Il Principe del Mare — Restaurant in Fasano

It had mixed reviews, but we hoped for the best! It is right by the sea at Savelletri – Il Principe del mare. We arrived at about 4.30pm, and we were greeted by a friendly gentleman, Antonio, who showed us our room. We have a terrace with table and chairs right by the tiny beach. The room is pretty and warm and comfortable. Antonio did not have much English so John phoned the owner again and it was confirmed that the restaurant was closed on a Wednesday. He recommended a restaurant in town. After settling in we managed to get a jug of wine from Antonio, and wine glasses with lots of sign language and laughter. Then we drove into town and parked, clarifying it was OK to park there with a local. We walked to the restaurant, Hostellerie du Porto. It looked good , if expensive. The waiter who greeted us asked if we wanted to sit on the outside veranda, or the inside inside, but not the outside inside which was reserved. We chose outside as it was relatively warm and under cover. We ordered wine, beer and water, and the inevitable bread arrived, which was better than the usual choice including ciabatta with tomato, and nice French toast. John had tuna with a sweet and sour sauce, and I chose tuna steak with cherry tomatoes, rocket and granpadano. We ordered French fries and baked potato sides. It was excellent. My tuna steak was huge, and we brought some home with bread as a takeaway. Tomorrow’s lunch is sorted. The bill was 60 euros. We paid up, returned to our room, and sat on our terrace for a while, drinking our red wine and listening to the lapping of the waves on the beach. ||Tired from travelling now. Had a lay in until 8.30am . We were served a good breakfast sat out on the cafe veranda. It was lovely enjoying the view of the beach and sea, whilst we enjoyed a good continental breakfast with excellent coffee and friendly service. The owner, Leonardo, introduced himself, and we booked dinner at the restaurant that evening. We decided to relax this morning on our terrace in the sunshine. John went a little walk whilst I caught up with blogging, then he fell asleep in the sun chair. Our cleaner came in to tidy up whilst we were sat on the patio and we laughed when we saw the swan towels on our bed. This place is delightful. We love our “private beach “. We decided on a picnic lunch here on the patio then a drive to the town of Monopoĺi this afternoon for a couple of hours exploring. We set off for town at about 2.45pm. We arrived at Monopoli, after a very pleasant drive along the attractive coast road. We managed to find a convenient car park for the old town. From the car park I spotted a cafe / restaurant on the headland. Monopoli was a lovely surprise. The walk in along the beach road was lovely. The old walled town was very impressive. The huge cathedral tower was spectacular. We wandered along the pretty streets and headed for the terrace I had spotted from the car park. I wanted a drink before much exploring. We immediately loved the old town, and found our way to the terrace restaurant. Up we went, and the friendly waiters were happy to serve us just drinks. Beer for John and gandt for me which was excellent. We sat for maybe 40 minutes or more on the rooftop terrace in the sunshine. It was laid out in different levels with beautiful plants. It is called Don Ferrante. 22euros for our drinks with tip, but It was a most spectacular place. It was a hotel also and we would love to stay in such a lovely place, but from the price of the drinks we could never afford it! We decided that the rain in the mountains at Mormanno and the disastrous monastery accommodation, had done us a favour. We had done the very long and difficult trip from the National Park of Pollino 2 days earlier than planned. We had then found the lovely town of Martina Franca and lovely hotel, allowing us to relax for a day after such a long and difficult journey. We were then able to visit the trulli district and Alberobello on the way to our next bandb at Il Principe, which gave us a day to explore Monopoli instead. Also, where we parked for free in Alberobello, was for market stalls on a Thursday, so we wouldn’t have been able to park there, the town would have been even busier, and, as we found in Martina Franca, on market day, roads would have been closed off and it would have been more difficult to navigate. So lots of positives came out of the negatives of not seeing the mountain scenery. We explored some more of the lovely old town ,walking to the other side of town through the gate to the main port. It reminded us of outside the walls at Dubrovnik. Then we walked through the maze of streets in the old walled town and up to the incredible cathedral, with its’ huge tower and incredible interior. How many times can I say incredible? We wandered back to the car park taking lots of photographs of the old walled town as we went. Then we drove back to our delightful bandb, for about 5.45pm. We showered, warm this time, and changed ready for dinner at the restaurant belonging to the bandb. We went over about 7.15pm and loved the setting immediately. We sat in the corner looking out to the sea. Wonderful. I ordered a bottle of white wine intending to take it back to our terrace after dinner, and John ordered a glass of red. The menu was on an app, and it took us a while to suss it out and decide. In the end the waiter with the better English helped. John chose swordfish, and I chose a mixed plate of sea urchin, baby octopus and gamberrini. We ordered mixed salad and fries as sides. It was one of my favourite ever meals for both the food and the setting. Rustic. The fish was cooked in a bbq oven outside the restaurant. It was simply served with olive oil and lemon. The salad and fries were good too. The usual bread served as a cover charge was a whole small loaf with a knife to cut it. John finished his red wine and decided he liked my white wine, much to my dismay! It was a lovely local Puglian wine. We finished off our lovely meal with some delicious ice cream. The bill was 75 euros, so not cheap but worth it for a fabulous meal. This included 2 glasses of red which we took back to our patio. Such a lovely evening. | Another glorious sunny morning. More of these please! We went for breakfast on the bandb veranda again, and enjoyed a good continental breakfast. We packed up and said goodbye to Leonardo and the staff. We set off to our next and final band b destination in Italy for our last 4 nights. We are staying at a self catering apartment North of Otranto, at...

It had mixed reviews, but we hoped for the best! It is right by the sea at Savelletri – Il Principe del mare. We arrived at about 4.30pm, and we were greeted by a friendly gentleman, Antonio, who showed us our room. We have a terrace with table and chairs right by the tiny beach. The room is pretty and warm and comfortable. Antonio did not have much English so John phoned the owner again and it was confirmed that the restaurant was closed on a Wednesday. He recommended a restaurant in town. After settling in we managed to get a jug of wine from Antonio, and wine glasses with lots of sign language and laughter. Then we drove into town and parked, clarifying it was OK to park there with a local. We walked to the restaurant, Hostellerie du Porto. It looked good , if expensive. The waiter who greeted us asked if we wanted to sit on the outside veranda, or the inside inside, but not the outside inside which was reserved. We chose outside as it was relatively warm and under cover. We ordered wine, beer and water, and the inevitable bread arrived, which was better than the usual choice including ciabatta with tomato, and nice French toast. John had tuna with a sweet and sour sauce, and I chose tuna steak with cherry tomatoes, rocket and granpadano. We ordered French fries and baked potato sides. It was excellent. My tuna steak was huge, and we brought some home with bread as a takeaway. Tomorrow’s lunch is sorted. The bill was 60 euros. We paid up, returned to our room, and sat on our terrace for a while, drinking our red wine and listening to the lapping of the waves on the beach. ||Tired from travelling now. Had a lay in until 8.30am . We were served a good breakfast sat out on the cafe veranda. It was lovely enjoying the view of the beach and sea, whilst we enjoyed a good continental breakfast with excellent coffee and friendly service. The owner, Leonardo, introduced himself, and we booked dinner at the restaurant that evening. We decided to relax this morning on our terrace in the sunshine. John went a little walk whilst I caught up with blogging, then he fell asleep in the sun chair. Our cleaner came in to tidy up whilst we were sat on the patio and we laughed when we saw the swan towels on our bed. This place is delightful. We love our “private beach “. We decided on a picnic lunch here on the patio then a drive to the town of Monopoĺi this afternoon for a couple of hours exploring. We set off for town at about 2.45pm. We arrived at Monopoli, after a very pleasant drive along the attractive coast road. We managed to find a convenient car park for the old town. From the car park I spotted a cafe / restaurant on the headland. Monopoli was a lovely surprise. The walk in along the beach road was lovely. The old walled town was very impressive. The huge cathedral tower was spectacular. We wandered along the pretty streets and headed for the terrace I had spotted from the car park. I wanted a drink before much exploring. We immediately loved the old town, and found our way to the terrace restaurant. Up we went, and the friendly waiters were happy to serve us just drinks. Beer for John and gandt for me which was excellent. We sat for maybe 40 minutes or more on the rooftop terrace in the sunshine. It was laid out in different levels with beautiful plants. It is called Don Ferrante. 22euros for our drinks with tip, but It was a most spectacular place. It was a hotel also and we would love to stay in such a lovely place, but from the price of the drinks we could never afford it! We decided that the rain in the mountains at Mormanno and the disastrous monastery accommodation, had done us a favour. We had done the very long and difficult trip from the National Park of Pollino 2 days earlier than planned. We had then found the lovely town of Martina Franca and lovely hotel, allowing us to relax for a day after such a long and difficult journey. We were then able to visit the trulli district and Alberobello on the way to our next bandb at Il Principe, which gave us a day to explore Monopoli instead. Also, where we parked for free in Alberobello, was for market stalls on a Thursday, so we wouldn’t have been able to park there, the town would have been even busier, and, as we found in Martina Franca, on market day, roads would have been closed off and it would have been more difficult to navigate. So lots of positives came out of the negatives of not seeing the mountain scenery. We explored some more of the lovely old town ,walking to the other side of town through the gate to the main port. It reminded us of outside the walls at Dubrovnik. Then we walked through the maze of streets in the old walled town and up to the incredible cathedral, with its’ huge tower and incredible interior. How many times can I say incredible? We wandered back to the car park taking lots of photographs of the old walled town as we went. Then we drove back to our delightful bandb, for about 5.45pm. We showered, warm this time, and changed ready for dinner at the restaurant belonging to the bandb. We went over about 7.15pm and loved the setting immediately. We sat in the corner looking out to the sea. Wonderful. I ordered a bottle of white wine intending to take it back to our terrace after dinner, and John ordered a glass of red. The menu was on an app, and it took us a while to suss it out and decide. In the end the waiter with the better English helped. John chose swordfish, and I chose a mixed plate of sea urchin, baby octopus and gamberrini. We ordered mixed salad and fries as sides. It was one of my favourite ever meals for both the food and the setting. Rustic. The fish was cooked in a bbq oven outside the restaurant. It was simply served with olive oil and lemon. The salad and fries were good too. The usual bread served as a cover charge was a whole small loaf with a knife to cut it. John finished his red wine and decided he liked my white wine, much to my dismay! It was a lovely local Puglian wine. We finished off our lovely meal with some delicious ice cream. The bill was 75 euros, so not cheap but worth it for a fabulous meal. This included 2 glasses of red which we took back to our patio. Such a lovely evening. | Another glorious sunny morning. More of these please! We went for breakfast on the bandb veranda again, and enjoyed a good continental breakfast. We packed up and said goodbye to Leonardo and the staff. We set off to our next and final band b destination in Italy for our last 4 nights. We are staying at a self catering apartment North of Otranto, at...

Typical European nonchalant serving attitude at the beginning, but they warmed up quite nicely. English menu also available. Although the waiter's English is lacking, the English menu provided point and order function. A few Italian words could earn you a few smiles. Although lunch is open at 12, but kitchen is not until 12:30pm. Just order some local white wine (4 Euro for half a liter) and appetizers. There is absolutely no rush in this part of the world. The marinated anchovies are delicious, and nothing like the dark salty stuff from the cans in the US. The oysters are harvested locally and are delicious with good brinniness, 5 for 10 Euros per order. Little sea urchin was interesting. It's not like the big fat yellow stuff in Japan, but at 0.9 euro a piece, it's worth it to try. The spaghettis with sea urchin, which has been the famous local dish, proved to be more hype than its worth. At 13 Euro, it tasted too salty for me, and it was an underwhelming experience. However, after about 20 min, the spaghettis on the bottom of the dish were able to soak up the oil and the flavors to provide a briny yet earthy flavors that were very interesting. I figured I had to try it once before knocking it, but give it time, it could grow on you. The fried cuttlefish saved the day. Lightly battered and fried, with good texture. Unfortunately, there was no dipping sauce like many places outside of Italy. Everything is on the salty side, but maybe I just have a healthy Asian palate. Next table ordered raw mussels. I didn't know mussels could be eaten raw, so it was surprising to say the least. Their spaghettis with seafood looked great, but the two of us couldn't order all that food. Most tables ordered a mountain of those little sea urchins and used bread to mop up the inside of the shell. The locals really know how to eat. Overall, the panoramic ocean view and the nice sea breath are just awesome, and the price is more than reasonable. It was so relaxing, we didn't...