Puglia, Italy- Stop One- Poglinano a Mare

Getting from Seattle to Bari isn't easy...you've got at best one stop, but likely two stops before you get there.  We left Sunday morning from SEA at 6am and arrived in Poglinano a Mare (about an hour south of Bari) at about 3pm Monday.  That accounts for a 9 hour time change, of course, but you will be really tired by the time you arrive, unless you are a great airplane sleeper, which ain't easy!.

A couple shots of espresso will set you right with the world before you jump into your rental car at the Bari airport. We did okay, but its always best to be a good navigator and don't add any extra commentary on the driving in Italy while the driver is trying his best. I've learned a bit being married all these years. 

At the centrico (city center) of Poglinana a Mare, it is not drivable (a ZTL), we had to What'sApp our host, and she sent a big golf chart to ferry us into the parking (an adventure on its own...) and then took us to the drop off point outside the city old stone gate.  From there, you are on your own, walking the street tired and travel worn (greasy even...) and trying to locate your small hotel from Google navigation isn't always easy.  Surprisingly it does rather well, but its not always clear where to turn.  After a couple wrong turns, we found it.  Our host had WhatsApp'd us the instructions and a video showing us where our room was. Up about 3 flights of stairs and then, there we were... finally. A quick shower and then off to see the town and get some food.

View from our hotel deck and breakfast area. 

More view from the deck with a view of this amazing city.

Lama Monachile is the name of this cute beach between two high cliffs.

A great pizza with arugula, cheese and tomatoes.  Knowing my husband, I'm sure there's some spicy salami under there too. Pizza in Italy is terrific everywhere.  They don't cut the pizza into wedges for you.... you are on your own.  Please don't ask them to cut it, they will laugh like you are a child. LOL. It didn't happen to us, but we saw it happen.

Seafood salad was so terrific! Some much great seafood in Puglia.

A view of the city beach, lovely at all times of day, but as twilight was falling we thought it was most beautiful.  You can walk down to the Lama Monachile beach, but go early, or you won't get anywhere to sit, it was very crowded during the day.

Here's the breakfast that was provided at our hotel, it was excellent and delicious too. If you're interested in the recipe for the tomato toasts called friselle, find it on my blog here.

There's lots of walking areas along the water on the city wall.  Highly recommend to take some early morning walks to see the sights and get some exercise, you're going to need it with all that pasta, pizza and pastries you will be eating in Puglia.