When we were planning this year’s trip to Italy, my sister brought up that I kept raving about Puglia. She said whenever we talked about last year’s trip that it was very clear where my heart was. With that, she suggested we do all of July in Puglia.
Once we decided on that, I looked at a map and I chose a location that allowed us day trips to all of my favorite spots in Puglia as well as the places I was interested in going to. With that, I thought that the Cisternino area would suit those needs.
Officially we stayed in Specchiaruzzo, but we learned very quickly why it was hard to find on a map and there weren’t any signs for it. So really, we stayed in Cisternino. A quick 10-minute drive from our house was Cisternino. It’s a cute little town, up on a hill, that has a nice mix of new and old. It has enough new amenities to be convenient and enough charm in the old town to be adorable. This was where we did our shopping, ran errands, and had our daily breakfast.
CISTERNINO HOUSING
Villa Casabianca, Specchiaruzzo. Airbnb Villa Casabianca
I cannot say enough good things about Angelo or his house. They’re both incredible!
The house has been masterfully renovated with comfy beds, lots of closet space, and a gorgeous backyard that includes a beautiful saltwater pool. The house was spotless and they had it cleaned and the linens changed every Saturday, something that not every long-term rental does. Throw in his sweet dog Bette and his two adorable gattini (kittens) and you’ll never want to leave.
Angelo and Camilla are fantastic people. In addition to being great hosts, they are kind and fun. Angelo is always available and goes out of his way to make sure we have everything that we need. There were basic provisions when we arrived that were incredibly helpful since we were exhausted from our trip. He also made sure to send me the locations of the best local supermarket, wine, and cheese shops.
Angelo, Camilla, and their family made us feel so welcome and like we were lifelong friends. I cannot wait to come back here again. In fact, we’ve already booked for next summer, but in August so we can be there to celebrate his daughter Giulia’s birthday.
And no post about staying at Angelo’s house would be complete without mentioning his daughter Carla’s amazing panzerotti. It was an honor to watch Carla and her friends work together to make this incredible deliciousness!
CISTERNINO TIPS AND INFO
- Parking: Make sure to pay for the meters. They have meter maids that go around to all of the spots and check for tickets. The parking is 1 euro per hour, except during La Pausa when most things are closed.
- It’s small: Once you park somewhere, you can walk to everything you need in town. We would park for breakfast and put enough in the meter to also run our errands. The beauty of this little town is it has everything. We would walk to the deli, then walk to the fruit store, then walk to Acqua and Sapone (Italian CVS), and anywhere else we might need for the day.
- Market: Every Monday they have an outdoor market that sells a variety of material goods, but also a Farmer’s market with fresh fruits and vegetables. We bought beautiful “market dresses” for 6 euros a piece.
- Ceramics: Rosa Creazioni- Piazza Mazzini. This is the most beautiful ceramics shop I’ve ever seen! I wanted to buy everything in it. Puglia has a unique type of pottery, which you will see all over this area, but this shop had the greatest quality and variety. The shopkeeper was wonderful as well.
- Printing: Calib, Libreria Caffè- Via Ciro Menotti, 8. If you find you need to print something out when you’re in Cisternino, go to this lovely bookstore and cafe. They could not have been more kind and helpful.
CISTERNINO FOOD
- Breakfast and Aperitivo: Vignola Cremeria History- Via San Quirico, 28. We first came to this place to meet up with Angelo, the owner of our villa. He chose to meet us there instead of the property and we quickly discovered why… the view! Located on the edge of the raised town, Vignola has all outside seating that overlooks the entire surrounding landscape. It gets a great breeze and gives you a sense of calm. We liked the setting so much that we decided to go back for breakfast and this is great too. They make delicious cornetti and always have my tea in stock.
- Breakfast:
- Caffe del Corso- Via Roma, 60. This is where we would get our cornetti every morning. The food was delicious and after Murray became a regular they would even bake ones fresh for him if they were out.
- Pasific Shop- Via Roma, 87. This place is also a great option for breakfast. Selfishly, I’d go there every day because they have delicious, hand-pressed tea, but everyone else enjoyed the view at Vignola. They also have delicious cornetti and the people are very nice.
- Dinner: Il Cucco- Corso Umberto I, 137. Technically this is a wine bar, but it’s a wine bar that also serves delicious food. And the best part of it being a wine bar and wine shop is that you get to go to the room next door and pick out the wine you’d like to drink with dinner or bring home for later. I couldn’t get over how flavorful my food was here. It was the kind of food that causes you to make everyone at the table try it, just so they can experience it too.
- Pizza: Pizzeria Doppio Zero- Piazza Pellegrino Rossi, 17. Set in one of the main squares in Cisternino, Doppio Zero has great pizza. That’s pretty much all they do, so they have pages of different options. They have both indoor and outdoor seating and on a nice night, it’s a great place to hang out and enjoy a pizza and a beer.
- Dessert: Chocolab Pasticceria- Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 27. Set in one of the main squares, this adorable shop has delicious chocolates of all varieties. In addition to being tasty, they’re adorable as well. I highly recommend stopping by this little store and tasting all the different offerings.
CISTERNINO DAY TRIPS
I’m very happy to say that Cisternino ended up being in the perfect location. We were able to do day trips to the following places: Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, Alberobello, Matera, Locorotondo, Ceglie Messapica, Castellana Grotte, and Ostuni.
Click on the following links to learn more about these day trips: