SECRET SALENTO

First of all, the food in Salento is amazing. It is full of flavor. Obviously seafood plays a huge role in the cucina salentina, and it is always fresh and straight from the sea. Octopus, mussels, clams, tuna, swordfish, sea urchins, eel, you name and they serve it, and they serve it well, often crudo.

Beyond the seafood the base of the Salentine diet consists of vegetables and handmade pasta and bread. Perhaps the best Italian bread made comes from Altamura, a town in Salento. But there is also puccia which is a small bread roll cooked with olives, onion, zucchini or pepperoncino, eaten alone or as the bread of a panino. The most famously "Puglian" pasta is orriechette (the small ears) which is often served with bits of chicory or other green. But the eggplant, artichoke, zucchini and of course tomato also play an enormous role in the everyday diet. You will be hard pressed to find much fat in any of the diet, save the olive oil that graces every dish. In fact, Puglia alone produces the majority of olive oil for the country of Italy. And, surprisingly enough, it also produces the largest quantity of grapes (read: wine) as well.

Try the regional wines Negromaro and Primitivo which have both achieved international recognition and are not to be missed.

Bel Ami'
Via alessandro manzoni, 7
73024 - Maglie (LE) Italia
0836.428554

Bel Ami' is located in the center of the peninsula, and is easily accessible from either coast. The dining experience is extraordinary as is the cuisine. Perfect for a romantic dinner or a night out with a group of friends for a special occasion.