Masseria Baroni Nuovi

Apulia is one of the most agricultural regions in Italy; the core of good Italian cuisine originates here, in the fields of artichokes, lines of olive and fruit trees and vineyards. Needing a change of scenery from our big city home, Salento seemed like the perfect choice. Already with the vision of a southern Italian sunset in my mind, we set off on a short plane ride that transported us to a completely different lifestyle.

A warm welcome awaited us as we stepped into the warm air of Italy, ready to be greeted by lively, smiling Italians and ready to be surrounded by all things Italian. A country house break was exactly what us city folk needed; we were already feeling relaxed with the knowledge that there was no need to plan museum visits or sight-seeing here, that in order to experience Salento's culture, all we would need to do is walk out the front door. Gazing out of the window of the hotel's shuttle bus made this even clearer, as our excitement built up for the beautiful gardens, the swimming pool, the restaurant, and last but not least, our superior room, about which we had dreamed so much.

Arriving at the hotel it was impossible not to stare at the deep green garden, the sunlight reflecting off the swimming pool surrounded by olive trees, and listening to the silence was music to our ears. I took in a breath of clean, warm air, we had arrived. Upon entering our room, we were filled with delight. Spacious, homely and rustically decorated in whites, yellows and beiges, the room provides all the home comforts and more. Here is where we could really let go, utterly undisturbed. But there was one noise that interrupted the serene silence, and that was our stomachs' rumbling, ready for the tasty delights that we could expect in the Gelsimono restaurant downstairs.

Whilst enjoying the delicious, fresh produce of red wine, olive oil and fresh fruit we experienced real organic food with the “0km” effect; direct from producer to consumer, and nothing could have been more natural, and still taste-bud satisfying. With our stomachs satisfied we could begin planning our adventure for tomorrow, would it involve cooking, cycling, trekking or even diving? Conveniently placed, Masseria is in the countryside, but not far from the Adriatic coast of Italy, so we had ample choice of adventurous activities. A wide smile spread across my face as we discussed possibilities of scuba-diving, sailing and trekking. We considered these before contemplating visiting the historic Brindisi, or the stunning “white town” of Ostuni.

Whatsoever we were about to choose, we knew that our agricultural adventure had just begun...