We begin our morning in Martina Franca, a city of elegant contradictions—at once ornate and understated. Within its fortified walls, a theater of Baroque unfolds. Palazzi lean gracefully into narrow alleys, their wrought iron balconies interwoven with lace-like stonework. The Basilica di San Martino presides in theatrical splendor, its sculpted façade catching the morning light. We meander through marble courtyards and limestone passages, where each corner reveals a flourish, a curve, a whisper of aristocratic past.

By midday, we descend into the quiet charm of Cisternino, a whitewashed jewel perched above olive-carpeted hills. Here, we’re welcomed at Trattoria Bère Vecchie, a local favorite known for its rustic, soul-satisfying cuisine—lunch is simple, seasonal, and served with pride. (Stanley Tucci also dined here while filming Searching for Italy in Puglia!) Afterward, we stroll through the town’s ancient heart: a maze of narrow lanes, Moorish arches, and hidden piazzette where life moves to the rhythm of footsteps and church bells.

Later, we wind through the countryside to visit a historic olive oil estate, where the real treasure flows not from cathedrals but from trees. Beneath their silvery leaves, we learn the centuries-old process of pressing olives into golden oil. A tasting follows—peppery, grassy, luminous—a perfect ending to a day grounded in the beauty of what endures.