We all crave those non-touristy places, don't we? Usually the problem is that those places are untouristed for a reason. There are no tourist facilities, no one to explain everything to you.

I've just been on a whirlwind trip around Puglia. We went to a lot of tourist places in Trulli country. Yes, Alberobello was fine, Locorotondo gleamed white in the sun, the trulli poked their heads into the sky proudly...

But you know which place I liked best? Manduria.

Ever been to Manduria, a town of some 30,000 people in Puglia? You might have gone through it without noticing much, but Manduria is loaded with things to see in a day or two.

Let's see, there's the wine museum. You see, Manduria is the center of Primitivo di Manduria wine production and the museum not only shows off the old tools and methods that folks in these scenic parts used to make their wine, but it offers tasting of some top quality primitivos, and even has a sort of wine station where you can fill your bottle for a Euro or two a liter from pumps that look just like gasoline pumps but are much cleaner.

Then there's the archaeological museum. It's not enormous, but its devoted exclusively to the local culture. Manduria is a center for ancient Messapian settlement. Ring the bell at the museum and you can see the artifacts manufactured many thousand years ago by the local Messapians, like the vase in the picture.

We happened upon a photography session at the museum featuring uncleaned artifacts from a recently excavated tomb. I asked if we cold film them. The answer was "yes". You won't get that kind of answer from big city museums, where paranoid researchers guard against public viewing of artifacts until after publication, which sometimes never comes.

Pliny the Elder mentions a spring in Manduria (he called it Mandonion) which never changed its level, no matter how much water was drawn or added. You can see it today, or tomorrow for that matter--and with the same entrance ticket you can also see the Messapian walls that surround Manduria, an important stronghold of the Messapii against powerful Tarentum (nearby Taranto).

There are also some wonderful places to eat in and around Manduria. And don't get me started on the wine shop or the friendly pourer at the enotecca.

How did I find out all these things? I stayed at a masseria, a large family farm (some were fortified against the frequent pirate attacks from the coast). Each day I gleaned information from the owners on where to go and what to see.

The cool thing is that you can too. Check out these masserie. You won't regret not staying in a hotel. And believe me, the rural life is a heck of a lot cheaper than the city life.