LEISURE 37
7 May 2022 THE WEEKTravel
Owing to its growing popularity with
foreign tourists, it’s been described as
“the new Tuscany” – but the southern
region of Puglia, the heel of the Italian
boot, is radically different from its
northern counterpart, says Stanley
Stewart in Condé Nast Traveller.
Perched on the very edge of Europe
and all but surrounded by the sea, it
feels like an island – “a place apart”
– its white “cubist” houses reminiscent
of North Africa, its labyrinthine
towns of the backstreets of Istanbul.
It is gritty, “raw edged” and “flooded
with ocean light”, and its climate is
so warm that people from elsewhere
in Italy come here to sunbathe in
October. They are drawn by its food,
too, and by its “simplicity”. Puglia to them is “dolce far niente –
the sweet languor of doing nothing”.
Although one of the poorest regions of Italy now, it was once
“the centre of the known world”. Greeks, Romans, Byzantines,
Arabs, Normans, Venetians and Turks all came here “in searchof fame and fortune”. And the memory
of those days lingers in the “echoing”
palaces and “barn-like” churches in
its towns, and in its ancient fortified
farmhouses, or masserie, many of
which have been transformed into
luxury properties. In Salento, the
region’s southernmost stretch – a
“stark, bony place” where wild figs,
pomegranates and “contorted” olive
trees grow in profusion – ancient
watchtowers gaze across the Adriatic
towards the mountains of Albania.
On Salento’s west coast, the
beautiful city of Gallipoli sits on
a promontory “like a ship, halfway to
Africa”, and along its east coast lie
glorious towns such as Santa Maria
di Leuca, where St Peter is said to have landed on his way to
Rome. But the “star turn” not only of Salento but of the whole
of southern Italy is Lecce, “the Florence of the south”, a city
“like a film set”, with great restaurants, contemporary art
galleries, and some wonderful and unusual baroque architecture.This week’s dream: the languid charm of summers in Puglia
Getting the flavour of...
Seven nights in Antigua
Stay at The Escape at Nonsuch
Bay, where each unit has a
plunge pool and great views,
from £1,340pp half-board
(included Manchester flights).
0344-472 9646, virginholidays.
co.uk. Depart 22 September.Indonesia in 17 days
Explore the vibrant landscape
of the world’s largest
archipelago from £1,599pp
b&b (including Birmingham
flights, transfers and activities).
020-3883 4254, exoticca.com.
Depart 13 September.Norway & Denmark trip
Experience the laid-back
chicness of Scandinavian
culture on this week-long
cruise, from £774pp all-
inclusive. 0808-239 4123,
cruise118.com. Depart 24
June, from Southampton.Corsica apartment for four
Spend 7 nights in the charming
Le Maria Venezia, in a building
with a patina of history and
great sea views, from £446pp
self-catering (excluding flights).
020-3918 3285, simpsontravel.
com. Arrive 11 June.A Macedonian lakeside gem
Set beside the “limpid” waters of the great
lake with which it shares its name, the town
of Ohrid in North Macedonia is as beautiful
as any in the Balkans – and getting there is
now easy, says Paul Bloomfield in The
Sunday Telegraph, thanks to the recent
launch of direct Wizz Air flights from Luton.
Known as Lychnidos (“City of Light”) by the
Ancient Greeks, its historic heart is rich in
Ottoman mansions and grand Byzantine
churches, and it has a “hulking” medieval
fortress and a Hellinistic-era amphitheatre
that is home to an annual festival. Stay long
enough to visit one of the pretty shingle
beaches nearby, and to explore the
mountainous surroundings, including the
“bear-prowled” forests of the Pelister and
Galicica national parks and the spectacular
ancient city of Heraclea Lyncestis. The
Aleksandar Villa & Spa (aleksandarvilla.
com.mk) has rooms from £83 per night.An idyllic island in the Baltic
With 38 miles of sandy beaches and a
surprisingly sunny climate, the Baltic island
of Rügen is one of Germany’s most appealing
seaside holiday destinations, says Paul
Sullivan in The Sunday Telegraph. On its east
coast are the “upscale” resorts of Binz and
Sellin, known for their “elegant” old hotels,
piers and promenades. Quieter are Schaabe
and the Wittow Peninsula in the north, andfamily-friendly Baabe and Göhren in the
south, which can be reached via steam train
and have impressive dunes and a breezy
selection of restaurants, cafés and shops.
There’s wonderful walking in the Jasmund
National Park, whose white chalk cliffs
figure in the work of the Romantic painter
Caspar David Friedrich; for more peaceful
beaches visitors can head to the car-free
island of Hiddensee, nearby. Travel Charme
Kurhaus Binz (travelcharme.com) has rooms
from £240 per night.A lonely cottage in the Highlands
Perched by the sea at the far end of the
roadless Ardnish Peninsula, Peanmeanach
Bothy provides a “blissful” respite from the
modern world, says Tom Robbins in the
Financial Times. Abandoned as a house in
1942, it was converted in the 1970s into a
walker’s bothy – free accommodation for
lovers of Scotland’s wild places. Sadly,
information about bothies circulating online
later attracted a “different type of user”, and
after the cottage was vandalised and used for
illicit parties, it was closed. Now it has been
relaunched as a not-for-profit holiday let.
A five-mile hike from Lochailort station, it
is spartan (with no electricity or running
water) but “cosy”, and it lies in stunning
scenery, and in easy reach of the breathtaking
Singing Sands beach. Sleeps six from £42
per night (ardnish.org).Linthwaite House
Bowness, Cumbria
This sprawling Edwardian mansion
high above Windermere is a great
place for a “grown-up escape”,
says Susan d’Arcy in The Times.
Public areas are “resplendent in
animal stripes and tribal pieces”
following a £10m revamp that
“nods to the owner’s South African
roots”, but the decor in the rooms
is pale and understated. Standard
ones are small; if you can, opt for
one of the spacious, cedar-clad
suites set in the landscaped
grounds, which extend to 14 acres.
The restaurant is overseen by
Simon Rogan, whose nearby
L’Enclume has three Michelin stars,
and dishes tend to feature local
ingredients with an “exotic” twist.
Doubles from £306 b&b;
linthwaitehouse.comHotel of the week
Lecce: “the Florence of the south”Last-minute offers from top travel companies
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