Going to Puglia, Italy

THE BEST WAY

From LAX, direct service (stop, no change of planes) to Rome is offered on Delta, with multiple connections (change of planes) to Bari; the places below are about 30 to 40 miles to the south. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $922.

TELEPHONES

To call the numbers below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 39 (country code for Italy) and the local number.

RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS

Storico Caseificio Dicecca, 26 Via Bari, Altamura; 080-314-0822. Excellent local cheeses.

Arrosteria del Vicoletta, 16 Via Giulio II, Cisternino Centro Storico, 080-444-8063. Restaurant attached to a butcher shop. Select the meats next door, pay and they’ll cook them on skewers in the heat of a wood-burning oven. Meal for two, about $50.

Cibus Ristorante, Centro Storico, 7 Via Chianche di Scarano, Ceglie Messapica (Brindisi); 0831-388-980. Soulful little restaurant with typical Pugliese cuisine, great cheeses and a well-chosen list of local wines. Fixed-price menu is $53 per person, without wine.

Da Tuccino, 69f Via Santa Catarina, Polignano a Mare (on the coast), 080-424-1560; www.tuccino.it. Known for its seafoodSeafood restaurant renowned for its crudi, or raw seafood antipasti, along with seafood pasta, grilled fish, and a terrific wine list. Meal starts at $66 per person, without wine.

Enoteca Argento, Galleria “I Portici,” Fasano; 080-442-7715. Serious little wine shop that gets high marks.

Il Cucco, Corso Umberto I, Cisternino; 080-444-9064 or www.ilcucco.net. Hip wine bar on the outskirts of town.tucked on the outskirts of Cisternino’s historical center.

Masseria Il Frantoio, SS 16, Kilometer 874, Ostuni (Brindisi); 083-133-027 or e-mail armando@trecolline.it; www.masseriailfrantoio.it.

Panificio F.lli Di Gesú bakery, 17 Via Pimentel Eleonora Fonseca, Altamura; 080-314-1213; www.digesu.it.

COOKING SCHOOL

The Awaiting Table, Lecce, Silvestro Silvestori; www.awaitingtable.com. Classes on Pugliese cuisine taught in English at a 16th century palazzo in the historic heart of Lecce. Check the website for details — and for an exuberant introduction to the region and its cooking by the knowledgeable Silvestro Silvestori. If you have a day or two to spare, you can also arrange for a weekend, day or custom-designed class as well.Full week with accommodations) start at $2,363; day classes $460.

TO LEARN MORE

Italian Government Tourist Board, (310) 820-1898, www.italiantourism.com.