Discovering Salento, latest top holiday destination in Italy

Are you looking for sunny weather, amazing landscape and truly genuine food? Apulia is then the region you will deeply fall in love in Italy and might  become the next destination of your trip!

Apulia is one of the most amazing southern European region, rich of culture and history, with a strategical importance for ancient Greeks and Romans, today is one of the pearls of Mediterranean tourism. This is a real special region to me as I am born in Milan, but one of my grandma is from this area, so it is very familiar to me and owns half of my heart.

In particular today I would like to present you an area, Salento, still an unspoil destination that became very popular for holidays in the last years. Salento it has been my last holiday trip either, so I am still very excited to talk about it.

Salento is the very botton are of Italy (image Italy as a "boot", well, Salento is the very bottom of the "heel").

The area is surronded by two seas, Ionian Sea and Adriatic Sea, facing Croatia, Bosnia, Albany and Greece from Adriatic side and Sicily to the other. The area is all in province of Lecce and the closest airport in Brindisi (maybe soon it will be named The Airport of Salento). If you travel from Europe very cheap airlines as Ryanair and Easyjet flight here.

If you are planning an holiday let me suggest you to avoid August: traditionally is the holiday month for all Italian students and workers, and Salento is a very popular destination for us. In other months you will defenetly find the beaches less crowded and ways cheaper accomodation. The weather is amazing, so all May to September period is perfect for a sea bath.

Salento offers a lot of different landscapes and activities, dependind of what you search from your holiday. You can look for disco and night life around Gallipoli as for trekking journeys around Leuca (but I advise you to pick just spring or autumn time) to discover Olive trees..

Here are the spot we visited, hope you can find some interesting information for your journey.

Where we stayed in Salento 

We based in Ugento and we stayed in a very cute Bed and Breakfast, family managed, which I raccomend: Aria Bianca Bed and Breakfast. It is quite a convenient location as driving (yes a car is mandatory if you want to travel Salento) you can reach any point of Salento by day and return.

What and where to eat in Salento

Burrata - Orecchiette - Puré di fave

Food is amazing everywhere and absolutely everything deserves to be tasted, especially in Apulia. Here is the home of olive oil, taralli, juicy tomatoes, fresh fish, burrata and stracciatella. No, I am not talking about the gelato, but the very softest and creamy mozzarella you will ever taste in you life.When in Salento you must try fresh pasta, in particular orecchiette, small hand made pasta that litterally means small ears, you can enjoy them with tomatoes sauce and sometimes beef sauce. Vegetarian must try puré di fave e cicoria, deliciou mashed fave beans and chicory. Anything with fish and seafood it is absolutely delicious, and also meat eaters will satisfying their taste with many bracerie: they are restaurant where you pick the beef you like and they cook for you as you like! I suggest you to try Le locande di Totò, but always better to reserve a table, this place is very popular also among locals (please remember for southern Italians it is common to dine around 9 -9:30 PM, in summer time).

Looking for a perfect romantic typical dinner? I was very impressed with this restaurant, in the heart of Taviano, small village in the heart of Salento, La Corte degli Aranci: I sincerely raccomened it and please try the BBQ beef on the spit. What to drink? Of course, a calice of Primitivo di Manduria or Salice Salentino, robust red wines, perfect with roasted beef.

Castro

Castro - Salento

Beautiful small location where we rent a boat for half day (in august better to book in advance) and visit the coast. If you have the chance visit the cave of Zinzilusa, you can arrive by boat with an organised small tour (2 hours included the guided visit) or driving for a very little distance from Castro.

Otranto 
Small sea city, with a medioeval fortress "balcony" to an amazing gulf. We visited at "aperitivo" time, just before sunset to enjoy the amazing pink color that the sunlihgt colors the white walls of the city. You can take a walk along the sea side, enjoy the bar and dinner in many restaurants.

Baia dei Turchi (North Otranto beach side)

Long sand beaches, amazing tourques sea and many bars and restaurant with beach umbreallas and sunbed to rent for a day. I raccomend it for  a relax beach day.

Leuca

This is a special place as it just the "very end" of the heel Italy. No sandy beaches here, but you can rent a boat or join an excursion and visit the coast (and take a bath of course).

Gallipoli

Is very much the new party city of summer in Italy. Here and around you will have plenty of partys with some of the best international Dj's as guest stars in many clubs and discos; summer night-life here is for sure some of the best in the country. However, if you are looking for relax and quiteness, avoid this area in august: it is crowded of young party lovers.

Baia Verde

It is close to Gallipoli and it is an amazing sandy beach, we loved spending here the day even if in the late afternoon bars in the beach start partying and get crowded.

Marina di Pescoluse (Maldive del Salento)

An other beautiful sandy beach where to enjoy the sun and the blue sea. One note when you arrive driving: it is common to pay for parking (as a reasonable €2- €5 for all day) and it is best way to access to the beaches and leave your car in a no-fine area: be carefull infact, local police is always giving tickets tocars parked outside lines- blue lines in Italy means pay parking zone - white lines are free parking zone.

Curious to read more about Salento? Let me advice you this guide Salento. Moods and colors

Hope these advice can help you in your next journey to Salento!

The Happy Orange Blog loves Apulia!

Go to Ikea and adopt a dog: marketing can be used for good sometimes

Everyone goes to Ikea, everyone buys something at Ikea at least once in lifetime.
But when you are walking along ideal living rooms now you can even do more: now you can imaginig how even more beautiful your house could be if you would adopt a dog.
A new home for an abondened dog means the chance to live, to be part of a family, to be cared and loved.
Love is they need, loyalty forever and friendship it is what the can give back.
Ikea has launches a great initiative now just tested in Singapore stores: a social conscious campeign to invite customers to adopt dogs. The initiative is called Home for Hope, brilliantly simple, brilliantly good.
Once marketing can do something good. Once a big multinational as Ikea can pass the right message.

Please help, please love dogs.
Watch the video
http://youtu.be/tBka2eF4OAI
And for more info visit http://homeforhope.sg
#homeforhope

Please Israel, stop the massacre in Gaza

What is happening in Gaza is hurting the humanity indelebly.
How humanity can be so aggressive and cruel?

Please Isarael, please stop now. It is no sense, killing is never the solution.

Free Palestine, let people live in peace.

Stop Bombing Gaza

Visiting Barolo, heart of great wine in Piemonte

Barolo, Italy

Langhe, Piemonte

Last weekend we all went to visit Barolo, small village in the heart of Piemonte, an area called Langhe, close to Alba, city of the prestigious white truffle (exquisite). Barolo region gives the name to the prestigious wine, made from Nebbiolo grape, and it is considered one of the greatest wine of the world. The production is strictly limited and authorized to selected communes,  Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d'Alba and parts of the communes of Cherasco, Diano d'Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d'Alba,Novello, Roddi, Verduno, all in the province of Cuneo, as I mentioned at the south-west of Alba. I would suggest you if you have time to visit all the communes and select some of the most popular wine producer for a guided tour. There is a tour called La strada del Barolo (the Barolo road) and their website can give you some valuable advice about what to visit, timing and opening days (most canteen need a reservation for a guided tour).

We had only a full day so we spent the time just in Barolo, amazing small comune, surronded by hills, and wine trees. We visited the most ancient cantina and had a lovely dinner at Rosso Barolo Osteria, where I raccomend to taste traditional Barolo Risotto! 
If you like they also have room for the night, and it is a good idea to sleep somewhere once you have enjoyed the faboulous wine at dinner!
And in the afternoon do not forget to start with an aperitivo: great wine, focaccia and salame!
If you are looking for a great book to discover the marvellous region of Piemonte, one of the greatest area for Italian wines tradition, please let me to suggest a great book Piemonte... la signora del vino. Ediz. italiana e inglese (Piemonte, the lady of Wine, available in Italian and English edition). 
And now that you are curious abou Piemonte and you wish to taste a great glass of Barole, please come and visit! 

Aperitivo in Barolo

A poem for my Dog

Dedicated to Milo, 
thank you for being in my life, you teached me more than you will never know.


I have a dog. It is the first dog of my life.

Before I have never really cared at what time to go back home.
Now I am looking forward to open my door
and find my dog waiting for me.

Before I have never really cared to meet my neightborought.
Now I know each person living around me
cause my dog welcomes everyone when we walk around.

Before I have never really enjoyed spending the afternoon at the park,
now I love the smell of the grass, the lights through the branches trees.

Before I have really never cared if was a raining Sunday afternoon,
now I am sorry if we cannot walk for hours.

Before I have never really understood what grateness was when making a gift,
now I see the real happiness in my dog eyes
when I see him playing with my old teddy bears.

Before I have never really appreciated sharing things in my life,
now one of my best moment of the day is
sharing my rice cake for breakfast with my dog.

Before I always believed I could have been the only one to real care about my happyness,
now I look into my dog's eyes and I know what unconditional Love is.

Weekend at the Garda Lake, Bardolino

For a funtional meeting, my team office spent two days in the beautiful hotel Aqualux in Bardolino, Lake of Garda pleasure and beautiful location.

The hotel si well organized for business meeting with several conference rooms. An amazing garden patio with several swimming pools, relax area, veranda for a drink are perfect to enjoy the sunny weather. Hydro piscinas are also inside and at the lower floor you can enjoy a Spa and Termarium area, with a women only section.
For the dinner we reached the restaurant Al Cardellino where we had a delicious meal: excellent service, beautiful atmosphere and great food. I personally raccomend tagliolini (fresh egg long pasta) with tartufo (truffle) sauce: simply delicious, and if you like, have a glass of Verdicchio white wine together.

Lake Garda is always a very welcome and raccomended destination, Bardolino was a pleasent, beautiful discover.

Rihanna ci prova con Boateng, povera Melissa Satta!

Cara Melissa, siamo tutte con te. Nessuna donna merita di avere come rivale Rihanna.
Nemmeno se sei gnocca come Melissa Satta.
Questo è quanto è successo: l'ammaliatrice Rihanna, che tanto sa di "uso gli uomini come calzini", ha visto una foto dell'aitante Kevin Prince Boateng e non ha resistito a lasciare un twitter molto esplicito su quanto apprezzi il calciatore.
La nostra povera Melissa, che da buttare decisamente non è, recentemente mamma del piccolo Boateng Junior, alias Maddox, ha iniziato comunque ad avere gli incubi la notte.
Potevano passare le ballerine di samba brasilere, ma la minaccia Rihanna proprio no, non è cosa saggia sottovalutare! Cosa si fa in questi casi? Una valigia veloce - e già che ci siamo gli dedichiamo un post - e poi aereo al volo e subito raggiungere il proprio uomo!
Il piano? Marcare stretto, molto stretto....

Rihanna twitta Boateng

Rihanna Fashion Awards 2014

  

A ti sólo se llega, Pedro Salinas

A ti sólo se llega

por ti. Te espero.

Yo sí que sé dónde estoy,

La voz a ti debida, Pedro Salinas

mi ciudad, la calle, el nombre

por el que todos me llaman.

Pero no sé dónde estuve

contigo.

Allí me llevaste tú.

¿Como

iba a aprender el camino

si yo no miraba a nada

más que a ti,

si el camino era tu andar,

y el final

fue cuando tú te paraste?

¿Que más podía haber ya

que tú ofrecida, mirándome?

Pero ahora,

¡qué desterrado, qué ausente

es estar donde uno está!

Espero, pasan los trenes,

los azares, las miradas.

Me llevarían adonde

nunca he estado. Pero yo

no quiero los cielos nuevos.

Yo quiero estar donde estuve.

Contigo, volver.

¡Qué novedad tan immensa

eso, volver otra vez,

repetir lo nunca igual

de aquel asombro infinito!

Y mientras no vengas tú

yo me quedaré en la orilla

de los vuelos, de los sueños,

de las estelas, inmovíl.

Porque sé que adonde estuve

ni alas, ni ruedas, ni velas

llevan.

Todas van extraviadas.

Porque sé que adonde estuve

sólo

se va contigo, por ti.

Pedro Salinas (1891-1951)

Gomorra mia, come farò ad aspettare la serie due?

Ieri Gomorra ci ha dato un grandissimo finale, degno della serie di altissimo livello che è stata per tutti i 12 episodi della prima stagione.
Un meritatissimo successo, che è già preannunciato diventare un caso internazionale.
Ha tutte le carte in regola per competere con le grandi serie US e speriamo che questa volta oltreoceano ci possano apprezzare anche per una sceneggiatura che l'italiano medio ha apprezzato (e non ha invece colto tutta sta Grande Bellezza alto borghese).

E tanti tanti tanti complimenti a tutti i protagonisti, finalmente veri attori e non blasonate sciacquette e finti machi da calendario per casalinghe che infestano le fiction per la tv delle nostre reti mass popolari. Insopportabili le storie quasi quanto il loro livello recitativo. Avere un scrittura basata su una realtà del nostro paese e affascinante quanto scioccante; avere degli attori che sanno davvero comunicare, far vivere un personaggio è davvero un privilegio. GRAZIE!
Ed ora attendiamo con ansia la confermata (e direi stra meritata) seconda serie, in fase di scrittura: ci aspettiamo grandi cose da Gomorra, grandi cose!

Personaggi Gomorra vs Un cast da Oscar

Saldi Estate 2014

Non so voi, ma io ho già una lista di tutte le cose che con questi saldi estivi vorrei acquistare. Sto infatti trattenendo la mia voglia di shopping aspettando la data ufficiale dell'inizio dei saldi, sabato 5 luglio. Promozioni e svendite sono quindi vietate in queste settimane, la legge infatti impone il divieto di ribassi 30 giorni prima l'inizio ufficiale dei saldi. Quindi con la carta di credito nel portafoglio, aspetto ancora un paio di settimane... Ed ecco un paio di cosine che mi piacciono e che spero di acquistare!

Trench Zara S/S 2014

Costume Calzedonia Summer 2014

Portafoglio Prada S/S 2014

Zoccoli Aldo S/S 2014

Esiste una giustizia: Clooney sceglie il cervello!

Pur di non credere che potesse avere solo una sfilza di brune senza cervello (eh si, mi riferisco anche ad una nostra connazionale, tanto bella quanto purtroppo non particolarmente brillante), abbiamo voluto credere che fosse gay. Ed invece il bel Clooney sembra aver finalmente imparato, classe 1961, che gambe mozzafiato e sorrisi holliwoodiani, non bastano a far sì che sia Amore. Amore con la "A" maiuscola, di quelli che vuoi far durare almeno quanto un mutuo e non quanto il contratto con la Vodafone. Il nostro amato dottor Ross ha finalmente trovato il perfetto connubio tra una bellezza classica mediterranea e un brillante cervello: l'affascinante avvocato di origini libanesi ma londinese di adozione, Amal Alamuddin. Non un avvocato qualsiasi, ovviamente, ma un genio del foro, specializzato nella difesa dei diritti umani: bella, intelligente e pure vocata ai diritti umanitari. Un fidanzamento lampo, quando l'amore è vero lo riconosci al volo, le nozze sono già fissate il 12 settembre sul lago Como.

George Clooney si sposa

E noi donne già l'adoriamo perché non importa che ci abbia portato via lo scapolo d'ora che noi tutte sognavamo. Lei rappresenta la nostra rivincita contro il modello di donna velina, rappresenta la speranza che gli uomini ad un certo punto della loro vita, riconoscano che una donna che abbia qualcosa da dire, e che sia qualcosa di intelligente, vale più di un bel manichino.