If your idea of a holiday is to experience life in a beautiful, southern Italian town, but still be able to get to the beach in 15 minutes (by car), then Nardò is the place for you. About half way down the high heel of Italy’s boot, Nardò is 10km from the wonderful beaches of the Ionian coast of the Salento.
Get there
Nardò is a 50 minutes drive from Brindisi Airport and 2 hours from Bari. Both have flights from the UK and Ireland on Ryanair, British Airways and Easyjet. You can take the train to Nardò – Puglia has its own train service. However, if you are staying at Casa Lorenzo and want to get around then it is best to hire a car.
Eat
There are plenty of good traditional restaurants in Nardò. The local cuisine is a mixture of the hearty meals in the tradition of the cucina povera and spectacular seafood on the coast. We always go for a meal at Antica Trattoria Salandra, just off the main piazza, which does excellent traditional Puglese cuisine at incredibly low prices.
Apertivi at Caffe Parisi is also a must, sitting on the Piazza Salandra watching the passeggiata is one of life’s great pleasures. Its great for a gelato after dinner too.
If you want a more formal (and expensive) night out the Relais il Mignano is just around the corner from Casa Lorenzo. There are many other restaurants and to chose but the local culinary highlight is Gustavo Ristoro in nearby Galatone.
Drink
Nardò is a wine producing town (reds white, rose and sparkling), with several good wineries; Scuola Sarmenti is rated as one of the 101 most prestigious wineries in Italy by Vinitaly, and Bonsegna winery, which is just around the corner from Casa Lorenzo.
Sand and sea
The beaches of the Ionian coast of the Salento are some of the best in Italy. Closest to Casa Lorenzo is family friendly Lido Conchiglie just 15 minutes by car. In under 20 minutes you can drive to Baia Verde – a long stretch of white sand, with lively beach clubs in the summer.
Casa Lorenzo 