Nardo House insider tips
On your doorstep
Fabulous places less than 500 metres from the house
Coffee, brunch, ice cream or aperitivo cocktails: this is the place to watch the world go by. Throw waistline to the wind & try their signature brioche ice cream sandwich for breakfast or sip their perfect negronis at sundown. Our front door is opposite their back door so they couldn’t be closer & you can get takeout in your PJ’s & shades for those mornings when only a perfect Italian espresso will do.
18 íbúar mæla með
Caffè Parisi
38 P.za Antonio SalandraCoffee, brunch, ice cream or aperitivo cocktails: this is the place to watch the world go by. Throw waistline to the wind & try their signature brioche ice cream sandwich for breakfast or sip their perfect negronis at sundown. Our front door is opposite their back door so they couldn’t be closer & you can get takeout in your PJ’s & shades for those mornings when only a perfect Italian espresso will do.
Wine & olive oil shop where you can both taste & buy from local producers. It’s a local co-op so good prices & features the very best local & organic produce.
La vetrina del gusto
Piazza Antonio SalandraWine & olive oil shop where you can both taste & buy from local producers. It’s a local co-op so good prices & features the very best local & organic produce.
Rintocco
29 Piazza Antonio SalandraBest as a wine bar with snacks, the sunniest spot in the piazza.
Carnivore’s delight & owned by the local butcher - the best steaks in town. Quite small & can get a bit crowded but we are so close you can order, get them to cook your choice & eat on our terrace.
8 íbúar mæla með
Antica Macelleria Fai
14 Corso Vittorio Emanuele IICarnivore’s delight & owned by the local butcher - the best steaks in town. Quite small & can get a bit crowded but we are so close you can order, get them to cook your choice & eat on our terrace.
Local towns
Vibrant old town with plenty of cafes, restaurants & local shops in walking distance.
Nardo has a long Catholic history as the local religious centre so there are plentiful beautiful Baroque churches & buildings to visit.
A walk around the ring road & old city walls that surround the historic centre is at most a brisk 30 mins walk: that’s if you can’t resist a coffee at one of the many cafes en route.
Look out for: the artisan cheese shop in the city wall by the castle, the rotisserie shop for the most delicious chicken as well as Max Mara, Victor or Sonny Bono & others for some fashion retail.
95 íbúar mæla með
Nardò
Vibrant old town with plenty of cafes, restaurants & local shops in walking distance.
Nardo has a long Catholic history as the local religious centre so there are plentiful beautiful Baroque churches & buildings to visit.
A walk around the ring road & old city walls that surround the historic centre is at most a brisk 30 mins walk: that’s if you can’t resist a coffee at one of the many cafes en route.
Look out for: the artisan cheese shop in the city wall by the castle, the rotisserie shop for the most delicious chicken as well as Max Mara, Victor or Sonny Bono & others for some fashion retail.
Baroque Queen of the South. The local tourist office beside the Cathedral sells a ticket that gives entry to the cathedral & main churches. It supports their upkeep, also good value & gives you a freelance walking tour to explore the town.
Also great shopping: look out for linen specialist shop ‘Society’ as well as the usual top Italian brand stores.
Lunch at La Cucina De Mama Elvira never disappoints.
1001 íbúar mæla með
Lecce
Baroque Queen of the South. The local tourist office beside the Cathedral sells a ticket that gives entry to the cathedral & main churches. It supports their upkeep, also good value & gives you a freelance walking tour to explore the town.
Also great shopping: look out for linen specialist shop ‘Society’ as well as the usual top Italian brand stores.
Lunch at La Cucina De Mama Elvira never disappoints.
Nearest beach village with horseshoe shaped sandy swimming bay & mini beach club on a busy locals beach surrounded by great seafood dining.
109 íbúar mæla með
Santa Maria al Bagno
Nearest beach village with horseshoe shaped sandy swimming bay & mini beach club on a busy locals beach surrounded by great seafood dining.
Seaside town a 30 mins stroll from Santa Maria with a small marina where you can hire boats for the day (ask for Cristian) & if you are there early in the morning you may find a few car boots of locals selling fish they have caught & garden produce. Great lunch spot right on the pavement overlooking the marina.
99 íbúar mæla með
Santa Caterina
Seaside town a 30 mins stroll from Santa Maria with a small marina where you can hire boats for the day (ask for Cristian) & if you are there early in the morning you may find a few car boots of locals selling fish they have caught & garden produce. Great lunch spot right on the pavement overlooking the marina.
Borgartillaga
Samgöngur
Do explore Salento
The big ticket sights: the trulli capital of Alberobello, the white hilltop Ostuni & Lecce are visited easily on a day trip but do take a leisurely drive to explore our smaller surrounding towns & enjoy the rewards of the country road views. Set a course for Corigliano d’Otranto for coffee or cocktail at the bar in the Castle en route to lunch by the sea in Otranto: a great day out for fine or inclement days. Maglie is a lovely lively town to browse. Copertino is for students as the birthplace of St Joseph the patron saint of studying & his house incorporated as a chapel into the church.
Hvað á að taka með
Salento chic
Italians dress up to open their letterbox so a post-beach dusk dash in swimmers & sarong from the car to home risks an eyebrow raising encounter with Italian matrons in full finery on their evening ‘passeggiata’. However this is generally a casual town & the cobbled streets discourage all but the most determined heel wearers so gals leave those in your wardrobe & rock a summer wedge. Less is more when packing & you can use the laundry room here or the service laundry in via Alcide de Gasperi who will promptly return everything back pristine & perfect on a hanger for a few euros
Sparnaðarleiðir
Food shopping
Roadside stalls are everywhere piled high with amazing cheap local fruit & veg & the market here is on Friday (8-12ish) behind ‘Hong Kong’ supermarket on the road towards Santa Maria - try the rotisserie stall for finger-licking good Friday lunchtime takeaway. Large Spa supermarket on via Mangani has everything & an excellent wet fish counter. Do try ‘Boutique’ on via 25 Luglio for fish also or grab the cold box from the house to select from their delicious deli counter & pick up a cold bottle of wine for a unbeatably glamorous picnic to go.
Ferðast með börnum
Pedestrian town centre & access
Nardo old town car traffic is restricted & most of the backstreets are too narrow for cars so it’s a safe place for kids to explore & the central square on your doorstep is a hub for families taking a stroll in the evening. Free parking in side streets outside of the historic centre 2 mins from the house. Living spaces all on one level here but there is a flight of stairs at the entrance & to the roof, which is typical for the area but a curse for a pushchair. The terraces are really large but the house is elevated & so not ideal if you have young children that need supervising.