From a distance, Arete looks like a private Tuscan villa with a big porch surrounded by linen curtains. 20 min. outside of Lecce, this restaurant is an institution of delicious appetizers and steak. From the warm bread served before dinner to the cheese served in between courses, everything here is worth trying. The warm chocolate croissants are a must for dessert.
Hotel La Roccia stands like a fortress on top of a bay that runs into the town of Castro. In the southern tip of Salento, approx. 1.5 hours away from Lecce, this town is a smaller version of the romantic Italy you are used to seeing in movies.
Secluded estates that reveal only their entrance gates line up around the rocky shoulders like a string of pearls. You take extra caution driving on a snake-like road built right next to a cliff that rolls into the Aegean Sea, but you still wish you had a convertible red Ferrari or a classic sports car to test your skills on such a memorable track.
Beyond its rough topography, Castro is built for peace and serenity.
I can’t say much about Hotel La Roccia, but I believe it could be an amazing hotel once given a good renovation and a modern vision. It has a great setup and a unique beach that comfortably stands on a narrow cliff running down to the crisp Aegean waters. The hotel’s seafood restaurant on the other hand has so much more to offer.
On a bright night where the moon dives into the Aegean, we take our seats outside at Ristorante La Roccia with Andrea. We wait impatiently for food, trying to avoid the undisturbed romantic scene that lacks the right partners.
Dinner starts with fantastic appetizers of muscles, tuna carpaccio and an octopus salad dressed up with celery and carrots.
The spaghetti with muscles and tomatoes here (prepared for two, modified a little by Andrea) is simply the best I have ever eaten so far anywhere around the world. It is simple yet prepared just right to provide the best flavor out of all the ingredients that made up this unforgettable dish. Every bite gives a hint of an amazing olive oil, fresh tomato, parsley, muscle wrapped around pasta al dente. The main course, a sea bass oven-baked covered in salt, is equally impressive and prepared with the same vision. I demand that you save room for dessert and order the Panna Cotta and the warm apple cake served on top of a vanilla sauce.
I hope you make it to this place. I certainly want to go again.
GRINGOOO!
Consider Salento as a modified island attached to the tip of the Italian Peninsula, giving access to two coasts that have been the Paradise of Europe for centuries: The Mediterranean and the Aegean coasts. Both are abundant with wide white sandy beaches with shallow waters similar to the ones we, the Turks, find in Cesme. Small private beach operators who rent the land from the government for multiple years manage most bays. No matter what it is the law to reserve some portion of the beaches to public access. All the private beaches charge approx. EUR 20 for two lounge chairs and an umbrella and anything ordered at their bar/restaurant will be extra. Each applies to a different crowd with the type of music and food they provide. If there is a beach party, there will always be a groove-pumping entertainer (something I haven’t seen in anywhere else but Italy) with a microphone next to the DJ addressing the crowd, leading them to let loose and dance.
Do not expect luxurious full-service private hotel beaches in this region like the ones found in Bodrum, Turkey. Beach food will be mediocre, usually served on plastic plates. Wine menu will not be extensive. Yet, the cocktails and the rose will work the magic.
The direction of the wind is the sole factor that determines which coast will be calm, thus more suitable for the day. When these waters are undisturbed there are known to be flatter than a freshly ironed bed sheet. Both coasts are a 30 min. drive from Lecce. Expect to see a lot of vines on the side of the road when you are driving to either coast.
There is a wide range of characters you will run into on any of the beaches you visit in Salento:
With all this in mind, here is my list for the beaches of Salento:
1. Bonavista - The best beach to chill
2. Togo Bay - And the party skyrockets with the most popular song of the Italian Summer 2010…Waka Waka this time for Africa!
3. Zen - Time to splash the Proseccos
4. La Caciulara – The best mix of white sand and crisp water carressed together on a secluded corner away from any wind or currents
5. Paradise Beach - Simply the best food found on a Salento beach topped with the most beautiful MILFS of Salento
6. I Duo Mori
7. Bacino Grande - Think Buenavista, but increase the crowd’s age by 25….Welcome to Bacino Grande
MAMMA LI TURCHI! The first of a number of posts that will explore the great Salento region of Italy.
As I make my way out of the Brindisi Airport, I feel like I haven’t moved a step away from home. I must have taken the flight to Bodrum, Turkey instead. The same climate, similar sceneries and familiar faces welcome me to this Southern tip of Italy. I am at the heel of the Italian Boot, kilometers away from home, but I am already settled in. I am where all the Italian metropolitans will rush into once the their vacation period begins in August.
The only thing out of my comfort zone is the few people trying to speak to me in Italian (including the flight attendant). I keep quiet and nod to whatever they say, trying not to ruin anyone’s confident guess. I can’t make out if it is my looks or moods that give the impression of an Italian man. It might also be that I landed at a place where people are not used to tourists. Whatever the case maybe I am flattered (but also a little perplexed).
Fava greets me out in the parking lot. He has it all planned out. We are ready to take on the beaches, the wines, the cheeses, the pastas, the espressos…
LECCE
I leave Bodrum in Brindisi. I dive into Italy. The hometown of the Great Andrea Favale, Lecce is an undeniably cool ancient city constructed inland right in the middle of Salento, between the Aegean and the Mediterranean coasts. Like many other Italian cities, it comes with an ancient historic part glowing in the center and a modern part expanding on the outer skirts. This is the city you fall in love with if it is ever in an Hollywood movie.
The day starts around 10 a.m. and the noon is celebrated with a song by Tito Schipa, the famous opera-singer from Lecce, flowing out through the speakers at the city center, Piazza S. Oronzo.
The shops close with Tito, sending their owners to relaxing siestas until 5 p.m. The night bubbles up around midnight, glowing up until 3 a.m.
As you make your way around the narrow streets you are amazed by all the detail found on historic residences. However small they may be, each glows with its untraceable design, unfortunately absent in many of today’s modern buildings. In one corner you run into a house with an amazing lemon tree sprouting out of its terrace. On the next corner a house with an arched balcony welcomes wonderers. You see hints of Spanish blending into artistic Italian architecture. From floor to ceiling you are surrounded with warm precious limestone. No maps, no directions you get deeper into a jungle of history thinking you will soon be lost, but you always find the way out. That should be what they call “intelligent city planning”.
The bakeries, restaurants and bars all remind you that Lecce is alive and full of people looking to enjoy life. The tiny markets with fresh food make you want to cook; anytime and anywhere. The presence of McDonald’s in the city center certifies the grasp of the vicious capitalist life, pocking you even in a city filled up with well-rooted culture and tradition. No matter how wrong it sounds, you still find it hard to resist the delicious smell of a McChicken, sustaining your shameful urge at the Italian bakery steps away.
You can’t come back from Lecce without:
