Veering off the beaten path in Italy 🚗

Ah L'Italia! The land where everything is extra expressive: the landscapes, the architecture, the people (🤌🏽) and the food! Its one of the most visited countries in the world for good reason. To avoid the crowds in peak season (which if you believe some, runs almost the whole year except for winter), we decided to spend most of May in Italy and that too in the countryside. Our hope was that we could use this time to visit parts of Italy that most people don't see but still have tons of charm and delicious food. We spent about a week each in Puglia in the South, Umbria in the center, and Rome. We made an exception for Rome since we were flying in and out of Rome (and it’s a pretty cool city). Special shoutout to Shruti for all her help and advice!

Rome

Early May was a great time to be in Rome. The weather was warm, days were long. There were definitely a ton of tourists already, but according to locals it was still 'not so busy'. We stayed in Garbatella - a district which according to most locals we met is 'very historic' away from the center (though it seemed just like a quiet normal neighborhood to us). We chose Garbatella mostly because we found a very spacious and affordable Airbnb for a whole week. Affordability is something tough to find in Rome where prices for accommodation or food can rival cities like NYC or SF. Our budget definitely had to be adjusted (!). We tried to cook as much as we could to save money (and introduce variety into our diet beyond italian food).

Of course Rome has tons to see. Though the most impressive monuments are not in Rome in my opinion but in Vatican city. The sheer number of artifacts and opulence in the Vatican museum was just insane. For example, below is a casual picture I took of the ceiling in the room of maps. This artistry is ALL OVER the huge complex.

The only thing which topped it was St Peter's basilica. I was completely unprepared for gobsmackingly impressive this structure is.

Did you know you could fit the statue of liberty in St peters? The statue's 305 ft height would be dwarfed by the dome's 450 ft ceiling.

As in many places, art and religion are really hand in glove here.

We also enjoyed walking through the Roman forum for a glimpse of what life was like in ancient times. I had a lot of flashbacks to playing Caesar III on my PC.

It's basically the same right?

Of course this is just a sampling of the amazing things we saw in Rome. I am not even covering the Colosseum, the museums, the other neighborhoods - it's truly an embarrassment of riches. Yet man cannot survive on culture alone - he requires nourishment of the belly in addition to the soul. Here are some of the unique things we ate in Rome

"Original" Fettucine Alfredo

• Taste: 4/5; Vibe: 3/5; Value for money: 3/5

• The pasta was prepared tableside and was much simpler and tastier than versions you typically find elsewhere. No cream is added, but just pecorino cheese emulsified with a little pasta water and a ton of butter.

• The dish is named after the original inventor Fredo who ran this restaurant way back when. Apparently he made it for his pregnant wife when she was craving comfort food. The walls of the restaurant are completely covered with pictures of famous people who visited the restaurant (pictures of Ralph Fiennes and Ewan Mcgregor were near our table)

Jewish style fried artichoke

• Taste: 2/5; Vibe: 3/5; Value for money: 2/5

• Imagine if the leaves of an artichoke are kind of like a potato chip with a bit of salt, lemon and garlic. Not bad, but I still would prefer a good potato chip :)

• We went on a tour of a few of the older Roman neighborhoods including the Jewish quarter.  Artichokes are quite popular in Italy it seems (at least while they are in season)

Puglia

Puglia is a southern region of Italy known for its food, warm weather and interesting small towns all along the coast. Geographically it's in 'the heel' of the boot of Italy.

Puglia's largest city is Bari - our first stop. We quite liked Bari  - its busy without being crowded, lots of things to do without being too expensive and a pretty diverse population (it’s a university town). We saw quite a lot of Indian people here (and in Italy in general). Many of them grew up here and are more fluent in Italian than English (creating the delightful Indian Italian accent :)).

We loved walking through all the different parts of the old city, poking into the different cafes and shops and trying the city's most famous dish - Spaghetti Assasina.

Spaghetti Assasina - fried spaghetti in tomato sauce

• Taste: 3/5; Vibe: 4/5; Value for money: 4/5

• Not knowing what to expect, I thought it tasted pretty good. Not amazing though as the hype would have you believe. But pretty good.

• I had never heard of this dish till recently but apparently its quite famous among Italians and pasta lovers in general. Instead of boiling the spaghetti they roast/pan fry it in olive oil and marinara sauce. It requires some skill to not turn it into a charred mess but actually into something edible.

After a couple of days in Bari, we set out towards the main part of Puglia - the countryside. We based ourselves in Ostuni - the "White town" of Puglia.

Ostuni is unique in that almost all the buildings in old town are whitewashed with limestone. The story goes that this was done in the old days to combat the plague (since limestone has some antibacterial properties) but they kept going because they liked the look. Its situated on a hill that gives views of the Itria valley to the west and the Adriatic sea to the east.

Ostuni served as a base for us to explore the best Puglia had to offer.

Cisternino - Martina Franca - Lecce

Of all the towns, our favorite was Lecce. Marchese Grimaldi said the facade of Basilica di Santa Croce (3rd pic above) made him think a lunatic was having a nightmare. Insanity aside, the architecture of Lecce is just stunning. Because there are so many students studying in here, there were a few really great eating and drinking establishments. If you're here, go to Pizza and Co for this delicious fried pizza, Baldo Gelato, and Quanto Basta for a cool bar with well-made cocktails!

Lecce

These towns are all so charming, with lovely alleys and passages to wander through. Like much of Italy, many of the buildings here have been standing for hundreds of years. We even got to try an authentic Italian cooking class in an old Italian home (thanks to a generous birthday gift from Meenabs :)).

Su the Sous

Umbria

Driving from Puglia to Umbria (slightly northeast of Rome) took about 7 hours but is easily one of the most beautiful drives either of us have done. On the way to Umbria, you're driving along the coast and you see so many shades of blue from the ocean. Not to mention totally empty beach clubs! On the left, we saw many hilltop towns, dotted with colorful roofs against the green backdrop of hills and trees. We have no idea what the names of these towns are but there are SO many.  Little did we know that Umbria is actually filled with them!

Umbria is nicknamed "the green heart of Italy" with its many hills, vineyards, and olive trees. It's the only region that borders neither the sea nor another country, whose isolation has kept outside influences away for many centuries which keeps many of Italy's traditions alive today.

We first visited Perugia, a town that's about halfway between Rome and Florence. Its a town that seems frozen in time by its medieval feel, winding cobblestone streets, and tons of Renaissance and Baroque architecture. Its such a historical city but at the same time, it’s a university town especially for the arts. For that reason, you'll find so many bustling restaurants and cafes, jazz bars, piano players, theatres, and art exhibits. To enjoy such a variety of entertainment in a setting like this truly feels unreal.

St Francis Basilica

Next up was Assisi, home to one of the most notable saints, St. Francis. Like many famous spiritual leaders, he started off wealthy but after finding God chose the path of an ascetic. He was unique among saints for his love of nature and all living things (an early environmentalist). His followers can be found all over the globe and our very own San Francisco is named after him. Assisi is one of the best preserved and most beautiful medieval towns in Italy. Its most impressive sight is the Basilica of St Francis. Its the only church we have been to that has two levels (each with their own nave and altar) with each one decked with paintings, sculptures and beautiful stained glass.

Orvieto Duomo - a stunner

Our last stop was Orvieto - another beautiful town. What really stands out here is one of Italy's greatest Gothic churches, the Orvieto Duomo. It's façade and frescoes are said to rival Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Orvieto has its own unique history and was the seat of power for rulers in Umbria from the Etruscans, to the Romans and finally to the Papacy. We just really enjoyed walking its streets and taking in it's fun atmosphere. Orvieto is actually a popular day trip from Rome.

Umbria is often in the shadow of the much more popular region of Tuscany. After visiting both, I might say Umbria can offer much of the charm of Tuscany for less crowds and $$$. It is really such a charming area, with a wonderful mix of nature and small town life.

We really loved our time in Italy. Its such an amazing country with so much to share. We will definitely be coming back!