Rich, red earth; low dry stone walls; groves of twisted olive trees and long green grass broken by poppies and yellow flowers. It is May in Puglia, Southern Italy, and the fecundity is almost overwhelming.

I am here for a short stay with my three children. We are based mid-way between Bari and Brindisi (direct flights to both) at Torre Coccaro, a 16th century white washed ‘masseria’ that has been converted into a wonderfully relaxed boutique hotel. Moorish in feel (our room is up in a tower that used to be a look out for Turkish marauders), there are courtyards with cushions and sun bleached carpets under shady canopies of roses; a beautiful old chapel; orange blossom and bourganvillia. It is surrounded by acres of its own grounds and is resolutely self sufficient. Fennel, courgette, peppers, rocket and aubergines are picked to order. My daughter was less happy at the prospect of one of the 40 free range ducklings she counted appearing on her plate.

The immediate countryside is flat and perfect for cycling. You can borrow a bike (all sizes available and some with child seats) or they have a couple of horses and a pony. We made it to the beach (3 kilometres) which is pleasant with a fun beach club, though the best beaches are further south.

Puglia, stretching deep into Italy’s heel, is enjoying a period as the fashionable destination of choice. A very different land to the cypress avenues and soaring architectural lines of the north; visually it is closer to Greece than Tuscany. Trees and buildings are low and rough hewn. The landscape is characterised by its distinctive stubby dry-stone conical houses, or trulli. We visited a couple that have been adapted for tourist rentals. The children were fascinated – like living in a Mrs Tiggywinkle’s house. They are small and eminently climbable and come with a good story. A tax was levied on all houses in the region. When the tax man came to call, whole villages would simply disappear into piles of stones as the trulli were speedily deconstructed. An impressive early tax evasion.

The trulli towns have been commandeered by tourists. We visited Alberobello, trulli-centro. Now a world heritage site, I imagine this may become unbearable in the height of summer but in May you could squint your eyes and see a bustling city of strange white dwarf houses before they had signs in Japanese in front of their doors.

Most of all, the food was a highlight. The robust simplicity of this Italian country fare proved perfect for my children. Mozzarella, ear-shaped orecchiette pasta, grilled veg. Choosing their meat, roasted in front of them in the butcher (macelleria) in Cisternino was memorable. One night we ventured out up the coast to Metropoli. We got caught up in a mayoral election and felt we had earned our perfectly crisp pizza and enormous gelati afterwards.

The children had a chance to make their own pizza the next day. The hotel runs cooking courses and the kids were delightedly put through their paces (entirely in Italian) making a series of Italian breads and pizza using the historic bread oven. As we sat eating their results under the vines, they made me promise we would come back again.

If you are looking for culture, head a bit further south to the baroque jewel that is Lecce. Here, the very lack of Renaissance frescos and beautiful palazzo adds to the peace. Rural charm, simple food, friendly people.

Prices from £169 per room per night www.masseriatorrecoccaro.com

Tel 00 39 080 482 9310.

Discovery Travel has a selection of trulli that are available to rent:

www.discovery-travel.co.uk

Tel 01889 882170