Locorotondo holiday farmhouse "Trullo Azzurro" in Locorotondo

We spent 10 days at the comfortable and characterful Trullo azzurro , situated some 10-15 minutes drive from the nearby town of Locorotondo with its lovely old quarter and many fine restaurants. This is one of only several towns having historic centres to explore within easy reach of the trullo: Cisternino, Alberobello, Martina Franca and Ostuni all meriting a look. Like most self-catering accommodation, Trullo azzuro offers so much more space than a hotel bedroom plus the benefit of wide patio terraces with far-reaching views of the surrounding countryside. Although we visited late in the season, from late September into October, we enjoyed lots of meals outdoors in the warm sunshine making good use of the superb local produce. Late evenings were getting cooler though at that time of the year. The proximity to the towns in the area enabled us either to visit a place in the morning and have lunch out, or to chill out with a book during the day before going out late afternoon. It's worth noting that most towns are really quiet during the afternoons as this is 'siesta' time and not much happens until about 5pm when the shops open again; note also that the markets operate only in the morning. Although we enjoyed good weather it was not achingly hot so did not miss having a pool. The coast is only some 40 minutes drive away though for a dip in the sea and can be combined with a trip en route to elsewhere. All in all everything went very smoothly and we greatly enjoyed our experience. There are so many places to see that we hope to visit again before long. Incidentally, the trullo is located some distance along a narrow track which on first traversing seems quite intimidating, becoming less so after a couple of passes. Indeed the sense of 'being away from it all' adds greatly to the charm of the place. Don't worry about having to find your own way there as you will be guided from Cisternino by the very friendly local agent for the property.

We have just enjoyed an amazing week in a very unique property in a very special location! Mark and Mary have painstakingly renovated their trulli and it was a pleasure and privilege to be there. The location is remote, up a winding road past lots of other ancient trullis and then up a dirt track to your very own trulli with only the birds for company - perfect! All the mode cons needed for a great self catering holiday are available, even regional wine and food stuffs to start your stay off like the locals! Great Mark and Mary, thank you!

This was our first time in Puglia; we love Italy and usually stay in Tuscany, but we were absolutely blown away by the beauty & the culture of this amazing area, which is so unspoiled by the tourist dollar like other, more popular parts of Italy. We stayed in this amazing Pugliese farmhouse for 6 glorious nights in June 2011. It's a traditionally-constructed Trullo, with metre-thick stone walls, each room topped by a conical stone roof. After following printed directions from the airport, we met our guide who we followed to the wonderful location in olive groves, vineyards and nut trees. Beautifully restored and secluded from neighbours, just what we needed for our week of rest and relaxation. We were especially glad to find a welcome pack of pasta & wine waiting for us which meant didn't have to worry about buying supplies until the next day. Mark and Mary have done a beautiful job of restoring this fantastic Trullo and we had everything we needed for our stay. It even got us dreaming of buying the Trullo up the road and having our own. We soon developed a routine of a lazy breakfast in the Trullo followed by a trip out to a local town, usually to check out the market. We'd find a great little restaurant for lunch to try out the local cuisine. Then buy some of the very cheap and wonderful seasonal local produce and whip up a gourmet (well in our minds) feast for dinner. Then we'd enjoy the picturesque drive home and relax with a good book for the afternoon siesta. Although there were many restaurants available for dinner we enjoyed the opportunity to cook the local produce and so we didn't go out in the evenings, preferring to sip local wine on the roof terrace, taking the in the 360deg panoramic views of the local countryside and listening of the sounds of the cuckoos, the hoopoe birds and the odd whinny of a horse in the woods. It was a memorable week and we will definitely be back. Thank you so much for sharing your piece of paradise.