lily@flytosalento.com: Culinary Travel Journal

Lily: 'You take what you have'... Mozzarella in carrozza or laxpudding..getting inspired!!

2012-01-11T15:56:00.000+01:00

Hey to all my friends! Such a marvellous January shining bright day this early morning when I went jogging to the countryside: very 'crispy' air and nice warm feeling of blessing sun...

And what about lunch then? Well, as a famous Swedish cookbook author, Kajsa Warg, said, 'You take what you have'...and I got inspiration from a couple of recipes had in mind...stringy 'mozzarella in carrozza' or deliciously flavoured 'laxpudding'...I wondered...

In the end, went for a kind of mixture made of those two recipes and here it is my 'laxpudding in carrozza' : )

Perhaps you may have it as warm appetizer or main course with steamed sliced beetroots (sauce to drizzle made of: extravirgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper)

What about pairing with a Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore wine...cheers!!!

2012-01-05T21:01:00.003+01:00

May all your days be filled with peace, health, joy....Happy New Year!

Enjoy fireworks!!!!

London Fireworks 2012 in full HD - New Year Live - BBC One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1yLRK2M8YQ&noredirect=1

Lily: Tagliatelle and lemon flavored salmon trout bites

2011-11-16T19:26:00.000+01:00

Good evening, I just made a very delicate recipe and I've got the pleasure to share it with all my friends. Today, at the fish market I found a couple of salmon trouts which, once at home, I cut into small bites and cooked in a frying pan with some extravirgin olive oil, garlic, hot pepper and dill.. just for few minutes. Then I added some lemon juice and kept on cooking the salmon trout bites for little more. In the meantime, cooked also tagliatelle in salted boiling water, strained and added them in the frying pan, toasting with the salmon trouts...a sprinkle of parsley on top et voilà... dinner is ready! : )

PS. A Chardonnay wine from Alto Adige would be ideal to be paired with this inviting fish flavor..

Lily: Small fishcakes and balls...heavenly taste!!

2011-11-13T15:37:00.002+01:00

A beautiful Sunday to everybody...The weekend is undoubtdedly for me the best time to enjoy my cooking, experiencing taste, creating new recipes... In this case, it is a joy sharing my fishcakes with all of you...Cook cauliflower in extravirgin olive oil with very little garlic, onion, scallion, salt, pepper, rosè wine and then make a cream in the mixer. Add small smoked salmon filets and bass filets (already cooked in oven with thyme, marjoram, dill and a drizzle of extravirgin olive oil) to this velvety cream. Make some puff pastried rectangles to fill with the stuffing and after creating small squares, paint their surface with some yolk...In the oven for about 15mins/ 200°C.

Btw, you can also make some delicious fishballs with the same stuffing, by adding only an egg and little breadcrumb..Fry them gently and serve them very hot.

A flûte of Colli Martani Sauvignon (Umbria) white wine is the finest way to pair these sublime dishes of fish ... A toast to you!! : )

Lily: Mezze maniche and smooth mushroom cream...just to make you salivating!!

2011-11-11T14:29:00.002+01:00

A fabulous Friday to all my friends..Here we are.. sharing a new cheerful weekend in nice company and very good genuine food...And right at this purpose here it is a mouthwatering recipe for you all! This is the season of mushrooms, so how about going for a visit to a local farmers' market looking for mushrooms you like best...Once at home, in a pan fry gently some little fresh bacon cubes for a couple of minutes and add chopped scallion, onion, little garlic, mushrooms (of course), a drizzle of rosè wine, and salt and pepper right at the end of cooking (no more than 10 minutes). In a warm saucepan melt a couple of spoons of margarine and add (out of the cooker) two/three tea spoons of flour, little grated nutmeg, salt..Mix all together with little milk until you have a very smooth bechamel. In a mixer pour the bechamel, the mushrooms, a sprinkle of grated pecorino cheese and work all together again. Once your soft cream is ready add a sprinkle of parsley. In the meantime cook mezze maniche pasta into boiling salted water and strain it. In a dish top your mezze maniche pasta with the mushroom cream and my suggestion is to pair this meal with a red ruby Nero d'Avola (Sicily) wine (full-bodied, persistent taste)...A delicious bon appetit and a beautiful weekend to everybody!!! : )

Lily: Vegetarian cannelloni for All Saints Celebration...taste so yummie!!!

2011-11-01T18:12:00.001+01:00

Good afternoon to all my friends...what a nice warm weather we just had here for All Saints Day! For this special celebration I made some delicious cannelloni with ricotta and vegetables..All you need is:

200gr fresh fomemade lasagna

400gr ricotta

4 artichokes

2 carrots

1/2 savoy

1 onion

1 tea spoon curry

40gr butter

30gr flour

5dl milk

6 soup spoons extravirgin olive oil

Your first step is to chop (very thin) carrots, savoy, onion and artichokes ..Second step is to fry gently onion in a pan with 5 tea spoons extravirgin olive oil and to add all chopped vegetables...After a couple of minutes, pour some water (a small glass), curry, little salt to them and keep on cooking for about 10/12 minutes. In a saucepan mix gr30 butter and some flour and leave it toasting for 1 minute (keep on whisking). Then add little milk and salt and cook for 5/6 mins more until you have a bechamel (not too much thick). Fourth step is to boil stripes of lasagna in salted water and after 1 minute pouring them in a bowl with cold water and leave them dry on a towel..In the meanwhile, mix 3/4 vegetables with ricotta. The last step is to stuff the center of the lasagna stripes and to make rolls which will be placed in a buttered covered bechamel pyrex dish. Pour some more bechamel and vegetables on top of 'cannelloni' (in oven, 200° C for about 20 mins)

Hope you will enjoy this delicious meal...a nice dinner to you!!

Fly to Salento ...Kissed by the Sun

2011-05-27T20:46:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento - An idea for Lunch: Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

2011-05-23T17:01:00.000+02:00

Hello!! It's a very warm day here..about 26°C..and this makes me think that Summer is almost at the door!! Anyway, this morning I went to the food market and found beautiful fresh zuccchini flowers that seemed to say "please, fry meee!" So, once home, I stuffed them with some ricotta cheese, an anchovy fillet and a leave of basil, dipped in icy tempura and then fried them..and this is the risult!

For pairing, I may suggest "Bonsignore" white wine (Bombino70% - Malvasia Bianca 30%)..excellent if served at 8-10°C...

Buon Appetito and have a cheerful week!!

Fly to Salento - A Vacation Cycling around Nature in Aradeo Countryside: more pics

2011-05-22T18:36:00.003+02:00

My weekend began with a visit to a farm where I found excellent organic farming products to taste (chopped grilled veggies, cream of aubergines, artichokes, peppers, Salento red pesto, black olive paste, tomatoes sauce)...So, back home I've tried them with my just baked homenade bread and small panini...Undoubtedly these veggies match perfectly with authentic home culture for good healthy food and tradition...and Krasì Primitivo Ruby Wine seems to me an appropriate pairing for these goodies..

Then a bycicle riding was what I needed to relax and take some small breaths of nature...delicate sweet smelling of jasmine and honeysuckle melted with fresh hay and..horses (very inspiring!!)...while a flight of swallows was whinspearing in your ears at sunset...Well, hungry again...How about a homemade Tuscany Schiacciata topped with Salento chicories or turnips in extra-virgin olive oil, or Norcia ham and then a Ricotta cheesecake as dessert!! Of course you are all invited by me for a healthy vacation!! Enjoy a great week..LOL

http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p97232?refid=property_link&catid=97232

Fly to Salento - Appetizers, Homemade Ginger Spaghetti and Mussels

2011-05-18T13:24:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento - Appetizers: Goat's and Sheep's Melted Cheese, Fava Beans Bruschetta or White Truffle Cream, Fava Beans Bruschetta?

2011-05-17T17:06:00.000+02:00

...HOT bread of course...and won't forget to pairing with Rosè Wine !! :-)

Fly to Salento - My Weekend: A Bicycle Ride in the Countryside..

2011-05-16T11:34:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento - Homemade Curry Tagliatelle and Prawns

2011-05-08T13:00:00.000+02:00

I went for a riding this early morning..Sunny Sleepy Sunday Morning, May 8th, Mom's Day...

It's time for celebration here in Aradeo: St. Nicholas or Nikolaos of Myra (270 - December 6th 343) is the patron saint of this smiling town in the heart of Salento. Not so many people are around at this time of the day, since last night they attended celebration in church and then the religious procession throughout the narrow streets which lead to the main square...Piazza San Nicola, where a (XVII cent) red brick covered tall tower, a tireless clock and a big arch represent the border between the old side of the town and the new one. This square seems like a little work of art today for the lighting structure they built for this festive occasion...an embroidered frame warmly 'hugging' a living scenery. The ringing of bells blends cheerfully with the aroma of coffee and pastries coming out from bars, already open and welcoming those who can't resist the "calling" of a black expresso and a brioche..mmmm....

- 12.55 pm. Boom!!! The magic firework show is going to start bursting in the blue golden sky and... lunch is ready!!...I made homemade curry tagliatelle and prawns...sea flavor...Have a shining Sunday to all my friends!

Fly to Salento - Finding inspiration...Pizza for friends tonight..mmmm

2011-05-02T21:14:00.000+02:00

Fly to salento - Buon Appetito and have a nice week! :)

2011-05-02T14:56:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento - Apple Pie

2011-05-01T12:50:00.000+02:00

Hey Guys..hope you're having a nice sweet Sunday!! LOL

Fly to Salento: Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T09:20:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento - New Calendar Events & Program 2011: Hands On Cooking Lessons in Apulia, Southern Italy

2010-11-05T19:47:00.023+01:00

Fly to Salento is very glad to introduce the new cookery program for culinary classes in Spring/Autumn 2011:

Giusy's Hands on Cooking Lessons & Chocolate Lessons for Children and "Older" Children.

New Calendar Events:

- April 18th/22nd;

- May 2nd/6th;

- May 30th /June 3rd;

- June 27th/July 1st;

- September 12th/16th;

- October 3rd/7th

(All culinary classes are available for 2/8 people)

This Cookery Class is ideal for experiencing the ancient tastes and fine gourmet perfumes of the Salento culinary tradition. With respect to this, the Mediterranean Diet is not only the mainstay of the Salento way of cooking (by using simple excellent ingredients), but it represents also the slow living in Puglia, that is the proper conjunction for a healthy way of life here. This is the reason why cooking is a privileged symbol of joy, friendliness, spirit of feast, and, above all, it is a lively exchange experience with all other cultures in the world.

In order to this, guests will be carefully tutored during the whole one-day full immersion cooking lessons program, where time is considered an unwelcome guest to keep out of the kitchen, and where guests may, above all, feel free to express their own culinary creativity. On the other hand, right in this context, smiling, relaxing, spirit of curiosity and imagination become the requested ingredients for the success of the recipes in progress. Then, a friendly dinner will introduce a pleasant conversation bringing into focus the performed dishes and all possible variations.

'Chocolate Lessons for Children and "Older" Children' is dedicated to all those people who feel passion for chocolate.

Total Cost is euro750 (All inclusive x person x 5 days, full immersion Giusy's Hands on Cooking Lessons + 5 Chocolate Lessons/ Kit/Tastings and 5 Dinners & Wines)

http://www.flytosalento.com/home.html

http://www.flytosalento.com/cultural.html

Booking: info@flytosalento.com

To Autumn - John Keats

2010-10-19T09:04:00.001+02:00

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,

Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing;and now with treble soft

The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Fly to Salento - Have break...Margherita Cake at Any Time!

2010-10-08T10:00:00.000+02:00

Welcome my friends! We're stepping into a new sunny weekend again here in Lecce, Apulia, Southern Italy, and Fall atmosphere is slowly spreading all around. Indeed, a couple of days ago, we had heavy grey sky and little rain...I remember that I was chitchatting with an old school friend when I told her it was the right time to bake a Torta Margherita..It was getting dark outside but..not in my kitchen...so full of warm familiar feelings: suddenly, Zia Lucia's old recipes writing took me back in my years of childhood, when I used to watch my auntie while baking one of my fav snacks...made of genuine ingredients and love for simple things: Beat four yolks and toss with sugar (150 gr); add butter (70gr) to the mix and work it all together (use a fork in order to melt butter) until it looks like a smooth cream. Add flour (150gr), baking powder (16gr), potato starch (120gr), half glass of milk and grated lemon rind... Keep on tossing all the mix and in the end add four albumens (the white part of eggs, which you previously need to whip very well - add a sprinkle of salt to them - like a very thick whipped cream). Be careful during this last phase... toss the mix very gently with a slow unfailing rotatory movement of your wrist, going down deep with a fork in the mix and then up to its surface.You'll see then your mix like bubbling.. that's the sign that air is in and it is ready for oven. (Bake your torta Margherita in a cake pan for about 40 mins, in covection oven 180° C, without forgetting to check during the last minutes of baking with the pron of the fork... If the Torta Margherita won't stick to the fork, take the cake out of oven, leave it just for a while to get cooler and serve it on a dish with rain of icing sugar. As dessert, to pair it with a good Moscato Wine DOC from Trani.

PS. Torta Margherita is a genuine snack to pair with a healthy glass of milk at any time!! Ideal for both children and elders who will love it!!!

Fly to Salento - Small Bites of Turkey with Delicate Onion Sauce on top..

2010-08-09T09:23:00.000+02:00

Glowing Sunday morning to you my friends..today I'm going to make a very delicate sauce with red sweet onion from Acquaviva delle Fonti, Bari (Presidio Slow Food). Chop finely onion and mix it with a couple of spoons of white yogurt, pepper, curry, ginger and just little salt. Then cook some small bites of turkey in a pan with extra-virgin olive oil, red Aglianico Alticelli wine (Cantele - Azienda Vinicola - Guagnano, Lecce - Apulia), rosemary and salt (to add in the end). The onion sauce tastes sublime on the top of these small bites of turkey...just try it and have a great Ferragosto! G

Fly to Salento - What's for Lunch? Leaves of Olive Tree Pasta, Sweet Red Peppers Sauce, Chardonnay and.... il Bel Canto!

2010-08-04T09:09:00.001+02:00

It was around midday, when our new neighbour moved downstairs, in his flat, in our XIX century palace..Such a very nice friendly person - my husband and I were saying while making lunch ready: leaves of olive tree pasta and sweet red peppers sauce cooked with our most preferred Chardonnay wine (Teresa Manara - Cantele Azienda Vinicola - Guagnano, Lecce - Italy)...We were just adding a sprinkle of origan and some fresh "ricotta" sheep milk cheese on top of this delicious meal when ... our neighbour started singing a beautiful aria from Rossini "Ecco ridente in cielo"...aahh....just try to figure out...this extraordinary voice perfectly melts with your food while you're cooking it... mmm sublime taste, real poetry.....simply amazing....Our neighbour is a tenor..and has a great voice truly...For a few moments it seemed to us of living a very pleasant experience...it was like being at theatre! Indeed we were listening to him right from the court while having lunch on our patio!

Buon Appetito!

Fly to Salento - Summer Lasagnette with Aubergines & Mozzarella...one more option for the Ferragosto Picnic

2010-07-30T19:05:00.000+02:00

Hi again..Ferragosto is in two weeks and I was just thinking about how to party..I guess a lot of people will spend the whole day to the beach...enjoying the sea, friends and...why not?...What about good food and wine? So here it is a suggestion for the Ferragosto picnic: a mouthwatering homemade lasagna with aubergines & mozzarella to pair with a fresh Bardolino wine...Have Fun!!!

Ps. Just to let you know that those are not tomatoes but Red Aubergines from Rotonda (Potenza - Basilicata) Presidio Slow Food

Fly to Salento - Summer Homemade Lasagnette with Chicory from Otranto

2010-07-28T19:16:00.000+02:00

Hi guys...this is such a gorgeous time to go the beach for a nice swimming..enjoying the warm sun of July late afternoon... bringing with you a delicious light dinner and wine to share with friends at sunset...

For this special occasion I thought of a particular fresh dish which I made very quick before joining my friendly English guest-family at Zen Beach (Baia Verde-Gallipoli)

Homemade Lasagnette with chicory from Otranto (Lecce - Apulia), mozzarella, smoked scamorza and capocollo (Presidio Slow Food) from Martina Franca (Taranto - Apulia)

Wine Pairing: I would suggest a Syrah Alto (Cantine Due Palme - Cellino San Marco, Brindisi - Apulia)

CHEERS!!!

Fly to salento - What's for dinner tonight? Octopus !!!!

2010-07-11T13:19:00.000+02:00

Enjoy your dinner and football!!!

Fly to Salento - It's time to pick apricots from my garden and make home-made jam for friends!

2010-06-24T16:10:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento - Cereal and Caponata: Flavors of Summertime in Apulia, Southern Italy

2010-06-15T16:30:00.000+02:00

Hi everybody, hope you're having a glorious day...it's (almost) Summertime and temperature's pretty high here in Lecce, Apulia, Southern Italy. I went to the food market this early morning, looking for something very special for a healthy fresh recipe...The market was an overflowing sea of fresh vegetables, a triumph of colors... green, red, yellow peppers, zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, carrots, new potatoes...all of them seemed to winking at me by saying:" please cook me.. cook me..." ...Well...it was impossible to resist the temptation of Summer flavors... so back home, I roasted very quick yellow peppers into oven, made a "caponata" (with aubergines, onion, garlic, spicy red pepper, black olives (juicy "celline"), anchovies, zucchini, tomatoes, extravirgin olive oil, white wine from Sicily (Corte dei Mori), and cooked cereal (rich in fiber, vitamin PP, phosphor) that is...long grain parboiled rice, pearled-barley and pearled-spelt and add some mozzarella in the end, before heatting into oven again, just for about twenty minutes...and here you are...this is the tasty, flavored result...

Buon Appetito - Enjoy your lunch!

Fly to Salento - A Spring View from my Kitchen Window

2010-05-29T21:25:00.002+02:00

Fly to Salento - Ravioli, Home Flavors of Lecce, Apulia...

2010-05-28T14:52:00.000+02:00

Not too hot today..I thought of an old recipe of my aunt and made a sort of variation on it...mmm...home flavor is a mouthwatering smelling...ricotta, (fresh sheep's cheese), homemade dried tomatoes in olive oil, pecorino cheese, basil flavored extravirgin olive oil...
Enjoy your Friday...

Fly to Salento - Focaccia Pugliese

2010-05-27T14:42:00.001+02:00

If God had intended us to follow recipes,

He wouldn't have given us grandmothers.

~ Linda Henley

Fly to Salento - ...And what about a strawberry pasticciotto (dessert) and a homemade rosolio taste? ;P

2010-05-26T16:12:00.002+02:00

It looks yummieeeeeeeeee! ;P

"Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well one must love and respect food.” -
Craig Claiborne

Fly to Salento - Swordfish Au Gratin & Mediterranean Flavored Zucchini...tastes of Apulia!

2010-05-26T14:44:00.000+02:00

Have a nice lunch! :)

Fly to Salento - Let's make a delicious pasta pie (pasticcio) ... :D

2010-05-25T14:36:00.000+02:00

Those who forget pasta are condemned to reheat it. - Anonymous

No problem...Let's make a delicious pasta pie (pasticcio) ... :D

Fly to Salento: Potatoes Flan & Asparagus Omelettes for a Sunday Pic-Nic in Aradeo Coutryside!

2010-05-23T13:25:00.000+02:00

Great Sunday to you all my friends...Today we're having a beautiful sunny weather here ... for we just got the idea to go cycling around and having a pic-nic in the lovely countryside (stunning views of corn fields, olive groves and vineyards), which surrounds the small town of Aradeo, Apulia, Southern Italy (it's only 20 mins of driving from Lecce) ... For this occasion I thought to bring with us a delicious Potatoes Flan, I just made, and some Asparagus Omelettes to pair with a fine wine from Salento... Girofle Rosé Controcorrente - Azienda Monaci - Copertino, Lecce, Italy

Enjoy your day! :)

Fly to Salento: Bizarre Weather in May - Homemade Tiramisù for Breakfast

2010-05-21T09:27:00.000+02:00

Ciao everybody... Today temperature lowered... indeed, it's pretty cold outside after a rainy night...What strage weather in May! Bizarre... Anyway.. I'm going to have breakfast with my homemade tiramisù...

Fly to Salento - Spring Recipe: When Countryside and Seaside Flavors meet...Apulia, Southern Italy...

2010-05-20T15:10:00.000+02:00

Great morning...it is raining and it looks like a fall day... heavy grey sky...but not in my kitchen..so full of colors and spring flavors...just got back home from the local food market and I'm enjoying my cooking for lunch...
Fresh green peas, shrimps (for this course I'm going to use only tails), Carnaroli rice, ...
Suggestion: To pair with Rosato (Rosé) Negroamaro (Cantele) from Salento (persistent taste)

Fly to Salento - Healthy Food vs Junk Food

2010-05-03T22:23:00.001+02:00

Junk Food - The Truth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-ljW5YEdao&NR=1

Fly to Salento for Slow Food - A Journey into the Heart of Salento, Puglia, to have a GOOD RIGHT CLEAN Taste of the Best Extravirgin Olive Oil DOP Productions

2010-05-03T20:22:00.002+02:00

Fly to Salento - Walking and Cycling Paths: Go for a Hike around Unspoiled Salento, Puglia, Nature

2010-04-26T08:29:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento: A Sunny Springtime Week-End in Aradeo, Puglia - The Annunciation Day...Old Religious Rites and Traditional Horse Races..

2010-04-12T20:47:00.001+02:00

We spent this last sunny week-end in Aradeo, a small friendly village - my home village - in the Salento area (Puglia). A deep jump in the old traditional atmosphere of a religious event which takes place every early Springtime: the Annunciation Day.

Here there are some pics to show you the lovely joyful feeling of people for this very old religious event and how they join in it.

On the Eve of the Annunciation Day - The Procession

The Annunciation Day: The Horse Races

Fly to Salento - Handmade Pasta: Sombreros and Spicy Eggplants Chili or...Turnip Tops!

2010-04-09T16:24:00.002+02:00

Hi everybody, ... just back from the fresh food local market, here I am in the kitchen thinking of something special to cook..What about handmade pasta?.. Actually I made it this early morning and left getting dry (it is made of wheat and barley flours)..I'm expecting it to be very tasty...mmm..and because of the shape I gave it, I'm going to call it "sombreros pasta" and... let's cook it with a very spicy eggplants chili or.... a nice alternative can be sombreros (instead of the most typical and best known handmade Puglia "orecchiette") with turnip tops...I bought very good fresh vegetables from the food market..both turnip tops and eggplants are home produce coming from a small town near here in the Salento area...Leverano (Lecce).

Wine Suggestion: Eloquenzia - Negroamaro (red wine) DOC, Azienda Monaci s.r.l. Copertino (Lecce), Italia, 2006 grape harvest.

PS. When Tweety creates Sylvester copies!!! Hey Sylvester, do you know what "being creative" means?

Fly to Salento: Father's Day and Old Traditions in Apulia, Southern Italy - On A Suggestive Pilgrimage in Warm Welcome Homes Celebrating St. Joseph.

2010-03-21T17:26:00.000+01:00

What a suggestive night we spent on a pilgrimage in warm welcoming homes celebrating St.Joseph. This old and well appreciated tradition is still alive in a few small villages of the Salento territory, Apulia: Minervino, Giurdignano, Palmariggi, Cerfignano, (it's a long list..) and what particularly struck us was that deep religious feeling you could draw or even touch in the silent night atmosphere. A nice driving through winding narrow streets, across the calm and peaceful countryside...silver olivegroves at the moonlight...and here we were in a village..It was almost 7:00pm and it seemed to us that nobody was hanging round except for two girls belonging to the local organization "Pro Loco" who diligently were waiting for "pilgrims" in the main square of the village in order to provide a detailed street-map with all houses involved in this holy celebration. Then our trip started by visiting the "tavolate".. one after an other..stunning sceneries.. amazing tablefuls of the most traditional local courses gently prepared with genuine products of our homeland and patiently manufactured for days in loving attitude of devotion to St. Joseph by the women of the village and hostesses: family productions of wine, olive oil, wheat flour, pickled onions, best known in the South of Italy as "lampascioni" (Muscari comosum, that is small bitter tasted onions belonging to the family of Hyacinthaceae), sculptured bread, turnips, fennels, oranges, honey, the famous "tria".. made of "sagne 'ncannulate" (video and September 2009 articles about this subject available on this blog), fried pasta and chickpeas, "purceddhruzzi" (December 2009 articles available on this blog), which looked like truly works of art, fish, "pittule" and "zeppole"...All these mouthwatering courses took place on preciously embroidered table cloths, symbolically laid for thirteen holy figures (represented by special guests, very dear to the hosting families) with lit candles and sumptuous sweet-smelling flower decorations... These gorgeous "tavolate" were votive altars honouring St.Joseph: pilgrims silently went there, said their grace, asking for a bliss, then, after receiving some bread from the hostess's very hands, they went away smiling, with thankful hearts.

Fly to Salento - February 2010 in Salento, Apulia, Southern Italy - Pictures of Seaside and Countryside - Gallery

2010-02-26T14:41:00.000+01:00

Fly to Salento - Fresh Local Food Products for Traditional Courses in Apulia, Southern Italy

2010-02-19T18:25:00.004+01:00

On the way back to Salento, Apulia, from a short break in Sila, Calabria, we brought with us a small bag of red skin potatoes. Floury, no-watery potatoes, this is the secret recipe to make very good gnocchi: easy to work and you do not need to add much flour in order to have a truly taste of potatoes. On the other hand, we live in a specific area of Salento where we've got one of the best traditional food products of Apulia: the typical production of the "Sieglinde" new potatoes. Indeed we choose the Galatina "Sieglinde" new potatoes when we want to have them roasted or for genuine crisps (to fry in extravirgin olive oil!)....mmm...simply delicious.....Children love them...and me too! :-P In addition to this we cannot overlook the specific natural substances, their healthy properties, which characterize this traditional food product of Puglia: that is potassium, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and folic acid (in particular way this last is widely suggested by doctors to be taken during pregnancy).

So all you need to make potatoes gnocchi is:

- Boiling potatoes

- Peeling potatoes (I prefer to leave them in the fridge all night long)

- Mashing potatoes and mix with an egg, salt and very little flour (semolina is best). You need to work this mixture for a while and finally, when it is solid enough and not sticky, you can make a long roll to be cut into smaller pieces. Then shape gnocchi carving them gently on a small ruled surfaced wooden table.

How to cook gnocchi...

Well...you need to cook them in boiling salted water and wait until they come to surface ... After straining you can serve them with an excellent Torre Guaceto "fiaschetto" tomatoes sauce (in the Summertime) or with a fine savoy (variety of cabbage) soup, which I like best to make during winter, and a light rain of matured, spicy "pecorino leccese" (it is a typical sheep's milk cheese, which sometimes has very little helping of goat's milk). This typical local cheese (the production area is Lecce-Maglie-Nardò) is soft and sweet when it is fresh made...

How to cook a savoy soup..

Cut savoy very thin and after a very quick boiling (only a couple of minutes) stew it adding extravirgin olive oil, pepper and concentrated vegetable soup (carrot, celery, onion, tomato, salt, water, extravirgin olive oil).

Suggestion:

Adding some matured pecorino cheese and mint to the mixture of potatoes gnocchi you're going to make one more delicious typical course that is Salento Potatoes Panzerotti:

- Make long rolls

- Dip potatoes rolls in beaten egg and then coat them with breadcrumbs

- Fry them in extravirgin olive oil.

Serve them hot as appetizers with red ruby Negroamaro wine Cappello di Prete - Salento IGT - Azienda Francesco Candido......de gustibus........

Fly to Salento - In Supporting of Food Education for Children in School

2010-02-18T18:40:00.001+01:00

Let's get rid of junk food and eat fresh local food!
See Jamie Oliver's TED acceptance speech http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html

Fly to Salento - Mom's Cooking Recipe from Apulia, Southern Italy

2010-02-03T16:08:00.030+01:00

Hi, welcome back.. :-) This is the perfect day to make an old recipe, which belongs to my family for more than three generations of women and, in my opinion, I think it is very representative of my homeland: Apulia. Yeah... this is a new season for our golden treasure: olive oil ... so let's have a taste of it with our Puglia traditional home recipes. All you need is flour, extravirgin olive oil, white wine, salt, pepper, a handful of fennel seeds. Mix all together, work it for a while and when it becomes like a dough, make small rings of it. Cook them in boiling water and wait until they come to surface. Leave them to dry on a big napkin and bake them for about 30/40 minutes in a quick oven (200°)

Mouthwatering idea for friendly snacks and appetizers with olives, small bites of mozzarella and lively Prosecco... :P Cheers

Fly to Salento - Homemade Lemon Biscuits, Delicious Idea for Tea Time

2010-01-19T18:08:00.000+01:00

Good afternoon...Would you love a nice cup of tea and some lemon biscuits?

Ingredients: Flour, Butter, Sugar, Eggs, Lemon, Orange, Baking Powder, Salt

Sweet Smelling of chit-chatting...Delicious Idea for Tea Time, isn'it? :-)

Fly to Salento Cooking Class - Homemade Pasta in Salento, Apulia, Authentic Culinary Expression of Good Wishes

2010-01-12T10:41:00.020+01:00

Handmade Pasta: Wheat Semolina Flour and water

How to cook it: Cook Homemade Pasta in boiling water for a couple of minutes and serve it with typical Salento Fiaschetto tomatoes sauce,fresh sheep's milk cheese, basil.

Fly to Salento for Slow Food - Mediterranean Soup Recipe - Good, Clean, Right!

2010-01-08T18:29:00.002+01:00

This is a delicious healthy Mediterranean Soup you can't miss to try. It is very easy to prepare. All you need is: favabeans, peas, corn (you can choose which one you like the most), carrot, tomatoes, onion, celery, bay leaves, extravirgin olive oil, salt. You can use a clay pot to cook this soup, pouring some water (the level of water has to cover the surface of pulses) into it once you have already lightly fried onions and herbs in extravirgin olive oil. Cook it for about 60 min.

And this is the result...Those rings on the right side of the pic are called "taralli", a very popular kind of bread in Apulia. In this particular culinary occasion I may suggest those flavoured with extravirgin olive oil and fennel seeds.

In addition to this low-fat food maybe you can have a taste of... aubergines:

Chop an aubergine to pieces and pour them in a pan with onion, salt, pepper, Italian Prosecco, and extravirgin olive oil. Leave them to cook very slow and then... Buon Appetito!

Fly to Salento - Homemade Rosemary Pasta and Codfish Soup, an Authentic Gastronomic Tradition in Salento, Puglia

2009-12-30T11:55:00.000+01:00

Welcome to a new merry day... enjoying a very special culinary course that is traditionally bound to Christmastime in the Salento territory: Today I'm going to show you how to make Rosemary Pasta served with codfish soup. It is a healthy, law-fat meal that people, here in Salento, use to make and eat right at this period in order to balance with all fat greedy courses we joyfully have for Christmas: lasagne, cannelloni, ravioli, roast chicken or turkey and potatoes, zampone or cotechino and lentils (these are to wish good luck for the New Year Coming), etc.

One more culinary option, easy to make and very popular in this area, is Salted Codfish to fry in extravirgin olive oil.

Wine Suggestion: Negroamaro Rosato I.G.T. Salento - Cantele Winery
Freshness, Strong, Elegant, Longlasting Taste.

Wishing you all Happy Golden Days in 2010...

Fly to Salento - 'Xmas Culinary Frame in Apulia, Southern Italy: Honey Purceddhruzzi

2009-12-28T11:32:00.003+01:00

Fly to Salento - Christmas Culinary Tradition in Aradeo, Puglia: Salt&Pepper Purceddhruzzi

2009-12-21T07:19:00.000+01:00

Winter Season's come and it almost freezes outside...Christmas Day's knocking at the door and I feel so excited to welcome all my friends and relatives who want to share some of these precious moments with us like a lovely huge family...May the Spirit of Christmastime find home in our heart and filling it with joy, peace and love...

This morning I chose for you a very special recipe...Salt&Pepper Purceddhruzzi... a Christmas culinary tradition for my family...I was still a child when I learned how to make them watching my aunt Lucia at work at every Christmas Eve...mmmm...delicious and fragrant!

Ingredients: flours, eggs salt, pepper, wine, extra-virgin olive oil, baking powder, lemon.
The most popular variation of this recipe here in Salento, Southern Apulia, is the one (slightly different) to sweeten with honey...

Suggestion: An excellent Negroamaro Wine matches perfectly with this slow eating (you can try also Purceddhruzzi served with scamorza affumicata and salami). I may suggest to drink the ruby Varius - Cantele Winery - It is ideal for its good structure, balance and long aftertaste.

THIS IS FLY TO SALENTO, THE ONLY ORIGINAL REGISTERED TRADEMARK ...BEWARE OF FAKES...CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT.. :D

2009-12-17T11:02:00.005+01:00

NOW IT'S MY TURN: ....ENOUGH WAFFLES CAT (CONFESERCENTI-ASSOTURISMO LECCE- PUGLIA)...HANDS OFF FROM MY TRADEMARK "FLY TO SALENTO"!

Fly to Salento - Salento Sunset Villa: Gallipoli, Puglia, Chic Beach,Holiday Escapes in Summer Season 2010

2009-12-17T10:40:00.008+01:00

Fly to Salento -
The best value Salento Sunset holiday rental property is only few steps (200 meters) from the trendy chic beach and the crystal clear sea of Baia Verde, holiday district of Gallipoli that is only a couple of kilometers from the old centre. It is the ground floor (90sqm) of a typical Mediterranean styled villa (450sqm) surrounded by the garden, among maritime pines, oleanders and honeysuckles. It boasts three bedrooms, comfortably giving lodging to six (5+1) people, and two bathrooms with shower. A long pine table with chairs and a cupboard are into an adorable living room with a relaxing sofa-bed next to the fireplace that can be used also as BBQ. Pine sliding doors divide the dining area from a wide kitchen equipped for self-catering. A lovely sun-porch is the proper place for dinners by candlelight, enjoying the coolness of nights and a glass of good wine. Right over the gate of the villa a short foot-path leads straight to the beach.

FLY TO SALENTO VILLA RENTAL and EXPLORE GALLIPOLI through architecture, history and tradition. Gallipoli, from the Greek kalé-polis, that is beautiful town, is most frequently known as “Ionian Pearl”. The old town, originally built on an island, was later bound to the land through a long bridge made of stone. Among old palaces with baroque balconies and antique portals with coats of arms, the cathedral, a XVII century masterpiece, several churches like the little “Purità” and its majolica floor in front of the splendid scenery of the Ionian sea. Santa Cristina,patron saint of the town, is celebrated on July 24th with ancient religious rites, a very suggestive procession and spectacular fireworks. In front of the old fortified town, the main road heads to the modern part of the town, where lively commercial activities like inviting ice-cream shops, pizzerias, restaurants,nice clothing shops,cafes are open until late at night to make you appreciate Gallipoli Dolce Vita.

Salento Dolce Vita on Caribbean Gallipoli Beach: The best value Salento Sunset holiday Villa is ideal escape for both romantic honeymoons and also for amazing family vacations: the chic Baia Verde Beach is almost out of the doorstep, so while children enjoy swimming, diving, playing beach-volley for the whole day, adults can finally free their mind from job activities, attending amusing Latin-American dance lessons or relaxing sunbathing, drinking something cooler.At sunset beach is gorgeous, it is peace and quiet everywhere and it is ideal time for yoga training, kayak, kitesuring or for long tonic walks in Caribbean warm waters,indeed you can walk for miles.At night,in a fashion restaurant-disco-pub in the pine-wood,in front of the beach, Praja, people enjoy DOLCE VITA dancing and appreciating our Mediterranean mouthwatering local food.Excellent FISH MARKET is in Gallipoli for your BBQ dining at the villa.All around Salento area, spectacular lighting projects to honour religious feasts and typical gastronomy carnivals called SAGRE.

Charming sea places to visit: From the panoramic motorway Lecce-Gallipoli-S.Maria di Leuca (ss101-274), that is situated at the back of Baia Verde, you can explore the most beautiful places of Salento. A gorgeous natural park, for example, on the Ionic coast ,from where, after a twenty minutes walk through the maritime pine-wood, you will discover a tiny beach in front of a blue-sky sea: it is a paradise! Little villages of fishermen,where you can taste delicious fresh fish and from the hill, at night, you can admire the charming lighted gulf of Gallipoli that seems like a nativity scene. Leuca, the extreme part of the Salento Peninsula, is very easy to reach through the picturesque seaside road. From there, at sunrise, you can watch the suggestive scenery of the pink Albanian mountains. Otranto, on the Adriatic coast, is the historic town of martyrs. They can be visited in the cathedral, where there is also an antique precious mosaic floor representing the tree of life.

Web Pages: http://www.flytosalento.com/

Booking: sunset@flytosalento.com

Mobile: 0039 3351728464 or 0039 3286769774

Fly to Salento - Salento Sunrise: Holiday Home, Summer Escapes for €550, Slow Living in Aradeo, Puglia

2009-12-17T09:26:00.004+01:00

Fly to Salento: The Salento Sunrise Holiday Apartment is situated in Aradeo, a friendly village in Salento,between the rocky Adriatic and the sandy Ionian Sea. AVAILABLE ALL YEAR ROUND, this 1st floor holiday rental boasts four wide bedrooms comfortably giving lodging up to eight people. Two bedrooms have balconies on the front of the property, while the other two bedrooms look into a bright cloister with typical Mediterranean vegetation.

The family colorful living room has two big sofas, ideal for taking a nap. Two bathrooms: the biggest one has a bathtub and the smaller one has a shower. A lovely kitchen, with dining area for eight people, is equipped for self catering. From the kitchen, stairs lead to a private 400sqm roof-garden, where spectacular cycadaceae and a pool are the perfect setting for relaxing moments in the shade of a jasmine, passionflower, blackberry 10sqm gazebo. A picturesque view is over terraces all around and over the street that leads to the centre of the village.

Aradeo, a friendly village twinned with Pasvalys, Latvia and Bystrzyca Klodzka, Poland, is only few minutes of driving or biking from a natural park and open sky fossil museum in the countryside area (once,in the past it was an old mine for the typical leccese stone and clay exploitation).There you can visit a well-known local factory and watch employees creating fine original handmade pots and china.Several cultural excursions to organize, like a full immersion trip to learn the precious Baroque Art Style in Lecce (only twenty-seven kilometers from Aradeo).Great opportunity for sightseeing in Salento. Astonishing sceneries and romantic places for shooting holiday memories films. From the geographically privileged position of Aradeo in Salento, it takes only fifteen or twenty minutes for reaching the white sandy Ionian or the rocky Adriatic coasts. Gallipoli, Otranto, Santa Maria di Leuca are perfect places for amazing swimming, diving, sailing into Caribbean seas.

Cultural Details

Aradeo has greek-byzantine origins: the name comes from the greek word charadreon that means land crossed by streams. Indeed, Aradeo is on a fertile area rich of ground water and this may be the reason why it has a good production of oil, wine and wheat flours to make excellent homemade pasta.Spending a holiday here is a good opportunity to taste genuine food.The historical centre is very little but accurately restored:the XVII cent. village ancient door, the XVIII cent.Virgin Mary church, the XVII cent. St. John’s column. Next to the historical architecture, there are also important modern works like the town-hall and the theatre, where all the most relevant cultural activities and social events of Aradeo take place: concerts, national performances, local carnivals. Summer is then the right period for enjoying the DOLCE VITA: at night everywhere in Salento popular FESTIVALS called SAGRE,where everybody have fun tasting Salento FOOD, drinking good WINE and dancing the famous PIZZICA

Perfumes and Tastes of Amazing Salento.

The Salento Sunrise apartment is only few steps from shops, bars, restaurants and all centre activities and five minutes of walking from the amazing countryside that surrounds Aradeo. With regard to this, guests are free to use home-bicycles for nice excursions. On the roof garden, during the day, they can sunbathe,while children have fun in the pool. At night, guests can enjoy the barbecue for a nice cook-out...and why not having a taste of some typical Mediterranean healthy food such as a delicious pignata di legumi? or joining a cooking lesson to make traditional homemade pasta (maccheroni, orecchiette, sagne'ncannulate or a yummy pizza)? Guests have also the great chance of buying organic produces, genuine olive oil, excellent wine, fresh vegetables and fruit or the sublime mozzarella and burrata directly from farmers in the colorful and lively Aradeo countryside, or in the suggestive market, which there takes place on Tuesday mornings.

Web Pages: http://www.flytosalento.com/

Booking: sunrise@flytosalento.com

Mobile: 0039 3351728464 or 0039 3286769774

FLY TO SALENTO IS REGISTERED TRADEMARK

2009-12-11T14:20:00.003+01:00

Fly to Salento - Homemade Olive Oil-Flavored Bread (Puccia con le Olive) at Christmastime in Puglia...Join in my Hands-on Cooking Lessons!

2009-12-09T09:17:00.006+01:00

Goodmorning my friends..hope you had a nice long week-end hanging around, buying Christmas gifts..

Here it is my Homemade Olive Oil-Flavored Bread (Puccia con le olive - it is a genuine cooking tradition in Lecce area and Puglia territory!) Do you wanna try to bake it?... It is not difficult at all, but it's a long process...It takes at least 48h...Healthy, excellent for Mediterranean diet courses I already mentioned about in my blog...I really enjoyed baking it!... Join in the fun! Join in my Hands-on Cooking Lessons....

:-) Fly to Salento

Fly to Salento - Tasting Christmas Flavours at Home in Lecce, Puglia: Candied Quince, Cotognata Leccese

2009-12-01T22:18:00.001+01:00

What a special Sunday morning...enjoyed making a big twinkling Christmas tree into the living room and really couldn't resist the temptation to share this magic image with my friends too...because at Christmastime we love to feel like children ..awaiting the opening of gifts...

I got inspiration from this soft feeling, which slowly turned, like a smooth wine, into a nostalgic glimpse of a traditional delicacy that we use to make at this time of the year...mmm it tasted of CANDIED QUINCE (jelly)...that is to say...COTOGNATA LECCESE... It matches perfectly with Christmas atmosphere here in Lecce, my home town. So, a few minutes later, after having chopped up quinces..(many thanks to my solicitous relatives, who yearly give me baskets of golden quinces as present from their own gorgeous, huge garden) I put a big saucepan on to cook for making my candied quince...mmm...yummah... feel the sweet smell ... quince flavour was everywhere in the air, in my kitchen,... around the Christmas Tree..among the branches .. hiding in the foliage... it seemed as if myriads of glittering eyes were winking at it. After a very slow cooking, ( :-p ..very easy to prepare with simple, healthy ingredients... I used my auntie's recipe :-) I poured hot thick candied quince in a baking tray and finally, when it was cold, I cut greedy portions and, after Sunday lunch, served them with a nice cup of coffee by the fireplace...lol...

Fly to Salento - Clementines, Sweet Smell of Christmas Time..Orange Colour, Symbol of Balance..

2009-11-18T17:30:00.000+01:00

Here we go guys.. Today focus is on Clementines.. It is almost Christmas Time and these Citrus fruits, so rich in Antioxidants, are available in food-markets, usually from mid-November through all January. In some areas, this availability has them referred to as Christmas Oranges. Mandarine is also the name of this fruit in the German language.

During this time of the year, when it is cold and foggy outside, a warm relaxed atmosphere by the fire place is all what you need..Better if you share something delicios to eat or drink while having a chat together with your friends.

My suggestion is for these small clementine fragranced bites, which are made of short pastry, almond and clemetine glaze on top.

Fly to Salento: Pomegranate, Fruit for Life

2009-11-02T10:24:00.000+01:00

The origins of Pomegranate are very old and belong to the geographic areas of Iran, Himalayas and Northern India, but this fruit is widely cultivated over the whole Mediterranean Region. Suggestive legends are bound to the pomegranate fruit (such as the ancient greek myth of Persephone), which is symbol of fertility for Indian women (indeed, they drink pomegranate juice against sterility). Classified as "spiritual fruit" together with grapes and date the pomegranate fruit is considered as the personification of a God's gift to people to make their existence sweeter. From the latin word "malum granatum" - "mela granata", pomegranate fruit turns out to be particularly rich in Antioxidants, that is to say: pure vital energy. I planted a pomegranate tree in my garden on May 30th 2006 - the day before the death of a special person very dear to me - and surprisingly this October (after three years) it fruited nine succulent pomegranates!

So, in order to celebrate my friend Cath's 40th Birthday and her amazing participation (4 hours and 39 minutes!!!) to the 40th Marathon in New York City, November 1st, here I made a delicios cake of fragrant short pastry, vanilla custard and pomegranate seeds. Buon Compleanno Cath!

Fly to Salento - Italian Pizza: Food Paradise - Mediterranean Diet

2009-10-27T09:41:00.000+01:00

http://www.slowfood.it/

Mediterranean diet: Choose this heart-healthy diet option

The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan combining elements of Mediterranean-style cooking. Here's how to adopt the Mediterranean diet. By Mayo Clinic staff

If you're looking for a heart-healthy eating plan, the Mediterranean diet might be right for you. The Mediterranean diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating — plus a splash of flavorful olive oil and perhaps a glass of red wine — among other components characterizing the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

Most healthy diets include fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains, and limit unhealthy fats. While these parts of a healthy diet remain tried-and-true, subtle variations or differences in proportions of certain foods may make a difference in your risk of heart disease.

Benefits of the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is thought to reduce your risk of heart disease. In fact, a 2007 study conducted in the United States found that both men and women who consumed a Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of death from both heart disease and cancer.

Key components of the Mediterranean diet include:

- Getting plenty of exercise and eating your meals with family and friends
- Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables
- Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
- Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
- Eating small portions of nuts
- Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some
- Consuming very little red meat
- Eating fish or shellfish at least twice a week

Fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains

The Mediterranean diet traditionally includes fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice. For example, residents of Greece eat very little red meat and average nine servings a day of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol that's more likely to build up deposits in your arteries.

Nuts are another part of a healthy Mediterranean diet. Nuts are high in fat (approximately 80 percent of their calories come from fat), but tree nuts, including walnuts, pecans, almonds and hazel nuts, are low in saturated fat. Nuts are high in calories, so they should not be eaten in large amounts — generally no more than a handful a day. For the best nutrition, avoid honey-roasted or heavily salted nuts.

Grains in the Mediterranean region are typically whole grain and usually contain very few unhealthy trans fats, and bread is an important part of the diet there. However, throughout the Mediterranean region, bread is eaten without butter or margarines, which contain saturated or trans fats.

Healthy fats

The focus of the Mediterranean diet isn't to limit total fat consumption, but to make wise choices about the types of fat you eat.
The Mediterranean diet is similar to the American Heart Association's Step I diet, but it contains less cholesterol and has more fats. However, the fats are healthy — including monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, and polyunsaturated fats, which contain the beneficial linolenic acid (a type of omega-3 fatty acid). These fat sources include canola oil and nuts, particularly walnuts. Fish — another source of omega-3 fatty acids — is eaten on a regular basis in the Mediterranean diet. Omega-3 fatty acids lower triglycerides and may improve the health of your blood vessels. The Mediterranean diet discourages saturated fats and hydrogenated oils (trans-fatty acids), both of which contribute to heart disease.

Choosing oils and fats

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes using olive oil as your primary source of fat, rather than animal or dairy fats. All types of olive oil provide monounsaturated fat — a type of fat that can help reduce LDL cholesterol levels when used in place of saturated or trans fats. "Extra-virgin" and "virgin" olive oils are the least processed forms, meaning they contain the highest levels of the protective plant compounds that provide antioxidant effects.

Wine

The health effects of alcohol have been debated for many years, and some doctors are reluctant to encourage alcohol consumption because of the health consequences of excessive drinking. However, light intake of alcohol has been associated with a reduced risk of heart disease in some research studies.

Red wine has an aspirin-like effect, reducing the blood's ability to clot, and also contains antioxidants. The Mediterranean diet typically includes some red wine, but this should be consumed only in moderation. This means no more than 5 ounces (148 milliliters) of wine daily for women (or men over age 65), and no more than 10 ounces (296 milliliters) of wine daily for men under age 65. Any more than this increases the risk of health problems, including increased risk of certain types of cancer.

If you're unable to limit your alcohol intake to the amounts defined above, if you have a personal or family history of alcohol abuse, or if you have heart or liver disease, refrain from drinking wine or any other alcohol. Also keep in mind that red wine may trigger migraines in some people.
Putting it all together

Adopting a Mediterranean diet is easy if you're a smart shopper. Choose plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, limit your intake of red meat, and eat fish at least once a week. Though avoid fish that's fried or laden with butter or heavy sauces. Use healthy fats, such as olive oil and canola oil, when cooking — but only in moderation because of their high calorie content. Consider nuts as a snack or an addition to a salad. Finally, reduce or eliminate saturated fat and trans fats (also known as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils) from your diet.

Read food labels to see what you're really buying and putting into your body. Here are some specific steps you can take:

- Eat natural peanut butter, rather than the kind with hydrogenated fat added.
- Use butter sparingly. "Low fat" or "cholesterol-free" on the label doesn't mean a product is necessarily good for you. Many of these items are made with trans fats.
- Eat a variety of whole fruits and vegetables every day. Ultimately, strive for seven to 10 servings a day. Keep baby carrots, apples and bananas on hand for quick, satisfying snacks. Fruit salads are a wonderful way to eat a variety of healthy — and tasty — fruit.
- Use canola or olive oil in cooking. Try olive oil for salad dressing and as a healthy replacement for butter or margarine. After cooking pasta, add a touch of olive oil, some garlic and green onions for flavoring. Dip bread in flavored olive oil or lightly spread it on whole-grain bread for a tasty alternative to butter.
- Season your meals with herbs and spices rather than salt.
- Substitute fish and poultry for red meat. Avoid sausage, bacon and other high-fat meats.
- Limit higher fat dairy products such as whole or 2 percent milk, cheese and ice cream. Switch to skim milk, fat-free yogurt and low-fat cheese.
- Eat fish once or twice a week. Water-packed tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel and herring are healthy choices. Grilled fish tastes good and requires little cleanup. Avoid fried fish, unless it's sauteed in a small amount of olive oil.
- Keep walnuts, almonds, pecans and Brazil nuts on hand for a quick snack.
- If it's OK with your doctor, go ahead and have a glass of red wine at dinner with your pasta or fish. If you don't drink alcohol, you don't need to start. Drinking purple grape juice may be a healthy alternative to wine.

Once you experience the delicious and healthy choices the Mediterranean diet has to offer, it just might become your favorite diet.

Fly to Salento for Slow Food - Mediterranean Diet - Healthy Food and Slow-Living in Apulia, Italy - Authentic Value

2009-10-15T09:20:00.000+02:00

http://www.slowfood.com/

Legumes are well known for their precious healthy properties: they represent one of the main ingredients to characterize the Mediterranean Diet, a lifestyle, such an extraordinary natural tool to prevent cancer, heart diseas, etc. Strongly advised for children, legumes are an excellent source of vegetable protein and provide the right balance of daily nutritional value.

Salento is home for so many different legume courses... just think of "ciceri e tria" (homemade pasta "sagne-tria", chickpeas "ceci", pieces of fried toast, extravirgin olive oil),or "cecamariti e muersi" (pea soup, turnips, garlic, small pieces of fried toast, extravirgin olive oil), "fave e cicorie selvatiche" (beans, wild chicory, extravirgin olive oil). Legume recipes mirror our old culinary tradition and way of living in Apulia, Southern Italy, a slow-living as authentic value: indeed they were most frequently used in the past by peasant people who cooked them into a clay pot "pignata".

In my opinion Grass-Pea "Cicerchia" is a very good alternative (though it is nowadays considered "old fashioned") to common legume dishes (lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas). Last week I found it at the Food Market in Lecce and decided to cook it in the traditional way: I left grass-Pea into salted water for a whole night and then, next day, legumes had a slow cooking (about a couple of hours) into a pot covered by one or two inches of water.

P.S. Lastly I think that wild chicory and a small "burrata" cannot be missing from this delicious course and extravirgin olive oil is imperative.

Fly to Salento - How to make an Authentic Italian Homemade Coffee Espresso

2009-10-14T11:11:00.000+02:00

Here it is my small Picture-Guide to make an authentic homemade Italian Coffee Espresso with a Napoli Moka (Mocha) and Caffè Crema Espresso "Quarta" from Lecce..dedicated to Mike's gorgeous family and to all people who love Italian coffee espresso and want to learn how to make it at home :-)

- Fill of water the lower mocha container up to the safety valve

- Fill of coffee powder the filter shaping a smooth hill

- Screw the upper coffee container and the lower water container together.

- Leave on the cooker just until coffee comes out filling the upper container and then..your Italian Homemade Black Coffee Espresso is served.

Bargiornale
Anteprima Sic
E' il momento dell'espresso
Al Salone Internazionale del Caffè, nell’ambito di Host (in fiera a Milano), debutta uno spazio di 700 metri quadri dedicato ai professionisti del bar: cinque giorni di corsi e concorsi per imparare nuove ricette e trucchi del mestiere.
Andrea Mongilardi
05 Ottobre 2009
Due giorni di corsi e tre di concorsi, tutti dedicati al caffè. Per i gestori di locali e baristi, la nuova edizione del Sic, il Salone Internazionale del Caffè ospitato all'interno di Host (fieramilano Rho, 23-27 ottobre 2009) offrirà una grandissima opportunità per aggiornarsi su novità, tendenze e “trucchi del mestiere” che ruotano attorno al mondo dell'espresso. Un mondo che sta dimostrando confortanti segnali di tenuta: «Abbiamo superato le adesioni di un'edizione record come il 2007 - afferma Corrado Peraboni, ad di Fiera Milano Expocts - e, seppur di poco, ampliato la superficie espositiva. Ma, al di là dei numeri, abbiamo cercato di rafforzare in modo significativo i contenuti della manifestazione». Appuntamento al villaggio All'interno del Sic, infatti, sorgerà “Il villaggio del caffè”: uno spazio di 700 metri quadrati - nato dalla collaborazione tra Fiera Milano Expocts, l'Associazione Torrefattori Lombardi (Altoga), l'Accademia Italiana Maestri del Caffè (Aicaf) e l'Associazione milanese dei dettaglianti alimentari Assofood - interamente dedicato al mondo del caffè. Il villaggio del caffè ospiterà un'area eventi, dove si terranno corsi e concorsi, un'area relax con l'esposizione della Collezione Maltoni e la possibilità di degustare le nuove miscele delle aziende Altoga, e “La piazza del caffè”, oasi dove si potranno conoscere le piante delle diverse varietà del caffè. Quindici seminari e tre concorsi «I torrefattori e i produttori di macchine per espresso - afferma Gianluigi Sora, presidente dell'Inei, l'Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano - negli ultimi anni hanno investito in qualità: i primi sviluppando miscele create con materie prime di maggior pregio, i secondi creando macchine di più semplice utilizzo e più ergonomiche. Siamo tutti consapevoli che investire nella professionalità dei baristi è la strada maestra per la salute del settore». Venerdì 23 ottobre e martedì 27 saranno le giornate dedicate alla formazione all'interno del Sic: al ritmo serrato di uno ogni ora si terranno una serie di seminari per approfondire le tematiche relative alle nuove ricettazioni, all'utilizzo delle attrezzature e alla loro ottimale manutenzione. Tra i temi di venerdì 23 ci saranno la scelta del macinadosatore, la cura delle attrezzature di caffetteria e l'uso degli accessori per aumentare la creatività della proposta. Martedì 27, invece, si parlerà dell'uso del vetro, delle nuove idee per presentare un espresso e dell'evoluzione delle machine (sul sito www.aicaf.com il calendario completo dei seminari). I tre giorni centrali della manifestazione, invece, saranno dedicati ad altrettanti concorsi. Si comincia sabato 24 con “Fruit Cup 2009”, riservato agli artisti dell'intaglio di frutta e verdura: i concorrenti dovranno realizzare in un'ora e mezza (il via è alle 13,30) la migliore scultura dedicata al mondo del caffè. Domenica 25 sarà la volta del “Gran Premio di Caffetteria”: i partecipanti, provenienti da tutta Italia, si sfideranno nella realizzazione dell'espresso migliore, del cappuccino più cremoso e del cocktail al caffè più originale. È dedicato invece al gelato l'ultimo dei tre concorsi in programma al Sic: “Cono d'oro”, in programma lunedì 26 ottobre. Verrà premiato il miglior gelato al caffè. Anche il solo passeggiare nella piazza del caffè potrà essere da stimolo nel cogliere spunti interessanti per migliorare la presentazione o il servizio: si potranno infatti ammirare esposte opere d'arte in tema caffè e vedere all'opera diversi artisti di coffee painting. Il biglietto per il Sic, che consente l'accesso a Host, costa 15 euro (8 per chi si preregistra sul sito www.host.fieramilanoexpocts.it).

Fly to Salento - Women Cooking in Puglia:Homemade Pasticciotto Salentino All Year Round

2009-10-13T09:20:00.000+02:00

Goodmorning to everybody,temperature fell suddenly at night in Lecce and now it is pretty cooler outside... it is still Breakfast Time, so I think I'm gonna make a cake or best.. my preferred delicious pasticciotti...they are very famous in Salento, Puglia, and really much appreciated by people who came to visit us on Holiday last Summer... (Paola from Seattle, Washington, Aleksandra from Riga, Lavia, all my friends from London, UK). Not difficult to make pasticciotti: short crust, custard and small non-stick moulds to bake them in the oven ...it's just what you need.. and mm ... forgot: my recipe's got also an antique ingredient (nowadays it is almost considered "old-fashion") to make pasticciotti more crumbly and fragrant... ;-P Guess what it is!

Fly to Salento:Fried Green Tomatoes and Creamy Stracciatella

2009-10-09T18:32:00.000+02:00

Well..today is Friday..what a gorgeous sunny weather this morning in Lecce to visit the FOOD market ..and guess what I found..a greedy idea jumped in my mind :p .. and couldn't wait being home for having juicy FRIED GREEN TOMATOES served hot with creamy STRACCIATELLA (the inside of BURRATA)...mmm..yummy....

P.S. My recipe is slightly different from that you can find behid the book written by Fannie Flagg "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" but it is fast, easy and healthy and it is also a delicious marriage with my Sweet and Sour Small Onions. . btw it's a nice occasion to watch the movie again ;-)

Fly to Salento:Sweet and Sour Small Onions..an authentic delicacy from Puglia

2009-10-06T12:38:00.000+02:00

Hey Guys..are you hungry? It's almost lunch time and I've just cooked something special thinking of you..so I'd like to share it with you..they're sweet and sour small onions..a real delicacy if you eat them with hot toasts and soft fresh cheese... Primitivo di Manduria red wine is required..buon appetito! :-)

Fly to Salento:Flowers in my Garden - Aradeo

2009-10-04T10:26:00.000+02:00

Flowers talk in my Garden...Autumn...It is such a nice Sunday morning in Aradeo..Sun is still hot and sparkling..perfect for hiking and why not..to have a picnic under a shaded olive tree and to enjoy the stunning landscape while listening to the wind blowing softly trough the silver foliage...Scent of grape harvest in the air...generous red soil..Salento..In a few weeks, new wine will be welcome guest on our domestic tables together with all home produces and eco-friendly products ...Cheers Fall!

Fly to Salento:Puff Pastry Delicacy with Vanilla Apple Mousse and Blueberry Jam

2009-09-24T16:26:00.000+02:00

This Delicacy is for all my Oxford friends!...and for their children...it is easy to make and ideal for greedy snacks..lol..

Fly to Salento: Cookery Courses, Cultural Routes, Gastronomic Breaks in Puglia, Southern Italy

2009-09-24T12:24:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento offers the opportunity to feel home away from home in a secret haven off the beaten tracks and to join Giusy’s best value tailor-made holiday and vacation programs, available all year round, on her own original cultural guide - itineraries, gourmet paths, interactive one day-cooking classes and culinary workshops properly designed for exploring atmospheres, idioms, sounds and for tasting genuine flavours and perfumes of the kaleidoscopic Salento territory.

Fly to Salento - Pitta di Patate - Aradeo

2009-09-24T11:45:00.000+02:00

Women's Cooking in Apulia - Pitta di Patate - Aradeo

This Potatoes Pitta is a supreme culinary work of art, very typical and representative of my land, Salento - Puglia. I heartly dedicate this meal to all my friends, especially to those who are in London, UK and last Summer joined my lunch or dinner for helping to make this mouthwatering delicacy..good works guys..and "buon appetito".

Ingredients:

Potatoes, cherrish tomatoes, black olives from Salento, capers, anchovies in oil, onion,rosmary, origan, thyme, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, sheep's milk cheese, salt, pepper, extra-vergin olive oil, red wine (Primitivo or Negroamaro).

COMUNE DI ARADEO

Co-financed by the European Union within the programme "Europe for Citizens" 2007 - 2013.

INIZIATIVA DI GEMELLAGGIO
tra le Città di:

ARADEO (Italia) PASVALYS (Lituania) BYSTRZYCA KLODZKA (Polonia)

E' stato approvato e finanziato dall'Unione Europea un progetto di gemellaggio promosso dell'ASSESSORATO ALLA CULTURA DI ARADEO, nell'ambito delle iniziative della Comunità Europea per eliminare le diffidenze reciproche e i pregiudizi e rinsaldare il sentimento di coesione dei cittadini appartenenti a diversi ambienti culturali e sociali, allo scopo di favorire il senso di amicizia, di collaborazione e di promozione di iniziative di scambio su ogni aspetto della vita sociale e culturale tra diverse realtà europee. Nei giorni 11 e 12 Gennaio 2009 sono arrivate in Aradeo le Delegazioni di due comunità cittadine dell'Europa dell'Est, composte da circa 60 persone tra studenti, docenti, amministratori, operatori culturali e imprenditori, provenienti da Pasvalys (Lituania) e da Bystrzyca Klodzka (Polonia), per avviare un importante PATTO DI GEMELLAGGIO. Nella settimana dall'11 al 16 gennaio 2009 si sono svolte varie iniziative e incontri con tutte le realtà sociali, culturali, economiche del nostro Comune. L'Amministrazione e il Consiglio Comunale, unitamente alla cittadinanza, ha accolto calorosamente gli amici provenienti da realtà così lontane e diverse dalla nostra, auspicando un interscambio di rapporti culturali e sociali per sviluppare legami di solidarietà come strumento di conoscenza e comprensione fra i popoli dell'Europa.

Fly to Salento - How to make Italian Homemade Pasta

2009-09-20T19:32:00.001+02:00

Women's cooking in Apulia - Sagne 'Ncannulate e muddhrica fritta

Sagne n'cannulate with tomatoes sauce and fried breadcrumbs is a typical meal from Salento. Years ago, during and after the II World War people in Apulia were too poor to use cheese on pasta so they fried breadcrumbs to add on sagne 'ncannulate making them more tasty. This main course is most frequently prepared on Sunday before Easter.

I'm going to show you two different versions to make Sagne 'Ncannulate. I learnt the first tecnique when I was only a little child watching at my beloved zia Lucia. Recently I learnt the second version from Alessandro's grannie, she is an adorable old lady, aged 86! Many thanks to both of them.

Fly to Salento - Music Framework

2009-09-20T09:30:00.000+02:00

Salento, Paradiso a Sud Est - Apres La Classe

An amazing postcard from Salento, Apulia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXabvZzSDNI

Thank you, guys

Fly to Salento - Carne alla Pignata - Aradeo

2009-09-18T07:52:00.000+02:00

Women's Cooking in Puglia - Carne alla Pignata - Grandma's recipe

Fall is coming.. this is the reason why last Sunday I thought to cook something very special for my friends Eliseo and Francesca. It is a healthy main course that my grandma used to prepare for her eight children, grandpa and for all those friends and relatives who joined her Sunday mornings lunch. We really enjoyed our dinner with pignata di carne, that is tiny delicious pork and veal pieces stewed in red wine, slowly cooked into a typical Salento clay pot with onion, celery, carrots, cherrish tomatoes, new potatoes, thick slices of bacon, rosmary, origan, bay leaves, cloves, sage, thyme, tomatoes sauce, salt, pepper and extravirgin olive oil.
This is a very delicate taste, but if you rather prefer a stronger flavour than I suggest to cook horsemeat..it is very typical and well appreciated in the Salento territory.

Fly to Salento - Baroque Landscapes

2009-06-12T19:06:00.000+02:00

Salento is home for the seventeenth-century taste for the baroque architecture and art, that is very popular in this area of Puglia. Indeed Lecce is authentic representative of this elaborate style and it is the reason why, once a year, the city welcomes visitors to join on a special tour that explores antique precious jewels made of typical leccese and carparo stone dressing, which palaces and churches are made of. “Cortili Aperti”, (Open Courtyards) is the name of this fine event that uses to take place right at the end of May, when enchanting gardens are in bloom and everywhere it is blaze of joyful colours. Fascinating corners, sculptured by skilful hands according to the time-honoured custom, are almost hidden along silent winding paths in the heart of the old city. In a sunny sleeping afternoon you discover the pleasure of hiking and exploring these magnificent works of art: the sculptural quality of this warm golden stone and the beauty of nature work together to shape stunning unique pieces of art. Anthropomorphic figures contributes to modulate lights, colours, even sounds, during the different moments of the day and they also help to generate that slow graceful movement that melts in harmonious fluidity with time. ..Different sceneries of lights, myriads of glittering stars, fireworks, popular music sounds, candy floss and sugared toasted almonds are for celebrating San Nicola, the patron of Aradeo – a nice Salento village near Lecce. The tradition for the art of illuminations happens again to attract the attention of astonished dreamy eyes – childish glimpse – looking up to sparkly lights against the night sky and then, suddenly, like an epiphany, the smell of this religious feast turns into nostalgia for past memories, when the joy for the carnival symbolized, especially for the youngest generations, a prelude to the coming summertime, calling for holiday, sea and fun. ..Summer perfumes are also epiphany of another baroque culinary landscape, not to be missed, paradoxically related to the humblest traditional Salento cuisine: the “frisella” is well worth a mention for its typical unmistakable taste of authenticity…it is a small wheel of bread made of wheat or barley flour, which, after the first baking in a wood-burning oven, has to be split by a piece of string and then it has to be baked again. A traditional way of baking is necessary for an antique taste that daily comes again to make your mouth water when, very soon in the morning, you go to a traditional bakery for your everyday “filone di pane”, a typical pugliese baguette…and here you are...smell of bread drifts in the air and it makes you want to have tastes of a fragrant crispy frisella, well seasoned with a hill of cherry juicy tomatoes on its irregular fringed surface, then, a fall of extravergin olive oil – precious treasure for the Puglia territory – a rain of origan, salt and finally a handful of wild “rucola”..mmm.. the genuine frisella from Salento is simply yummy at any time of the day!

(THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED BY GIUSY AND THESE PICTURES BELONG TO THE FLY TO SALENTO PHOTOS - COLLECTION)

Fly to Salento: Education Centre for Italian Language Studies, Cookery Courses, Cultural Routes in Puglia, Southern Italy.

2009-05-23T16:05:00.000+02:00

Fly to Salento offers the opportunity to feel home away from home in a secret haven off the beaten tracks and to join Giusy’s best value tailor-made holiday and vacation programs throughout the year on her own original cultural guide-itineraries, Italian language lessons, gourmet paths, interactive one day-cooking classes and culinary workshops properly designed for exploring atmospheres, idioms, sounds and for tasting genuine flavours and perfumes of the kaleidoscopic Salento territory.

info@flytosalento.com
sunrise@flytosalento.com
sunset@flytosalento.com

Mobiles:
0039 328 6769774
0039 335 1728464

Fly to Salento Reviews

Fly to Salento - Fine taste for classical music
guitarplayer Leeds, UK
Review Submitted: May 8, 2009 Date of Stay: May 2008
Some friends told us about their holiday in a special area almost off the beaten tracks in Puglia, Italy, suggesting us the “carribean” sea of Gallipoli because it was a perfect idea for our family bank holidays with two children (9 and 11), who wished to spend most of the day playing and swimming in a turquoise clear sea. Our expectations were totally fulfilled by the efficient directions of our guide, Giusy, who smartly contributed in order to provide a remarkable cultural track to our holiday and to make us feel home away from home in her elegant villa "Salento Sunset" near the beach. By the way, it was such a real unexpected pleasure for us to go to theatre in Southern Salento and to listen to the best known in UK amazing Benjamin Britten music. Even for my children it was an exciting experience watching, in the same background, other children performing the story of Babar, the elephant. Back to London, our friends joined us at Stansted Airport and we drove straight to the beautiful Suffolk coast just for extending our holiday a little more with a short escape to Aldeburgh, the place that inspired Britten’s life and work. This enjoyable overseas adventure happened to us last year but we still think most often of it and maybe we will repeat it some day.
Recommended for: Pet-friendly, Romantic Getaway, Families with Teenagers, Adventure Seekers, Sightseeing, Age 55+, Families with Young Children

Fly to Salento - Italian Cooking Lessons in London
Rosemary62 London,UK
Review Submitted: April 17, 2009 Date of Stay: September 2008
A Cooking Lesson for Italian Cuisine Lovers in London..mmm… sounds great! – this is the way we met Giusy and joined her Cookery Class in UK. With easy steps she taught us how to make traditional homemade pasta, that is “orecchiette”, “maccheroni”, “sagne” and the typical Salento “pitta from Aradeo”, with potatoes, tomatoes, olives, onion, capers, salt sardines, sheep’s milk cheese… a tremendous culinary success! What is more, we learned also a few notions about the Salento territory in Puglia, where Giusy lives and works as languages teacher and translator. During her accurate passionate speech about her own Country a curious idea spontaneously crossed our minds – why not holidaying in Puglia this Summer? – So we discussed with our cooking teacher the possibility of staying at her Properties and decided in favor of the Salento Sunrise apartment in Aradeo, a 10.000 inhabitants village in the middle of Salento, which is surrounded by a gorgeous countryside, where you can have long tonic walks in order to relax and to strengthen the body and the spirit. Together with our friends, there were six of us, we spent two weeks in a huge apartment with a Mediterranean terrace, where at night we had superlative fresh fish BBQs! We also booked two more cooking lessons and on those occasions we learned new mouthwatering Puglia recipes which sometimes we still make at home by using the typical pot made of clay that Giusy suggested us to buy during one of our amazing excursions around the Salento area: a special pot for the best value traditional way of cooking Puglia meals, such as “pignata te legumi”, “ciceri e tria”, “pezzetti a la pignata”, all of them belonging to the healthy Mediterranean Diet.
Recommended for: Families with Teenagers, Romantic Getaway, Sightseeing, Age 55+

Puglia Lifestyle, genuine food, great experience
cuisine lover Texas,US
Review Submitted: March 15, 2009 Date of Stay: June 2008
Last Summer, my friends and I were in Salento, Puglia, for one week vacation and had great time! A landscape of breathtaking olive groves and vineyards extensions, golden beaches and crystal clear sea to dip into was what we were told to expect to find out in this area that is most roughly unknown as tourist attraction. No exaggeration at all. The accurate direction provided by our teacher, Giusy, contributed very significantly to the success of the vacation. There were four of us and we stayed in a comfy apartment with a huge Mediterranean roof garden and a pool in a nice village called Aradeo. In my opinion, I found it as an ideal spot for tonic walks in the countryside, for interesting cultural excursions and arts and crafts tours in the surrounding area. Being very close to the Adriatic and the Ionian coasts, we everyday caught the opportunity of visiting several enchanting sea places, such as Gallipoli Santa Maria di Leuca Castro and Otranto. Besides we had so much fun enjoying one day cooking lesson with our hostess, Giusy. She was fabulous at teaching us how to make maccheroni and orecchietti with sugo and Italian pizza. In the morning, after visiting the picturesque fruit and veg Aradeo market, all of us joined her amazing class and at night we had a delicious alfresco dinner on the roof garden. Relaxing atmospheres and home sounds .. for us it was a wonderful way to experience everyday Puglia lifestyle and for this reason I feel to highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys cooking and loves genuine food.
Recommended for: Adventure Seekers, Families with Teenagers, Romantic Getaway, Sightseeing, Age 55+, Families with Young Children

Romantic Getaway in Gallipoli,Puglia
justmarried08 Ojai, CA
Review Submitted: April 17, 2009 Date of Stay: June 2008
For our memorable honeymoon we decided to fly to Salento, Puglia, Southern Italy. We thought that Gallipoli was the ideal place for a lazy vacation on an exotic golden beach where to lay down and relax in the hot sunshine. What is more, last June weather conditions were excellent and surprisingly there was no confusion, though we knew that Gallipoli is a well-known trendy seaside resort. Our accommodation was a charming Mediterranean styled villa, “Salento Sunset”, only a few steps away from the gorgeous Baia Verde beach where we spent most of the time. What lovely dinners enjoying romantic sunsets on the beach! Besides, our hostess, Giusy, kindly suggested us to explore the historical center of Gallipoli. Indeed this town struck our attention for its own peculiarity of being on an island. It actually looks like a fortress with the ancient Angevin Castle built very close to the XVII stoned bridge that represents the only way to reach the modern side of the town. We found that visiting the Medieval center by night was very enchanting for the myriad of lamps which softly lit up the typical winding footways and the precious baroque styled palaces, the small harbour with all the fishing boats at rest, the lively fish-market nearby and the luxurious yachts’ parade moored at the quayside marina at little distance. Fascinated by the outstretched landscape from a very cute terrace overlooking the open Ionian sea and the ancient lighthouse on the Saint Andrea Island, we sat to our reserved table of a typical local restaurant, Scoglio delle Sirene, enjoying delicious seafood meals and sipping excellent local wine… yes, undoubtedly my hubby and I highly recommend this vacation because it was for us the exclusive way to initiate a new married path.