Perhaps you are finding it difficult to make a final choice. Perhaps you don't have the time to search through all of the properties and make a decision. Whatever the reason, let us help you in any way we can...
Relax Puglia Limited values its beneficial alliance with home owners, suppliers, support staff and personnel. Together, through our holiday rental management services, we inspire travellers, like us, from around the world, to the southernmost region of Italy, in Puglia, because it is magical, fascinating and unforgettable.
Relax Puglia Limited, operational offices in Cisternino, Puglia (Apulia), has been welcoming visitors to this magical and richly colourful region of Italy and providing Puglia vacation rentals since 2010; providing travellers with an authentic and memorable experience of the local life as well as offering a showcase of holiday villas to rent in Puglia.
"We have had a wonderful time here in Puglia and have especially loved our stay at Villa Perego which is absolutely perfect, we cannot fault it in any way at all. We could quite easily stay here for another week or 2 but unfortunately I didn’t bring enough books 😟
Thanks again for all of your help, we will definitely be recommending Villa Perego.
Oh and we absolutely loved Locorotondo 💕
Enjoy the rest of your Summer x
Peter - Villa Perego (August 2025)"
Relax Puglia provides a range of additional services to make your stay more relaxed, comfortable and enjoyable. On your arrival, we can arrange for a food basket to be waiting for you. Why not spoil yourselves with your own, in-house local chef, or a luxurious massage in the comfort of your villa. We have a wide range of tours and activities to choose from and we can provide transfers and taxis to help you get around.
The Dolce Vita is from coast to coast; from the Adriatic to the Ionian, between Otranto and Gallipoli. If you wish to discover the key to local artisan excellence, include a stopover in one or more of the hamlets and villages that trip along the coastline, topple on the summits of hilltops or make a splash in to the small bays and lagoons.
A selection of articles that explore the region of Puglia: its wonderful countryside and coastline, its rich history, its fascinating culture, its delicious food and wine and, of course, its warm and welcoming people...
Pettole are small dough balls resembling doughnuts, which are fried in oil and dusted with any ingredient of the baker’s choice. The balls contain only a handful of ingredients and can be prepared to a sweet or savoury recipe. Although sold throughout the year, they are especially popular during Easter, Christmas and many other festive celebrations.
Pettole is a much-loved Puglian street food classic. Traditional pettole contains five basic ingredients; flour, yeast, salt, warm water, olive oil (for frying) plus any additional ingredients you’d like to add.
The savoury version can be served plain or with ingredients such as olives, cauliflower, sundried tomatoes, salt cod or chopped anchovies. The sweet version can be served plain with dusted sugar or dipped in vincotto, which is a sweet, concentrated Puglian grape juice. If vincotto is hard to come by, honey or jam are perfectly adequate substitutes.
The sweet variation of the snack can also be accompanied by caramel, raisins or melted chocolate. Whilst the traditions around pettole remain the same, every family will have their own variation on the snack.
Puglians will eat the snack as a post-meal dessert or a a snack with an afternoon coffee. In some parts of Puglia, they are dipped in a thick wine-based syrup during the Christmas period.
In Lecce, they are traditionally eaten on San Martino Day on the 11th of November; St Cecilia’s Day in Taranto on the 22nd of November; and around the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Brindisi which celebrates the city’s St. Lawrence.
They are also traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve in Foggia, as well as over the Christmas period throughout the whole region.
For preparation, mix yeast with flour and warm water, then add salt. You should be left with a wet dough. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes until it has an elastic texture. Here’s the part where you add any additional ingredients, such as chopped olives. Then knead again, to ensure the ingredients(s) are spread evenly across the dough.
The dough then needs to rise, so cover with cling film or a wet towel. Store in a warm place at room temperature for between 2-24 hours. Once you remove the plastic the mixture should have doubled in size.
When ready, roll into small evenly-sized balls and heat in a frying pan in about half an inch’s worth of olive oil. For safety, used a spoon to gently lower the balls in. Once fried evenly on all sides, remove the balls and drain on kitchen roll. Then dust with sugar or prepare any dip of choice.
Pettole can keep for a couple of days, but is always best enjoyed immediately. This way is also more traditional. Any standard flour will do but some Puglians prefer the more fragrant results produced by using durum wheat semolina flour.
The balls are leavened, which produce a very light and airy texture. Once they hit the hot oil, they dramatically swell and form a golden crispy texture which makes them very moreish.
Relax Puglia Limited - Company Number: 10537981 - Registered Office address: Derwent Dale Cottage, York Road, Stamford Bridge, York YO41 1AH
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Relax Puglia accepts payment through Stripe
Relax Puglia Limited, through co-founder Francesco Lanzilotta, is a licensed Real Estate Agent in Italy, License no. 1753, released by the Chamber of Commerce in Bari, Italy. (CCIAA di Bari)
Chamber of Commerce Registered office address, 5, Piazza Eroi del Mare, Cisternino, Brindisi.
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