Italy 2023: Rome, Puglia, Capri
How We Got There
The post White Lotus surges in Italian travel clearly impacted availability and pricing! We opted to use Delta Skymiles for one of our tickets to keep costs down. As ITA finds is new home with its Lufthansa partnership we flew a Delta product from JFK to Rome. The newly retrofitted 767 Delta Product is almost identical to the Delta One suite sans the closing door. From checkin to our onboard experience the Delta team was phenomenal.
Rome to Puglia
While you can fly to Brindisi and Bari from FCO we opted to take the high speed Trenitalia from Rome Termini to Brindisi (~5 hours). It is worth splurging for business class tickets, especially in the quiet car.
Puglia
The trick with Puglia, is finding the right spot for your villa. This year we positioned ourselves in the town of Casarano. This offered us the flexibility to explore a variety of beaches and towns, all within 20-30 minutes from the villa.
Our Puglia Villa
Villa Capozza is a historic residence located in Casarano about 15 kilometers from the Ionian coast and in close proximity to the towns of Gallipoli and Leuca. The villa’s main building had 7 suites all with en-suite bathrooms, multiple entertaining rooms, a beautiful pool and even a large ballroom for more formal functions. The kitchen is large with all the essentials including a large chefs prep area. Overall the villa had a beautiful historic charm and comfortably fit our large group. The owner even opened a second on-site villa to accommodate a couple of extra guests. As a fun historical fact, Napoleon I was said to have been accommodated in the upper level master suite. The cons were that the villa could use a bit of an overhaul, optimization of climate control in the common areas, some essential items and better Wifi. More details can be found here: https://www.emmavillas.com/en/apulia/villa-capozza-18-2
Puglia Activities
The beauty of Puglia is the ease of navigating to all of the small towns and local beaches, and of course enjoying some down time at your Villa’s pool. Below are just a few of our activities.
Gallipoli: running southwest into the Aegean Sea this is a beautiful town perfect for walking and exploring. Take a stroll along the waterfront and explore the beautiful old barrier wall.
For an amazing.. and popular pizza spot (may be one of my top 10), check out Don Vincenzo Pizzeria Napoletana: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g616185-d2289634-Reviews-Don_Vincenzo-Gallipoli_Province_of_Lecce_Puglia.html
Otranto: Home to a 15th century castle and an 11th century Cathedral this town is more reminiscent of a stunning greek town. Stroll the promenade, have dinner on the water and indulge in some late night Gelato.
Beaches of Puglia
Salve region: about 25 minutes from our villa we explored the beaches of the Salve region. There are tons of lido’s (beach clubs) that provide chairs, loungers and umbrellas. We opted for Lido Venere which provided great service, Wi-Fi and their on site restaraunt was wonderful. A long welcoming white sand beach offers plenty of space for all of your beach activities. Be sure to reserve your beach chairs in advance, especially on a weekend!
Ugento Region: About 20 minutes from our villa the beaches of Ugento offered crystal clear blue waters and an extensive shallow beach. We settled at the Bora Bora lido which had all the essentials you would need to spend the whole day on the beach.
La Grotta Della Poesia and Torre dell Orso: take a leap into the stunning grotta and then pack up the car and head over to the beach nearby for some recovery! We spent the day at lido Baia D’oriente which was great.
The Agriturismo Life
No trip to Puglia is complete without a visit to an amazing Agriturismo. This year we visited the phenomenal Masseria Le Stanzie. The venue offered a beautiful setting (animal farm and puppies included) along with delicious food from beginning to end. This place is not to be missed if you are in the area.
Salerno for a Minute
As we made our way towards Capri, we opted to drive to Salerno (approximately 3.5 hours) and spend one night in the area before taking the first ferry over to Capri at 8 am the next morning. We stayed at a small B&B Casa Santangelo Suites located in the heart of the city. Check out the B&B here https://santangelosalerno.com/
While we didn’t have much time in Salerno, we loved the edgy feel that came to life after sunset. We had a great time people watching for aperitivo at Caffe Dell’Arechi.
Our one dinner in Salerno at il Gozzo was phenomenal and there is no doubt we will be back if we are in the area.
Getting to Capri
From Salerno we opted to take the 8:45 am local ferry that made stops along the Amalfi coast and took about two hours. While the journey was beautiful, it is best to check if your boat has a covered rooftop, and if not be prepared for the heat!
Anacapri vs. Capri
The island is both geographically and experientially divided. Anacapri offers a quieter local feel where life moves at a slower pace and without all the glitz and glam and crowds. Anacapri was clearly our preferred side. Capri has that West Palm beach feel where the wealth of those strolling the promenades is on clear display. While Americans we’re few and far between in Anacapri, they dominated the promenades of Capri. Choosing between the two sides is really based on preference.
Where we Stayed
Casa Mariantonia is a small family run boutique hotel located in Anacapri. With only a few rooms, welcoming staff infinite, lemon trees and a wonderful pool, this was the perfect spot to escape the daytime craziness of Capri. Find out more here: https://www.casamariantonia.com/
Wandering
We spent most of our days at the pool trying to stay cool in the July heat of Capri and avoiding the large number of day visitors and cruise ship passengers who have to leave by 4pm. Our evenings were spent wandering the shopping promenades, enjoying our aperitivo time and people watching.
Capri/Dining
Ristorante La Zagara: operated by our hotel, the restaraunt is nestled in a beautiful garden saturated with lemon trees. The service and food were both outstanding and lean more towards fine dining. I would recommend long pants and some mosquito repellent to keep the mosquitos at bay.
Da Emilia: Located in Anacapri, this family run restaraunt offers a stunning bar/lounge area where you should absolutely plan on arriving early to enjoy aperitivo with a phenomenal sunset view. As the restaraunt has its own pick up and drop off service, be sure to time your arrival a while before sunset and enjoy a spritz. The food was delicious and the homemade ravioli is a must!
Zuma: with a recent grand opening, Zuma Anacapri (located at the palace hotel) offers exactly what you would expect.. a deviation from the Italian norm. You can expect all the glitz and glam along with plenty of napkin twirling that synchronized with the DJ’s deep beats. There is no real attempt to infuse any Capri elements into the dining, well with the exception of the lemon mochi. Skip the rolls and stick to the mains which were very well executed. The venue does offer a beautiful view and a lively atmosphere. If you need a break from pasta, you will certainly find it here.
Da Gelsomia: Run by the same family as Da Emilia, the restaraunt offers stunning views and a wonderful sunset. This venue has a higher end feel in general. While there is no sunset lounge, you can grab a drink and stroll along their promenade while admiring the farmlands that help serve up a wonderful menu. The Zucchini flower and ravioli are a must!
Godo: located in Capri, this is a great hidden and stylish spot for a cocktail. While there are no views from here, the decor was beautiful and the staff were wonderful. I would suspect dinner would be great here as well.
Aumm Aumm: Located in Anacapri, this is where the locals go for amazing pizza. There is a small cute garden in back and the pizza was delicious!
Hotel Caesar Augustus Capri: for our last night we enjoyed one last stunning sunset from the hotels picture perfect terrace and were then escorted down to their beautiful restaraunt. Reservations are needed and I would plan to get there for sunset and have your dinner reservation after 8:30. We did the vegetarian tasting menu which was an wonderful selection of homemade pasta. Service is impeccable and the views from the restaraunt are stunning.
Things to do
While there are so many things to do in Capri, it wasn’t our first time here and so the focus was on relaxation, strolling the winding streets of the island and enjoying the food. For returning travelers I think renting a private boat through your hotel is a must do. We skipped the blue grotto because of the sheer volume of tourists but our captain took us around the entire island and into some of the more intimate grottos. We did a two hour tour but there are certainly longer ones. The chairlift that departs just near the palace hotel was a quick ride up to a stunning viewing point that was phenomenal. Take your photos of Anacapri on the ride up. It’s important to note that the ride up may not be ideal for those with significant fears of height. You can return down with the chairlift or hike back down on an established path. While we did not use any of the beach clubs on this trip it is highly recommended that you reserve your spots for the ones that are trendier (like Fontelina) way in advance!
Hello Again Rome
This year we used Rome for a one night recovery stay on our arrival in Italy and a three night stay prior to our return to NY. For our longer stay we stayed at the historic Rome Cavalieri a Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Don’t forget to book with your Amex platinum for private checkin, upgrade eligibility and the 150 dollar credit you can apply to most anything except the 3 Michelin star restaraunt on site. Our room had a lovely view of the pool, gardens and Rome. If it is not your first trip to Rome and your focus is on relaxation, dining and just soaking up the city, I would highly recommend a property with a pool as the temperature midday can be dangerously hot. We have tried the W Hotel on our last trip (using Bonvoy points). For a more affordable option with a pool we have heard great things about then hotel Mercure near the colosseum.
Dining in Rome
This list is ever evolving but here are a few of our favorites…
Osteria Da Fortunata: with at least two locations right off of Piazza Farnese, this has become a regular for us in the last couple of years. This is a no fuss venue with a focus on simple traditional italian dishes. Our must have dishes are the Cacio e pepe, Carbonara and Amatriciana.
Expect that you will wait in line for at least 30 minutes as they do not take reservations. One tip is if you are a party of 4 you can split up and stand in line at the two locations that are less than a half a block apart and signal each other if anyone makes faster progress. We have had better luck at the location below.
Antica Pesa: we have stayed loyal to this restaraunt since we were regulars at their Williamsburg location in Brooklyn. It would not be unusual to spot a celebrity or two dining here. The food is phenomenal and the outdoor garden is lovely. Our must have here is the Cacio e pepe. Reservations a must. Once you wrap up your meal take a stroll around the Trastevere neighborhood.
Hosteria Romana: This is always on our list of places, unfortunately it was closed during our time in Rome. Reservations a must.
New Discoveries
To try and escape the crowds of the city center, we explored the Pigneto neighborhood. This up and coming area reminded me a lot of Williamsburg Brooklyn before it’s explosive change. LGBTQ clubs, trendy aperitivo bars and live music venues have blossomed in the area. We opted for Aperitivo at Magnebevo which was bothe LGBTQ friendly with great cocktails and a delicious snack offering.
For dinner in Pigneto we found great reviews for Dar Parucca. Would highly recommend reserving for an outside table. Food and service were excellent.