"Traverse the old town, Citta Vecchia. Make your way to Strada delle Orecchiette, and you’ll see the famous nonnas sitting outside making orecchiette, a quintessential Puglian pasta shape that you roll out with your thumbs. Buy a pound of orecchiette for about two euros, and the nonnas will beckon you to stay, to have olive oil and bread and espresso."

"Stay at your first masseria, Hotel Montegusto, a gorgeous stone farmhouse that overlooks the Alta Murgia National Park. It’s small, like eight rooms, and the owner lives on the property. To me, a really good masseria is defined by its owner, who should either live there or be at the property every day — there’s that sense of hospitality and skin in the game."

"You’ll want to enjoy the natural park, so rent a bike from the masseria. It’s a gorgeous ride, up this winding road on a hillside where you’ll see Italian cyclists in their kits. The ride can take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on how Italian you’re feeling."

"I believe you should have dessert before dinner, so go to Mokambo Gelateria, which is adorned in this beautiful rustic wood with a mahogany bar."

"My family took me to Posta Mangieri, a restaurant where I had some of the best burrata and anchovies of my life."

"You’ll want to see Alberobello, the commune town that’s home to the trulli, the whitewashed limestone dome-shaped huts. It’s extremely touristic, so go early."

"Some of the huts have been converted into bakeries or wine shops. Walk and see what catches your eye, but look out for il Tempo Ritrovato di Panaro Francesca, a shop that sells beautiful Pugliese ceramics; that’s where I bought bottles for olive oil."

"Drive the 30 minutes south to Fasano, and check into Masseriola Antiche Fogge. The masseria is very unassuming because it’s on a weird suburban Italian side street, but then you pull in and it’s an oasis: There’s a gorgeous pool and fruit trees you can pick from, and the rooms are built with these gorgeous arches made of limestone."

"For dinner, you’ll drive to Grotta Palazzese, a restaurant built into the cliffs looking over the beaches. This is one of the more luxurious experiences you’ll have, and you’ll definitely need a reservation. Get dressed up, have a truly romantic evening, eat the best octopus you’ll ever have in your life."

"Spend the entire day on the beach. Little rocky beaches dot the coastline, and the most memorable one to me was Lama Monachile. You set your towel down on a rock, and dive into water that’s shades of blue and green I don’t even know how to describe."

"Wake up and drive to Polignano a Mare, an ancient town on the coast built into the cliffs. It’s basically the Amalfi of Puglia: cobblestoned towns overlooking the sea, with beaches sandwiched between cliffs."

"Head to Terre di San Vito, a winery and orchard owned by the di Napoli family ten minutes outside of town. Walk the grounds with his sons, Giaccomo and Giovanni, these two very handsome Italian men, and sample the olive oil, the wine, and eat this black carrot jam they make that’s so delicious. You’ll see an olive tree that’s 1,600 years old, and you’ll see tomatoes literally out drying in the Pugliese sun."

"For sunset in town, find your way to Balconata sul Mare, a spectacular vantage point in the old town."

"This might be a good night to go to a disco. My cousin Gabriele likes Le Palme at Coccaro Beach, which is back in Fasano, about a 15-minute drive."

"After you’re sweaty and tired from dancing, eat more grilled octopus. Head to Pescaria, which is actually back in Polignano a Mare, but so worth it: It’s a fast food seafood restaurant that’s open until midnight, and serves fried octopus on a bun — octopus burgers — for like three euros."

"On the last day, before your evening flight, drive about an hour and a half to Matera. It’s breathtaking, one of the oldest cities in the world."

"We went to La Lopa for our last Pugliese meal, and had orecchiette di grano arso with dandelion and pane di matera con bruschetta. Burnt orecchiette is worth trying, as it harkens to the philosophy of the cuisine of the region: Waste nothing, making something out of anything."