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Taking up all of the heal of Italy’s boot, Puglia – or Apulia – is on a peninsula, blessed with the most coastline of any of Italy’s 18 distinct mainland regions. Its many coastal towns and villages each have something different to offer, from magnificent cliffs to little fishing harbours in quiet slumber.

Inland Puglia is just as diverse, with white-walled hill-top towns, grand baroque cities and curious villages made up of round cone-roofed trulli.

But it’s not just the region’s architecture and landscape that sets Puglia apart.

Part of Puglia’s wealth of variety is thanks to the cultures that have existed here over the years. The Greeks, Romans, Spanish, Turkish, Moorish, Saracens and even Berber pirates have all their had influence over the region’s nigh-on 3,000-year history.

Check out our video highlighting what we think are the most photogenic spots in Puglia:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

If you look at the range of food on offer in this beautiful part of Italy, you’ll notice even dishes are different from one town to the next. Here are 5 dishes from Puglia you must eat.

Being the bread basket (and olive grove) of Italy, Puglia produces the majority of the country’s pasta and over half its oil. So, simply from a food safari perspective, Puglia is worth exploring more.

Of course, finding somewhere lovely to stay as you visit each of these towns is a must, so make sure you take a look at these accommodation options throughout the region.

10 towns not to miss in Puglia, Italy

The beauty of Puglia is how easy it is to explore. Here are our tips on how to get around Puglia. But wherever you go in this part of Italy, you’re sure to fall for the charm of the region.

These are just some of the towns that have so much to offer. If we’ve missed any out that you think deserve a mention, please feel free to add them at the end of this story in the comments.

1. Bari

The region’s capital is a beautiful harbour city with plenty to see and do. Bari’s old town – Barivecchio – is a maze of medieval laneways, arches and piazzas.

Along the waterfront, you’ll find fishermen selling their catches at the market or sitting playing Scopa – a traditional card game that’s completely baffling to the outsider. The fish these men have caught is easy to find in many of the town’s restaurants, which means the food you’re eating is incredibly fresh and all the more delicious.

Here are a few places we found in Bari where the food was excellent.

Bari is a wonderful introduction to Puglia and well worth a day or two exploring. Here’s a list of the best places to stay in the city.

Keep an eye out for:

the nonnas sitting on the doorsteps making pasta. These charismatic old ladies have been a feature in Bari for years and have been making the typical Pugliese pasta shape ‘orecchiette’ by hand for even longer.

2. Monopoli

Our favourite town in Puglia, Monopoli is only a few stops on the train from Bari, but it’s about as far from a big city as you can get. This friendly little fishing village makes you feel at home almost immediately.

Surrounded by the fortified walls of Monopoli’s old town – Centro Storico – the little harbour is a great place to watch the local fishermen get their boats ready and catch baitfish with hand nets.

Further round, the town’s little sandy beach is a favourite for locals to come for a dip.

For food, there are plenty of options in Monopoli. Our favourites are:

Bar Malindi for an excellent (and cheap) negroni and even better (and cheaper) coffee, Ai Portici for sublime pizza and, best of all, Frescolatte in the new part of town for the best handmade gelato you’ll ever have.

Check out these stunning places to stay in Monopoli where you get the whole house or apartment to yourself!

Keep an eye out for:

incredible handmade ceramics from Terricottine de GiùInLab on Via Cavaliere. Owned and run by architects-cum-artists Anna and Gianni, the beautiful yet functional earthenware here is all based on Puglia.

From pots made with ricotta sieves to lampshades with anemone shells, the things this couple makes are beautiful and the perfect souvenir from the region. Here’s our take on GiùInLab.

3. Ostuni

Peering down at the Adriatic from its hilltop, the White City as it’s known stands out amongst the olive groves. Every year, Ostuni is whitewashed – every brick and step – so that it gleams in the sunlight.

Views out over the land from Ostuni are spectacular, but exploring the narrow streets of this lively town is just as impressive.

Keep an eye out for:

Ostuni’s beautiful gothic cathedral and also – in the Civic Museum – the skeleton of a Palaeolithic woman found here.

4. Martina Franca

This beautiful gothic and baroque town is a maze of pretty little streets and alleys so narrow you can barely fit between the buildings. Martina Franca is an inland town but what it lacks as far as sea views it makes up for with personality and charm.

The largest piazza in Martina Franca – Piazza Plebiscito – is home to the beautiful Basilica di San Martino. This rococo cathedral is iconic to Pugliese architecture and a monument to the town.

The piazza is also home to Ristorante Garibaldi, which serves up superb local fare and its al fresco tables look out into the piazza and the cathedral.

Keep an eye out for:

the intricate alleyways especially at the back of the cathedral. Some angle together and get narrower as you walk through until you almost have to squeeze between the buildings.

5. Cisternino

Known to be one of the most beautiful small towns in all of Italy, Cisternino is a tiny whitewashed inland village quite close to Martina Franca. Its little laneways all lead to a piazza that doubles as a dining spot for the surrounding restaurants and cafés.

Keep your eye out for:

the Monday street markets in Cisternino. They start in the piazza, offering tools and clothing, and run down to the edge of †he old town where food and produce is sold.

6. Lecce

The most populated part of the southern end of Puglia, Lecce feels much more like a modern town than the humble villages we’ve mentioned. Coming here after a week of exploring the rest of Puglia (Bari and Brindisi excluded) can give you a nosebleed. The pace of life is much quicker here, the buildings are taller and you get an impression that it’s very much up to date.

However, Lecce itself is still quite old. In fact, a lot of the town pre-dates cities like Florence by a couple of hundred years.

Famous for its baroque architecture, Lecce is a pleasure to explore. Palaces and castles, high, rococo walls and ornate archways, gardens, wide streets, narrow lanes and enclosed piazzas, Lecce is a beautiful city.

For food and drink, you’re spoilt for choice here. Bars and cafés line the streets with plenty of al fresco options. Our favourite bar is Saloon Keeper 1933 – a cosy speakeasy style cocktail bar full of the suave of the 1930s. The bar opens out onto a little piazza for the Church of St Nicolas the Greek. The martinis here are off the charts, just saying.

Keep an eye out for:

the ‘after-dinner stroll’. Known as passeggiata, Italians love a walk as the sun goes down. Make sure you’re in town for this. Everyone comes out and walks around the city all night long, occasionally to stop for a drink or a snack. Most of the roads become pedestrianised after dark and the city has a wonderful feel to it.

Also look out for performances in the Ancient Roman amphitheatre in the middle of town. Such a cool venue.

7. Gallipoli

Named by the Ancient Greeks to mean ‘beautiful city’, Gallipoli is certainly that. Joined to the mainland by a single bridge, the old town is absolutely stunning. The outer road that rings the island is the only part cars are allowed in. All the other roads are too small – though you might find the occasional moped zip past you.

Views out over the Ionian Sea are divine – even at night. And the beach on the western side is very welcoming. Away from the water, the ancient city reveals its secrets through the little laneways of this walled island town. It’s easy to imagine the history that has come through this town.

Keep an eye out for:

the old men making fishing baskets out on the street or from the recesses of their workshops. Don’t be afraid of them – even the most grizzled looking. A smile and a wave will almost certainly start an interesting experience for you!

If you’re feeling nervous, have a drink at La Spingula – a wine bar with seats overlooking the water. There’s a basket workshop across the road you can see into. The guys in there are great. We ended up having a beer and watching the football with them!

8. Alberobello

One of the most recognisable things about Puglia is its trulli. These funny-looking cone-topped whitewashed buildings are all over the region. However, the greatest concentration of them is in the town of Alberobello, inland from Monopoli.

Now a UNESCO Heritage site, the historic part of this town is almost exclusively made up of trulli. Originally built by locals to avoid housing taxes (trulli were considered temporary shelters for shepherds and farmers), they’re now home to locals, shops, restaurants and even hotels.

Alberobello is a bit of a tourist trap though, so consider getting here as early as possible so you miss the crowds that tend to spoil the vibe.

Keep an eye out for:

somewhere to stay. Overnight in a trullo is a lot of fun. The trulli hotels in Alberobello are expensive and possibly not that great. However, Le Dieci Porte – a little way out of town – is perfect. Rebuilt from a ruined trulli village by local couple Stella and Christophe into this wonderful B&B, Le Dieci Porte is a great option.

Here’s our full review on our stay here.

9. Polignano a Mare

Famous for being a Redbull Cliff Dive venue, Polignano a Mare, only a couple of stops from Bari on the train, is also home to one of the most picturesque beaches on the Pugliese coast. Squished between the walls and cliffs of the old town and the death-defying reaches of the cliff dive site on the other, this receded bay and its pebbly beach is nothing short of eye-popping.

The bridge crossing the gardens behind the beach makes for a great view of the shores down below, while a climb up to the town then looking back at the beach gives you incredible views.

Compared to Monopoli – just one train stop on from Polignano – we found the town here to be a little soulless. But the beach and the views down to it are unrivalled. And from the beach, you can swim out to the caves under the town-side cliffs.

Keep an eye out for:

Trattoria Casa Mia a couple of streets back from the old town and the main drag. The prices here are cheaper, the service is more honest and the food is excellent. Get the octopus. It’s remarkable.

10. Otranto

Climbing high above the coast, close to the most easterly point of Italy, the fortified town of Otranto is a must-visit. The Aragonese battlements and castle were here to stop pirates in the 15th Century.

These days, 50 metres above the water, the towers make incredible viewing platforms down to the sparkling water below.

Further into the old town, the steep streets and narrow passageways make excellent exploring. At times it feels like you’ve been transported back to 1200s when parts of this beautiful town came up.

Keep an eye out for:

the lakes and beach club a little way north. The two lakes that make up Laghi Alimini are beautiful and worth the drive. On the coast, the beaches here are a lot of fun and full of life. They’re mostly private beach clubs like a lot of popular European beaches, but there are public areas too.

Other parts of Puglia you should see

Grotta della Poesia

Much like the cenotes of Mexico, this water-filled sinkhole in the limestone is absolutely stunning and the locals love it. Jumping off the lip of this horizontal cave into the crystal water below looks a lot of fun and makes for awesome action photos.

At the shoreline, the cliffs into the sea are higher and attract the more daring cliff-jumpers.

Il Ciolo

The next level up from Grotta della Poesia in cliff-diving terms, Il Ciolo is an inlet surrounded by high cliffs that [crazy] people jump from into the water.

If you wait for a little while, you’ll see plenty of daredevils jumping from the rocks lower down, but occasionally someone will climb up almost level with the bridge that crosses the ravine to leap into the sea below.

Torre Vado and Santa Maria di Leuca

Down on the southern tip of the Pugliese peninsula, the town of Santa Maria di Leuca is worth a visit if nothing more than the coastal drive to it and to say you’ve been to the most southerly point of the Salento. The lookout itself is somewhat uninspiring and surprisingly under-exploited.

Further west of Santa Maria though is the harbour village of Torre Vado. Named after its historic (and somewhat squat) crenelated tower fortification, Torre Vado is a welcoming, peaceful town. Friendly locals and discerning travellers enjoy a life on the lapping waters of the Ionian Sea.

For a superb pizza, make sure you go to Ristorante Antici Sapori. This little local gem is incredibly friendly and well worth turning up hungry for.

Have you been to Puglia? Do you have a favourite town in this list or perhaps one we’ve missed off? Tell us in the comments!

The post 10 towns not to miss in Puglia, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Puglia is a place of elegant baroque white-walled cities and enchanting fishing villages. It’s a place of sweeping landscapes, ancient olive groves and towering clifftops above sparkling blue seas.

But these tantalising sights aren’t the only factors that makes Puglia a traveller’s paradise. This region, which covers the entire stiletto heal of Italy’s boot, is surprisingly easy to get to and to explore.

From airport hubs and popular ferry routes to well-maintained roads and a good rail network, this quiet corner of the country has so many options for inquisitive travellers. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it is that Puglia has only recently become in vogue with the travel community, and a place everyone wants to visit now.

The question is, what’s the best way to see Puglia? Here are our tips for reaching Puglia, where to go and how to get around.

How to travel around Puglia, Italy

Reaching Puglia

With its two major airport hubs of Bari and Brindisi, Puglia is so easy to get to from anywhere in Europe. And I mean anywhere. We even found direct flights between Stockholm and Bari, which is pretty much the furthest route in Europe you can find.

It is possible to reach Puglia by land, but only if you’re already in Italy. Puglia is close to other southern regions in Italy, but even from Rome, you’re better off catching a quick domestic flight to Bari or Brindisi.

Because Italy sticks out into the Mediterranean and, more specifically, Puglia pokes into the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, it’s possible to arrive by boat. Ferries from Brindisi go to and from ports in Greece, Croatia, Albania and Montenegro regularly.

Trains

From Bari, travelling down the east coast of the region is easy and well worth it. Three stops south of Bari is the stunning town of Polignano a Maré. Famous for its Redbull Cliff Dive venue, the coast and pebbly beach of this town are remarkable.

One stop on from Polignano is our favourite town in Puglia – perhaps in Italy – is Monopoli. It’s a peaceful, beautiful fishing village with a little marina and sandy beach. This little seaside town really wears its heart on its sleeve and makes it hard to leave.

Past Monopoli, the train lines run down to Brindisi and all over the region. But after Brindisi (about an hour from Bari) regional trains take over. These trains are still punctual, but are less frequent.

From Brindisi, trains leave the coast and go inland. If you want to see the coast at the southern end and on the west of the peninsula, you’ll need other transport.

Is it worth hiring a car in Puglia?

There are three factors you have to consider with hiring a car in Puglia: How long are you there? What do you want to see? Are you confident behind the wheel?

If you’re only in the region for a few days to a week, you can probably get by with the trains and perhaps a bus trip out to some of the other towns in the countryside. It would be very easy to spend a week just in Monopoli.

If you’re here for more than a week or if you’re like us and you have trouble staying still, hiring a car will open up the region for you.

Of course, having a car means you can see a lot more of a place. You have your own timetable and itinerary. Exploring the furthest tip of the peninsula requires a car. Some of the beaches and cliffs down there are stunning.

Also, the eastern side of Puglia has spectacular towns like Gallipoli and Taranto, as well as the hundreds of little villages you’ll find along the way. A car is essential for reaching these parts of the region.

To be honest, driving in Puglia, compared to a lot of the other southern parts of Italy like Naples, is (relatively) easy. As long as you’re confident driving a left-hand drive manual car on the right-hand side of the road, you’ll be fine. Roads in Puglia are generally well-maintained, and the drivers are (reasonably) forgiving.

For more tips on hiring a car in Italy, check out our post here.

Trulli and how to get to Alberobello

Arguably the most iconic feature of Puglia is its trulli. These strange looking conically-roofed whitewashed buildings are scattered across the Pugliese countryside, but are most heavily concentrated in the town of Alberobello.

In fact, the whole of the hilly town centre of Alberobello, now a UNESCO Heritage site, is made up of these odd, round buildings. Many trulli are locals’ homes and some are shops. Some are even restaurants you can have dinner in.

Alberobello has its own train station, so it’s possible to visit this fascinating (yet hectically over-touristy) town with public transport. There are also coach tours to Alberobello, which fill the streets with hordes of people, seemingly all at the same time.

Having a car to visit this site is the best option in our opinion. It means you can arrive early (before lunch) to beat the coaches and the majority of the day’s visitors. Because surrounding area is full of trulli, scattered in fields and sitting by the side of the road, you’ll see lots of them as you drive to Alberobello.

But if you want to experience the trulli properly, you can spend the night in a trullo. There are trulli hotels in Alberobello, but our favourite, a bit out of town, is called Le Dieci Porti. The owners, who are local to Puglia, run this little hotel/village of trulli as a superb B&B.

You can read our full review of Le Dieci Porti here.

Is it worth travelling a lot in Puglia?

When we arrived in Puglia, we had planned on spending just a couple of days in one town then move on to Naples, perhaps down to Calabria or maybe back up to Tuscany. Instead, we re-jigged our schedule so we could spend about two weeks exploring Puglia.

After a couple of nights in Bari, we went to Monopoli, which – as I mentioned – we completely fell in love with. From Monopoli, we hired a car and drove throughout the region, visiting as many towns as we could.

There were two things that really struck us as we travelled through Puglia. Firstly, the diversity of region; from tiny towns like Monopoli to grand, baroque cities like Lecce, from stunning beaches to secluded olive groves, and from ancient history to true modernity, it’s all here.

Secondly, we were taken by how accessible all of these things are. You don’t have to dip your toe in very far to get a feel for the water in Puglia. And it’s always warm and friendly.

Depending on your time allowances and whether you enjoy spending most of your holiday on the road, travelling throughout Puglia is absolutely worth a lot of exploring.

Mind you, the next time we go there, chances are we’ll just stay in Monopoli!

The post How to travel around Puglia, Italy – trains, planes and automobiles appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

It’s not often you find a place – especially in Europe – that has so much to offer travellers and yet is almost completely untouched by tourism. But that’s pretty much what we found in Puglia.

We weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived there. In fact we’d only planned to stay in the region for a few days then leave to explore further west or north. As it was, we extended our trip and tried to see as much of this beautiful part of Italy as possible.

As with many great travel destinations, Puglia doesn’t just have the one feature that made us fall in love with it. Here are 11 reasons why everyone wants to visit Puglia – and why we can’t wait to go back.

11 reasons why everyone wants to visit Puglia, Italy

1. The people

Southern Europe has a reputation for its friendly locals and Puglia is no exception. Everyone seems to have a bit more time to say hello here.

Even if you don’t know any Italian, a ‘ciao’ and a smile will always go down well.

If you want to work on your street photography, this is definitely a good place to start. Pretty much everyone is ok with having their photo taken – in fact the more senior gentlemen hanging out with their friends will insist!

2. The food

It wouldn’t be a travel list of Italy without including food, would it? But in Puglia, food plays an even more important role than a lot of other Italian regions.

It’s all so fresh

Puglia is famous for its apricots. You’ve got to try them; you’ll find them in every greengrocer and every market here. And they’re cheap!

This region is also famous for its olives. You don’t have to go very far to find hillsides covered with olive groves.

Being a peninsular touching 4 different seas, Puglia’s fresh seafood is incredible. Every coastal town has a fishing port where you’ll find fishermen tenderising octopus by thrashing them with wooden paddles.

It’s all part of daily life

Almost everywhere you go in Puglia – but especially in the region’s capital Bari – you’ll find orecchiette. This pasta shape, which translates as ‘little ears’, originates from Puglia.

When you explore Bari, you’ll come across ladies working on bit tables outside their houses making this pasta. Everyone eats it and everyone loves it.

As for the octopus I mentioned earlier, you’ll find it on pretty much every restaurant menu. Order it; it’ll change your life.

3. The history and cultural influences

From the shores of southeastern Puglia you can easily see the Albanian coastline. And not much further south is the Greek mainland.

The town of Leuca on the southernmost tip of Puglia – is closer to the capital of Greece than it is to Rome.

It stands to reason then that a lot of Puglia’s culture, history and even place names come heavily influenced from its neighbours.

Pugliese cities like Monopoli and Gallipoli show Greek influence in their names – ‘poli’ being Greek for ‘town’. Gallipoli may have been ‘Kali poli’ once – ‘kali’ meaning beautiful, which Gallipoli certainly is.

Historically, Puglia has a lot more on the clock that you might think. Towns like Lecce predate more prominent cities like Florence, and it seems that everyone from southwestern Europe has lived in Puglia at some stage. Even the Spartans are said to have done a stint here.

Walking amongst the baroque walls and cobbles of whitewashed towns of Puglia feels like your dipping your toe into a silent millpond of history.

4. The beaches and the views

Located on one of the biggest peninsulas in the world – the heel of Italy – Puglia lays claim to over 800km of the country’s coast.

This coastline varies from quiet sandy beaches to craggy cliff tops and rocky promontories. This range gives you the luxury to experience the luxuriant and the dramatic almost in the same place.

Puglia is also home to one of the world’s great cliff-diving venues. Towns like Polignano a Mare often host these heart-in-mouth events, but all the way round the Puglia coast you’ll find thrill-seeking locals hurling themselves from heights into the deep blue.

5. The climate

It can get hot in Puglia. No doubt about that. But being a peninsular, there aren’t many places here that are far from the sea or its breeze.

In fact, locals often talk about The Four Winds – the warm but capricious southern Sirocco, the cool northern Tramontana, the westerly Ponente and the easterly Levante. Depending on which is blowing, locals will know which beach to go to and how people will be feeling.

It gives meat to the mantra “va dove ti porta il vento” – go where the wind takes you – and the locals live by it.

More about the four winds here.

6. The road less travelled

Probably our favourite thing about Puglia is how relatively untouched it is. Apart from the big tourist attraction of Alberobello – the town of the trulli – you rarely see the dreaded coach-loads of mass tourism.

Locals here have been left to their own devices, which means that careful, considerate visitors like you and I are able to experience a region of Italy that’s still quite new to foreign interest.

I dislike the expression ‘off the beaten track’, but it does apply here. Long may it remain untrampled.

7. The ‘real’ Italy

Following on from the previous point, Puglia has retained its traditions and culture better than many parts of the world. When you spot a street parade here full of the pomp and finery of yesteryear, you know it’s because that’s what’s been happening here for centuries. It’s not a tourist hook.

The ladies making their orecchiette on the street love the attention from passing holidaymakers, but the nonnas would still be doing it if they weren’t aiming their cameras at them.

There aren’t many travel destinations where real life is not only so accessible but also so interesting. From the fishermen playing Scopa on the wharves to the nuns hopping in a friend’s car to go to the next messa, you’ll see it all – but not because they want you to. They’re just doing it.

8. The ease of arriving

In spite of seeming quite isolated from the rest of mainland Italy – and a place where few tourists end up – Puglia is incredibly easy to get to. Flights from London leave all the time and aren’t expensive.

Flying in from other European countries and even other Italian cities – is easy too.

Most flights to Puglia land in Bari, but look out for ones going to Brindisi too. In fact, we found a flight from Brindisi to Stockholm last time we were there. What a random flight path to maintain.

9. The simplicity of getting around

You’ve really got 2 options for getting around Puglia: the national train service TrenItalia is awesome and will take you from Bari to pretty much every major town in the region.

If you’re in Puglia for less than a week or if you’re not confident driving, we’d definitely recommend using the train service.

If you’re in Puglia for longer, want to see more remote parts of the region and are confident behind the wheel, hire a car. We hired from Europcar in Monopoli and dropped it off at Brindisi Airport.

Here are some more tips on driving in Puglia.

10. The road trip option

Driving in Puglia is actually awesome. I was a bit nervous initially, but it’s way easier driving there than in the Cinque Terre or in Naples.

Roads are in good condition, signage is reasonably clear and there aren’t that many cars on the road considering the population of Puglia.

We spent around 2 weeks in Puglia and visited a lot of it. Check out our post and video on where to take the best photos in Puglia. It details many of the places we explored.

11. The affordability

Perhaps because tourism proper hasn’t really reached Puglia yet, it’s not too expensive for bed and board there. Or perhaps it’s because of a lower cost of living in the region.

Looking for restaurants that don’t have English menus in plain sight or specials boards in English will help you navigate to the better local food spots – and if you’re looking for recommendations for food in Bari, check out this post.

For accommodation, we found AirBnB to come up with the goods throughout the region, and it was cheaper than any of the places we’ve stayed in other parts of Puglia. But if you want to stay in one of the trulli, check this place out.

Downsides to Puglia

Before you book flights though, I thought I should do some due diligence and give you a quick rundown of the negatives to Puglia. Don’t worry, I couldn’t think of many!

– Not many people speak English – you’ll still get by with a bit of broken Italian and gestures, but just so you know.

– It’s quite quiet there – don’t go expecting bustling nightclubs and thronging streets. It’s much more laid back in Puglia.

– Not many formal attractions in the tourist sense – don’t go expecting to find a Disneyland here. Apart from Alberobello and its trulli, the things to see aren’t obvious. However, Puglia does have 3 of Italy’s 53 UNESCO sites.

We hope you enjoy your time in Puglia as much as we did. It’s a beautiful part of the country – and as you can see there are plenty of reasons why everyone’s talking about it.

You’d better get there quick before everyone stops talking and starts going there.

The post 11 reasons why everyone wants to visit Puglia, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Of all the places we’ve been to, Italy has caused more ‘oh wows’ and ‘I wasn’t expecting thats’. Perhaps it’s because even the tiniest alleys and out-of-the-way piazzas are sometimes hiding the best stuff.

Or perhaps it’s thanks to the Italian version of function vs form, which is more of a collaboration than a competition.

Everything from the Coliseum to a well-made pizza conforms to the Italian mindset that for something to work, it also has to look good. And vice versa.

Italian designer and graphic designer Bruno Munari puts this concept more eloquently than my shoddy comparison:

There should be no such thing as art divorced from life; with beautiful things to look at and hideous things to use.

And you want to know the best part?

This idea that beauty and functionality can co-exist is true! What we discovered in the little fishing town of Monopoli on Italy’s Adriatic coast is a living example of Munari’s clever words.

It also makes for one of the most authentic, genuine souvenirs you could find in somewhere like Puglia.

A word on Puglia and Monopoli

But if you’ve been to Puglia or just want to get straight to my point, click here.

Taking up the whole of the heel of Italy’s boot-shaped borders, the region of Puglia in the southeast is one of the world’s largest peninsulas (the 13th largest in fact), edging onto 4 different seas.

The region’s huge coastline, coupled with its proximity to Greece and Albania, means there are lots of influences on the culture, customs and language of the area.

Puglia (pronounced “pooleeya”) feels quite isolated from the rest of the country, though it’s only a 1-hour flight from Rome and only a 2.5-hour drive to Naples.

Most non-Italians have never heard if it, which makes Puglia the perfect destination for travellers who love Italy but want a ‘real’ Italian experience away from mass tourism.

Monopoli is a little fishing town just south of Bari, the region’s capital. We fell in love with this town more than we did the other places we visited in the region.

From its harbour and little city beach to the thriving piazza and typical narrow flagstone streets, Monopoli always looks the part. There’s a wealth of restaurants, bars, cafés and enotecas here too, so you’ll never go hungry or thirsty.

And best of all, the Italian culture of surprising and delighting its visitors with fascinating finds behind every wall is going strong in Monopoli – as we discovered one afternoon on our way home…

Search for flights to Puglia, Italy here.

Giú in Lab = form + function = the best souvenir from Puglia

Having spent the afternoon enjoying the Pugliese sunshine and hospitality, we were walking home to freshen up for dinner. Almost at the front step of our apartment, we noticed the door next to ours was wide open.

We peered in.

Warmly lit amongst the pale brick and whitewash a glowing grotto welcomed us – figuratively and literally.

A voice inside called to us.

“Ciao! Come in! Come in!”

Architects Anna Dibello and Giambattista ‘Gianni’ Giannoccaro are owners and creators of Giú in Lab, and they’re welcoming us into their workshop.

Giú in Lab is the product of Anna and Gianni’s fascinating past as international architects and designers. They have turned their skills and knowledge to create ceramics than not only have beauty and function, but also spell out the traditions and culture of Puglia.

Using things like leaves, pomegranates and Italian lace to create unique patterns in their ceramic pots, cups, lamps and other artistically designed homewares, this remarkable couple craft everything here in their lab.

Their signature style is a ceramic version of the traditional baskets used to make fresh local cheese. “Le TerRicottine” is a play on terracotta and ricotta and Anna and Gianni make the most beautiful, textured bowls in every size and colour.

You might be wondering:

What are two such skilled, highly intelligent creative people doing tucked away in a little town few people have even heard of? And why are they making something that’s pretty niche?

Both Anna and Gianni are Pugliese locals. They were brought up here. And after a life spent everywhere else, they’ve come back to the fold; the place they know the best. The place that is part of them.

Now if that’s not something every traveller wants to buy into, I don’t know what is.

Giú in Lab

Via Cavaliere, 32
Monopoli
Pulgia

IG: @giuinlab_ceramiche_design
FB: @GiuinLabCeramiche

Feel like you want to read that bit you skipped earlier about Puglia and Monopoli? Click here and you’ll go straight back up!

If you enjoyed this story, you’ll love our other articles about our time in Puglia. Click here to discover more.

Want to read more about Italy as a whole? Click here; we can help you with that too.

And a final word from our old mate Bruno Munari – who I only discovered thanks to Anna and Gianni:

“An object should be judged by whether it has a form consistent with its use.”

The post Le TerRicottine de Giu in Lab – undiscovered art from Puglia, Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Brought to you by Olympus

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Italy is an incredibly photogenic country – there’s no denying it. Every town you come to seems to be the place where Pinterest draws its inspiration.

But hidden at the most south-easterly point of Italy’s boot is the region of Puglia. The moment we arrived in the region, Mrs Romance and I knew we’d found a place to leave our hearts.

From the shimmering waters of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas that lap against its shores to the bustling little whitewashed towns that owe their history – in some part – to the Ancient Greeks, Puglia is like stepping into a dream.

It’s amazing that more tourists don’t know about this part of Italy. But very few people come here apart from other Italians.

If you can’t see the video above, click here to view it.

It makes Puglia so different to a lot of European travel destinations. There’s a level of local identity you don’t often find in Western Europe.

At one point, we wondered if the nonnas making orecchiette pasta in the street outside their homes were doing it for the tourists, but they really weren’t. It’s just what their families have been doing for generations.

Of course, the ladies love the attention, and they play up to the tourists that do come here. They’ve become a kind of local celebrity, which adds to the charm.

We love exploring different parts of Italy, but our time in Puglia has definitely shown us that there are always new places to discover in this beautiful country.

Here are our favourite parts of Puglia (pronounced ‘pooliya’ by the way) and where to get the best photos.

Why you must visit Puglia, Italy – and where to take the best photos

As we travelled through this fascinating part of Italy, we were lucky to have two of Olympus’s OM-D E-M cameras with us. We love travelling with these cameras. They’re light and compact, but still provide the power, tech and quality you get from DSLR cameras.

Plus things like the connectivity of the Olympus app means you can transfer and share photos from your phone really easily.

Here are our most favourite places to take photos and get the best from Puglia, Italy:

Otranto

We couldn’t believe the sparkling turquoise water surrounding Otranto in the south of Puglia. Locals and visitors alike flock to the small swimming spots on the edge of the old town and its ancient battlements.

There are sweeping views from the top of the citadel’s walls and you’ll find sandy beaches to the north of Otranto as well.

Grotta della Poesia

Along the rocky coastline, near a Bronze Age archaeological site, you’ll find the large sinkhole at the edge of the Adriatic. We found it with directions from our AirBnB host, who sent us in search of the Grotta della Poesia, the “Cave of Poetry”.

You’ll want to practise your cliff diving here before heading down the coast to Ciolo

Canale del Ciolo

This narrow canal is a mecca for cliff divers and thrill seekers. The water is crystal clear and glittering aquamarine below the narrow bridge that arches over this incredible gorge.

There’s not much here apart from a small taverna but you could spend all day watching people climbing higher and higher and listen to the booming crash that echoes under the bridge as they land in the water far below.

Monopoli

We left our hearts in Monopoli and can’t wait to go back. There has been a settlement here since 500BC and it has a real, thriving local culture that travellers can fit right into.

The town beach sits at the foot of the fortified walls on the Adriatic Sea and is the place to be for a morning swim with the locals.

Polignano a Mare

Famous for cliff diving (it’s one of the Red Bull world venues), you’ll find the tiny town of Polignano a Mare – a few minutes north of Monopoli by train.

Wander under the Porto Vecchio and into a maze of alleys and suddenly you’ll be find yourself on a terrace, rewarded with stunning views down to the caves and beaches below.

Ostuni

One of the most stunning of the “white towns” of Puglia, this medieval hilltop citadel is whitewashed every single year and seems to glow from afar.

With sweeping views to the coast, about 9km away, you’ll get lost inside the narrow streets of the old town as you circle to the top.

Martina Franca

Not as well known as Ostuni, Martina Franca is a beautiful walled town with baroque gates and churches at each corner.

This is another white town that you’ll love to get lost in as you wander amongst the locals who live in this charming place.

Lecce

Known as the “Florence of the South”, Lecce actually predates Florence by 500 years or so.

The unique Baroque buildings blend with the remains of a Roman amphitheatre and within the streets of the centro storico, you’ll find a sophisticated mix of bars and restaurants.

Tip: The best gelato we tried was the pistachio pesto at Crem Bar Gelateria on Via G. Marconi.

Alberobello

The distinctive conical roofs of the trulli are an iconic sight in Alberobello. Trulli are dry stone houses that date back to the 14th century and this tiny town is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its trulli.

Our tip is to come early, as the tour buses come in for lunch. The main area, Rione Aia Piccola is pretty but head to Rione Monti to find locals still living in the trulli for a more authentic visit.

Gallipoli

On the edge of the Ionian Sea, Gallipoli is a small fishing village where the churches face the sea. The old town sits atop a limestone island, connected to the mainland by a 16th Century bridge.

Drive south from Gallipoli and you’ll reach the area they call “the Maldives of Italy” thanks to its white sandy beaches.

Wherever you wander in Puglia, you’ll want to keep your camera handy. Down every little alleyway you’re sure to find something beautiful – an old door, a flower-covered balcony, a lane opening to a piazza or an ancient church.

The simple beauty of this seemingly overlooked region of Italy brings out the best the country has to offer. From the people you meet to the food that you eat, Puglia is a destination that will capture your heart.

Have you visited Puglia? Do you have a destination that you fell instantly in love with? Tell us about it in the comments.

The post Puglia – Italy’s best looking secret appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

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When we first told people we were visiting Puglia, they told us to visit Lecce. We were expecting stunning baroque architecture, a sense of history and, of course, that southern Italian hospitality.

What we weren’t expecting was to find one of the best speakeasy bars we’ve ever been to. And that’s not where the surprises ended either.

Lecce, Italy

Lecce’s beautiful baroque architecture has earned it the moniker of ‘the Florence of the South’.

Though I don’t think this is entirely accurate.

The elegantly crumbling render, ornate arches and tall square white walls of this baroque city reminded me more of Havana, Cuba.

And as the hot day turns to cool evening, the nightly passeggiata begins and the locals emerge to stroll the streets of their city. Lecce comes to life even more than in the rush and heat of the day, and those shades of Cuba are there again.

Social life expands to every corner of this ancient place, which was founded in the 200s BCE (150 years before Florence, thank you very much). With the city coming to life on its streets in the evening, shops, restaurants and bars are busy once again after a siesta that only tourists ignore.

It was just such an evening that we discovered a very special bar indeed.

Saloon Keeper 1933, Lecce, Italy

While the city itself has felt the footsteps of the Ancient Romans, and its unique iconic baroque architecture – barocco Leccese – goes back over 400 years, it was the swing and chic of the 1930s that caught our attention.

From a tiny street-level window cut into the thick, soft limestone bricks of a wall, the ‘side bar’ of Saloon Keeper 1933 presented itself to us.

We took the two barstools and little windowsill table on the street, thankful to rest our feet and hope for a drink. The chilled jazz tunes danced out of the window, followed by a friendly face.

Giuseppe was here to take our drinks order.

The cocktails

Without knowing it, we had chosen the best seat in the house.

From our windowside seats, we could see directly in behind the bar, and up and down the street for awesome people-watching. Our possie also gave us direct access to Giuseppe and his mixing skills.

First he stirred us up an excellent negroni and a gin cocktail from the specials menu.

Impressed, we next asked for a couple of gin martinis.

“What gin do you want?” Giuseppe asked.

The bar was incredibly well stocked. And even held some domestic craft gin. As you probably know, we love trying local produce – especially when it comes from a small-batch distiller!

I chose a spicy herby gin from the local region and Mrs Romance was tempted with the smoother option from further north. Both made excellent martinis – but perhaps that’s also credit to the barman.

The bar

From our seats we could see a little way inside the bar itself, but nothing prepared us for the full view.

The level of detail in this bar blew our minds. Ornate mirrors, chesterfield sofas, old ‘30s style telephones, hurricane lamps on tables, a gramophone, period art – even down to the napkin holder on the bar – it was perfect.

We had no doubt this place had been serving drinks for years and years – if not since the 1930s.

We were so wrong.

It was time for our biggest surprise yet: Saloon Keeper 1933 hadn’t even been open a year.

Third drink’s a charm

We had to come back to Saloon Keeper 1933 – in the name of research and journalistic integrity of course.

This time we sat outside the front of the bar with the rest of the clientele. The early evening air was warm and the relaxed vibe fit our setting perfectly. Kids played, adults talked and across the little piazza, the Church of San Niccolo dei Greci’s neoclassical façade punctuated the street.

From within Saloon Keeper 1933, our fine cocktails emerged and that satisfying feeling of discovering one of those rare places that tick all boxes filled our hearts.

Saloon Keeper 1933

Piazzetta Chiesa Greca 16
Lecce, Italy

Fb: @SaloonKeeper1933
Ig: @saloonkeeper1933

For more of our stories from Puglia, click here to go through to our favourites library.

And if you’re looking for more info on Italy as a whole, click here for our stories.

Have you ever accidentally discovered a hidden diamond like Saloon Keeper 1933 when you’ve been away? Tell us about it in the comments.

The post Where to drink in Lecce, Italy – Saloon Keeper 1933 appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Brought to you by Olympus.

All of these ingredients are in everybody’s photos, but your unique mix will be the recipe for your own photography style. Your photography style tells a story about who you are, and a story of your vision through the images you create.

Don’t rush your style

When you’re starting out with photography, it’s hard to figure out your unique style, but that’s how it should be.

Don’t be in a rush to find your photography style. You can’t force it. It takes time to develop and often it’s only in retrospect, when you look back over your photos, that you’ll discover your style has already taken shape.

During my recent workshop with Carla Coulson, she shared her story from when she packed up everything in Australia and moved to Italy to go to photography school.

Her style came about almost by accident as she was shooting from the heart and taking the pictures that she loved.

Carla’s photography style features her world: love and emotions, movement, a passion for religious iconography, elegance and travel, with touches of humour, and black and white photography.

It’s not something she could consciously define at the beginning, but now when she looks back, that’s how she describes it.

What I’ve found

After spending a week with Carla shooting in Italy, I really felt my vision develop and though I’m still working on it, I can see elements starting to really stand out in my photos.

My style is influenced by my love of starting conversations with locals as they go about their daily routines. My passion for the water and coastlines, and my love of architecture and my eye for details also play a huge part in my style.

During the workshop, I mentioned to Carla that I enjoyed the conversations more than the photos I was taking. I liked to speak Italian and help others facilitate their photos because I enjoyed the stories more.

Later, when I showed Carla my photos, she told me to keep pushing through. She said that I was at that point where my photos didn’t match my taste, but I had a skill for conversation, so I needed to keep going.

This photo of my new friends in Monopoli in south-eastern Italy is one of my all-time favourite shots – but it’s also just the start of developing my new photography style. I’ve got the ingredients for my own personal style recipe. I’ve just got to keep mixing!

Check out our video here on 3 tips for developing your photography style and keep reading to find out my own secret recipe for photography.

Like any good recipe, you’ll be able to easily adapt it to suit your photography style and take your photography to the next level.

Recipe for finding your photography style

The ingredients in my photography style

– My camera – the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II

It’s important for me to carry a camera at all times and I love the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II. It’s a compact mirrorless camera that allows me to get close and start those conversations without intimidating my subjects.

The vintage look and design of the camera puts my subjects at ease and although it looks small, it’s just as powerful as a large DSLR camera.

– My lenses

I love to shoot with prime lenses and my favourites are the M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 and M.Zuiko 45mm F1.8.

When shooting people, the 45mm captures the most gorgeous colours without getting too close and the 25mm is beautiful for shooting the whole story.

When I’m not sure what I’ll be shooting, my most trusted lens is the M.Zuiko 12mm-40mm F2.8 lens. This is an absolute workhorse of a lens and I took it with me everywhere in Italy.

– Conversations

I want to know more than just the visual story and I love getting to know people. It means it can take me a long time to take the photo because I end up getting caught up in long conversations.

It’s like when I ended up watching a football game in Luigi’s workshop or when we were brought into Flavia’s kitchen to play with her dog. But these are the memories that I treasure and that I tried to capture and share with you.

– Finding the light

I don’t like using flash so for me natural light is where it’s at. I look for the light and follow it to get the best shots. Don’t be scared to ask your subjects to move to where the light is either, like I did with these nuns.

– The water

Whether it’s lakes, rivers or the coast, the water is where you’ll find me. All my travels involve the water and I love the stories of people working around the water’s edge. I started chatting to the fishermen and the weavers and spent hours around the beach.

– Travel

Travel is obviously my passion but even when we’re at home, I try to see my own hometown with a tourist’s eye. It gives everything a fresh perspective.

Method to finding your photography style

Now you have the ingredients to your photography, you need to know what to do with them. Here’s the method to complete your own photography style recipe.

1. Shoot every day

The only way to get through that painful growth phase is to keep practicing and shooting everyday trains your eye.

2. Get to know your camera

I love that I take my Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with me everywhere, it fits in my bag. And during this course I’ve been shooting completely on manual. Once you know your camera and you understand the functions, it allows you to put the focus back into your subject and to your vision.

3. Self Critique your work

I check my photos at the end of every day but I also like to go back and review photos every time to see your style develop. This isn’t a time to be too harsh but just to critique your work with a more objective eye. By thinking more critically about your work in a constructive way, you continue to improve your photography.

Finding your photography style

You don’t need to go to the other side of the world to find your photography style, just make sure your camera is in your bag every day, and take it out when you start that conversation and record that story.

Ira Glass, host and producer of This American Life, has a great quote about storytelling through images.

In essence he says your taste develops before your skill, so you can really dislike the work you create to start with because it doesn’t match up to your taste. And although it’s painful, you have to push through and keep creating bad work until your skill improves to create the work that fits your taste.

I always keep these words in mind when I come home disappointed with what I’ve photographed because it’s only through constant practice that you can improve.

Check out our other posts on photography here for more inspiration to help with your photographic journey:

Travel photography tips

How to find your photography vision

And make sure you check out the Olympus hashtag #OlympusInspired on social media for inspiration from some seriously talented photographers.

What are the ingredients in your photography style?

The post A recipe for finding your photography style appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Scattered throughout the central Pugliese countryside, trulli pop their conical heads above olive groves and hedges. More like strange statues to some forgotten deity than dwellings, these buildings, peculiar to this southeastern region of Italy, are just as fascinating on the inside.

The UNESCO protected town of Alberobello has the biggest collection of trulli in the world. In fact the town’s centre is almost completely made up of them.

From cafes, restaurants and gift shops to hotels and private homes, the trulli of Alberobello are still very much in use.

We were keen to stay in one of these unusual buildings, so when Mrs Romance discovered Le Dieci Porte – The Ten Doors – a little out of town, I was very excited.

Alberobello is beautiful, but it can be overrun with tourists. It’s hard to relax when swarms of coaches keep arriving and just a few kms from town we discovered the trulli country retreat we were hoping to find.

Le Dieci Porte trulli bed and breakfast

Owners (and restorers) of Le Dieci Porte, Stella Sumerano and Christophe Girodon, have worked unceasingly to bring this beautiful hamlet of trulli not only back to its former glory, but to a place of true beauty and peace.

Born in the town of Alberobello 6km away, you could say that Stella has trulli in her blood. So when she met Christophe in France whilst travelling, it was only a matter of time before she came back to her home region bringing Christophe with her and introducing him to her proud heritage.

Her dream of rebuilding the deserted ruins of this little trulli village has come true thanks to the couple’s vision and hard work… and with a little help from Stella’s father, who’s a local builder.

The heritage and the challenge

From the ground up, this remarkable couple have developed what was once a ruin of rubble into 4 trulli and an apartment with enough space and amenities for up to 14 people.

The original trulli were made for simple living, with no plumbing or internal bathrooms. Trying to maintain that authentic feel and look of the trulli while having modern facilities drove Stella and Christophe to literally think outside the walls… or more specifically within them.

Trulli were designed to be drywall buildings, but had to be strong enough to hold the enormously heavy roof. Therefore the walls are always metres thick. It’s within the walls themselves that this remarkable couple have put the bathroom to each trullo.

And these aren’t just simple WCs either; each bathroom has a shower, lavatory, sink, vanity and even a bidet.

As for the bedrooms, they’re simply decorated, but with an attention to detail and personal styling that makes you feel very much at home in these endearing buildings.

A truly trulli bed and breakfast

After a notably peaceful sleep – thick walls and the Pugliese countryside make for a silent night – we were keen to see what breakfast means here at Le Dieci Porte.

We weren’t disappointed.

If you want to see what the combination of French and southern Italian hospitality creates, you’ll find it here. When we first arrived, Mrs Romance and I were a bit worried when Stella said breakfast would be ready at 8.15 the next morning. Very specific.

But she was only specifying 8.15 because that was when the local bakery delivered the warm, fresh delicious bread and cakes! Those – along with freshly sliced local meats like a capocollo ham from Martina Franca – were plates of burrata, goat curd, fresh figs and apricots, and all kinds of other goodies.

Dining at little wrought iron tables nestled beneath the shade of an old olive tree, it felt like we were taking a step back in time. The white pebbles of the little street and the fascinating roofs of the trulli gave us the feeling of an al fresco breakfast when this village was younger.

Le Dieci Porte

Contrada Appiccia
SP55 Alberobello-Mottola
74015 Martina Franca

W: LeDieciPorte.com
W: LivingTrulli.com
E: info@livingintrulli.com

IG: @LeDieciPorte

You can book directly on AirBnB and here’s a $50 credit for your first booking from us.

Note, they are closed over the winter as Christophe and Stella still have more work to do. There’s a whole area behind the current village that is still in ruin with many more trulli that they’re aiming to restore. With a vision to having the whole area reestablished over time, this B&B will be even more beautiful; it will be a focus of the countryside.

Have you ever stayed in a hotel or B&B like this? Have you stayed in a trullo? We’d love to hear your story. Tell us in the comments!

The post Where to stay in Alberobello, Puglia – Le Dieci Porte trulli hotel appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Brought to you by Olympus.

There are all kinds of props and techniques that studios use to make food look glossier or fresher or shinier. But you don’t need a dozen lights on scaffolds or a glucose spray to make water droplet effects.

All you need is to make sure you’re making the most of the scene in front of you.

If your aim is to make people have food envy with your photos and to show how delicious what you’ve ordered is, you need to identify that part of the dish that’s making you salivate.

However, the big caveat here is to critique your shot. Just because the food was truly the most amazing thing you’ve ever eaten doesn’t mean it’ll photograph well. For every delicious looking morsel we see online, there’s at least one food photo that has the opposite effect.

Unfortunately some food just doesn’t photograph well.

The food in Italy tends to look just as good as it tastes. This could be thanks to that innate ability Italians seem to have of making everything look effortlessly beautiful.

Then again, it could be that many Italian dishes have the textures, colours and architecture that make for delicious looking photos.

For this reason, we used our recent trip to Puglia in southeast Italy to show you some of our favourite tips on how to photograph food.

Check out our video here on how to photograph food while you’re travelling.

How to photograph food – 5 top tips from Italy

1. How to photograph food – angle of camera

There are 3 main angles to take photographs of food.

At 45°, which is close to the angle you normally see your food from, is quite flattering and also works if you want to identify one dish on a table or if the background isn’t very pretty. It’s also the easiest to take if you want to be subtle with your photography.

Shooting overhead in a flatlay format is very popular, but is harder than it looks. Getting right over the top of the table can be tricky (don’t fall in your dinner!) and the food tends to need to be a similar colour palette to create a vignette. The dishes also have to be surprisingly close together.

Shoot very close up to capture a particular texture or colour that encompasses the dish. If there’s something that’s very crispy or silky, get right in and capture the essence of the dish.

You can also shoot at table height level with the dish, but this can be hard because of lighting and difficult shadows, backgrounds and making the dish look a bit one-dimensional.

If you want to create a shot from this angle, make sure the background looks good or that your subject is interesting enough to carry a nondescript backdrop.

2. How to photograph food – lighting

Light is the most important part of how to photograph food. The best light is indirect natural light. Direct sun is too harsh and throws annoying shadows. Cloudy skies are best.

If you’re in a dark room, try to find a table with the most light or if all else fails, use the light from your mobile. If you shine the light through a napkin, this filters the light a bit, which makes it softer.

Also, set your phone’s camera to video mode and use the light from the flash. The video light on smart phones automatically adjusts for skin colour and gives a warmer light than the torch function.

If it’s very dark, you may need a tripod and a longer exposure. Most commercial food photography is shot with a tripod, but this will probably upset your dining companions in a restaurant. Increase your ISO when shooting handheld in low light conditions.

3. How to photograph food – lenses

Our favourite all-rounder lens is the M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2.8 Pro zoom lens. This allows you to cover a variety of food scenes and tablescapes without switching lenses.

If you want to get close and capture extreme details on a molecular gastronomy dish, a macro lens will be what you need. For most of our everyday food shots, we use our 12-40mm lens or the M.Zuiko 25mm f1.8 prime lens.

4. How to photograph food – give scale

Food on its own tends not to have any scale – you can’t see how big or small it is. Putting cutlery in the shot or something that has an inherent recognisable size will help.

Get people’s hands in the shot. Unless you’re shooting food for a menu, you’ll be surprised how much better a table of food looks with someone in it grabbing a chip or scooping some salad. It adds movement, scale and it also helps the viewer identify with the food. It makes them wish they were there.

5. How to photograph food – texture and height

Look for texture in the food. What’s the best side to shoot the dish? Is the sauce oozing better on the far side? Does the crispy bit look crisper on the left of the plate? If so, turn it round. Textures in food make it look more delicious. Shine, crinkle, brightness, softness… you can capture all of this in your photograph.

Pile food high on the plate if you can. It makes the dish look plentiful. You can always crop an empty edge of a plate later.

If you can create different levels by putting dishes on other surfaces, so much the better and try to create triangles with the different heights too. This will guide the viewer’s eye around the photo better.

Making food look as good as it tastes is one of the hardest parts of photography, but it’s also one of the most fun and interesting. Especially if you get to eat what you’ve shot!

For more inspiration – not just on how to photograph food when you’re travelling – but for travel photography in general, check out Olympus’s hashtag #OlympusInspired.

And if you want more of our travel photography tips, here’s a link to our library on photography posts for travelling.

Do you have a favourite tip for how to photograph food? What food do you like to shoot the most? Tell us in the comments below!

The post How to photograph food – 5 top tips from Italy appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

The first time we took my mum and dad to Italy, my dad was slightly terrified. He was certain that he’d eat so much food while he was there that the airline wouldn’t let him back on the return flight.

While the airline wasn’t a problem, Dad’s waistband has never quite been the same again. And that’s what it’s like in Italy. If you’re looking for a foodie experience, it really doesn’t get much better than this country.

There the passion for the edible verges on the divine.

Every time Mrs Romance and I visit Italy, we discover something new and delicious to eat. And on our recent trip to Puglia, the region in the stiletto of Italy’s boot, we discovered a whole new wealth of delicious.

Here are the top 5 things we ate in Puglia we can’t recommend highly enough:

5 dishes from Puglia you must eat

1. Tiella – Pugliese paella

Hearty, delicious and one of the most typical dishes from Puglia you can find, this is tiella. In fact, you could even narrow it down to being just a dish you find in the Bari area.

It’s a bit like the Spanish paella – a delicious mix of rice, potatoes, mussels, pecorino or cacioricotta cheese and sometimes a little sprinkle of crunchy breadcrumbs.

For more tips on where to eat in Bari, check out our post here.

2. Cacioricotta cheese

If you like regular ricotta and regular cheese, you’re going to love cacioricotta. Only found in 3 regions of Italy – Puglia, Basilicata and Campania – all in the south, this delicacy is worth looking out for.

Cacioricotta is harder than regular ricotta but still not as firm as regular cheese. It’s still got the creaminess of ricotta but is also a little sharper and nuttier. You find it grated over meals like tiella and hot tomato-based dishes instead of pecorino.

You often see locals sitting grating blocks of cacioricotta outside their houses getting ready for dinner.

3. Octopus

If you see polpo anywhere on a menu in Puglia, it’s worth ordering. The way the Pugliese prepare and cook octopus turn it into the most tender, delicious food.

If you go down to the fish markets along the sea wall in Bari and alike, you’ll see the fishermen either bashing the (dead) octopus they’ve caught with a wooden paddle or just hitting them against the harbour wall. Then they rinse them in a bucket on a little rocker.

The fishermen do this repeatedly, which tenderises the octopus before it’s even near a kitchen. From octopus ceviche to polpo al forno, it’s all amazing. Of all the dishes from Puglia we ate, polpo was my favourite.

You can find out where the one of best octopus dishes from Puglia I had was, check out this post.

4. Taralli – ‘belly button biscuits’

Somewhere between a breadstick and a pretzel, tarelli are one of my favourite Italian snacks. They’re actually made from baked pasta dough and come in a variety of flavours.

Most often you’ll find either fennel or just plain, but they can be anything from chilli to sweet. They’re all delicious!

We’re going to try and make them ourselves – that’s how much we miss them and how hard good ones are to find anywhere outside the southeastern Italian peninsular.

5. Orecchiette alle cime di rapa

The iconic pasta shape of the southeast is orecchiette – literally meaning ‘little ears’. All around Puglia, you’ll see ladies sitting outside their houses squeezing pasta into these little concave disc shapes.

The way the pasta collects and retains sauce and their thickness makes this pasta a rich, filling and very satisfying meal.

Orecchiette alle cime di rapa is the classic Pugliese recipe you’ll find pretty much everywhere in the southeast, and is popular in local homes too. It’s very simple – just orecchietti, rapa – a local broccoli – and a little olive oil. It’s so good.

The ladies in Bari hand-shape these ‘ear’ pasta and are famous for it. But here are a few other places to eat in Bari.

Bonus – And of course pizza

Of course, when you’re in Italy, you should always test out the pizza. Wherever you are in the country, it’ll be good. The further north you go, the thinner and crispier the pizza base.

In the south, the base is thicker and softer, but it’s not like a Pizza Hut deep dish. The edges are still crusty and firm and the middle is almost juicy.

I used to only eat the northern style thin and crispy pizzas, but having since been to Naples and now Puglia, I’m a southern style pizza covert for sure.

Italy is full of good food – absolutely full. But so far, our time in Puglia has put most of our other food experiences in its shadow. We can’t wait to go back – and just in case, I might book premium economy seats just so I can definitely get home.

For our other stories on Puglia, click here.

And for our all our other stories on Italy, click here.

So these are our favourite dishes from Puglia. Do you have a favourite Italian dish or favourite Italian region for food? Tell us in the comments.

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