L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022 L'Italo-Americano I have spent years living i n w h a t w e c a l l t h e "alto Salento" part of Puglia, which means the upper part. Puglia is a very big region, full of lit- tle towns to discover and I made it my mission, this past summer, to start exploring some of what was situated further south. The Salento coastline in Puglia has also been given the nickname of the " I t a l i a n Maldives ." Why? Crystal clear waters, warm like a bath, super shallow for miles, no w a v e s a n d c o m p l e t e l y dreamy. Baroque Nardò I had wanted to visit a town called Nardò for ages, as well a s t h e n e i g h b o r i n g b e a c h town called Santa Maria al Bagno, which looks like a postcard. It's that beautiful. N a r d ò i s l o c a t e d i n t h e Lecce province, less than a 30-minute drive from Lecce itself. It reminded me of a mini-Lecce in fact, with its stunning Baroque-style archi- tecture. What I love about Nardò, is the fact it is still rel- atively up-and-coming so the property prices have not got- ten inflated (yet). One sunny August morning I set off from my house in Martina Franca, situated in the heart of the Valle d'Itria, a n d m a d e t h e 9 0 - m i n u t e drive "down south." Given the fact it was due to hit nearly 40 degrees Celsius, my first stop was Santa Maria al Bagno, the picturesque beach town situated less than a 5-minute drive from Nardò itself. Imagine a stunning lit- tle bay, with colorful buildings that are dotted around the coastline which make up bars, restaurants, cafés and resi- d e n t i a l p r o p e r t i e s . I g o t myself settled by the shore and managed to get one of the last patches of sand to place my towel before the crowds rolled in. An excellent morning was spent people watching, taking a dip into the water and then when it started to get close to l u n c h t i m e , I a s k e d s o m e locals where the best place to eat was. Two lovely ladies advised me to check out "La Pergola" and it did not disap- point!! A New Lifestyle After lunch, I made my way over to Nardò where I was to meet up with some friends, Darrell and Debbie Stacey, who I knew of for quite some time through the expat groups in Puglia on Facebook. They are the proud owners of Palazzo Cariddi, a stun- ning property in the historic center of Nardò. Darrell and Debbie very kindly took me on a tour of the town and p o i n t e d o u t a l l t h e n e w d e v e l o p m e n t s t h a t w e r e being restored in the old town, new boutique hotels and the like, with money being poured in from inter- national investors. If you are someone who l i k e s t o g e t a h e a d o f t h e boom, then definitely add Nardò to your research list! I d o v e r y r e g u l a r l y f e a t u r e properties in the lower Salen- to region in my weekly prop- e r t y m a g a z i n e L a D o l c e Vita Lifestyle Magazine, which shows our readers the very best turnkey ready-to- rent properties for sale each week in Italy. I asked Darrell and Debbie to share a bit about their s t o r y , w h a t m a d e t h e m decide to buy a property in Italy, above all in Puglia, why Nardò seemed like the right choice for them and what it meant to them leave their home country in the United Kingdom. Darell and Debbie's Journey to Nardo, as told by Darell and Debbie "We had been traveling to Italy for many years, always drawn back by the beautiful country, friendly people, and good food. Several years ago, we started looking at proper- ty in Santa Maria di Castella- b a t e , h o w e v e r , w e t h e n decided there were far too many other places we wanted to visit and that we would feel tied down if we bought a property which, at that point, would only have been a holi- day home. As we were too young and not rich enough to r e t i r e , i t w a s a l w a y s t h e intention to start a B&B so w e c o u l d e a r n a m o d e s t income. Also, I would be able to teach English to private students. We were looking for a change of life as we both worked long hours and often Darrell could be working away from home for several weeks. 12-hour days, 7 days a week were not what we want- ed out of life. Also, the town where we lived had little to offer and we wanted to live somewhere that had more happening. "We eventually decided on Puglia as the climate was bet- ter and also the cost of prop- e r t i e s w a s l e s s . P u g l i a , although well-known by Ital- ians as a holiday destination, i s j u s t e m e r g i n g i n t o t h e tourist arena as a place to go. We organized a trip in Sep- t e m b e r o f 2 0 1 6 , d i d o u r research and arranged view- ings for several properties but n o n e o f t h e s e s u i t e d o u r needs. We knew someone who is from near Nardò and, as we had a few days spare, we decided to go for a visit. We loved the town! We were talking to the owner of the B&B that we were staying in and told him our plans. The next thing we knew, he had arranged appointments with a local estate agent, and we were viewing properties. The rest is history, we bought our property within 3 days and immediately returned to the UK. "We have gained a new way of life that is less stress- ful, have a new life for our- selves, and can take life at a slower pace. We have not come here to make loads of money, but just to be able to enjoy the Italian lifestyle. "Although the property we bought did not tick all the b o x e s o n o u r w i s h l i s t , i t ticked the main ones which were: ● Location ● Business potential ● Private home ● Outside space ● Life all year ● Near the sea "We would have preferred not to have such extensive work to complete, but with the support of good architects and working on the project ourselves, we have no regrets and feel blessed to have our home and new life. " W e h a v e c o m p l e t e d extensive renovations as the property had previously been empty for 15 years and, prior to that, it was actually a local mental institution. It had not been a family home since the 1960s and it needed complete renovations for our private section, as well as for the rooms to provide accommo- dation for staying guests. We h a v e n o w b e e n a c c e p t i n g guests for 4 years. "We are now only 10 min- utes from the beach. There is always some festival or event happening in the town. Tra- ditional local shops are right by our doorstep. The local people are friendly and Gigi our dog even knows which bars will give him biscuits. Nardò is not only a summer vacation town but has life all year round making it a fan- tastic place to live. And grow old." The historic center of Nardò, in Puglia (Photo: Vololibero/Dreamstime) Spotlight on lower Salento NIKKI TAYLOR LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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