Puglia: An Understated Gem of Italy
When I started planning a trip to the southeast corner of Italy in late 2017, I knew very little about the "heel of the boot." Earlier that year I began following dozens of different Instagram accounts - travel and lifestyle bloggers, photographers, foodies, vineyards, resorts, restaurants, tourism organizations - all with a focus on Puglia (poo-lee-ya), also known as Salento for the lower portion of the region. Instagram has become one of the primary tools I use to research my travel aspirations, and it has served me well. Like other channels of SM, however, it can become a rabbit hole of epic proportions. I was targeting late May 2018 for the trip, as the cooler spring temps were transitioning to warmer Adriatric breezes. While Puglia isn't as popular a tourist destination as other parts of Italy, this time of year was ideal for fewer crowds and lower prices. Despite wanting to be close to the water, I had done research on a centralized inland location from where ...