(l? È T kr THE SIMPLELIFE Clockwise from left: pasta rosso 'sagnapenta'at II Cibus; the citrus garden at Masseria ll Frantoio and one of its bedrooms; I Cibus restaurant and its capocollo I di Martina Franca. {= --'ì.r -f "q I I I l Alberobello,a UNESCOworld heritagesite and unofficial capitalof the valley,boasts as manyas 1400of these IITESTA'O6STLI. AlllcodyÉm { architecturaìoddities. When he stayedthere, earlv dtsdrlffi 2Oth-centurywriter GabrieleD'Annunzio said, "l wake up and seea dreamlike landscape".I could seewhat he meant. Martina Franca itself is full of <;purlentBaroque palaces, churchesand butchers' shops.The town is home to the finest cured meats in Pugiia,especially capocolìo, a name used in southern Italy to refer to the part of the pig betweenthe neck and the ribs. Taken exclusively from locally bred free-range animals, the meat is lvashedwith a solution of mulled wine and Mediterraneanherbs and stuffed into pig's intestine, I rvliich is left or-rwooden boards to dry for about 10 days. r, It's then srnokedover a smouidering fire of thyme, I ) m5'rtleand laurel twigs and matured for up ).:-:- îi+.,.{ "lVhile vou're in Martina," Benedetto I delicacyof Martina Franca)and braised "be'be (donkey horse meat Sicilianiirciriani advisedaoviseci rîe,rne, sure to eat at Cibr-isiJibr-is ljlFnaI horse meat steaks and reStauranIciowntl1efoaoinCegìicrv1essapicali-- have always beett popular here and large '"qidr'il; It servesthe best food in the area". So there f farms rearing th,: anima.lsare still I r,r,ent.Siciliani also explainedthat the viilage everywhereto be seen). of Cegliewas once famous for the beauty of its women, The finaì leg of my journey took me eastwarCsand seawards - rvho traditionally went into servicewith bourgeoisfamilies through a landscape vineyards,olive and almond groves - in r-rearbycoastal cities such as Brindisi and Bari, "servizio and azureblue sky of gently rolling hills criss-crossedwith cornpleto,"he added with a maliciouswink. My father-in-law, dry stonewallsreminiscent of my native Cumbria in England. born and bred in Taranto,used to tell a different story; he With the Adriatic sparkling on my right and the sun in my eyes, 'e 'oìive calledCeglie "lu paese pezzienti",the village of beggars. I eventuallycame to MasseriaIl Frantoio(meaning press'), It was during visits to my father-inlaw that I first became a converted 16th-century masseriastanding among 72 hectares - - acquaintedwith the cuisineof southern Puglia.As a young of olive trees some of incredibly thick girth carob and oak man he immigrated to Turin, in northern Italy, to work as treesand Mediterraneanscrub, just off the main coastroad a secnritv managerfor the Fiat car company,but when it betweenOstuni and Fasano,in the province of Brindisi. The carrìeto eating he made few concessionsto his adopted owner, tall, beardedArmando Balestrazzi,was waiting under surrroundings.That meant a daily diet of pasta(more often the entrancearch, which bearsthe claspedhands coat-ofarms tìran not accompaniedby beans,Ientiìs, chickpeas or of the \ocalTanzarella family, who owned the place for cinredi rapa, tuntip tops),fish every Friday,plenty of boiled centuries."Benvenuti nella nostra casa,"were his first words. greensand pinzimonio (raw vegetablesdipped in oil) at the Later,over aperitivi in the courtyard, Armando explained enclof virtr,rallyevery meal before the fruit. His favourite how he and his wife, Rosalba,l-rad discovered Il Frantoio 'ncapriata disheswere (broad bean purée with wiìd chicory, during a Sunday afternoon drive in the early 90s. It was love virtr-rallya ineal in itself)and lampascioni,a sort of reddish at first sight. "The piacewas in ruins bur there was something wild hyacinth bulb dressedwith oil. In P'rglia,they make timelessand inagicalabout it. I watched two falconsgìiding 'poor' fresh ingredientsgo a long way. over the farm and I felt like FrederickII." (A referenceto the I found all these specialitiesand more at eibus, where local historicai icon, the man known as Stupor Mundi, or 'Wonder owner Lillino Silibellois committed to sourcing ingredients of the World', who becameHoiy Roman Emperor locally,boasting that they all come from within a 30km radius and, besidesbuilding imposing castlesthroughout the region, of the village itself. Preparedby his mother and sister,the also wrote lris ceìebratedmanual on faìconry, De Arte Venandi, meì1ureads like a Pugliagastronome's bible. It includeslocal there.)At the time, Armando, a trained chemist and manager 'ears') classicssuch as orecchiette(little pasta with tomato and at a dairy company in Bari, was desperateto get away from cacioricotta,chickpea sollp with baccalà,eggplant sturffed with factory and city life. For him, Iì Frantoio and a future baked pasta,gnumarieddi (chargrillediamb offal, another as a hotelier-cum-organicfarmer were a means of escape.'r COURMETTRAVELLER î49 rcHHCNGS OIFùr.f hng ùrúîYmyat Irrrrrla lFnntolo, THEFINE PRINT GETTINGTHERE BritishAirways flies twice dailyfromSydney (viaSingapore or F Bangkok)toLondon Heathrow with connectionsto 1Oairports in i Italyincluding Milan, Rome, Pisa, Venice, Bologna, Naples, Catania, Bari,Verona and Turin.For furtherinformation or to book visit vwvwBA.com.The area described ínthis story is very small,but it'shighly advisable to hirea carto drivefrom one placeto another. The nearestairports, Bari and Bríndisi,are both serveddaily from Romeand Milan.By car fromRome, take the A1 autostrada,then the A16to Bari,switching to the A14at Canosa. EAT Today, after drastic restn cturing, the masseria has become Cibus i''leartycountry cooking in a convefted 1Sth-centuryconvent. "una what he calls clinica dell'anima", a clinic of the soul, Greatwine and cheesecellars. Via Chianchedi Scarano,T, "mere - a place where guests are more than numbers" which CeglieMessapica, Brindisi, +39 0831388980. is why each of the eight rooms, furnished in rustic-chic style L'Antica LocandaAll the traditionalfavouritesin a magical with linen bedding, wrought-iron beds, period furniture and old town just out ofthe ltriaValley. Via SpiritoSanto, 49, Noci, gavze curtains, is named after a flower. Bari,+39 O8O4972 460. Other attractions are a restaurant and gardens, replete with peacocks,a herb garden and orangerie,riding stables STAY and an ancient underground pantry and, as befits the MasseriaColombo Roliínghills, cowbells and trulli - the perfect name, oil press. country retreat.Doubles from about $ 135.377 Noci-Mottola, When the project got under way all tirose years ago, ContradaPandoro, Mrlttola, Taranto, +39 080 5242 431, Rosalba,an expert cook, promised to colìaboratecn cnr w,"A^Lma sse ria co I o mbo. it. 'r; cc,ndit'on:"Teiì nre ccok orecchietteand tulnip top,rgygrt day and I'lì be your slave,"she toid Armandc. "Ask-me to cliangethe men'; every night and I'll becomean artist." She didn't mean to disparagelocal cuisine; on the contrary, she wanted to prove her husband'stheory that the cookery of Puglia was the most imaginative in the world. Translated, that means, once again, turning apparently humble ingredients MasseriaSan DomenicoAnother magnificently restored into unforgettable culinary masterpieces.The fact is that deluxe masseria,just 5O0mfrom the beach.Doubles from behind its stylish, Iaid-backexterior, Masseria Il Frantoio is about$SgO. Strada Litoranea, 379, Savelletri di Fasano,Brindisi, also a working farm that produces fruit and vegetabies,patés, +39 080 4827 769, www.masseriasa n domen ico.com. pickles,janrs and honeys,herb liqueurs, oils and wine, all of Masseria Torre Coccaro A five-starresort in a 16th-century which appear in Rosalba'snow legendary multi-course meals. farmhousewith a swimmingpool, beach, golf course and spa. My candlelit dinner last August consistedof miniature fried It'salso home to a cookingschool where visitors can learnhow pastries stuffed with ricotta and nutmeg, cauliflower poached to makeorecchiette., traditionalfish and meatdishes and cakes with capers,roiled pepperswith raisins, Gallipoli shrimp and biscuits.Doubles from about $+ZO. Contrada Coccaro, 8, with ginger in white fava bean cream, summer bean soup, Savelletridi Fasano,Brindisi, +39 080 4829 31O,www.gesthotels. pork meatballs with rosemary and juniper and creamed baked com/coccaro_new/english.htm l. potatoes,salad of porceilanalettuce (purslane)with regina MasseriaCasamassima Flats and apartmentsdown the road tomatoes, fresh fruit salad and chocolate and orange mousse. fromMasseria ll Frantoio.More atmospheric than luxurious. All imaginative interpretationsof the f'lrm's protìuce, Doublesfrom about $755. StradaStatale, Osî.uní, Brindisi, al; accompanied by specific home-gro'wn oils and wines. +39 083 1330265. ww\^'.masseriacasa m assím a.it. The sti'etch of romantic coastline north of Ostuni now SHOP & DO swarms with convertedmasserie at prices for every pocket - from the upmarket San Domenico to the swish Torre Coccaro, MasiThe best placeto go for a vastassortment of localcow's, which boastsa cookery school, swimming pool, spa, golf course sheep'sand goat'smilk cheeses. Corso Mazzini,195, Ostuni, Brindisi. and beach club, to the more basic Casamassima,a dazzlingly TommasoRomanelli& C. SamplePuglia's traditional cured meats whitewashed hacienda that looks like a Sergio Leone spaghetti at this institution.Via d'ltria,8, MartinaFranca, Taranto. Western set. Personally,I would have been happy to spend Mottola Tourist OfFce For guided tours ofthe surroundingcave 'civilised' all my time at MasseriaIl Frantoio,the most of the churches.A graspof ltaiianwill be usefulhere. Via Vanvitelli,2, bunch. But all good things come to an end, even fairytales.:t Mottola,Taranto, +39 099 8866 948, wwwcomune.mottola.ta.it. î50 COURMETTRAVELLER.