A Castle in Puglia

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Let’s Get Medieval

I love castles. Big fortresses, bugling bastions or tiny citadels, lavish or run-down, historic or ersatz, there is something about a castle that makes me swoon, which means one of my kind of Italian adventures is driving around the countryside in search of the next castello. There is no better than place to find castles than Puglia, an area rich in history and legend. In this episode, I’m in the Salento, the most southern area of Puglia at Castello di Ugento. Massimo d’Amore has revived the rich history of his family’s 400-year-old castle with his wife Diana Bianchi.

Castello di Ugento’s unique location in the very center of town is both breathtaking landscape, and a cultural and historical landmark. A family estate since 1643, Massimo spent the beginning of the 20th century purchasing the portions of the estate inherited by distance relatives with the singular plan of restoring the entire castle. Together with Diana, they transformed the 17th century fortress into a luxury home, hotel and world-class cookery school. Diana and Massimo share stories of Castello di Ugento and the history of Puglia, and Diana tells us why and where you should visit Puglia.