Puglia

Puglia is Italy with its shoulders down. The masserias of the Valle d'Itria, the whitewashed towns of the coast, the long, slow lunches that are the point of the whole thing. The food is farm-direct in a way that the Amalfi Coast used to be and no longer really is. The light is extraordinary.

We fly here because there is no rush in Puglia, and some people are overdue an afternoon with no rush. Because the right weekend in a masseria rearranges something. Because Italy at its best is still the answer to most questions.