3 hours (or less) from Paris: Viva Italia!

Though we've been to Italy many times this is our first trip to the "heel" of the boot, the enchanting region of Puglia in the south from where I will be posting all week.

Above: magnificent cliffs and Grotta Palazzese, restaurant in a grotto, Polignano a Mare

fresh seafood pasta, one of many courses

Cravings

A woman stops to check out the day's pastries but her little dog wants to keep moving.

Procaffeinating

In the heart of the old Marais district a café at the back of an offbeat bookstore looks onto a vegetable garden.

La Mouette Rieuse
(The Laughing Seagull)

17bis rue Pavée 75004 

Dinoseine

Life-sized chrome replica of a T-Rex skeleton adds zing to a stroll along the river.

High-end antiques

Rare and distinctive antiques are a hallmark of the rue des Saints-Pères.

Magic meringues

Multi-flavored meringues in a Left Bank pâtisserie said to reverse negative wishes, curses, hexes, you name it, back onto the sender.

Hermès, Paris

Horse and rider atop the Hermès building, a reminder of the brand's equestrian beginnings.

Hermès (main shop)

24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008