Masseria Frantoio, Ostuni

We just spent a delicious three nights at Masseria Frantoio off the scenic Via Appia between Ostuni and Fasano (BR).

It is a massive estate with a grand old house, exquisite gardens, extensive organic farmland and ancient olive groves (the owner insists that some trees are up to 1,500 years old).

It is owned and managed by an eccentric ex businessman, Armando, and his wife, Rosalba. The staff are friendly, helpful and intelligent
(as well as extremely tolerant of our pair of terrible toddlers!)

The main business of the operation is clearly the restaurant which for a hefty 57 euros a head, offers the very best of home-grown modern Puglian cuisine. Fantastic stuff, actually pretty good value considering both the quantity and quality, just a little too much for me (and I have always considered myself having a large appetite!)

I couldn't recommend it enough and look forward to our next visit.

Missing Salento

What do we miss about Salento while we are in London right now? The reliably beautiful weather, fresh spring vegetables, meadows bursting with wild flowers, country walks, cappuccinos in the piazza... we are looking forward to coming back!

Location:Brookmill Rd,Lewisham,United Kingdom

Our favourite places to eat in Salento

La Maruzella
Lungomare, Lido Conchieglie (LE)
An atmospheric seafood shack perched on the Ionian, serving simple seafood and honest wine at local prices. Heaving on summer nights and open 365 days a year.
Our favourites: linguine cozze vongole (mussels and clams), polipo alla brace (grilled octopus), frittura mista (fried squid and prawns), ostriche (oysters).

Le Zie - Trattoria Cucina Casereccia
Viale Costadura, 19 Lecce
info@trattorialezie.it
Slightly out of the centro storico, this is an authentic place to try Pugliese classics in an intimate and attractive dining room by a friendly and efficient family team. Popular with Lecce professionals and foriegn visitors.
Our favourites: fave e ciccoria (broad bean purée) tiella (mussels, potatoes and courgettes baked in the oven) polpette al vino bianco (meatballs in white wine).

l'Antica Dispensa
Via Palermo, 9
73020 Cutrofiano (LE)
With a kitchen twice the size as the dining room, this family enterprise works mainly as a takeaway restaurant serving the busy mammas of Cutrofiano with delicious homecooked food they can pass off as there own. Booking advised for sit down meals.
Our favourites: la parmigiana, contorni carcoffi (artichokes), mezze lune di marmellata (jam pies).

Pepe Nero
Via ionio, 24
73013 - Galatina (LE)
A vast vaulted wharehouse that has been funkily restored as a restaurant and separate night club. Modern Italian food, mainly meat, is enjoyed by a young, smartly dressed clientele but, as always in Italy, bambini are more than welcome.
Our favourites: carne irlandese sulla brace (grilled steak), antipasti

Top 10 Beaches

On Sunday autumn finally arrived. We all knew it was coming, we’d seen the weather reports and we made the most of the last hot days by going to the beach on three consecutive days – an annual record. We’ll still be visiting the beach over the autumn and winter but it will be more for brisk walks and possibly a paddle and a sandcastle - I fear the bikini days are over until next year (at least I may have lost some weight by then).

We have made the effort to go to the beach as much as possible this summer. It’s such a great place for a high energy toddler to be and I believe the sea relaxes and benefits us all. The advantage of living as we do in the centre of the Salento peninsular is that we can choose a different beach every time we go. We try to go to as many new places as we can but also find our selves returning to the same special spots.

I thought I would write a list of our favourite places to help people visiting or relocating to the area. Most of them are marked on my community map at the bottom of the blog.

Baia dei Turchi, Adriatic
Punta della Suina, Ionian
Specchiulla, Adriatic
Porto Selvaggio, Ionian
Baia Verde, Ionian
Torre Pali, Ionian
Sant Isidoro, Ionian
Porto Badisco, Adriatic
Otranto town, Adriatic
Grotta Zinzulusa, Adriatic

Language development

It is fascinating observing (experiencing?) my 2.5 year old’s language development. I’m sure it is the most amazing milestone to witness for any parent and I find it particularly fascinating as an English language teacher (does that make me sound like a toothpaste advert from the 1980s?)

I’m not doing any teaching right now but I’m sure I will do it again when the kids are a bit older, and I will have a completely new approach informed by this experience of mothering. For example I would normally have taught students personal determiners and adjectives in the following order – I, me, my and then mine. However, Mickey started with me, then came me’s which eventually became mine, and is currently just beginning to use my and I. There must be logic in this natural development worth copying for foreign language learners, especially children.

Prepositions (in, up, on etc) are essential elements of the English grammar and something that fox even advanced students. They make up phrasal verbs of which we native speakers use without even thinking but are actually incredibly confusing when you think about them. Consider for a moment many meaning of the following examples – make out, make up, get off, get over. Prepositions are some of the first words off English speaking toddlers and it makes me think that in future courses I will devote more time to them earlier on.

My son has been a bit late in learning to speak so it is great to hear him beginning to express himself. At the moment it is over 99% English but I can tell he understands some Italian and is beginning to want to use it himself. He is suddenly very interested in knowing everyone’s name and asks Italian children ‘what’s chiami?’ a mixture of the English and Italian question. He also says ciao, grazie, prego and andiamo but that’s about it so far. It will be strange to hear him speak Italian properly in the future, probably by the time he is five years old he will speak it better than we do!

Monello

The Italian word monello translates in my English/Italian dictionary as ‘brat’ and this illustrates very well how some words can’t really be transported from one language directly to another.

A monello is indeed a ‘badly behaved child’ (as ‘brat’ is defined in my English Learner dictionary) and yet it has such a tone of indulgence that it is closer to ‘rascal’. Although one could never refer to a screaming newborn as a rascal, which is covered by monello as much as a terrible two year old.

Key cultural observations can be made in these linguistic nuisances - certainly children are more adored and applauded this side of the Alps. The words ‘brat’ and ‘monello’ beautifully illustrate the Anglo vs Italian perspective of little people.

I don’t really approve of labeling children as I don’t think it is respectful or indeed helpful but there are times these days when I look into the eyes of my red headed, male, two and a half year old firstborn and he just is my little monello.

High summer

Summer peaked last Saturday on the 15th – it was the Italian August holiday called Ferragosto. It actually celebrates the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary but nobody even knows that and the day is celebrated by going to the beach and eating huge quantities of homemade pasta in large groups (the latter being obligatory for any Italian festa, of course).

The beaches and roads are packed on that day so we opted to stay at home. We went a little crazy after the entire youtube playlist of Winnie the Witch so the next day we decided that had to get out. We braved the Adriatic coast and were shocked to see our normally empty paradise beach absolutely full, there was literally not enough space to walk between people’s towels. Still, it was good to get out and get the fresh sea air and we all slept well for it.

It’s still high season for the next week or so but things are definitely winding down. The blue collar crew will be back at work already and northern Italians will be working their way back up the boot and leaving our little zona in peace again.

By the first week of September the beaches will be much quieter, as will our little country lane which at the moment is alive with local families escaping the heat the town. We will have a bit of time to reclaim our paradise beach and then it will be autumn, time to take out the crochet blankets and light the fire. By this time last year I was yearning for the cooler weather but it has been such a pleasant summer this year that I wish it would last a bit longer.