Life at the masseria

When we decided to go to Puglia for our holiday, I started to ask for the views and recommendations of friends and colleagues who had visited or knew the area.  One recommendation that came up frequently, particularly amongst the Italian natives was to include a masseria visit in our trip.  This idea intrigued me and I immediately started looking into the possibility.  On many of my previous trips to Italy, I had driven past "agriturismo" properties and had wanted to one day stay in one.  In Italy, the agriturismos are an important part of the rural economy, offering farm stays and an opportunity at living in the quieter parts of the country.  The masserias were a type of agriturismo found in Puglia.  From what I could gather, the masserias were usually more upmarket and often had an even stronger focus on the food.  

The days we had spent at the masseria had been as relaxing and fulfilling as I had envisaged.  When we weren't off on day trips or visits to the different places in the surrounding region, we were able to spend our time at the nearby beach or on the grounds of the masseria itself.  One of the selling points of this particular masseria was its close proximity to the nearby beach, with its own private path leading there.  It was only about 150m so it was an enjoyable walk for us with baby Pickle in tow.  Veronica carried Pickle as I carried all our bags and the umbrella we had bought at the supermarket in Monopoli.

The beach wasn't private, but given it was a bit further away from the larger centres it was calmer and far less busy.  There were still nearby places to buy food and drink, but we were able to set ourselves up without disturbance and with lots of space for baby Pickle to enjoy himself.  The water was comfortably cool and clear.  The sand was fine and it all felt close to idyllic.  I had taken baby Pickle swimming in the ocean before, but he seemed to enjoy these experiences more.  As each small wave would come, I would dip him in and out to his delight.

We repeated this pattern a few times.  With the beach so close, it was easy.  There didn't need to be a big migration and from a car.  There didn't need to big huge amounts packed and prepared.  Once we were done, we were able to just wander back to masseria to shower and clean up.

When we weren't at the beach, we were able to enjoy the grounds and facilities of the masseria itself.  A large part of the culture of the masserias is the connection to the land and to farming.  Next to the main and more elegantly maintained parts of the masseria, there was the active farm.  Wheat fields spread out behind us which gave us beautiful scenery as we walked along with the uniquely calming sounds of the rustling sheaves as the winds blew across them.

On the rest of the farm, there were rows and rows of vegetables.  Pickle ran up and down the rows, looking with curiosity at the machinery and farmer's tool.  He chased butterflies and seemed completely amazed at all the colours around him.

Inside the main and enclosed grounds of the masseria were orchards and fruit trees.  Everything was very well maintained and manicured.  The gardens were picturesque and even more quiet than outside.  With a nice mat, we spent afternoons under the trees.  We lay about in the cool breeze, eating fruits and biscuits as Pickle continued his exploration of everything.

The lemon trees were heavy with fruit, but we weren't so interested.  In the middle of the gardens, there were pear trees and a large mulberry tree.  These were also full and heavy with fruit and far more appetising to us.  I held baby Pickle up and taught him to choose and take the best of the fruit straight from the tree, but only what we would eat ourselves.  It was incredible to be able to introduce this all to him.  To teach him how to connect more with nature, to understand where our food comes from and for him to enjoy the beauty of it all.

Veronica and I would laze about as he wandered and stumbled around the garden, fruit in hand as he explored his surrounds all whilst chewing into the various fruits he had.  

When we weren't in the garden or in the ocean, we were next to the pool.  Everything in the masseria had been wonderful, but the opulence of this pool was beyond anything we expected.  The tiles were all constantly cool to the touch even during the heat of the day (they must have been using the type of tiles that Chris and I had learnt about when we were in Bali) and the water was salted and not chlorinated.  

What all the masserias promoted the most though was the food.  Each one always highlighted the local specialties they prepared and the quality of the ingredients and dishes they would have on offer.  Each morning, we saw this on display.  There was a huge variety of fresh fruits and local produce for us to try.  The cheeses and the pastries in particular were far more varied than at any place I had ever been.  Speaking with the staff, they explained to me that all their baked goods were actually prepared on premises, which amazed me even more given the volume they always had on offer.

At night, the masseria also offered a dinner service.  With all the places in the area we wanted to visit, we only partook in this once, but we were unsurprised by the quality.  Before we even started, they offered to make us a dish specifically for Pickle.  We happily agreed to this and there was a lovingly made little pasta dish quickly prepared for him which he slurpt away at.  For us, our fare was more refined and Veronica would later declare the monkfish stew to be her favourite dish of the entire trip.

I felt incredibly blessed and fortunate.  For everything.  For all we were able to experience.  For each moment we had been here.  In my mind's eye, I had pictured vividly what my ideal holiday here would look like.  I had wanted an Italian country escape.  Something that would give us as a family the time to be together, but also the opportunity for baby Pickle to explore everything around him.