Another whitewash

We left Bari reasonably early this morning as we headed for Lecce, early as en route we wished to visit another town, Ostuni.

Ostuni is around 8 kms from the coast in the Brindisi province with a population of approximately 32,000 in winter but which swells up to 200,000 in summer as it is among the main towns attracting tourists in Puglia.

The general area in which Ostuni sits has been inhabited since the Stone Age and the town gives a grand sight as it sits around 270m above sea level

Looking back to the coast

Well over 90% of the green in this photo are olive trees 

It has a very nice historic centre which winds up to one of the highest points on the seaside of the town

While the photos above would suggest that there weren’t many of the 200,000 there today in fact the centre was very crowded and required our Italian friends to revert to their well practised parking

In this one way street there are at least 4 cars double parked unattended.

Left Ostuni after lunch and moved on to Lecce, another city with a historic centre and our accommodation is in that centre. As old towns have very narrow streets, one way roads and restricted areas getting to the accommodation (a palazzo built in the 15th century and used as such until the 19th century) was no small effort and then backing the Peugeot through the very narrow door to the courtyard required total trust in those directing me

After unpacking we had a stroll around the main streets in Centro and then had a meal at a table outside a restaurant which thankfully opened earlier than a lot of them.

We have 4 nights in Lecce which on reflection maybe one too many as tomorrow is their patron saints festival day and we are told everything shuts down- we will see!

Kms driven to date 4428

Kms walked to date 579.3

Spent on Diesel €309.25

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.839/L Bari

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €81.10 

Dodgems & Skittles

It’s a gripe day today as starting to find the antics of other road users frustrating to the point of being downright annoying.

On the way to the city this morning we were driving along the beach front road when a guy crossed the road in front of us, stood on the middle line, turned his back on us and decided to take a photo of the ocean. He then proceeded to abuse us when I gave a tap on the horn to ask him to get out of the way!

Driving through the city the GPS took us down a narrow street but wide enough for a line of parked cars on each side of the road and two cars to pass UNLESS some idiot decides to stop his car in the driving lane, turn on his flashers and exit the car leaving only one lane for two cars to pass each other. I give him a toot as he walks away from his car and he turns back looks at us and then continues on his way leaving his car just where it was.

Other drivers park their cars on an angle in kerbside parking areas because the space they are parking in is too small for their car and leave the tail of the car jutting out into the driving lane.

I’ve mentioned before that pedestrian crossings are no more than a bowling alley - if your on the Xing then you are fair game to be used as a skittle.

As for abiding by the rules, well that is a joke. On the coast where we are staying there is this sign

and this is the area that the sign refers to

And finally the surfaces of the roads, other than perhaps the autostrade highways, are absolutely atrocious. I know kiwis are complaining about potholes in some places in NZ but NZ roads are billiard tables in comparison to what we are driving on over here - imagine driving on small judder bars wherever you drive and that includes in central city areas.

Fabio said there is only one thing wrong with Italy …I suggest that there are at least two things!!

Today we spent ambling around Bari Centro area in rather warm temperatures- the Italian National Meteorological Service had a “Moderate High Temperature Warning” in place for today - the first heat warning we have seen.

We even found a place along what we would regard as the promenade where we could put the feet in the ocean to try and cool off.

And at another time we took refuge in a church to get out of the heat

When we got back to the apartment at Palese the ocean looked too inviting not to go and have another paddle

Swimming in this area is too hazardous as the shoreline is just rocks and where one might be able to swim there is the Not Allowed sign as above.

We pack up tomorrow morning and move to our southern most stop before we turn back north and head for Rome.

Kms driven to date 4253

Kms walked to date 570.6

Spent on Diesel €309.25

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.839/L Bari

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €81.10 

Truly Spectacular

Another town on our must see list was Alberobello approximately 65kms south of Bari and we headed there today.

It was truly spectacular because of the “trulli” dwellings which are unique to this area of Puglia

For full information on their history and construction there is a very good backgrounder on UNESCO’s website:

found here

When we there today not unsurprisingly there were many thousands of other tourists enjoying looking at these unique structures.

A further 10 kms south is Locorotondo another town we had read about so after spending 3 or so hours in Alberobello we moved across to there and while Locorotondo had some very nice views after Alberobello it was always going to come off second best

The old town is another consisting of whitewashed buildings and narrow alleyways with surprises around every corner.

The town as seen from the valley below 

Who wouldn’t enjoy a day seeing all of that!

Kms driven to date 4204

Kms walked to date 561.9

Spent on Diesel €309.25

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.839/L Bari

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €81.10 

The White Cliffs of Puglia

Not quite cliffs but white nevertheless!

When we started planning this trip a definite yes was noted beside a few places in Puglia that we wanted to visit and today we ticked off two of them - Monopoli & Polignano a Mare.

Monopoli

It is situated about 45kms south of Bari and was first inhabited in around 500BC.

Being on the Adriatic coast it has all that we had hoped - an interesting historic centre, renowned white buildings on the coast line, picturesque views, things nautical and a tremendous vibe.

Sometimes pictures are better than words.

Polignano a Mare is around 10kms closer to Bari and also has the same things going for it as Monopoli and perhaps a little more, with historians believing that it was the site of the Ancient Greek city of Neapolis and founded during the 4th century BC.

The iconic shot of the beach

There are numerous short sayings/poems inscribed on various buildings and the last one by Dali reads:

True connoisseur doesn’t drink wine but tastes its secrets

I took a video of the beach from a vantage point which showed some of them having “fun” in what looked like some dangerous places - it can be view here

We arrived “home” glad that we had visited both and planning to check out at least one more tomorrow.

Kms driven to date 4046

Kms walked to date 553.6

Spent on Diesel €309.25

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.839/L Bari

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €81.10 (should be more but not our fault 🤨)

Italy as in the brochures

Another move south today to Bari, capital of the Puglia region & while from our point of view the drive was uneventful the same could not be said for one unlucky motorist driving a small car which was decidedly smaller when we saw it!

From the way the vehicles involved sat in the right hand lane of the autostrade as we passed, I surmise that the small car had passed a truck and as it returned to the right hand lane it did so too quickly and was struck in the right rear corner by the truck and turned around 180 degrees and being somewhat shortened in the process - there were parts of the car strewn everywhere. In today’s vernacular it was well and truly munted!!

Bari is a port city on the Adriatic Sea with a historic centre, Barivecchai, being an intriguing labyrinth of streets and alleyways. It is described as a Mediterranean city with 2000 years of history and where several cultures have alternated during time, leaving traces in the architecture, the language, the gastronomy and the habits of its inhabitants.

Walking the alleyways we saw nonnas, outside their home, making a pasta, orecchiette,which is traditional in this area, and  I was able to get a video of one nonna who was producing them in a very mechanical fashion - view here

The alleyways were very clean and had a great atmosphere

The lunch we had in one of the piazzas outside of a church was a traditional bread baked in Puglia, la frisella, with topping

 The bread is baked until very crisp and could be a hazard for those whose teeth are brittle!

By the carpark we used near the port there was a fish market doing great business 

We left the city after lunch to get to our checkin at Palese, around 10kms north of the city with our accommodation being no more than 75 metres from the beach. We use the term beach with some licence as there appears to be no “safe” place to swim with the shore being very rocky, however that didn’t stop the locals and those on summer holidays from relaxing on whatever they could find but, it appeared, not many of them getting into the sea.

We returned to the city for dinner, found a “tight space” in a carpark near the castello and then went into the labyrinth and found a ristorante serving orecchiette.

Note a resident sitting in their second floor “lounge” overlooking the outside tables. 

Again there was a great vibe in the centre and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening which topped off a great day.

Having said that, the day would have been somewhat ruined if the vehicle in the photo below had parked one car length towards where the photo was taken from as he would then have blocked us in for God knows how long!!!!

Oh the Italians you got to love them

Our car has the red number plates

Bari is how Italy is shown in the travel brochures!!

Kms driven to date 3907

Kms walked to date 546.7

Spent on Diesel €226.02

Highest price paid to date for diesel €1.699/L Verona

Lowest price paid to date for diesel €1.479/L Freiburg

Spent on tolls €81.10 should be more but not our fault 🤨)