I took a one week holiday in Borgo Pianello in mid September 2014. I went alone and booked the Bilo Apartment which overlooked the swimming pool. The location on Borgo Pianello is deep in the hills with local towns a 10-minute drive away. The location is simply stunning and breathtaking! There is a ski resort locally and I can only imagine that the property in the winter snow. It was like going to your dream house, the owners have clearly put a lot of time, work, and money into this cluster of properties. There are lots of lovely restaurants in the area including "Trattoria picchioni" in the town of Lizzano and an amazing Pizza restaurant not for from Lizanno. The local town Fanano held a local farmer-type market in the heart of the town on Sundays where you could buy local fruit/veg, cheeses, meats etc. the local shops, cafes and bakeries were very friendly.
Borgo is very much a place where you switch off, relax, and watch the world go by, no need to rush around. The cookery course was a must. The hosts/owners at Borgo are Stefania and Marco who are lovely. Stefania is chef and takes the cookery course. On the course we learnt how to make two types of Italian soups, stuffed zucchini and tomatoes, pesto, aubergines with mozzarella, pizzas, garlic focaccia bread, cantuccini, tiramisu, several types of sauces to go with pasta. Stefania's partner, Marco, is a wine expert and you can buy local and Borgo wines at the house along with prosecco, limoncello, others Italian alcohol along with local olive oil and balsamic vinegar, he also chooses the wines to have with the food you've cooked and gives a little history with which drinks go with different foods. Both, Stefania and Marco, are very friendly and knowledgeable and are on hand if anything is required at the accommodation. There was also a warm welcome and Marco gave each apartment a free bottle of wine on arrival which was a lovely touch. I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday and I would definitely recommend to anyone and is well worth the money.
