A little sleep-in this morning as we didn’t need to be at our first stop until 9:45am. First up was La Pedrera (formally known as Casa Mila), the last private residence designed by Gaudi. We started our tour with an immersive VR experience which enabled us to learn about Gaudi’s inspiration, the commission, the first … More Day 23 – La Pedrera & Montserrat
We were up early again and at Casa Batllo for our 8:30am entrance. Casa Batllo was originally built in 1877 and was purchased by Mr Josep Batlló in 1903. He gave total freedom to Anthony Gaudi to redesign the house which was initially going to be demolished. Gaudi, however, ruled this out and completely changed … More Day 22 – Casa Batllo & Park Guell
Our ride arrived on time to take us to the airport this morning. Check in at the airport was incredibly easy, as was security. We got a coffee and doughnuts and relaxed before boarding our flight. We left slightly late but made up the time enroute. We had to wait a good hour for our … More Day 21 – Barcelona
We set off on our daily march at 6:30am this morning for our tour of the Vatican starting at 7:30am. We arrived at the meeting place and were soon assigned to our guide for the morning, Donata. We had booked a semi private tour so it was just us and an American couple from St … More Day 20 – The Vatican
We started the day with a coffee, fresh orange juice and croissants at Bar Gastronomia Twins right across the road from our apartment. Mark had booked tickets to the Pantheon between 9am and 10am and it was a good 30 minute walk to get there. They have only very recently instigated a payment system but … More Day 19 – Pantheon
Mark woke very early this morning for a work call at 5am. When the rest of us woke up we showered (not particularly satisfying with tiny showers and very little water pressure but we got wet) and went across the road to Bar Gastronomia Twins for cappuccinos and croissants. We had organised a tour of … More Day 18 – Colosseum & The Forum
We got up early and finished our packing before Salvatore’s wife (the whole family clearly gets involved) came to collect the keys from us. We left the house just before 8am and got on the road to Brindisi arriving around 9am. Once we had handed over the car, we checked in for our flight and … More Day 17 – Rome
Last night there was a massive electrical storm and we lost power a few times. Luckily it was easily fixed at the switchboard. Mark, TJ and Sophia watched the Japanese Grand Prix this morning while I did a workout and Greer had a rest (she’s still not feeling that great). Once everyone was ready we … More Day 16 – Santa Maria Di Leuca
Today we did extremely little; some chores, work, swimming, sitting in the sun, reading, Mark & TJ watched the Warriors game. Mark & I went to the supermarket to get a few supplies for dinner and lunch tomorrow. The kids wanted a frozen pizza but I mistakenly picked up gluten free one which tasted like … More Day 15 – A Relaxing Day
We had planned to go to the bottom of Puglia today but we had a change of plans and decided to head back to Otranto for another delicious gelato and then up the coast to a couple of spots we wanted to visit. First up was Otranto. We parked in the same spot and wandered … More Day 14 – Otranto, Torre Sant’Andrea & Cave of Poetry
We decided it was time for another day at home to relax and spend some time in the sun. Mark, Greer & I decided to head into town for a quick coffee and look around before our swim. We found a nice cafe, Cafe Marconi and ordered our coffees before taking a seat outside. I … More Day 13 – Martano & Villa Day
We were up early-ish this morning in order to get into Lecce before it got too hot. We ate our breakfast – I tried out the Friselle (double-baked bread) they had left for us with some olive oil, tomato, rocket and salt. Not so sure about the bread, but the tomatoes were ?. We arrived … More Day 12 – Lecce
This morning we went to the weekly market in Martano. They had everything there – food (bread, fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses, you name it they had it. They even had chickens in cages and were selling their eggs), shoes, clothes, bags, belts etc. There were some amazing deals to be had. The girls and I … More Day 11 – Martano & Otranto
This morning we packed everything up and tidied the villa before handing over the keys to Melita and heading west to the Salento region on the Ionian Sea. We had made a reservation at the Toga Bay Beach Club and had a big round lounge bed and 4 separate loungers. It was well looked after … More Day 10 – Togo Bay Beach Club
Today is our last day in Seranova and having done the main things we wanted to do in the northern part of Puglia, we decided on another rest day at the villa. We caught up on washing, chores and holiday admin. The kids enjoyed lying on their beds with their devices and TJ and Sophia … More Day 9 – A day at the Villa
After a lazy morning and getting some chores done around the villa we decided to head to the local beach, Punta Penna Grossa, part of the Torre Guaceto Nature Reserve. TJ didn’t want to come so we left him at the villa and the rest of us headed off. It was only a very short … More Day 8 – Punta Penna Grossa
This morning we drove back into Bari, the capital of Puglia and where we flew into. It is a bustling port city sitting on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The drive was just over an hour with the usual Italian shenanigans on the road; I think Mark actually enjoys the weaving in and out … More Day 7 – Bari & Polignano a Mare
We left the villa just after 7am this morning as it is about 2hrs 50mins north of where we are staying and in Basilicata (rather than Puglia). Matera is one of the oldest continually lived-in cities in the world dating back to the Palaeolithic Period (10th millennium BC). Matera is famous for its “Sassi” which … More Day 6 – Matera
We decided to have a pool day today. We spent the day playing table tennis, swimming, sunbathing and have some good family time. In the evening, we watched the sunset and then headed out to Ristolio, a small plates restaurant (that is their words) in San vitto dei Normanni. https://ristolio.business.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral The boys both had the … More Day 5 – A day at home
Everyone was awake early so we decided to get going and head into Alberobello before the crowds of tourists arrive. It was a very picturesque drive through the Valle d’Itria and we arrived in Alberobello just after 9am and got a park closest to the Trulli zone. Alberobello was declared a World Heritage Site by … More Day 4 – Alberobello, Locorotondo and San Vitto dei Normanni