Anna Knows Best! – If you would like to book one of my properties, please just ask me! – Anna Knows Best! – If you are looking for unique experiences in Puglia, just ask me! – Anna Knows Best!
“I have learnt this at least from my endeavours: that if one moves forward confidently in the direction of one’s dreams and strives to live the life one has envisaged, one will meet with unexpected success in the most ordinary of moments.”
My name is Anna and I have always had a deep passion for hospitality. Born in Ostuni and having spent 35 years between Florence and Munich I have had the opportunity to grow professionally and culturally. I studied languages at Florence’s Higher School of Interpretors and Translators. Then, inspired by my curiousity for other cultures, I lived in Germany for 30 years. Initially to perfect my knowledge of German and then for love.
My career has been varied and stimulating: I worked as a translator at international exhibitions and, during the summers, helped out at my family’s pastry shop. Recently, I have expanded my portfolio by obtaining a fifth level diploma as a superior technician for the promotion of food and wine goods. This allows me to pass on my knowledge about trying out local products to my guests during their stay. This includes wines, oils and cheeses as well as looking out for traditions, architectural sites and regional curiosities which make Apulia unique.
What is also important to me is the spreading of Italian culture and language. Indeed, together with Giuliana Polidoro of italcorsi.de, we are going to organise language lessons and guided tours for your stay. Look at the section “events” and book yourself a place for October 2025.
An inseparable bond with my origins
After 30 years of absence and after being overwhelmed by nostalgia at each farewell I felt I needed to return to my roots, to my feelings, fed by the need to rediscover that light of blue, the intensity and uniqueness of flavours, human warmth from the people of my beloved Apulia.
Once, I spent three long days at the office doing monotone jobs and visiting international exhibitions. At that time, I thought I would remain in Germany…
However, in recent years, I feel a sense of nostalgia, a kind of wake-up-call and strong bond to nature. Each time I fly to Apulia I see the sea below, from the train and the car I see the endless expanses of olive groves and then I see my final destination Ostuni… And bum, bum, bum…the beating of the heart. When I was small the first thing I asked my mother was: are we going to the countryside… and once there I am struck by a fantastic feeling of wellbeing.
Because when one arrives, there is peace.
Photo credits: Orna O`Reilly Weber, Enzo Suma, Domenico Cafarchia, Susanne Maher, Anna Capriglia.
