Chloe Rushworth, a popular travel influencer known as @thewhitepinesproject on Instagram, has sparked some controversy with her latest holiday suggestion.
With over 259,000 followers eagerly awaiting her lifestyle, interiors, DIY, styling and travel advice, Chloe’s most recent post didn’t sit well with all of her audience.
She suggested travelling to the Italian destinations of Puglia and Matera in a video begins with Chloe stating: “You need to go to this part of Italy before it gets popular,” proceeding with her “four-day guide to Puglia and Matera”.
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She then added: “You need to book a trip to this unspoilt and beautiful part of southern Italy before it gets too popular. I was literally saying wow at every turn.
“To save you the hassle, I’ve put together a 4-day guide to Puglia and Matera.”
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Travel influencer recommends lush Italian getaway Ð but people aren’t so sure
Discussing travel details, Chloe mentioned: “We flew from Manchester to Brindisi. You can also fly into Bari. We hired a car from the airport and then we drove an hour and a half to Matera which you can not miss if you are going.”
In praise of Matera, she continued: “Honestly Matera is the most incredible ancient city. You can not miss it. It’s the perfect alternative to other romantic breaks like Rome.”
Providing accommodation tips she advised: “I highly recommend that you stay in one of the boutique cave hotels. We stayed in the L hotel in Pietra in the hot tub and terrace suite. It was absolutely outstanding and the view from the terrace was just insane.
“We stayed for two nights and one full day in Matera, which I think is the perfect amount of time. The thing I love most about it is we didn’t have a massive plan, we just embraced exploring the beautiful streets of Matera.”
Chloe then added: “I highly recommend going to one of the cave museums to understand the history of Matera, because it is just fascinating. For lunch we headed to Zipa Cafe, which is like a really cool ruin bar. The food was fantastic.
“For dinner, we did the seven-course wine pairing menu at Reggia Corte, which I highly recommend. My phone ran out of battery, so I can’t show you any pictures of that.”
“On our second day, we headed back towards the coast of Puglia, we stopped in Alberobello, saw white trulli houses turned into restaurants and boutiques.”
After that, Chloe said she and her partner headed 35 minutes to Ostuni, where they based themselves for the last two nights. She says their next hotel, called Massiera Salinola, ‘blew them away’. Chloe described it as a family-run farmhouse converted into a beautiful boutique hotel which is five minutes outside Ostuni.
On their third and final day, Chloe visited the Adriatic coast and then spent the evening in the white city of Ostuni to spend the evening.
She concluded by saying: “Honestly I can’t recommend this trip enough. You might want to save this post and get on the first flight to Italy.”
In the post description, Chloe divulged to fans that their getaway cost £1,800 for the two of them, further clarifying, “But we did go over Easter weekend so flights were expensive. It can be done for cheaper.”
The post gained mixed reactions from her followers. Some loved it as one fan wrote: “We go in September! Bari, monopoli, polignano, alberobello, Lecce, ostuni, locorotondo, Martina franca, and finishing in matera. Cannot wait, I must think about the trip 10 times a day at the moment! “.
Another respondent added an appreciative comment, saying: “Lovely post, thanks for sharing.”
A third follower chimed in, saying: “So pleased you are highlighting the beautiful region of Puglia! My dads family are from there and we still have our family home near the city of Leece.”
A fourth individual nostalgically remarked: “I’d love to go back – we went about 18 years ago. I’d love a stay in a trulli house.”
Nevertheless, the post attracted criticism as well. Some warned that her her post would make the area busy while others complained it was already bustling.
One critic pointed out: “It’s been popular for years before you arrived.” While another reflected: “Your itinerary is spot on, but Puglia is already incredibly popular. Even in off season Alberobello is packed.”
A third commentator took issue with her social media exposure, querying: “I guess posting about it on social media won’t make it busier??”
Some of the areas Chloe explored in her video may look familiar to James Bond fans, as parts of Puglia and Matera were used as filming locations for Daniel Craig’s ‘No Time To Die’.