
John Mariani contributor
In the past five years, Puglia, a province in southeastern Italy, has been enormously successful in attracting international tourists, especially Americans, to its cities and seaside towns such as Bari, Pulignano di Mare, Monopoli, Andria, Taranto and Gallipoli. Its history, climate and Baroque architecture, food and wine have been promoted with full-page ads in the Times and travel magazines making it seem like the last unknown place in Italy. That is no longer the case, and three trips in the past few years have made Puglia one of my favorite regions in Italy, both for big cities like Lecce and small villages like Minervino di Lecce, a half-hour drive away.
Minervino is an exceptionally quiet location and can be walked around in less than an hour, admiring the unexpected Renaissance grandeur of the Chiesa Matrice di San Arcangelo among the many churches scattered around the town. And you can stay at the Palazzo Ducale Venturi(Via Podgora No. 60; +39-0836-818717), built in the 1500s as a stronghold of the Knights Templar, now a completely renovated luxury hotel with a garden and swimming pool, a classy whiskey bar and a modern Wellness Area, whose clientele is predominantly American.
The Palazzo also has an excellent, rather small restaurant with outdoor garden facilities and a new young chef, Alessandro Danilo Sbocchi, originally from nearby Maglie.
My wife and I sampled its five-course tasting menu ($75) consisting of ingredients from Salento and Puglia. The wine list, by the way, is remarkably modestly priced.
Sbocchi's food is modern, personal and completely respectful of Apulian traditions. We started with the tuna on mayonnaise inside a pasta shell, lightly smoked and served in a thin wooden box; then came the lasagnette with a light but intense ragu whose flavors melded flawlessly. I was enchanted by a simple dish of perfectly cooked spaghettoni (all pastas are made locally) with a langoustine sauce. The highlight was the dorade of meat cooked in cellophane that is opened and boned at the table, its aroma wafting through the evening air.