Smart World Traveller

Top local foods that you must try when visiting in Puglia (we tried them all for you) 1. Orecchiette  This amazingly delicious Apulian pasta is very popular in this region of Italy. It is ear-shaped white in color delicious pasta. Orecchiette (from Italian 'orecchia' meaning 'ear' and '-etta' meaning 'small') is traditionally handmade wheat pasta. It is traditionally prepared "con le cime di rapa" - with a local cabbage-like vegetable typical for Puglia. But there are also a lot of other ways of preparation that are even better in taste - like Orecchiette di Fagiolini, pomodori e cacioricotta or orecchiette alla crudaiola con stracciatella. Mmmm...  If in Puglia, do not miss Bari, where there is a whole quarter of women preparing this type of pasta right in front of their houses. It is not only amazingly delicious, but also a great experience to see them preparing it. Check our post for more ideas on what to do and see in Puglia.  ...

To fully enjoy your summer vacation in Apulia (Puglia), have in mind the below tips from our own experience. Read this article for a summary of our great trip to Puglia. Tip:  ALWAYS have coins in Italy  J  most of the street parking payment machines do not accept bank notes or credit cards. So do not be surprised if you have to pay 10 EUR or even more in coins. Also, as a recommendation do not test your luck by leaving your car without a parking ticket – because we saw quite on some occasions cars being locked and slips for wrong parking penalty being left on the driver’s window. Even on a late Sunday evening, at 21 pm there were some officers from the municipality who were writing tickets to the cars who had not paid for parking. Tip: If you go for the option of using your private umbrella, beware that due to the strong winds in entire Puglia it is recommended that you also have a rope to secure the umbrella in the nearby sand/rock so that it does not get blown aw...

Here we are! Backpacks are ready, the swimsuits, sunglasses and flip-flops are well packed. We are at the airport ready to start our summer holiday in Puglia, Italy... One of my favourite airlines - Wizzair will fly us there in about an hour... Let the adventure begin! Day 1: Bari Airport - Maglie We arrived at Bari International Airport in the early evening. The plan for the night was to get our rent-a-car and to drive all the way up to our first point of stay, a little cute village in Salento region - Maglie. In our previous travels in Italy we had enjoyed quite a lot the small and budget option of Fiat Panda - this car is a perfect combination of size and power for two passengers with their luggage, and most of all it was really easy to maneuver and park in the narrow streets of the small Italian villages. Of course a more expensive, but still a very good option for the Italian streets is a Mini. Nevertheless, being a smartworldtraveller I booked again for our Apulian ad...

History of the Lecce Lucky Bell An old shepherd had only one sheep. One day, unfortunately he lost his only sheep in the fields. He was very sad and was looking for the sheep for hours. Then St. Mateo saw the sadness and hardship of the good old shepherd and decided to help him. He found the sheep and returned to the shepherd. The Saint also gave a small bell to the old shepherd telling him that this bell will bring luck and happiness to him. From then on it is said that whoever possesses the lucky bell will have luck and prosperity.