Puglia - TRUE Conference
One of my top-selling locations is Italy, and I strive to learn more about each region of this amazing country. I love offering fresh Italy experiences to clients who want to return after checking off the first round of must-sees in the country that boasts more UNESCO sites than any other. Plus, subsequent trips to Italy can include more relaxing itineraries where the charms of getting off the beaten path are rewarded.
I was so happy to receive an invitation to the TRUE conference in Puglia in October, 2023. TRUE is an invitation-only luxury travel trade show that gathers the very best of the most authentic and high-end hospitality brands from Puglia and South Italy and the best selling travel advisors in the World. During this conference I would learn more about Italy’s “heel of the boot.” I flew into Rome, spent a weekend with my daughter (uni student in Trastevere), then hopped a train to Lecce, the “Florence of the South,” with its luminous Baroque architecture. (You can also fly into Bari or Brindisi, or hop the 1-hr flight from Rome.)
It was a little intimidating to immerse myself (and my handful of Italian phrases) in a group of dozens of travel advisors, hoteliers and travel partners, but everyone was so welcoming and eager to share about this beautiful region. We toured different types of accommodations and enjoyed 1-on-1 meetings with dozens of owners, reps and colleagues who can help me craft special itineraries for our clients featuring art, music, nature. Oh, and did I mention that we shared amazing meals in elegant spaces, alfresco dinners under the stars and picnics in olive groves?
Puglia is a wonderful region for renting a car (I drove a red vintage Fiat cinquecento!) and hopping around between countryside masserias to luxe resorts with beach clubs and sunset sails on either the Adriatic or the Ionian seas. Some of Salento’s villages continue to share pride in their Greek heritage - I did a double-take when I saw Greek signs, and then we met some elders who still speak Grika, a dialect unique to this area of Italy. And the eastern coast on the Adriatric features charming towns where nonnas craft ear-shaped pasta while the men are laying out their octopus catch to dry. If simple pleasures delight you, let’s collaborate on your perfect trip!
