Hot Off The Grill

What's new in the world of culinary travel.

FOLLOWING A METICULOUS, six-year restoration, 17th-century Castello di Ugento in Puglia Italy has been reborn as a luxury boutique hotel, state-ofthe-art culinary centre and fine dining restaurant. One of the most striking elements of the castle's new design is its Il Tempo Nuovo restaurant featuring a vaulted dining room with a glass floor set above a Norman-era tower unearthed during renovations. The restaurant is led by Executive Chef Tommaso Sanguedolce whose elegant touch gives a contemporary twist to traditional Puglian dishes and highlights regional ingredients such as red shrimp from Gallipoli, cime di rapa baresi (turnip tops from Bari) and red onions from Acquaviva delle Fonti. The castle is set in the historic town of Ugento near the Ionian coast. www.castellodiugento.com