One of my most personal encounters with Puglia was Monopoli, charming little sea side town with baroque architecture and so much character where I spent remarkable month 10 years back renting basement apartment from local lady called Cosima.
It was not my first time in Puglia, but somehow it was one of very few Italian areas where I didn’t really know many people, and travelling to Puglia by my own felt a bit out of my comfort zone. But well… I was at the end of year long voyage through Southern Europe, after spending few months in Spain in Portugal. Don’t take me wrong: I loved Spain and Portugal tons, but returning to Italy was like coming back home. Even to the place where I didn’t know any single soul.
Just hearing around language which I know, was a treat (I happened to speak Italian), and I remember well my first dinner in little trattoria when I was going through menu and asking the waiter (who happened to be the owner too): are those shrimps local? He was looking at me as I was a bit of an idiot: what do you mean asking if these shrimps are local? I had a bit of panic moment assuming that my Italian was not clear, and I tried to explain myself: well, I mean, are your shrimps from here or frozen from Argentina?? (Lesson I learned in Spain). He was laughing at me: look, here is a sea. Here is a table. Why should I get anything from as far as Argentina????
My time in Monopoli was packed with sweet moments to remember. Frosty cappuccino, home-made cakes and yogurt which Cosima served me for breakfast on beautiful rooftop terrace, early morning swims in the sea, glass of wine in the grill bar after dinner (well, Italians will never understand how one can drink wine without food, so the owner was cutting bits from dishes he cooked for other customers – grilled meat, vegetables, etc. – and adding it to my wine order), morning grocery shopping from small vendors – fresh mozzarella, anchovy, fruit, tomatoes… The first day I arrived, I almost invaded in private home thinking it was a trattoria: the door was wide open from the street, the table was served with food, and I was apologizing vigorously when I’ve seen old man sporting underwear trunks in front of TV.
It is now that Puglia developed quite a bit towards luxury travel. Monopoli did too. My last visit showed that restaurants and boutique shops at least tripled in number and price, and there is no any more drought wine 1 euro 50 cents per litter (it was a decent wine, believe me!). But it is still charming, and the character is there.
Place to stay? Locanda Don Ferrante if you are lucky to get room available. Feel free to contact me for booking. [email protected]
