There’s a place in Puglia where you can dine in a cave. But before you start conjuring up images of the Flintstones and brontosaurus burgers, let us say the Grotta Palazzese isn’t just any cave, it’s a posh restaurant in the little town of Polignano a Mare.

Set into a large natural cave in the cliff-face, with the town above and the Adriatic Sea directly below, the location is spectacular and dramatic. And that’s exactly why the Grotta Palazzese is so popular.

When you go to a restaurant that is itself a tourist attraction (think the revolving restaurant at the top of any city’s tallest tower), you have a couple of clear expectations – the food won’t be good, and it will be expensive. The Grotta Palazzese surprised us, at least on one count; our dinner there was expensive, but it was also good. Of course we really went for the experience, and that was great.

The restaurant has history. Records show that banquets were held in the cave in the 1700s and there’s a lovely watercolour painted in 1783 depicting one such event. In the early 1800s the cave’s natural beauty attracted those whose Grand Tour included southern Italy.

Several centuries later, our own grand tour led us to the same place. And as countless others had done before us, with a glass of lovely wine in hand and to a soundtrack of gulls squawking and waves lapping, we watched the day’s last light fade across the water. Ah, the serenity!