10 reasons not to stay in Trullo Carlotta, Puglia

1. The pool is tiny.

2. The accommodation is uncomfortable.

3. The surrounding scenery is boring.

4. The sunsets are bland.

5. The local beaches are disgusting.

6. The cuisine is tasteless.

7. The neighbours are unfriendly.

8. The markets are dull.

9. There's nothing to do here.

10. It's too stressful.

See you next summer..!

Trullo Carlotta is lovely family-owned villa in Castellana Grotte, Puglia. To find out more about Trullo Carlotta including key info, features and facilities and prices please visit our website www.trullocarlotta.com.

For all holiday enquiries, contact Caroline by email: trullocarlotta@gmail.com or phone: +441423 871741.

A visit to Monopoli - in pictures

It's still nippy outside, so to get you in the mood for summer we'd thought we'd share a few pictures of our favourite local town, Monopoli. Monopoli is a larger seaside town with a big port and a beautiful historic centre. You will find an abundance of excellent fish restaurants as well as bars and cafes near the main squares. There's a little beach, which is free, and on Tuesdays they have a huge market. You can also find many-a-festival taking place in the evenings during August as the locals and nearby towns gather together for various celebrations. It's also a real hub for cultural and sporting activities. See below for a few of our snaps!

Old port of Monopoli

Perrici Osteria Via Orazio Comes 1, 70043 Monopoli

Monopoli public beach

Church of St. Vito, Monopoli

Pretty side streets and alleyways

The port at night

Great evening-life in the squares

Cafe Napoli, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi 2, 70043, Monopoli

Fishing boats at the port

Osteria Perricci - ‪A favourite. Simple menu – good value and very Italian. This place does fantastic langoustines and fresh pasta in a tomato sauce. (Via Orazio Comes 1, ‪70043 Monopoli, +39 080 9372208)

Café Napoli - ‪Perfect for an aperitif or an ice-cream after dinner (or shopping). If I remember correctly they have something like 36 different types of hot chocolates! As shown in image 7. (Via Giuseppe Garibaldi 2, ‪70043 Monopoli)

Trullo Carlotta is lovely family-owned villa in Castellana Grotte, Puglia. To find out more about Trullo Carlotta including key info, features and facilities and prices please visit our website www.trullocarlotta.com.

For all holiday enquiries, contact Caroline by email: trullocarlotta@gmail.com or phone: +441423 871741.

Does it snow in Puglia?

Yes it does! We received some wonderful images of our little trullo in the snow over Christmas. Apparently snow in this region is such a rare occurrence that it can be a generational thing! Have a look at some of the pictures below.

Trullo Carlotta isn't ready for winter bookings yet but should be very soon. Typically people think of Puglia as a summer destination because of it's long hot summers, but it can be a great place to go in the winter months - many of the restaurants stay open as they are there for the locals, not the tourists, so you can end up experiencing a very artisan getaway.

To add to this, the autumn is as lush as anything, and the springtime - around May - is probably the best time to go of all.

Trullo Carlotta is lovely family-owned villa in Castellana Grotte, Puglia. To find out more about Trullo Carlotta including key info, features and facilities and prices please visit our website www.trullocarlotta.com.

For all holiday enquiries, contact Caroline by email: trullocarlotta@gmail.com or phone: +441423 871741.

A visit to Conversano

Conversano doesn't seem to be documented much, which is surprising because it's a really lovely old town. Parking is a bit tricky, but you can usually find a space in the residential part of town as you drive in from Castellana. As you walk up to the main piazza (Piazza Castello) you see the beautiful old Castello di Conversano, which was built before the Norman's arrived and has since been restored. Although most of the castle is now private property, there's a municipal art gallery that's open to the public which is worth a visit.

There are lots of lovely cafes and restaurants, generally the nice little tavernas and osteria are in the side streets. But even since last year we noticed an increase in 'American' type restaurants offering burgers and hot dogs. So have a good look at the menus and pick carefully because there really are some delicious, traditional places to dine. Enjoy a nice pre-dinner drink before you eat - we recommend Mojitos in Bar Raf! 

Bar Raf, 15 Piazza Castello, Conversano.

In the summer there are many events involving lots of food stalls and entertainment. Have a wander around beyond the piazza, the side streets are beautiful and there are loads of things to look at, including information about the history.

And if you're around on 19 March you could join in with I Falo di San Guiseppe - Father's Day in Italy! Bonfires are lit in most of the towns of Puglia - a real get-together for local communities.  For more information on events please visit: bit.ly/1z3quRk

Trullo Carlotta is lovely family-owned villa in Castellana Grotte, Puglia. To find out more about Trullo Carlotta including key info, features and facilities and prices please visit our website www.trullocarlotta.com.

For all holiday enquiries, contact Caroline by email: trullocarlotta@gmail.com or phone: +441423 871741.

Olives at the trullo - by Paul

Trullo Carlotta is surrounded by beautiful olive groves, but we're also lucky enough to have some on our own land. So most years we ask our gardener Roberto to harvest our olives.

This involves placing nets under the trees from September to December to collect the falling olives, which are then put into baskets and sent to the local cooperative olive press.  Most farmers from the Castellana area are members of the cooperative which also presses grapes for the local wines too.  

Our baskets are identified as ours so we know the olive oil we get back is from our own garden. Roberto collects this and leaves in the Trulli for us. We have enough olives to produce about six 5 litre tins each year!

The olives from Castellana have their own distinctive flavour which connoisseurs can identify from the area.  We support slow tourism and believe that people should be able to enjoy real Italian culture without effecting the locals and the land. So being able to taste our own olives, harvested by a local gardener, part of a cooperative, is something that we feel proud about. It's been great to share with friends and family!

Love the idea of this? Terra Adopt have set up a new initiative which supports struggling farmers under threat from land developers in Italy. You can adopt your own olive tree and be sent the oil made from its very own olives! What a great gift idea. Check out their website for more information: http://terraadopt.com/.

Trullo Carlotta is lovely family-owned villa in Castellana Grotte, Puglia. To find out more about Trullo Carlotta including key info, features and facilities and prices please visit our website www.trullocarlotta.com.

For all holiday enquiries, contact Caroline by email: trullocarlotta@gmail.com or phone: +441423 871741.

How to make pasta from scratch - by Charlotte

The best pasta in the world: a simple and easy pasta recipe 

My Italian flatmate showed me how to make fresh pasta from scratch and it was surprisingly simple and easy! You just need a couple of hours for prep and cooking time. Traditionally home-made pasta is made with durham wheat flour and water in the south of Italy, but we made it with eggs, typical for the north of Italy. Without the use of a pasta machine we decided to make tagliatelle - a firm family favourite!

Ingredients

• When you’re making pasta from scratch you need to use one egg for each person you’re making it for and 100 grams of flour per egg.
• Sprinkle of flour for rolling.

Instructions

Sieve the flour onto a clean, preferably wooden surface in the shape of a mound. Dig a big enough hole in the middle to crack all the eggs into. Stir until it’s all been absorbed into dough, if the mound collapses just carry on. This technique is a good way for the flour to be absorbed slowly.


Knead the dough, using the underside of your wrists, until the dough is really smooth - this usually takes about 10 minutes, but the longer you do it for the better.


Cover and rest the dough for about 30 minutes. Again, the longer you leave it the better.


Roll the dough, spreading it as thinly and evenly as possible. 1-2mm should be fine.

If you’re making tagliatelle cut the dough into strips using a knife. And lightly fold and rest on trays. Leave for about an hour or freeze.

Keep the offcuts – these are known as maltagliati and are perfect for freezing and adding to things like soup!

Trullo Carlotta is lovely family-owned villa in Castellana Grotte, Puglia. To find out more about Trullo Carlotta including key info, features and facilities and prices please visit our website www.trullocarlotta.com.

For all holiday enquiries, contact Caroline by email: trullocarlotta@gmail.com or phone: +441423 871741.

What to do if it rains

Despite the lovely hot summers Puglia is famous for, it does occasionally rain. In the summer, we've witnessed some spectacular lightning storms, with thunder that literally feels like the sky is cracking apart! But don't worry if you’re staying in Trullo Carlotta, you’re sheltered by a metre thick of limestone.

If a day of rain is forecast during your stay, here are a couple of local wet weather ideas you might find useful.

1. Grotte di Castellana 

The caves at Castella Grotte are truly awesome. Dating back 90 million years since they formed, the caves are particularly unique because of their intricate speleothems – build ups of minerals that make weird and wonderful shapes. A perfect day out for when the weather isn't so good – make sure you take a jumper! 

2. Churches 

You could take a drive to one of the nearby towns and go into some of the lovely churches. Puglia is abundant with churches, cathedrals, castles and basilicas, you can usually find them near the piazzas or in the little back streets of the old parts of town. It might look very small but we love the Church of St. Vito in Monopoli!

3. The Castle of Conversano 

Conversano is a beautiful and well under-represented town. The castle was built before the Norman’s arrived but has since been restored over the centuries. Most of the castle is now private property but inside there’s a municipal art gallery open to the public. 

4. Restaurants

The Italians love their long lunches. An afternoon spent in an osteria is a real treat, and you can enjoy course upon course of delicious Puglian food without feeling guilty about missing the sunshine!

5. Board games and movies 

If you feel like a day at home, we have a little selection of board games for you and your family/friends to get stuck into (great for the evenings too!). There’s also a DVD player and sizeable TV screen suitable for a family to share a movie together, as well as a small selection of DVDs. 

Whether it rains or not, there’s plenty to do and see. You could always venture a little further inland and visit places such as Matera. Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a town built from caves on the side of a cliff – it can be quite an uncomfortable in the height of summer because of the heat, so this might be a good time to go, beating the crowds too.

Trullo Carlotta is lovely family-owned villa in Castellana Grotte, Puglia. To find out more about Trullo Carlotta including key info, features and facilities and prices please visit our website www.trullocarlotta.com.

For all holiday enquiries, contact Caroline by email: trullocarlotta@gmail.com or phone: +441423 871741.