Villa Astrea

Paulo was a wonderful host, always helpful and keen to point us toward hidden places in the region that many visitors miss. We had a great holiday and fell in love with the area. The villa makes a good base for exploring, with useful amenities nearby, though you do need a car. The familla supermarket is an excellent option, just a five-minute drive away. The house is a lovely traditional villa tucked away in an old olive grove. The grounds feel private, the bedrooms are a good size, and there’s plenty of terrace space. The pool is fine for relaxing and cooling off, but it’s too small for proper swimming unless you’re a child. The villa is well equipped, though you might need to pick up things like toilet paper, barbecue fuel, or mosquito coils. Previous guests may have left some behind. There’s a barbecue, but despite what some descriptions say, there isn’t a pizza oven. It’s quite remote. From the main road above the access track, you can walk left to the end of the road, then left again until it finishes and pick up the rough path to the grotto verde, about 2.5 km away. Or go right into Andrano, about 1.5 km, where there are a few shops and restaurants. Il Piccolo Principe is a popular, good value pizzeria that was busy with locals. On the coast, Mare is a fantastic restaurant, though not cheap. You can reach it by the green grotto path or by turning left from the gate toward the main road. This part of Puglia has a limestone coast, without much in the way of beaches, but there are plenty of spaggia spots for sunbathing, renting loungers and parasols, getting snacks and drinks, and swimming. The sea was clear, warm, and calm. We went in late June and it was fantastic. We used the pool just once, but swam in the sea almost every day. For sandy beaches, head to the other coast. Pescaluce, about a 40-minute drive, is amazing, with white sand and warm, shallow, calm water. Driving can be a challenge: the roads are terrible, and the towns have narrow streets and lots of one-way roads. If you can, plan routes using the main roads, as sat nav will send you along plenty of small ones.