera

Always accompanied by a cat or dog. We started our Inntravel holiday three nights after arriving in Puglia having stayed in an Air BnB trulli outside of Noci. Whilst there we explored Trulli country including Alberobello, which is very touristy but has some pretty views if you cross the main road into the less touristy area near the visitors centre. We also went on a recommended hike to the Bosco delle Pianelle. This was good but be aware that the toilets lock up for the day at 1pm. 

We weren’t great fans of the Masseria Panareo although their meals were out of this world. We were expecting a more immersive farm experience due to the hotel being on a working farm, but this is not utilised by the hotel. The view from the hotel is lovely and we really enjoyed the Inntravel walk along the coastline; it was spectacular. The restaurants in the village on this walk were all shut so luckily we had brought a picnic. We recommend packing extra food if like us you can’t seem to get your timing right with La Pausa.

Next we went to Lecce and stayed at the Palazzo Rollo. It’s a surreal experience staying in a Palace and we were in and amongst all the things a palace has. The rooftop garden is SO amazing! Eat your breakfast up there whenever possible and probably your dinners as well! The city is beautiful and there are things to look at everywhere. Driving in to the hotel nearly broke my husband but he did it with encouragement - the roads are very narrow and full of people. Staying right in Lecce town centre was great though as everything was just there. We had a hard time selecting restaurants and we found it to be pricey to eat over the course of the trip. It was hard not to compare the quality of food to the restaurant at Panareo and it made us wonder if it would have been easier to find good food if the dinners were included in the package, although we dont know how you’d do that as the hotel in Lecce did not provide dinner. 

On to Masseria Montenapoleone which was the most amazing place we have ever stayed. This was equally due to the service as staff were so friendly and kind, but also due to the environment as it was a proper working farm with so many cats and dogs that would cuddle up with us anytime they had the chance. The grounds are huge and we spent more than one day just exploring all the nooks and crannies always accompanied by a cat or dog. Make sure you take space in your luggage to bring home some of their olive oil - we most enjoyed the pink label. We tried to have an olive oil lesson but staff were so busy that this didn’t end up happening. It would be a great addition to the itinerary though. We really didn’t want to leave this hotel. Ever. They even put us in their Grotto des Anges to help us celebrate our honeymoon; staying in a proper cave room was such an amazing experience.

Matera was our next stop; the drive in was stressful for my husband due to the narrow roads but the driving instructions were really good. The hotel was nice but as we had just stayed at our dream hotel it was difficult to live up to Montenapoleone. However, Matera was fascinating, and we went to the Casa Noha to learn about the social justice history of the city which really added depth to our understanding of the hotel we stayed in. We did the self guided walk of Matera which was good. Again we struggled to decide on restaurants to eat at, the best one we found was just past the steps to the hotel and open all the time, which was unusual for restaurants in Italy. We had a delicious meal and I really enjoyed the pureed bean dish that is specific to the region. We had two nights in Matera which is spectacularly built out the side of a cliff face.