On my way to Puglia
Sep 29th, 2016, 12:20 PM
#1
Original Poster
On my way to Puglia
I suppose this is a good a place to start a trip report as any, even though I am still traveling to my destination.
Apologies if this is, or becomes somewhat incoherent, it will become apparent as to why. I am writing this on my netbook on board a Frecciaargento train somewhere between Foggia and Bari, on my way to Lecce. Today has been “A bit of an adventure”
A combination of a hectic few weeks and a difficult journey to the airport had left us both very tired – but this didn’t matter as we had booked an overnight stay in a hotel right next to the terminal. We slept really well – too well as it turned out – right through the alarm. It was 6:15 and our flight would take off at 6:20.
I swore, cursed my stupidity (I nearly always set both phone alarms but for some reason had overlooked it), then wandered over to the airport more in hope than with any realistic expectations. We are talking Ryanair here so stupidity or failure to follow the rules are going to be costly.
The woman at the help desk was actually incredibly understanding – we could change our flights that day for £100 each (twice what they cost but less than a third of the cost of buying a new ticket) Unfortunately there were no more flights to Brindisi that day, there was one to Bari but it arrived very late and It would have been close to midnight before we would be able to get to Lecce. This really only left Rome as an option – a quick look online found I could get a train from Rome to Lecce which would get me there by 8:30pm – not ideal but workable.
So 9am found us taking off for Ciampino, and things were looking up as we landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule. The quickest and cheapest way to get into central Rome can be local bus to Ciampino station followed by train to Termini. For us it wasn’t as we missed a train while waiting in a queue for tickets, and the next wasn’t for another 50 minute – but we still got there in plenty of time to find out that we could not buy tickets for the fast “frecciaargento” at the automatic machines. Going to the ticket office, we found a queuing system – take a number and watch the board, and the delay seemed to be about 30 minutes.
A very pleasant young woman handing out the numbered tickets told me that both fast trains for today were full, but ask at the office anyway (I now only had 40 minutes until departure).
At this stage we were getting desperate – maybe we could fly, but I needed internet access – so a quick trip upstairs to the TIM office = no luck – another “take a number” system , and at least 15 people in front of us – I was running out of ideas – so back to the ticket office queue.
It was there that we had some more luck. A casually dressed man,- he didn’t look like an official- was standing near the ticket machines as I double checked the Lecce train – he confirmed it was sold out – but then told me that if I took the train to Benevento, I could pick up a fast train from there to Lecce. I was sceptical, but it was true – Rome to Benevento (3h20) a 90 minute wait then another 3.5 hours to Lecce via Foggia.
So there you have it – I have just passed Bari, and have just over an hour to go. I’m hoping that the apartment owner will be there to meet us (I’ve had all sorts of issues with phones and internet – but I think we have an understanding) and then I want to sleep for about 12 hours. Hopefully I’ll have more interesting travel related stuff to add to this report later.
Apologies if this is, or becomes somewhat incoherent, it will become apparent as to why. I am writing this on my netbook on board a Frecciaargento train somewhere between Foggia and Bari, on my way to Lecce. Today has been “A bit of an adventure”
A combination of a hectic few weeks and a difficult journey to the airport had left us both very tired – but this didn’t matter as we had booked an overnight stay in a hotel right next to the terminal. We slept really well – too well as it turned out – right through the alarm. It was 6:15 and our flight would take off at 6:20.
I swore, cursed my stupidity (I nearly always set both phone alarms but for some reason had overlooked it), then wandered over to the airport more in hope than with any realistic expectations. We are talking Ryanair here so stupidity or failure to follow the rules are going to be costly.
The woman at the help desk was actually incredibly understanding – we could change our flights that day for £100 each (twice what they cost but less than a third of the cost of buying a new ticket) Unfortunately there were no more flights to Brindisi that day, there was one to Bari but it arrived very late and It would have been close to midnight before we would be able to get to Lecce. This really only left Rome as an option – a quick look online found I could get a train from Rome to Lecce which would get me there by 8:30pm – not ideal but workable.
So 9am found us taking off for Ciampino, and things were looking up as we landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule. The quickest and cheapest way to get into central Rome can be local bus to Ciampino station followed by train to Termini. For us it wasn’t as we missed a train while waiting in a queue for tickets, and the next wasn’t for another 50 minute – but we still got there in plenty of time to find out that we could not buy tickets for the fast “frecciaargento” at the automatic machines. Going to the ticket office, we found a queuing system – take a number and watch the board, and the delay seemed to be about 30 minutes.
A very pleasant young woman handing out the numbered tickets told me that both fast trains for today were full, but ask at the office anyway (I now only had 40 minutes until departure).
At this stage we were getting desperate – maybe we could fly, but I needed internet access – so a quick trip upstairs to the TIM office = no luck – another “take a number” system , and at least 15 people in front of us – I was running out of ideas – so back to the ticket office queue.
It was there that we had some more luck. A casually dressed man,- he didn’t look like an official- was standing near the ticket machines as I double checked the Lecce train – he confirmed it was sold out – but then told me that if I took the train to Benevento, I could pick up a fast train from there to Lecce. I was sceptical, but it was true – Rome to Benevento (3h20) a 90 minute wait then another 3.5 hours to Lecce via Foggia.
So there you have it – I have just passed Bari, and have just over an hour to go. I’m hoping that the apartment owner will be there to meet us (I’ve had all sorts of issues with phones and internet – but I think we have an understanding) and then I want to sleep for about 12 hours. Hopefully I’ll have more interesting travel related stuff to add to this report later.
Sep 29th, 2016, 05:22 PM
#5
<We slept really well – too well as it turned out – right through the alarm. It was 6:15 and our flight would take off at 6:20.>>
I audibly snorted when I read this. If only I could sleep that well before a flight
I hope there's some smooth sailing ahead.
I audibly snorted when I read this. If only I could sleep that well before a flight
I hope there's some smooth sailing ahead.
Oct 2nd, 2016, 08:09 AM
#6
Original Poster
We did eventually arrive in Lecce, and the apartment owner was great about the delay, and came to pick us up at the station. It was well after midnight by the time everything was sorted out and we could shower and go to bed.
Are rental apartment is modern and well equipped, but it is outside of the old city in a fairly nondescript area typical of many modern Italian cities – large areas of apartment blocks and shops with the occasional small piazza – certainly all our “views” are merely of other apartment blocks.
Friday was somewhat of a washout – we were both exhausted. We made a half hearted attempt to explore a little of the old town, but it really is a maze and we frequently found ourselves hideously lost – but I suppose that is part of the charm.
Overall, Lecce hasn’t immediately won me over. Maybe I’m just not that interested in Baroque architecture. It was early afternoon when we were wandering, and all the churches were closed until the evening so we plan to see them early next week.
We did have a very good meal at the nearby A’Roma L’osteria. A really good selection of Salami and cold meats, followed by two very good pasta dishes and a bottle of house red followed by coffee cost us around €40.
Saturday we set of to explore Gallipoli. I made the mistake of trying to take a shortcut, and got hopelessly lost again – several times. I even asked for directions (against all male instincts) , thought I’d followed them to the letter, and found myself in various dead ends. We finally got to the station 5 minutes after our train had left.
As it was quite warm and humid, we sat in the station bar and had coffee and “cornetti” and waited for the next train that was due to depart an hour later.
Many of the local railways are run by Ferrovaria Sud Est (FSE) rather than the national rail company. At the allotted time, a strange little train arrived at the station – probably about the same length as two buses, and rather worn out. The windows were all so dirty that you could barely see out of them, and I'm not sure it ever got to a speed over 50km/h.
The journey was supposed to take just over an hour, but after leaving 15 minutes late, the guard moved through the carriage telling us all that the train was no longer going to Gallipoli, and we would now have to change at Zollino – which is why we found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no signboards, no information office, and no indication of when the next train would arrive.
An aside – a young Italian couple in their twenties had been passionately kissing while on the train. At Zollino they both disappeared into the male washroom. I suppose one has to make one’s own entertainment while delayed by FSE.
About 25 minutes after we were dumped, another train came along – we guessed it must be ours, but nobody was saying. Eventually a guard came through and confirmed that yes, Gallipoli was the destination.
I liked Gallipoli, it was very pretty. The old town and fortress juts out into the bay and you cross a bridge to get to it. I’ve seen it described as twee and touristy, and I could understand that, but to me, it would be quite appealing as a base.
We ate at Ristrobar Ritro, mostly because we liked the location alongside a sea wall. The food was decent enough – my seafood pasta particularly good. It was probably a little expensive overall, but we enjoyed the meal, and the view combined with the sea breeze made it very pleasant.
The train journey back was uneventful.
Are rental apartment is modern and well equipped, but it is outside of the old city in a fairly nondescript area typical of many modern Italian cities – large areas of apartment blocks and shops with the occasional small piazza – certainly all our “views” are merely of other apartment blocks.
Friday was somewhat of a washout – we were both exhausted. We made a half hearted attempt to explore a little of the old town, but it really is a maze and we frequently found ourselves hideously lost – but I suppose that is part of the charm.
Overall, Lecce hasn’t immediately won me over. Maybe I’m just not that interested in Baroque architecture. It was early afternoon when we were wandering, and all the churches were closed until the evening so we plan to see them early next week.
We did have a very good meal at the nearby A’Roma L’osteria. A really good selection of Salami and cold meats, followed by two very good pasta dishes and a bottle of house red followed by coffee cost us around €40.
Saturday we set of to explore Gallipoli. I made the mistake of trying to take a shortcut, and got hopelessly lost again – several times. I even asked for directions (against all male instincts) , thought I’d followed them to the letter, and found myself in various dead ends. We finally got to the station 5 minutes after our train had left.
As it was quite warm and humid, we sat in the station bar and had coffee and “cornetti” and waited for the next train that was due to depart an hour later.
Many of the local railways are run by Ferrovaria Sud Est (FSE) rather than the national rail company. At the allotted time, a strange little train arrived at the station – probably about the same length as two buses, and rather worn out. The windows were all so dirty that you could barely see out of them, and I'm not sure it ever got to a speed over 50km/h.
The journey was supposed to take just over an hour, but after leaving 15 minutes late, the guard moved through the carriage telling us all that the train was no longer going to Gallipoli, and we would now have to change at Zollino – which is why we found ourselves stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no signboards, no information office, and no indication of when the next train would arrive.
An aside – a young Italian couple in their twenties had been passionately kissing while on the train. At Zollino they both disappeared into the male washroom. I suppose one has to make one’s own entertainment while delayed by FSE.
About 25 minutes after we were dumped, another train came along – we guessed it must be ours, but nobody was saying. Eventually a guard came through and confirmed that yes, Gallipoli was the destination.
I liked Gallipoli, it was very pretty. The old town and fortress juts out into the bay and you cross a bridge to get to it. I’ve seen it described as twee and touristy, and I could understand that, but to me, it would be quite appealing as a base.
We ate at Ristrobar Ritro, mostly because we liked the location alongside a sea wall. The food was decent enough – my seafood pasta particularly good. It was probably a little expensive overall, but we enjoyed the meal, and the view combined with the sea breeze made it very pleasant.
The train journey back was uneventful.
Oct 2nd, 2016, 09:45 AM
#8
Original Poster
I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit. I'm currently sitting in a Piazza, eating olives, drinking local beer and watching the world go by. It's 7:40 local time and the temperature is still in the 20s. It's Italy, what's not to like?
The people here seem exceptionally friendly, confirming my preconceptions about Southern Italians.
The people here seem exceptionally friendly, confirming my preconceptions about Southern Italians.
Oct 10th, 2016, 12:03 PM
#9
Original Poster
I've been neglecting this report (I promise it will get more positive - maybe not this next bit)
Monday 3rd October:
Time for some more exploring, and Ostuni appeared a popular destination. I looked on the rome2rio site, and there were several options, but the only workable one seemed to be a train to Brindisi, then a local bus. The timing was quite tight, but I thought it would be workable.
I was quite taken aback once on the train, the announcement was along the lines of “Train to Bari centrale stopping at … Brindisi, Carovigno, Ostuni, Cisternino - There is a stop at Ostuni ?
I looked at a map, and found the station was about 2-3 km from the city, so walkable – and it made far more sense that rushing around Brindisi trying to find a specific bus stop. We got off at Brindisi to buy tickets onwards (I tried to find a guard, to see if I could get a new ticket without changing trains, but without success – still, no great problem as I knew the trains are every 30-45 minutes so it would not have been a long wait)
We had breakfast at a bar near the station; coffee and “Un Rustico” I think the barman called it, a sort of cheese and tomato pie – very pleasant. Onwards to Ostuni – and on arrival at the station, a minibus was waiting – the driver pointing out we could buy tickets at the station bar (which we did while he waited), so we were quickly up into the town.
I must try and be fair here. Ostuni is a very beautiful town. It looks wonderful from the station, and not too shabby at street level. The white building s have been described as “more reminiscent of Greece than Italy” and I understand why.
I read that the region around Ostuni is sometimes referred to as “Salentoshire” as so many British people live/have holiday homes in or around the city – it is the 5th most popular location for UK expatriots in Italy. I have to say I am missing something here, because I cannot see the attraction.
After visiting the Duomo and another church (neither particularly memorable), we spent half an hour just wandering around , admiring views and taking photos. Then there wasn’t anything obvious left to do:
It was Monday so the museum was shut. Tripadvisor gives the 6th most popular “Thing to do in Ostuni” as the tourist office! We decided to have lunch but it seemed that any decently rated restaurant was a) some distance out of town b) closed for holidays or c) didn’t open at lunchtime.
It was also incredibly hot – the pharmacy signs varied between 26 and 28 degrees, but combined with the humidity is was very unpleasant – the beautiful white walls just radiated heat back at you, and there seemed a shortage of shade.
As there were no buses back for a while, we tried exploring one of the other hills in the town, and ended up in a more residential area with a small park which was sadly rather neglected (although it did have a rather lovely map seemingly drawn by primary school children displayed at the entrance).
On the way back down the hill, I slipped on a wet patch (? melted Ice cream) , did an involuntary “Splits”, and landed rather heavily on my right knee. It wasn’t massively painful, but I was now hobbling, so it seemed sensible to sit and wait for the afternoon bus back down to the station.
On returning home, we stopped for a quick drink at a local “craft beer” bar called “The Hopster”. It’s a good choice of a name because the owner is a stereotypical hipster, but he was extremely friendly and had a very good selection of beers.
We ate at A’Roma L’osteria again, mostly because it was so close, and our first meal there had been excellent. We weren’t disappointed and had another excellent meal: a selection of cheeses from the Lazio region, a pasta with guanciale (pig cheek - it’s like bacon, only even more “piggy”!) and pecorino, I had gnocchi with sausage. A litre of house red, water and coffee and it was still under €40.
Monday 3rd October:
Time for some more exploring, and Ostuni appeared a popular destination. I looked on the rome2rio site, and there were several options, but the only workable one seemed to be a train to Brindisi, then a local bus. The timing was quite tight, but I thought it would be workable.
I was quite taken aback once on the train, the announcement was along the lines of “Train to Bari centrale stopping at … Brindisi, Carovigno, Ostuni, Cisternino - There is a stop at Ostuni ?
I looked at a map, and found the station was about 2-3 km from the city, so walkable – and it made far more sense that rushing around Brindisi trying to find a specific bus stop. We got off at Brindisi to buy tickets onwards (I tried to find a guard, to see if I could get a new ticket without changing trains, but without success – still, no great problem as I knew the trains are every 30-45 minutes so it would not have been a long wait)
We had breakfast at a bar near the station; coffee and “Un Rustico” I think the barman called it, a sort of cheese and tomato pie – very pleasant. Onwards to Ostuni – and on arrival at the station, a minibus was waiting – the driver pointing out we could buy tickets at the station bar (which we did while he waited), so we were quickly up into the town.
I must try and be fair here. Ostuni is a very beautiful town. It looks wonderful from the station, and not too shabby at street level. The white building s have been described as “more reminiscent of Greece than Italy” and I understand why.
I read that the region around Ostuni is sometimes referred to as “Salentoshire” as so many British people live/have holiday homes in or around the city – it is the 5th most popular location for UK expatriots in Italy. I have to say I am missing something here, because I cannot see the attraction.
After visiting the Duomo and another church (neither particularly memorable), we spent half an hour just wandering around , admiring views and taking photos. Then there wasn’t anything obvious left to do:
It was Monday so the museum was shut. Tripadvisor gives the 6th most popular “Thing to do in Ostuni” as the tourist office! We decided to have lunch but it seemed that any decently rated restaurant was a) some distance out of town b) closed for holidays or c) didn’t open at lunchtime.
It was also incredibly hot – the pharmacy signs varied between 26 and 28 degrees, but combined with the humidity is was very unpleasant – the beautiful white walls just radiated heat back at you, and there seemed a shortage of shade.
As there were no buses back for a while, we tried exploring one of the other hills in the town, and ended up in a more residential area with a small park which was sadly rather neglected (although it did have a rather lovely map seemingly drawn by primary school children displayed at the entrance).
On the way back down the hill, I slipped on a wet patch (? melted Ice cream) , did an involuntary “Splits”, and landed rather heavily on my right knee. It wasn’t massively painful, but I was now hobbling, so it seemed sensible to sit and wait for the afternoon bus back down to the station.
On returning home, we stopped for a quick drink at a local “craft beer” bar called “The Hopster”. It’s a good choice of a name because the owner is a stereotypical hipster, but he was extremely friendly and had a very good selection of beers.
We ate at A’Roma L’osteria again, mostly because it was so close, and our first meal there had been excellent. We weren’t disappointed and had another excellent meal: a selection of cheeses from the Lazio region, a pasta with guanciale (pig cheek - it’s like bacon, only even more “piggy”!) and pecorino, I had gnocchi with sausage. A litre of house red, water and coffee and it was still under €40.
Oct 11th, 2016, 12:19 AM
#11
Original Poster
jubilada - I don't mind using public transport, and initially, it seemed that this would be a decent option - but in hindsight (and for any future trips) then I think I need a car.
Part of the problem is lack of preparation - I usually do quite a bit of research well before traveling, but for this trip, for an assortment of reasons, there wasn't time.
Skimming through guidebooks gave me a false impression - yes you can get to Marina Franca by train, but it takes 2.5 hours and at least one change of train companies. There is a bus, but you can't get back unless you only wish to spend half an hour in the town etc.
Part of the problem is lack of preparation - I usually do quite a bit of research well before traveling, but for this trip, for an assortment of reasons, there wasn't time.
Skimming through guidebooks gave me a false impression - yes you can get to Marina Franca by train, but it takes 2.5 hours and at least one change of train companies. There is a bus, but you can't get back unless you only wish to spend half an hour in the town etc.
Oct 11th, 2016, 05:40 AM
#12
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Hope your knee isn't too bad!
As you, I don't see the attraction of Ostuni. A friend of mine is also looking to buy a house there. I found it terribly touristy, all those shops selling souvenirs. Not my place anyway.
As to Martina Franca, it's not the most interesting town, either. So if you can't get there, you didn't miss a lot.
As you, I don't see the attraction of Ostuni. A friend of mine is also looking to buy a house there. I found it terribly touristy, all those shops selling souvenirs. Not my place anyway.
As to Martina Franca, it's not the most interesting town, either. So if you can't get there, you didn't miss a lot.
Oct 11th, 2016, 08:16 AM
#13
Original Poster
"As to Martina Franca, it's not the most interesting town, either. So if you can't get there, you didn't miss a lot"
That makes me feel much better - because today, my hate affair with FSE continued. We had tickets to Martina Franca and the bus just failed to arrive. I waited for over 30 minutes after the departure time, but nothing. Instead, I walked off in a huff, went to the train station, and took a trip to Polignano A Mare (which I enjoyed)
That makes me feel much better - because today, my hate affair with FSE continued. We had tickets to Martina Franca and the bus just failed to arrive. I waited for over 30 minutes after the departure time, but nothing. Instead, I walked off in a huff, went to the train station, and took a trip to Polignano A Mare (which I enjoyed)
Oct 11th, 2016, 10:31 AM
#15
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I found Martina Franca very interesting, three full days worth,and I'm really glad we stayed there, but I don't think one needs to go everywhere. You had fun, that's all good., and some places are just not in the cards , for numerous reasons.
Oct 15th, 2016, 10:47 AM
#16
Original Poster
I'm back in the UK now, and have downloaded my photos - and I've spotted an error already. The second time we ate at A'Roma was the Sunday night, after doing very little all day.
On our trip back from Ostuni, we walked up through the old part of Lecce, and passed "Pizza&Co" - it is a tiny "pizza by the slice" shop, with a very few two person tables on the street, and yet it appears in the top 3 restaurants in Lecce according to Tripadvisor. The Pizza was superb, and the selection of bottled beers (some local) meant that after eating here, I could understand why it had been so highly rated.
On Tuesday, we just walked slowly around Lecce. We went into several churches, which are interesting in their own way, but if you don't like the Baroque style can seem overly ornate. Many of the churches appeared to have total bans on photography (and not just the normal "no Flash" rule). We did try and eat at one of the Apartment owner's recommended restaurants, but they appear to have closed - possibly for a week's vacation - instead we bought bread, cheese, salami and a bottle of red wine, and just enjoyed a quiet night at home.
On our trip back from Ostuni, we walked up through the old part of Lecce, and passed "Pizza&Co" - it is a tiny "pizza by the slice" shop, with a very few two person tables on the street, and yet it appears in the top 3 restaurants in Lecce according to Tripadvisor. The Pizza was superb, and the selection of bottled beers (some local) meant that after eating here, I could understand why it had been so highly rated.
On Tuesday, we just walked slowly around Lecce. We went into several churches, which are interesting in their own way, but if you don't like the Baroque style can seem overly ornate. Many of the churches appeared to have total bans on photography (and not just the normal "no Flash" rule). We did try and eat at one of the Apartment owner's recommended restaurants, but they appear to have closed - possibly for a week's vacation - instead we bought bread, cheese, salami and a bottle of red wine, and just enjoyed a quiet night at home.
Oct 15th, 2016, 11:59 AM
#18
Original Poster
On Wednesday, another daytrip - out to Otranto which had been recommended by the apartment owner.
The ongoing battle with FSE continued, but this time the changes to the schedule worked in our favour and we only needed one change of train instead of the planned two. At Maglie we transferred to another ancient, small train - which refused to budge from the station without several minutes of attention from the station crew - I'm not quite sure what they were doing but it appeared the train wasn't getting any traction on the rails, and the wheels were just spinning in place.
One of the advantages of the very slow trains on FSE is that you get a great deal of time to admire the view. This part of Puglia is very flat and rocky, and there are mile after mile of olive groves containing some ancient looking gnarled trees - apparently they can live up to 1500 years.
Otranto was pleasant enough - a nice beach, many restaurants, an old city and a castle to explore. My favourite bit was the Duomo - founded in 1088, and with an incredible mosaic floor from the 1160s depicting old testament scenes as part of a "Tree of Life"
We had a very good lunch at Ristorante Dal Baffo next to the beach - I had a starter of mussels, rice and potato that was particularly good, although my beloved - having decided to brave the raw squid, found it "Slimy". She was much happier with her seafood spaghetti as her main course, and my Octopus in red wine was very pleasant.
Getting back to Lecce proved to be another FSE moment - The train had been cancelled and replaced by a bus. This was only apparent by a small A4 notice in Italian on the station door and one of the passengers was kindly moving among various tourist groups explaining the situation to them in English and German. The bus trip to Maglie was interesting as it interspersed bursts of well over the speed limit with crawling through very narrow streets of the other towns on the way back to Maglie.
At Maglie, there was mass confusion as it appeared several trains had been cancelled or rescheduled, and now large numbers of people, nearly all Italians were trying to find out when and where they needed to go. We reached Lecce about 45 minutes late - but hundreds of passengers were left on the platform while one poor official tried to answer all their questions (I can only assume that other trains were being resheduled and rereouted)
We stopped off for a last drink in the town centre, and went home to pack up for the departure to Monopoli the next day.
So overall I suppose Lecce was a bit of a disappointment. It's not to say I didn't like it , but it would be quite far down on a list of places to return to.
The ongoing battle with FSE continued, but this time the changes to the schedule worked in our favour and we only needed one change of train instead of the planned two. At Maglie we transferred to another ancient, small train - which refused to budge from the station without several minutes of attention from the station crew - I'm not quite sure what they were doing but it appeared the train wasn't getting any traction on the rails, and the wheels were just spinning in place.
One of the advantages of the very slow trains on FSE is that you get a great deal of time to admire the view. This part of Puglia is very flat and rocky, and there are mile after mile of olive groves containing some ancient looking gnarled trees - apparently they can live up to 1500 years.
Otranto was pleasant enough - a nice beach, many restaurants, an old city and a castle to explore. My favourite bit was the Duomo - founded in 1088, and with an incredible mosaic floor from the 1160s depicting old testament scenes as part of a "Tree of Life"
We had a very good lunch at Ristorante Dal Baffo next to the beach - I had a starter of mussels, rice and potato that was particularly good, although my beloved - having decided to brave the raw squid, found it "Slimy". She was much happier with her seafood spaghetti as her main course, and my Octopus in red wine was very pleasant.
Getting back to Lecce proved to be another FSE moment - The train had been cancelled and replaced by a bus. This was only apparent by a small A4 notice in Italian on the station door and one of the passengers was kindly moving among various tourist groups explaining the situation to them in English and German. The bus trip to Maglie was interesting as it interspersed bursts of well over the speed limit with crawling through very narrow streets of the other towns on the way back to Maglie.
At Maglie, there was mass confusion as it appeared several trains had been cancelled or rescheduled, and now large numbers of people, nearly all Italians were trying to find out when and where they needed to go. We reached Lecce about 45 minutes late - but hundreds of passengers were left on the platform while one poor official tried to answer all their questions (I can only assume that other trains were being resheduled and rereouted)
We stopped off for a last drink in the town centre, and went home to pack up for the departure to Monopoli the next day.
So overall I suppose Lecce was a bit of a disappointment. It's not to say I didn't like it , but it would be quite far down on a list of places to return to.
Oct 15th, 2016, 12:00 PM
#19
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There are some photographs (as yet unlabelled) at https://goo.gl/photos/91nku9AbiJTqUcQG8
Oct 15th, 2016, 12:43 PM
#20
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Oh, I love your photos. Just the right proportion of architecture to food to cats.
All the British fodorites are going to places I want to go to before I get a chance to. There must be some sort of rule against this.
All the British fodorites are going to places I want to go to before I get a chance to. There must be some sort of rule against this.
