Every month, the Italian restaurant chain Il Fornaio presents a regional menu called Festa Regionale in addition to its regular one.

It’s a fun way to “travel” around Italy, learning about the special foodstuffs and wines from each area.

This month we were off to Puglia, which is known for its bread, olives, and vino. In fact, according to Il Fornaio’s Festa Regionale Puglia menu, these ingredients are “the three pillars of the Apulian diet.”

Puglia cuisine is characterized by “pleasant spirit, subtle seasonings, and traditional dishes inspired by an ancient civilization. You’ll find those subtle seasonings mark the dishes, accented with potatoes, asparagus, beans, and tomatoes.”

I really enjoyed this Grigliata di Pesce Misto, a mixed-seafood grill that included salmon, petrale sole, a big shrimp, a scallop, and calamari, all cooked in a light lemon-flavored olive oil.

I asked for double veggies instead of the Yukon gold potatoes, and was pleased with an ample portion of sautéed baby carrots and broccolini.

We celebrated this dish and the Roasted Chicken (Spencer’s favorite item from Il Fornaio’s regular menu) with a bottle of 2001 Amarone, which had aged perfectly.

Il Fornaio’s selections of wine from Puglia included a 100% Chardonnay and a 100% Fiano (a medium-bodied white variety with crisp aromatics), a Primitivo, and interesting-sounding red blends made from varietals such as Negroamaro, Primitivo, Malvasia, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sorry to say that the Puglia menu ended on May 20; stay tuned for the next Festa Regionale menu that will feature Veneto from June 4 to 17.