I recently spent five glorious days revisiting Puglia and one of the places I enjoyed most was Alberobello.  That is the beauty of travelling in Italy: once is never enough! This was my third visit to the UNESCO world heritage site, and I could focus less on the quaint and irresistible charm of the round […]

As I was walking along Sant’Agata’s sunny ‘panoramica’ and basking in the delicious warmth of the longer days,  I marveled at the explosion of greens, yellows, whites and pinks coursing through the countryside that, until a week ago, had seemed dead to the world. I rounded the homeward bend, and while keeping an eye on […]

View at Italian Notebook The other day I was walking by the pharmacy in my little town of S. Agata dè Goti. It is run by the Viola family and I was surprised to see a long line of women waiting to enter the door.  What was going on?  Had there been a sudden epidemic […]

By Leslie Xavier. See original Italian Notebook article here Each year during Carnevale, animated giants inhabit the streets of Putignano in Puglia. These allegorical paper-maché creations are approximately 4 stories high! Very much like floats in parades the world over, they gracefully glide down the streets. Hidden Lilliputians guide the animations of these modern Gullivers, […]