Puglia Diaries Part 1: Ostuni and Hotel La Sommita Relais
The white city or should I have said the city of concentric streets and houses whitened with lime-wash?
Puglia has recently become a world of wonder, getting exhibited in many travel magazines and newspapers with an emphasis on its countryside beauties, ‘masseria’s (farm houses) and delicious red wines. Puglia is the southern tip of Italy, adjacent to the Sicilian peninsula and the Adriatic Sea. Ostuni is a mountain top small town, spreading down from the Murgia hills to the coast of the Adriatic Sea, while crossing the plains of olive trees and olive farms, as well as the so called “trulli” towns (I shall come back to that again).
Ostuni is located at sea level 240m overlooking five enchanting hill views. The historic center of the city, where I have had the privilege to stay, is a lovely little area with concentric streets, a main square, and white houses that lie shoulder to shoulder, sharing a wall, sharing a view and sharing a history. The La Sommita Relais is a unique luxury hotel that looks as if it has been carved out of an ancient chateau. Located at what feels like the apex of the historic town, the view from La Sommita is embracing, overwhelming and sensational. The friendly staff speaks near perfect English and directs you perfectly through out your stay in this lovely town. As the narrow streets of the historic center allow no cars to pass through, Hotel La Sommita puts to your disposal a tiny blue pick-up car and a parking lot near the entry into the historic center and eases out your transfer between the hotel and the lot. Apart from the day of my arrival with my bags and books and towels, I never used the pick up service again. The pick up service is free of charge, but the parking lot is for 5 euros per night. Needlessly to say, staying in a mountaintop such as Ostuni, a car is a must if you are planning to drive away into the nearby historic towns or to the seaside. The hotel arranges for your transfer if you would want them to, but the costs pile up to become unnecessarily high. I would advise all incomers (especially those flying in with EastJet to hire a car from Europcar –not very expensive, and provides you with a clean and comfy car).
Being a luxury hotel, La Sommita’s least favorable rooms are Junior Suites J. Do not radiate away from the page, thinking the costs are very high. At the right time of the year, you may be able to get very good deals, such as 3 nights stay for the night of 2 or a 25% discount from the total. The superior rooms have a balcony of their own with a terrific view of the underlying hills, while the junior suites share a common terrace –that feels more like home than anywhere else. I still miss lying there with my book and a glass of rose wine, listening to Gotham Project and watching sunset.
La Sommita also offer superior massage services. Just a tip from the author: do not get too excited and rush to the massager the first day. Each day they have special offers to their guests at certain discounts –which are not available just on the first day! The massage can be followed by some tea service or (tilt your imagination and) go into the hot tub with a glass of wine to relax even more.
The afternoon aperitivos are also very delicious inside the hotel. They are not open buffet as some of the Milanese friends may acknowledge from earlier articles. The aperitivo dishes arrive on a big plate with some of the tastiest little things, like shrimp with cocktail sauce, a unique kind of quiche, some salami and cheese. The wine cellar is not a grand room with numerous wines, but the few select wine are good and representative enough of the region.
Morning breakfasts are not huge, but satiating and typical with sweet and salty pastries, fresh fruits, typical Puglian cheese and salami, some cereals and cakes. Not a very sophisticated drink, but the cappuccino was delicious as well.
After spending an entire day inside the hotel, reading, sleeping, drinking, and unbracing yourself; you may want to wonder around into the concentric streets of this town. And, that is another nice experience, that will be coming in the next article.
You will find on Donuz, everything that is unique to where we have been and where you would want to be. Be it food, be it lodging, be it a special feet massage, a bottle of wine, a person… Be it for 7 days, a day, a week, 36 hours or a single moment. On Donuz, is everything, you will need to make your holidays special. We hope you share with us your experiences.
