Lecce and Alberobello with Western Rise
Masseria Trapana courtyard
Our trip continues. This time, we had a wedding to go to for our good friends from London. This was actually the primary reason for the entire adventure but we decided to make a full-on vacation out of it.
This was in the south of Italy, in Puglia. Lecce to be exact. I knew almost nothing of the area or the cities in it. We loved it immediately. Our flights got changed so we got in pretty late, but still had time to find a local place for dinner and walk around Lecce. The city has a pretty huge old town that is so Ancient Roman it’s unreal. Every corner we turned there was some new building blowing our mind. I think, in Rome you expect that. Down in Lecce, a smaller city, we really didn’t. It was incredible!
After what turned out to be a beautiful wedding, we ventured outside the city to stay in a classic Masseria. These are old olive oil plantations/farms that have been redone and turned into guest houses and hotels. We stayed at Masseria Trapana - and it was perfection. It couldn’t physically be possible for me to recommend this place any more. Just go. It’s a perfect home base for the area and also for lots of R and R (which we also took advantage of. Salt water pool, anyone?).
As we mentioned in the last blog post, we’ve got an upcoming article partnering with and focusing on the best travel clothing from Western Rise and how to use it as a “travel capsule”. While we were out and about around the central and northern part of Puglia - this really helped me along the way. Especially considering it was all good to go for another day after this. Let’s highlight it a bit before the full article comes out.
Lecce’s central jewel
Something to note about our day trip - Puglia is HOT. Like really hot. Even in September. In the sun we’re talking upwards of mid 30s/90s. So not only do you need to be prepared for that with your sunscreen, your clothing needs to be able to handle it.
I don’t always wear shorts on trips, depending on the country that is. It kind of makes you stand out right away as a tourist or American in some locations. But for that kind of weather, you really need to. Enter Western Rise. For the shorts in my travel capsule, I packed their Evolution Shorts. These are made from the same famous fabric in their Evolution pants - but of course in short form. These are kind of made to be your be-all short. While they aren’t designed specifically for swimming, you can even do that in them (they have a DWR coating to help them repel water and also dry quicker). The fabric is also durable enough to hike in. Driving my usual point home - versatile clothing you can use in many situations. Like a fashionable kitchen tool. You don’t want a lot of kitchen items that only do one thing. These also fit me great right off the rack without me needing to hem them at all.
This material is their lightest material and you can tell. Not only that, but one trick I discovered is that even if it’s slightly wrinkled when you take it out of your packing cube (unavoidable when traveling) - my body heat seemed to get the wrinkles out within 10 minutes. That was a pleasant surprise. Now don’t ball it up and pack it and expect that to happen. Let’s be reasonable here, kids.
We shot right for the coast and hit up a local raw bar for oysters, more oysters, urchins right in the shell, and a first for me, raw langoustines. As awkward as I felt eating those things raw, wow did they deliver. In that heat, the Evolution shorts were perfect. In fact, I’ve been wearing them heavily for the past month anyway as I plan on reviewing them and comparing them to one of their big competitors. Stay tuned for that. (Also don’t worry - that hat is NOT mine :) ).
From there, we hopped back in the car and took a ride out to one of the coolest villages I’ve ever seen: Alberobello. Now, you might have seen these on Instagram if you’re following the travelers (Shameless plug, go follow me!). These little houses are a UNESCO World Heritage sight and for good reason. It’s a thousands of years old method to build these little guys. The main piece here is that these roofs are mortarless - it’s all dry! Pretty incredible. They definitely make for some good photo ops.
And like I said, The Evolution shorts were just perfect for this baking heat. It would have been silly to have worn pants here. The last trick I’ve got up my sleeve though, and something you’ll have to take my word for - is more of the Western Rise StrongCore merino line. I was gallivanting around in their StrongCore Merino Boxers and their StrongCore Merino Socks. With both being made from mostly merino, their ability to be worn multiple times is very strong. Now obviously boxer briefs can only be worn so many times before needing a wash - that should be a given, I’m not an animal here! That said, they can go longer than your normal polyester boxer briefs, even those with odor treatment. But what I like about the socks is that I legit wore them for most of my trip. Taking them off at night to let the merino “recharge”. (This is key with multiple wears for merino. It’s not magic, give the item a break after a day and let it rest overnight to do its thing). These performed as well as my Darn Tough merino blend socks that I’ve had for years. Just worked really well for me the entire trip - and we did LOTS of walking. I wore the no-show version here with my all-white Onitsukas. Since it was so hot in that sun, I just rocked a linen shirt.
So again, having a travel clothing capsule for your trip is really going to make things easier when it comes to packing, and Western Rise has some perfect options for you. Keep an eye out for our full article detailing the entire capsule of travel clothing we brought with us on the trip.
From a traveling perspective, I think it’s one of the lesser traveled regions of Italy. But, you should definitely give Puglia a try. Lecce was a beautiful city, the masserias are amazing down there, and there are many many day-trip cities for you to check out. Not to mention, burrata comes from Puglia. Those who know, know.
Travel smart, everyone. Especially these days - AW
