A continuation from

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/umbria-from-perugia-to-ascoli-piceno-truffles-to-oliva-all-ascolana.cfm


My wish for cooler weather evaporated in the hot, humid air. As the Lufthansa flight that our kids were on was coming in to Bari airport, the pilot announced it was 37 degrees outside.
They thought the pilot was mistaken until they stepped outside the plane and were smothered by the heat. Now that's desirable if one is on a beach holiday, but not for the heavy duty street slogging I had in mind.

Meanwhile, Tim and I had an hour and a half to wait for our two Euro virgins, so sidled up to the "bar" in the airport, and asked if they had any "Birra locale". A spirited discussion erupted between the three guys standing near us about what might be considered a local beer, with the server stepping in to translate when necessary.

The decision was, no local beer: We got Heineken. But it was a fun way to while away some time with our bar mates, anyway.

Tim found some blank paper and made a "Welcome to Italy E and C" sign to hold up. Well, the ensuing happy re-union in English caused a bit of a stir in the little airport, as we excitedly visited and rehashed our respective trips. There is not much English spoken here.

I had this anxiety going on, because I really wanted my daughter and SIL to like Italy, and Bari is ' not really ' like arriving at the train station in Venice.

My husband said, Relax, how could anyone NOT like Italy?

Nevertheless, in true worrywart fashion, I caused myself no end of discomfort over the next few days, silently fussing over every experience.
Not to worry, though, they were truly wowed, and their impression went from good to better to best.

The drive from Bari airport to Polignano a Mare along the highway is flat and unattractive, and our GPS takes us to the wrong location.
What to do now? I love watching the look of amazement on E and C's faces as a stranger walks along in front of our car, waving us on to our location, and even shows us where to park!

Our hotel is Malu Bed and Breakfast

http://www.bebmalu.it/#home

Our little white rooms overlooking the beach and the old town are duly impressive, with the moon sparkling off the water. Excitement is high and appetites are stoked for some fresh seafood on the Adriatic coast in Italy!

My SIL has been cooking meals for years, since his mom has had MS since he was about 12 years old. He loves to cook, and he loves to eat, and has quite a refined palate.

We go around the corner from the hotel to Ristorante Chichibio, and my husband goes manic on the seafood menu.
Plate after plate of incredible fish and seafood comes out of the kitchen. What a feast! I'm not too sure exactly what the locals are thinking of us, but every time another plate comes out, everyone turns around and looks.
SIL recorded the food, fortunately, so we can relive that feast anytime we want, with no calories.
Whole sea bass baked in salt crust
Grilled langoustines huge and very sweet
A plate of grilled prawns
All of which DH Tim has chosen inside from the fresh seafood display.
Beautiful grilled vegetables
Risotto
A seafood antipasti platter. SIL's description: "We then had a heavenly antipasti plate, as pictured below. I’ll start with the little round cake with the tomato on top and describe each item clockwise. The round cake with the tomato was actually a delightful fish soufflé, lightly fried, which simply melted in the mouth. Next, a fried cylinder of ricotta, where the crunchy batter nicely contrasted with the smooth, soft cheese inside. Next, grilled octopus in a delicate white sauce. After that, a fried ball of ground tuna, not dry at all but tender and juicy (a surprising amount of fried things, but done just right and so well). Finally, a Puglian tipico, or typical dish, of puréed fava beans with shrimp and red onion."
For pictures check out his blog:

http://mangiereinitalia.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/polignano-a-mare

http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g635875-d1911655-Reviews-Osteria_Di_Chichibio-Polignano_a_Mare_Province_of_Bari_Puglia.html



Dessert time it is, and it has to be gelato.
Across the bridge to the main part of town we go, along with hundreds of happy locals. It's Saturday night, and its party time. Family style, that is.

Polignano has an extremely lively passeggiata. It seems that every single person that lives there must be out in the streets tonight.
Providentially there are at least 10 gelato shops around the main piazza, so we just spin around and point to one.

It turns out to be a really good choice. SIL asks if they have a specialty, and we watch the maestro take a cone, put some whipped cream inside it, then a scoop of truly home-made chocolate gelato, another one of cafe gelato, then he dips the whole thing in a vat of thick whipped cream.
I'm usually not a Gelato Raver, but the rich deliciousness of that concoction is simply beyond words.

These Puglian towns on the coast, like Polignano, look very Greek, with the whitewashed thick walled buildings in narrow lanes with steep steps up to the flower potted entrances.

We walk in the piazza and around town, to observe the townsfolk visit, laugh and talk, and finally fill up all those restaurants we walked past earlier.

After leaving home on Thursday, and finally arriving Saturday, E and C are now exhausted, and ready for bed.

Tomorrow, more seafood, dipsy driving, we call this a carrot, "some little place", and tourist trap crap.

In the morning, we plan to drive into Bari, so we get up early, and have a fine breakfast at our B&B, home made cakes, jams, and yogurt, meats and cheeses, and fresh fruit, even 'uova sode'. We learned that term from a young woman serving breakfast in Sicily, only said with a full on inflective Sicilian accent, and ever since, it's been our reference for boiled eggs.

A friend of ours in Vancouver whose family lives near Bari has suggested a restaurant for really fresh crudo and otherwise cooked fish and seafood. So, after our visit to Bari, we stop in the little coastal town of Torre a Mare at Zia Teresa restaurant.

It's Sunday, and the place is full of families, as is the town. Right at the marina, the fish comes off the boats to the restaurant, where there is a glassed-in room for cleaning, cutting, shucking, and icing the seafood.
The two guys have been anticipating this opportunity to eat really fresh crudo for some time now. It's not about the presentation at this place. It's just a big plate of raw prawns, mussels, clams, calamari, oysters, and baby octopus. They go to it with gusto, while my daughter and I, the two sensitive stomachs, choose to sit this one out for fear of ruining the next 3 days of our holiday.

All this eating is eating into our time. We have about an hour to make it to the Grotte di Castellana for the English tour. Whoa, this is a windy road with SSDD (sensitive stomach dear daughter) in the back seat.
We arrive to find that the English tour is joining with the German tour and the Farsi Tour.
Close enough......

Well, they won't let you in unless you go with the 'tour'. So we follow our Dear Tour Guide down stairs, then weaving around corners and more stairs. It's 200 feet underground.
This is pretty cool stuff, a subterranean world of stalagmites and stalagtites, in different shapes and sizes and colors. The caves run 3 kilometers long and culminate at the beautiful Grotta Bianca.

Our English Dear Tour Guide speaks in a high pitched voice with a strong Italian accent. DD starts to giggle at the DTG's descriptions of what we are seeing. No boring scientific stuff, just, We call this one a carrot, because it looks like a carrot, and We call this one an owl because it looks like an owl, and We call this one Madonna and Bambino because if you have imagination, it looks like Madonna and Bambino (that would be a LOT of imagination). The whole while she is making circles on each one with a laser pointer.
Well, by this time, we are all giggling, especially as we get the doppio description on the way back.
" And this is the 'back' of the one we call the owl because it looks like an owl. "

Enough of the caves, even though it was nice and cool down there.

SSDD is in need of food, but as yet, does not believe that the whole place can close up for 3 hours in the afternoon.
"There has to be some little place open", only, as anyone who has travelled to Europe before knows, NO THERE ISN'T.

We drive around and into the Centro of Castellana in our search, but find nothing open. What we do find are some really bad drivers. They are intensely, incredibly as bad as Naples! Only in Naples, drivers are just crazy, not angry.
It seems rather odd, because we have not encountered this anywhere else in Puglia.

It's not far back to Polignano, just a short drive through the rolling hills and olive groves. We all sit in stunned and hungry silence after our harrowing experience.

Once back in Polignano, we are ready for some good eats, and the " old town " seems enticing, well at least atmospheric. All the restaurants look like tourist traps, but we are mighty hungry by now.

The back side of one looks promising though, with the kitchen door open, and staff eating great folded pizza Napoli style while watching the ball game. So we go round the front and sit down and order pizza.
Shortly, a few other English speaking couples sit down, and we're all eyeing each other wondering, do 4 English couples and no Italians constitute this a tourist place?

The truth is in the pizza, and I swear the staff in the back must have ordered in! Oh well, at least we aren't h'angry any more.
Of course, the next stop is our over the top 'gelato with whipped cream' shop.
It seems like all we're doing is going from one meal to the next, but let me assure you, there is a great lot of walking in between.

In this area, there is a custom for the bread shops to make fresh focaccia late at night while preparing the next day's bread. Our tall, lanky SIL, otherwise known as C, is still hungry, and can't resist waiting in line for that treat. Focaccia in southern Italy is something I wish everyone could experience.

It could be described as moist and chewy, with an irregular hole structure, and an oily, crunchy underside. The bread is delicious.... the toppings are just a bonus.

Check out the pics and article:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-masterclass-20110526,0,1188913.htmlstory

Time to get the kids (and the oldsters) to bed.

Loving your report!!

love the food descriptions! and the pics in your SIL's blog.

dare i ask how much the feast you enjoyed at the Ristorante Chichibio cost?

Thanks, Jamikins, I read your report earlier on this year, but will have to review it and see if we went to any of the same places.

annhig, it was fairly expensive because the fish and langoustines were sold by the kilo. For 4 persons, the cost was Euro 140 ah but so worth it!

The seafood restaurant where the boys ate crudo is in Torre a Mare, and the meal for 4 people was Euro 64. including a bottle of Falanghina for 6euros. A cute little town, too.

http://www.ziateresa.it/

thanks, sundried.

IMO €140 is not so bad for 4 and if you're not doing it every time, you can soon make up for the odd splurge. that's what we normally TRY to do.

For 4 people that doesn't sound bad at all!

Love reliving it with you!

A few photos of Polignano, Alberobello, our young friends from Bari, eating crudo, don't know who the dude is tanning his feet!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1tpon80f19ey20q/3EICv-QqHT#f:Photo%202010-10-08%205%2054%2056%20AM.jpg

I'm learning that my hyper planning will drive me to despair if I don't give up that perfect picture in my mind that has developed over the last year of reading and planning. It's good to have a dream, but one has to let go of it sometimes.

My daughter cannot eat wheat. Gluten free only. What was I thinking, bringing her to Italy? Pasta, pizza....Already she is starting to feel sick, and not finding much in the way of gluten free.
We will just have to take things slow.

This day is to take us to Locorotondo, where we will walk through the lanes of the historic center, which was our favorite small town the last time we were here. Then, Tim and I have dreamed of having lunch at the restaurant we staked out 2 years ago that was too busy to take us in.
(Either that or they thought I was a really stupid English-speaking woman for asking them what cut their lamb was, and deemed me not worthy of eating there!
"The lamb is the lamb, madam!")

In any case, the historic lanes are just as pretty, white, clean and picturesque as we remembered. They wind around, seemingly in circles. Its easy to get lost.

Sadly, the restaurant is closed.

But we wander around and admire the view over the trulli and farms in the surrounding countryside. A pack of American bicyclists arrive, and sorry to say, but they are quite rude in complaining loudly and cycling in the ped zone, and generally wheeling in front of every photo I am trying to take.
I spot a little market, and find that they have fresh ricotta, which we discovered on our last visit. We call it ambrosia, it is so unlike any ricotta we have had at home.
A good snack of olives, bread and ambrosia will be perfect to tide us over until we find lunch. I'm standing in front of the deli display case when who should come charging in but a couple of our biker friends. They try to butt in ahead of me, but I've noticed that the little Italian lady that came in before me went to the checkout, and ordered her cheese from there.
So, I sneak over to the checkout and do the same, much to the consternation of the biker butters. Ha! I'm not vindictive!

more lovely pics, sundried.

glad you thwarted the bikers.

This is bringing back memories..lovely to read more about Puglia.

We actually had a reservation at Chichibio this past September (I've not had time to file a report here yet, shame on me!). But at the last minute we decided to dine closer to "home." I will make sure to get there next time, I've heard good things...Polignano is a jewel.

thanks for your report. Also bringing back memories of our trip in the area in Sept/oct.

Thanks Ann And yestravel, glad to help with the memories.

Ekscrunchy, I had literally pages of your restaurant reviews with me, but didn't get to any of them! Next trip, I guess.
I really like Polignano. Its a great place if you like photography. Those caves are really something when it's a bit stormy and the waves are crashing in.
Did you know in the summertime, there is a cliff diving contest there?

Bookmarking

Part of the charm of Puglia is that its like going back in time. In Martina Franca, on our drive into town, we had to stop for a train. There is a man whose job it is to come out of his little house by the tracks and manually wind down the 'arm' then wind it back up again after the train is gone.
Next to his little house is a garden with tomatoes and veggies, a fig tree, and probably a few grape vines. It's the quintessential Puglian vignette.

You could define Puglia by its pastoral way of life, but it's so much more than that. It's the funeral procession we saw walking through the street in the middle of town, a huge crowd following behind, with musical accompaniment to the shuffle of the feet.

Its the stone fences everywhere you look, lining the roads, and checkering the fields.

It's the passeggiata, which is different than in northern Italy. The old men still dress up and come out at 6 pm to solve all the world's problems.

Yes, shoes are important, but they aren't Prada.

The cafe owner doesn't mind if you sit down at his outside table with your own lunch.

It is so hot you understand the popularity of gelato and the Mezzogiorno.

The roads between the towns are in horrendous shape.

A good espresso is only €.80, a glass of wine, €3.50 or 4, but comes with plates of little snacks and olives.

it is a real conflict to decide whether we should be charmed or be wondering how anyplace in Italy could be so backward. I prefer the former. But then, I'm just an observer, not a participant, in this circumstance.

So, on to Ostuni, the White City, Citta Bianca, where for sure we will get a good lunch, and stand on the highest ground to look out over the beautiful, ancient city and the countryside.

Circling through the narrow streets of Ostuni several times looking for a parking place can only be described as nerve racking. One never knows when that street will suddenly have posts in front of it, or become so narrow that you must fold the mirrors in and hope you don't have to back up a quarter of a mile.
I think I've seen too many videos taken from the BBC helicopter; because in reality there is no high spot from which one can see the view. In fact, Ostuni is probably prettier seen from afar, especially at night when lit up.

Discard the dream, live in the moment. We park, and start to walk up the steep streets to the Osteria del Tempo Perso. DD stops, and is bent over with stomach pain. We send the boys on to find the restaurant while we rest. They return to announce they have found the restaurant, and it is closed as well.

Just then I look up and see a sign on the wall, Ristorante Porta Nova, 100 meters, my second choice.

The day is rescued, the air conditioning is lovely, the restaurant is very elegant, and has the best view in town. And the food is delicious and beautiful.

http://en.ristoranteportanova.com/index.html

My wood fire grilled gamberoni comes with a glass dome that is filled with gauzy smoke, and when the lid is lifted, a wonderful aroma of wood smoke escapes and wafts by our noses. I have no idea how they accomplished that!

In the late afternoons, in southern Italy, you can see the wheelbarrows filled with fire wood being delivered in the back alleys to the kitchen doors, and in the evening, that delicious odour hangs in the cool night air. It's one of the things I love about southern Italy.

C chooses noodles made with sepia, and Tim chooses langoustine. DD, otherwise known as E, has white fish with olive, caper and lemon sauce.
Look at these delectable pictures:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6sl7evyh3elo3oc/5QanTVMRxQ


And the local white wine has relaxed us all, and we're ready to hit the highway and move on to Lecce.

sundried , you write evocatively. Thank you.

A wonderful part of Italy. Your report brings back such wonderful memories of a special place! Thanks.

Beautiful descriptions - thank you for sharing

Thanks for the comments. Jubilada, I find Puglia is an evocative place.

My wood fire grilled gamberoni comes with a glass dome that is filled with gauzy smoke, and when the lid is lifted, a wonderful aroma of wood smoke escapes and wafts by our noses. I have no idea how they accomplished that!>>

now I'm jealous. those pics look terrific.

LECCE

The drive into Lecce isn't half as horrible as I had read. Really, the only bad thing is that our GPS keeps trying to get us to drive into a lane that has posts in front of it. Of course it does, our hotel is in the Centro Storico!

So, as I have done several times already, I leave the group in the car, walk into the lane with posts, and find our hotel lobby inside a restaurant of the same name.

Catarina, the beautiful, dark haired young woman who is looking after us, volunteers to come back with me to the car and show us where the parking lot is.

Our car cannot fit another person, so I walk in to the hotel, and Catarina gets in and directs my group and the car around to where we can unload our bags, then further goes with Tim to show him where to park, about a mile away.

Talk about personalized service! And Tim doesn't mind taking directions from this beautiful girl!
Moral of the story is, never be afraid of booking a hotel in the Centro Storico. There's always some-one willing to help, and the location can't be beat.

Our B &B is set inside a 15th Century synagogue and our rooms are drop dead gorgeous, with high ceilings and wood beams, modern bathrooms, and the biggest bed I have ever seen. And out the window is a view of the Santa Croce Basilica and the piazza that is named after it. What's not to love!

Tim and I enjoy seeing the reaction of C and E. Architecture like this is simply not found in our young country.
Santa Croce has more decoration per square foot than one could imagine, like the winner of an 'extreme' cake decorating contest, with gargoyles, demons, strange looking men, women and animals, dragons, curlicues, flowers, fruits, and geometrical designs. You name it, Santa Croce has got it, and its all done very tastefully.

I'm also loving that C is really good with directions, and takes over the navigating responsibilities. After being the tour guide for 3 weeks, I'm ready to follow some-one else.

He guides us around a walking tour of the city, where the baroque architecture, of course, is the draw. And it's everywhere. It's a small center, and literally in any direction we walk, we see churches, palazzos, and balconies decorated in this joyful style. The grey stone of the north has given way to a soft honey color and cream. Lit up at night, everything glows in a most attractive way.

It's a lively city, too. Lecce has a very different cultural feel to it, a modern progressive drive which also respects and maintains the heritage of the city. Many young people here, like Catarina, have taken an interest in promoting the history of the place, along with the careful restoration of historical buildings.

All along the streets are interesting shops, not just the well known designer shops that are in every city, but artisanal shops with leather goods, handmade jewellery, old book stores, and the local craft of papier mâché.

Papier mâché has been made here since the 17th C. and much of it has a religious theme, although there is also other subject matter. If you have the patience, look at this website, a series of photos which can be watched as a slideshow, and demonstrates how it is made and the finished product.

http://enricomartino.photoshelter.com/gallery/Italy-Lecces-Papier-mache/G0000M45ZLLpdtew/0/C0000U3YX0C_h7bE

It is fascinating to see, and it is the one thing I would have brought home if we had any room.

The leather shop also holds some treasures, and Tim buys a great leather briefcase, after which time we see a lot of businessmen there carrying the same style of case.

Catarina had made reservations for us at Alle Due Corti, famous for "cucina povera", dishes based on the "cooking of the poor".

At first we miss it and walk by, as there is not a lot of fanfare. Double doors are open so I pop my head in, and a smart looking older Italian woman sitting at a table smiles and waves us to come in. It's not fancy, but it's homey, and very clean.

At 7:30, the place is already full, I would venture, with tourists. But the service and the meal are not at all that of a tourist restaurant.

The good thing about having four people is that there is more opportunity to try different dishes. So that is just what we do. We ordered.....

Ciceri e tria- boiled and fried pasta with chickpeas- good
Lu piattu te lu tiaulicchiu--Cheese, salami and olive. This dish is spicy.- really good but some of the cheese was really strong
Fave nette cu le cicureddhe- Mashed fava beans with chicory and olive oil- excellent
Mixed fried vegetables- fresh and delicious
Purpette allu sucu- Meatballs in tomato sauce.

La Taieddha.
It is rice, sliced potatoes and mussels baked together in the oven.

Every dish is very well prepared and flavourful, but my favorite is La Taieddha, rice on the bottom to sop up all the flavour, mussels in the middle, and the potatoes making a scalloped potato-like crust, really, really good.

Reading Christ Stopped at Eboli I think helped to get an understanding of where this poor cooking originated, with peasants who were only able to afford to eat meat possibly only several times a year, and with the need to make tasty food out of what was available.

It has been said that cucina povera comes from everywhere people who were poor lived. My grandmother made delicious food for us when we were young; rice rolled up into cabbage leaves, and flavoured with onions and a bit of bacon, fried in bacon grease and butter; soup made from beets, carrots, potatoes, onions, beans, dill and sour cream; pirogues made from flour, water, cottage cheese, mashed potato, dill, and sometimes Saskatoon berries.
Certainly this was cucina povera, from a different country, but originating from the same poverty. I felt a connection to my own heritage when I read the book.

A nice expression of the philosophy of the Salento here:

http://www.alleduecortishop.com/alleduecorti/eng/e_Salento_gastronomia.htm

Total bill for 4 people: €87.50

The night is still young, and the young ones want to map out the shops to explore tomorrow before we head off down the coast. So we take in some more of the heady atmosphere of a warm night in Lecce.

I am really enjoying your trip report sundriedpachino, thank you.
We have just come back from Naples and the Amalfi coast but Puglia is a place I want to go to next.

Thanks raincitygirl. Maybe we crossed paths on the Amalfi coast. We went to Amalfi after Puglia in the beginning of October.

I seem to have missed giving the name of our B and B in Lecce:

Palazzo Persone

http://www.palazzopersone.com/camere.asp?pagina=sinagoga

October 2, Tuesday

By the time the purchases are made in the morning, I am dripping from the humidity and the heat. The temperature has cooled down some to the low 30's, but I'm getting grumpy from having to swab my neck and face with napkins that I brought along from breakfast.
It's getting later and later. Since I started planning this trip, the one thing I really wanted to do was to get down to the tip of the heel of Italy, if for no other reason than to say I dipped my feet in the meeting of the seas.

We finally get on the road by noon, and we head all the way down to Castro Marina to the Zinzulusa Caves. I've seen pictures on the Internet and it looks fantastic.

When we arrive there, the restaurant is closing, at 1 pm.
It costs €5 each to go down to the caves, which don't look anything like the pics on the Internet. We wait 10 or 15 minutes for the guide, and the tour is a lame imitation of our tour at the Grotte di Castellana. What can I say? The tour guide was pulling on the skin on his arm, and gesturing to indicate... something? Tim finally figures it out...droopy boobs. Sad....
And we call this the droopy boobs, because it looks like droopy boobs.....

Enough of caves. We may have enjoyed it more if we had taken the boat tour around to see the limestone caves from the water view. I was outvoted on that one.

C and E are not convinced yet that the Mezzogiorno in southern Italy means everything is closed in the afternoon, and we mean 'everything'. After much driving around, C is able to acquire something similar to Glossettes chocolate covered peanuts for E.

E is now feeling ill. We make a quick stop to see the beach at Porto Badisco, which has been described as one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere.

I'd like to think it was the circumstances of the day, or that the sky was a little grey, or that maybe we had the wrong beach, but Porto Badisco was a letdown.

We climb back in the car, and start north, along the coastline. It is quite pretty, doesn't bowl me over though, and E is feeling really badly for "spoiling our day". So we decide to hit the highway and get back to Lecce for a good meal.

I guess I'm going back some day to Otranto, down to Tricase, Santa Maria di Leuca, and around to Gallipoli and the Ionian Sea, maybe Santa Caterina.
But I'm definitely going to allow more than one afternoon next time. Lesson learned.

Well, this vacation is not all about me. Thanks to tripadvisor, E finds a restaurant that serves gluten free items, and a good time is had by all.

We all feel sad to leave this city, which has been so friendly and welcoming to us. There is something special about the hospitality of the south.
-----------------------------------------------
For anyone really interested in the Salento, here is a website of Masseria Uccio at Tricase
The owner has compiled a great amount of information about the area, history of Masseria, what to see, what to do, where to eat, all under the Masseria tab, and the menus on the left
I found this website through Fodorite kawh, whose trip report in May inspired me.

http://www.masseriauccio.com/index.php/english/Masseria-Uccio-nel-Salento.html

Tomorrow: paying Il Conto, swimming in a cave, gasping at Matera

We were in the area same timeframe as you and it was hot. And yes, isnt it amazing how absolutely EVERYTHING closes down in the afternoon. We would rush to get someplace before the big shut down. Often even before 1, things would be closing up.

Who knew Porto Badisco is supposed to be one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere -- nice, but wasn't overwhelmed by it & we saw it on a bright blue sky, sunny day. I did love the drive up & down the coast from Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca.

Couldn't agree more with you about the hospitality of the south. Felt like I was leaving a good friend in each place we left.

Yes, my husband had an interesting word to describe the south, he said they are more "forgiving", especially referring to the driving.
I would add, perhaps less formal than in the north.
In any case, we like it! It's similar in Sicily.

I am really enjoying this charming and helpful report, but it is giving me pause about visiting this region. I am a slow traveler in the sense of the word that I often don't get out for the day until 1pm! When does everything reopen?
perhaps an apartment rental would be a necessity for me, because nothing is more important than eating.

I thought Porto Badisco (the tiny beach cove between the rocky headlands) was beautiful, but there ARE beaches that are more beautiful further south along the Adriatic, towards Leuca. This past September (2012) we visited a picture-postcard beach in a rocky cove near NAviglie that reminded me of the beach in the fjord at Furore, but many times more beautiful and much cleaner.

The Ionian beaches like Pescoluse on the Ionian side fulfill the conventional picture of a gorgeous stretch of white sand with clear turquoise water (on sunny days, anyway), but on our most recent trip a few months ago, we fell in love with Sta Maria al Bagno, and a few of the beaches near Porto Selvaggio. Also a few near Ugento, where we stayed for a few days.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/bestbeaches/5250216/Best-beaches-in-Puglia-Italy-Porto-Badisco-Otranto.html


But if you really want to talk beaches, Maratea, on Basilicata's short Tyrrhenian coastline, has some dreamy spots.


Sounds as if you had a lovely vacation!

Thanks ekscrunchy, for the beach info. I know there are some beautiful spots all along there, and we just have to get back and spend more time.

Yorkshire, you really have to plan for mealtimes, as at home I usually grab a bite about 2 pm, but in Italy, the south in particular, it seems to me everything is closed tight by 2 pm. We found the same in Umbria.

Then we would have a glass of wine with snacks about 5 pm, and that would keep us going until 8 for dinner.
Now we're home, we seem to have fallen into that pattern!

thanks, sundriedpachino--I am the same way about Spain's dining times--eating dinner well after 9pm most nights!

These photos are mostly from my husband's Samsung phone, so I had to do a lot of editing, but here are pics of Lecce and the Zinzulusa cave

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/sjukh561ug9aq1g/uNTzDWRvy3

ON TO MATERA


I have made an appointment for a tour in Matera, so it is essential that we leave early this morning.

Tim and C and E fetch the car. They find a spot to pull off and load up the luggage while I go to pay the bill.
In the office, I try to pay with my Visa, but the network is down. Several times the girl tries, but it is just not working. Time is ticking by....I explain that my husband is parked in a No Parking zone, so she takes me down the block to a business of a friend, and he tries my Visa multiple times, but still, the network is down.
The friend accompanies me to an ATM, but that network is down. Another bank, another ATM, same thing. More time....
I find out that it is impossible to get cash inside the bank. So we walk and walk to a third bank. I am texting Tim to let him know what is happening, but his phone is off.

I see E walking towards us, and am glad to see a familiar face. And finally, I am able to get some cash. Luckily, I have 2 debit cards, so I can take €250 on each, and scrounge up enough cash between the two of us to almost pay the bill. It'll have to do.

It has taken an hour to pay the bill, and thankfully Tim is still waiting in the No Parking spot, pretty much on the sidewalk, in front of the government offices. A little stress to start the day right!

The highway up to Bari seems the obvious choice to save time, and after all the poking about, it feels good to just go, straight and fast.

There is the matter of lunch, and the afternoon closings, so I suggest we stop at Torre a Mare again, to pick up some food, and eat by the waterfront.
We find a bakery, a rosticceria where we buy a rotisserie chicken with potatoes, some fresh fruit, and C gets a wonderful sandwich, and we head down to a cafe overlooking the marina, and have a healthy and sustaining lunch. And the view is great. No lunch panic today!

There are several roads into Matera, and we are coming from the Altamura direction. There's not much to see until arrival into the town, but once the Sassi become visible, we hear gasps from the back seat. Matera on first sight is pretty impressive!

Our hotel, Locanda di San Martino, is another of those hard to get at, right in the middle of things, kind of places. It's quite a journey, though, down through the lanes of white on white buildings and churches, piled up in angular shapes and blocks, like a ghost town, slightly eerie, but at the same time, impelling us to explore and find its story.

We check in, take a quick peak at the Thermae, spa pool with hot pool, steam room, sauna, relaxing room, all carved into the caves. It's fantastic, and we can hardly wait to relax here, after our tour.
Stairs lead down from our room, weaving past other rooms and terraces with views over the Sassi. Our guide meets us on the patio outside the lobby, and we begin our tour.

Giving us some history of the area, as well as some background into the politics of the restoration of the Sassi, she walks us through the streets, showing us one of the cave churches, and other characteristic buildings.

Where most other civilizations build up, the Sassi were built down, each level being carved out of the hillside underneath the homes above.

She explains how insular these groups of people were, not just from the rest of the country, but even among neighbourhoods within the Sassi.
Although poverty was universal, groups from one side of the Sassi considered themselves superior to groups from the other side of the Sassi.

The lack of sanitation, animals living in the dwellings with their owners, and not enough nutritious food contributed to rampant illness.
The number of children who died here from malaria will probably never be known.

Since the first time we were here 2 years ago, I have read Carlo Levi's book, which I believe gives more insight into life in these towns than either of the tours we've taken, although we enjoyed both tours, and do not regret taking them.

After two hours, we are anxious to get back and relax in the 'cave spa' before dinner.
And it's just what we need! How much better can it get than beautiful aqua pools in carved out cave shaped rooms, alternately with steam rooms and herbal tea. After an hour and a half of that, we feel totally refreshed and renewed, and ready to carry on.

Tim and I have fond memories of a great meal at Rivelli two years ago, so we all dress for dinner, and off we go for a meal we've been anticipating.

At 8 pm, we are the only ones in the restaurant. To say the least, the service is indifferent. The proprietor is unimpressed that we have returned.
We order the house antipasti which includes a large platter of tasty salamis and cheeses, mixed vegetables, the fava bean and chicory dish, noodles with porcini mushrooms, 3 portions of lamb, and sausages.

And we also ask if its possible to get an order of the sautéed olives that we had last time. Of course it is.

Everything is tasty, except the sausages look and taste exactly like the ones we buy at home at Costco. How is that possible?

The sautéed olives are a no-show, as is the pasta with porcini. When everything else has been consumed, we ask about our pasta.

The proprietor gives us a look of horror, not that he's forgotten something, but that WE forgot something.
"You want pasta? Now?"
Okay, maybe a simple misunderstanding, but considering we are still the only people in the restaurant, the cook and the proprietor have been having a noisy argument, and the cook is now standing outside smoking, something seems a little off.

It feels like we are intruding on something, and no-one seems to care if we are happy with our meal or not.

Ristorante Rivelli. Via Casalnuovo 27 75100 Matera (MT) - Italia
I am not recommending this place because there are so many other well recommended restaurants in Matera with better service.

One thing we have learned in our travels is, trying to re-create an experience almost never works. Not a big deal.... Matera in lights is waiting for us.

From one side of the Sasso Caveoso, one can see across to the Sasso Barisano, irregular shapes outlined and highlighted by strategically placed lighting. Just a few decades ago, there was no electricity, and the light would have been from lanterns, or perhaps cooking fires. The animals would have been bedded down for the night inside the farthest reaches of the caves, and the sound of sick children crying would have echoed across the chasm.

But tonight, a band is playing rock songs from U2, Led Zeppelin and other groups from the Seventies and Eighties, and it is filling the Sassi with familiar sounds from our past.

We stand and listen while we contemplate how a place once so full of horrors could be so beautiful now. This is an experience the young ones will not forget.

Here are some photos of Matera. I have included a few I took in 2010, when my camera was still working....

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/emb6wyb37gkb3rs/7ZceEI7kha

We were only able to spend one night in Matera, and if we had had one more day, we could have also visited the Cripta del Peccato Originale, frescoes painted in an underground cave found in the middle of a field.
However, we had taken one day from Lecce so C and E could experience Matera on our way to Amalfi, and I'm so glad we did.
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A word to those on a gluten free diet: In Northern Italy, almost every breakfast buffet had gluten free items, but in the south, nothing.
We did stop at a large grocery store, Hyper coop, which was a few miles out on the highway from Matera.
They had a large selection of gf items, so DD bought gluten free bread and some other items so she would have some emergency food.

DD also found on the web that the farmacias carry bread and snack type things, which she was able to buy, to fill the carb hole when grilled fish alone just wasn't doing it.

We encountered risotto on the menu as well, but often with cheese, and one can tire of eating risotto too often. In the north, of course, there was polenta.

The hotel in Matera told us that if we had requested in advance, they would have been able to provide some gf choices. Just a tip there for others who are on gluten free diets.

Sundried, I so enjoyed your TR. My wife and I are heading to Puglia in mid May for 2 weeks. I've made notes from lots of your comments - thanks. Also, I was glad to see that your daughter was able to get by on her GF diet as my wife is gluten sensitive. Your notes specific to gf were appreciated. Do you happen to remember the name of the gf restaurant in Lecce? Thanks again for the terrific report!
Robbie