december-2009

124 | DESTINATION GUIDES
Brindisi
Italy
DIALLING CODE +39
CURRENCY €
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
TAXI
The fare to the
centre is about €20.
Local STP buses go
to the city every 30
minutes. Tickets: €0.80.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15
Carpe Diem
Bruschetteria (11
Piazza Dante) This
place is hard to beat
– for just €13 you’ll
get a drink, starter
and unlimited tasty
bruschettas. Choose
from more than 50
toppings and fi nish
with a house liqueur.
UP TO €30
La Sparacima
(31 Via Arcidiacono
Zaccaria, tel: 0831
339 509) Traditional
meaty meals are the
signature dishes
served at this fabulous
restaurant, in a 17thcentury
villa. Try some
of the antipasti with a
glass of Puglian wine.
UP TO €50 Menhir
(18 Via Pacuvio,
tel: 0831 562 836)
Minimalist décor, an
informal atmosphere
and a choice of three
dining areas makes
this a good spot for an
intimate evening. Try
the mare (seafood)
tasting menu as a crash
course in Pugliese food.
EXCLUSIVE
Hotel-Ristorante
Grotta Palazzese
(59 Via Narciso, tel:
080 424 0677)
A simply unforgettable
restaurant with divine
food, exquisite wines
and a beautiful setting.
Enjoy a great menu of
seafood delights from
the two terraces built
within the cliff walls
and dine overlooking
amazing sea views.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY
Casbah Cafè
(Piazza Sant’Oronzo,
Ostuni) In Ostuni’s
main square, the
Casbah is an excellent
place to grab a cocktail,
meet people and
get a real taste of
Italian nightlife.
LIVE MUSIC
Goblin’s Pub (55 Via
Cavour) There is always
some music thumping
out of this lively little
place. Pop your head
through the door to see
who’s playing that night.
LATE & LIVELY
Olive Wood Café
(8 Piazza della Libertà,
Ostuni, tel: 0831 341
801) This charming bar
right in the historical
centre has a lively
ambience. At weekends
you can wind down with
a drink while a local
DJ spins Italian and
international chart hits.
THIS MONTH
SHOP D’Alò is an
Aladdin’s cave of
ceramic treasures.
Its quirky colourful
items are handmade
and unique to the
heel of Italy (51
Piazza Matteotti).
SEE If you are in
Puglia on 26 December,
head to Ostuni for
its nativity night. All
the beautiful cobbled
streets are lit up by
torch light and the
locals recreate scenes
from the nativity in
full costume. It’s an
enchanting evening
full of festive spirit and
fun for the kids.
GO A tour of Itria
Valley, just one hour
away, provides a great
day out. Take a look
around Alberobello,
a UNESCO World
Heritage Site then stop
off in Locorotondo for
a bite to eat in one of
the local restaurants.
ESCAPE Book in
to La Sommita, a day
spa just an hour
outside of Brindisi,
for a mud bath or hot
stone massage to
de-stress from the
Christmas madness
(lasommita.it).
NO WAY!
The obscure Puglian
dialect, faetar dates
back to the 14th
century and is spoken
by only 1,400 people
in the world.
Max Keep
Bristol
UK
DIALLING CODE +44
CURRENCY £
FROM THE
AIRPORT
Visit the Europcar
desk on arrival
for special easyJet
infl ight rates.
Holiday Taxis
(easyJet.holiday
taxis.com) take you from
home to the airport, then
city or destination.
TAXI
A journey to the city
costs about £25.
The Bristol
International Flyer
connects the airport
to Temple Meads train
station, Bristol Bus
Station and Clifton, with
stops around the city.
Tickets: £6–£7 single;
£9 return.
BON APPETIT
UP TO €15 Tobacco
Factory Café (Raleigh
Road, tel: 0117 902
0060) The industrial
style, loud music and
lighting might not seem
like a good place to
enjoy a meal, but the
open kitchen creates a
welcoming atmosphere.
UP TO €30 Friska
(32–36 Victoria Street)
Friska caters perfectly
for lunchtime nibbles
– with delicious hearty
meals such as
Jamaican jerk chicken
with coconut rice.
UP TO €50 Noa
Japanese restaurant
(12–13 Waterloo Street,
Clifton, tel: 0117 973
2881) Expect genuine
Japanese cuisine,
super fresh fi sh and
seasonal vegetables,
plus friendly staff.
EXCLUSIVE Hotel Du
Vin Bistro (The Sugar
House, Narrow Lewins
Mead, tel: 0117 925
5577) Enjoy a fab menu
of European cuisine
in the magnifi cently
restored Sugar House.
Book ahead.
AFTER DARK
LOW KEY Zero
Degrees (53 Colston
Street, tel: 0117 925
2706) A modern bar and
microbrewery offering a
fresh and uncomplicated
beer menu. Order a
delicious fruity beer.
LIVE MUSIC
Karaoke-Me! (12 St
Stephen’s Street, tel:
0117 376 3100) It may
THE NATIONAL
ARBORETUM
ESCAPE Take a walk
through the woods
and see The National
Arboretum, 40
minutes from Bristol,
lit up at night. Say
hello to Father
Christmas and see
festive goings-on at
the weekends until 20
December (Tetbury,
tel: 01666 880 220).
not be live music and the
quality depends on you,
but here you can choose
from more than 5,000
songs to sing along to.
LATE & LIVELY
Mbargo (38–40
Triangle West, tel: 0117
925 3256) A stylish bar
with leather sofas and
marble tables, open until
2am every night. Enjoy
dancing the night away
to lively party tunes.
THIS MONTH
SHOP The German
Christmas market
takes place until 20
December, with many
stalls selling a
fantastic range of
gifts and crafts, plus
a traditional Germanthemed
bar (Quakers
Friars and Broadmead).
SEE Bristol’s new Blue
Reef Aquarium is located
on the harbourside and
is great for an exciting
afternoon out. It features
more than 40 aquatic
displays showcasing
freshwater and marine
species from around the
world (Anchor Road).
GO Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs
pantomime has
a fantastic cast including
Eastenders’ Joe Swash,
who is sure to delight
the whole family. From
11 December–10
January (The Bristol
Hippodrome).
NO WAY!
John Wesley’s Chapel,
the oldest Methodist
church in the world, can
be found in Bristol. It
dates back to 1739.
Chris Savage/
Destination Bristol