[July 2026] In Nardò, a town in the Apulia region of Southern Italy, we had a reservation at a meat-focused restaurant called “Gli Artigiani.”
My husband found it online and made the booking; it wasn’t located in the old town, but rather in a residential area slightly further out.
The decor is quite simple and bright.
For the starter, we ordered horse meat *polpette* (meatballs) to share.
In this region, both *polpette* and horse meat are common menu items.
The meatballs were served in a tomato sauce—a sauce that was absolutely delicious.
It had just the right amount of acidity.
On the other hand, because of the sauce, it was hard to discern the actual flavour of the horse meat itself.
For our main course, we shared some *bombette* and sausages.
*Bombette* are a local Apulian specialty: thin slices of pork wrapped around ingredients like cheese (typically *caciocavallo*), skewered, and grilled—often over charcoal.
We’re actually quite familiar with them, as a meat restaurant near our home in Northern Italy serves them too.
They can be filled with various ingredients, not just cheese.
Most of the *bombette* we had here were delicious, but there was one variety—stuffed with potato—that I didn’t particularly care for.
The sausages were thin and seasoned with herbs, which was exactly to my taste.
We each had a glass of wine.
The portions were generous, so one glass was plenty.
It was an easy-drinking wine—not as sweet as a Primitivo, and not as tannic as a Negroamaro—though I’ve forgotten the name.
Including the above and some coffee, the total bill came to €81.
It certainly wasn’t cheap.
I was quite satisfied, though, having had the chance to enjoy some authentic Apulian specialties.
While we’re on the subject of food, I should also mention our *aperitivo* in Lecce that evening.
We visited a restaurant with some friends of my husband—people he knows through Tai Chi—and tried a sandwich made with a type of bread called *puccia*.
It’s a round, flat bread, and apparently, it’s a local specialty of this region.
On this occasion, we had one filled with a burger patty and *burrata* cheese.
However, it’s worth noting that other items I later encountered under the name *puccia* turned out to be nothing more than standard *panini*.
While *puccia* bread itself has long been a staple for local farmers, its current popularity in this sandwich format is a relatively recent development—it seems, in fact, to be something specifically targeted at tourists.
