One month in Puglia and Matera

Old Jul 7th, 2014, 02:25 PM
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Dai
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One month in Puglia and Matera

Here is a rundown of our month in Puglia with a side trip to Matera. I hope that it will be a fun read. It may not be so helpful as far as food is concerned because we are vegetarians, although R decided to try fish a couple of times, and I indulged in some sausage one time on my pizza. I will try to spare you any boring details, but I am word-y, and I will explain how I became confused here and there in an effort to help someone who faces the same questions.

Upon arrival at FCO for instance, after collecting R’s luggage (I only did carry-on) and getting our passports stamped, we exited a door to find three people holding signs for passengers. Our name wasn’t on there so I asked if this is where all the drivers congregate, so she said no and told me to continue through the next set of doors.When they opened, there were a ton of people holding signs of all shapes and sizes, including iPads with names on them, which I thought was clever. I methodically looked at every single name and finally found our driver. I booked with Rome Shuttle Limosene because they have a good reputation and they do not charge you right up front when you book with them. They were a good choice with excellent communication, and I would book with them again.

http://www.romeshuttlelimousine.com/

I had asked our driver about phone stores and if I could get a SIM for my iPhone at a Tabacchi. He said no and that since we arrived on Sunday, and Monday was a holiday, we’d be out of luck until Tuesday to get a SIM.

The only reservation we made was for the first night in Rome. With more than 1200 hotels to choose from, I wasn’t willing to arrive after two flight stops and hunt down a place, so I booked Voi Donna Camilla Savelli Hotel Roma through booking.com because they had a better rate than the hotel’s website.

http://www.hoteldonnacamillasavelli.com/

This is a lovely hotel with a nice room. I picked the Trastevere area because I had never stayed there before and I was up for something different. I liked the robes and slippers they provide and the breakfast is just as good as described by reviewers. In fact I have every intention of copying their homemade juice recipe of lemon, orange, and carrot. R suggested I ask them about the SIM, and they said that many phone stores are open on Sunday, so we decided to accomplish that task. Here is a reminder to never take one person’s advice on anything. Ask and ask again, because you may find out that the person who seemed so sure in his or her response was incorrect. This happened quite a few times when we’d ask a question.

Our hotel (a former convent-with one or two sisters still living there) is on a slight hill and as we set out to explore, we decided that it would be faster and safer to descend the cobblestone street by walking on our hands. We hadn’t been in Italy for 11 years, but I really don’t remember these black groutless squares, or “slippery deathtraps” as we lovingly referred to them. Something like this:

http://www.123rf.com/photo_2112628_b...tone-road.html

After making our way over Ponte Sisto, my first intended stop was a pizza al taglio spot “Forno Campo dei Fiori” which unfortunately was closed. We decided instead to get the SIM card for my unlocked iPhone and went to the first phone store we found open. Unfortunately for us it was WIND. It turns out that of all of the phone companies, WIND is the Italian version of AT&T. With AT&T I have to make a call then head for the nearest window or step outside in order to get a good connection. Same here with WIND. We paid 25E which gave me 100 phone calls, 100 texts, 1G of data, plus 9E worth of calls to the U.S. or towards more Italian calls, which ever is used up first. On several occassions I had thought that Wind was sending me text ads of some sort but in fact they were notices that someone had tried to call me. This plan did not give me voice mail, or if it did, I was unaware of it and did not set up a voice mail box. So whenever someone called and my phone didn’t ring, I would get a text to notify me of the attempt once my phone picked up a cell tower signal.

Next it was time to get some cash so we went to a bank to use the ATM but it was empty. While trying to figure out where another bank was, a man started speaking Italian to me. I replied “Che cosa?” and then he asked if I spoke English. It turns out he was Professor Cohen from Toronto, a historian, who comes to Italy often for research. He walked us to another bank, which to me didn’t even look like a bank, then he gave us a brief history lesson of the area where we were standing, and then he pointed out a decent pizza al taglio spot, followed by a suggested gelato place to go to after that. After having a chat about Toronto’s mayor and the news he has made, we said our goodbyes and followed his advice.

After a nice nap we were hungry but it was 11 pm so we set out in hopes of finding something open. On our street there were several restaurants to choose from but it appeared as if everything was winding down for the night. When I asked a woman if they were still open, she said no. When I asked for a suggestion, she pointed down the street and told us to go to Pimms Good and ask for Rafaelle or Carolina and tell them that Samantha sent us. They have tables out front which were full, they had live music and looking into the restaurant it appeared as if it were packed and that there was no way we’d find a spot to sit and eat. R thought we should carry on, but I figured what the heck let me ask for Carolina or Rafaelle, which I did. The woman was Carolina and she escorted us into the restaurant around past the musicians to the left where we found a few tables open. We forgot our reading glasses so I asked her for a suggestion for a couple of vegetarians. She suggested a delicious fettucine with mushrooms and the huge Brazilian salad. We loved them both. She brought us some delicious bread too, which is something we never buy at home. We added a couple glasses of wine for R and a beer for me for a total of 36 E. The music was great, the food was great. We loved the lively atmosphere and decided that it was an ideal way to start our vacation. It was perfect. Another plus to mention is that they serve food until 2 am.

I will pick this up tomorrow
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Old Jul 7th, 2014, 02:55 PM
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It was my intention to add the rest of what I wrote to this report and THEN post the first part, but I stopped half way through in order to preview it. HOWEVER the preview did NOT work-and instead, Fodors posted the report with NO opportunity to preview it! So here is the rest, I might as well post it...OH, and BTW, NOW the preview IS working as long as it is a "reply"

Pimm's Good Tel:06 9727 7979 Via di S. Dorotea 8, 00153 Rome

After our delicious breakfast, we were still wiped out from the hours of traveling from our tiny airport in California to the marathon travel day to Rome. We decided to stay one more night in Rome but instead of staying one more night at Donna Camilla where we’d have to spring for a suite to the tune of around 335 Euro (as I recall) we said, “Forget that” and decided to sleep right next to Termini so that we could get up early to catch our early train to the Adriatic.

I picked Hotel Andreina from booking.com. 85 E for a clean, basic room just a two minute walk to the station. Everyone who works there is really sweet. We left our bags there and went to Termini to purchase our tickets for the next mornings ride. I couldn’t buy them at the self serve because I don’t have a PIN for my credit card, and my ATM card doesn’t have a M/C or Visa logo, so I wasn’t sure if I could have used it in the self serve or not. Besides, I really wanted to use my credit card. So we get in line and end up in a really nice conversation with an Egyptian man who now works in Milan. We talked American politics and life in Italy. He told us that since we were buying seats on the train for the next day, we could go to a travel agency which would be much easier and quicker, but we were already in line, it was a holiday and not everything is open, so who wants to hunt down a travel agency, and we were enjoying his company. I made a mental note to buy train tickets from a travel agency whenever we can. The ticket line took an hour since it was a national holiday and only three workers.

http://www.hotelandreina.com/andreina_eng.htm

I now have our tickets in hand, we went back to Hotel Andreina, checked in and then we went to look for a bite to eat. We walked down Via Cavour until it dead-ended into Via dei Fori Imperiali, past barriers which had been erected for the parade celebrating a national holiday “Festa della Repubblica” which was long over, and somehow we struck up a conversation with a young man.

He is a Danish policeman who was sent to Italy to interview immigrants from the south sea. He was to spend several weeks asking the immigrants why they came, how did they make the journey and other questions. After speaking with him for quite some time we all decided to get a bite to eat. We asked a man who was a guide for a suggestion and he suggested his friend’s place for a non touristy spot. After walking for 45 minutes we finally came upon it only to discover it was closed! So we popped into a bar a couple of doors away. The woman had no idea where we could eat at that hour on a holiday in Rome, so she couldn’t suggest anything. We walked 39 seconds and found an open Oseria! Food wasn’t bad (nothing to write home about or refer to you here), conversation with the young officer was great. He walked us back to our hotel and we said our goodbyes. He was awaiting his friend who was to arrive soon and we suggested they go to Pimms Good in Trastevere for some good music and food. We crashed.
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Old Jul 8th, 2014, 11:56 AM
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Originally I had thought that we’d leave Rome, go to Pescara and make our way down the coast via bus to Peschici. Then we’d travel to seaside destinations, go to Lecce, then Matera then back to Rome, but after reading BikerScott’s travels, who was in Puglia in June, I thought it would be wiser to go inland first then do the coastal villages before heading back to Rome to finish our vacation.

As a result, the first destination from Rome was to be Matera. When I looked at the train schedule from Rome to Matera, I noticed that one of the stops is in Trani. “Perfect!”, I thought. Two birds, one stone. I had heard so much about Trani that I was convinced it would be good for us. Plus instead of using public transportation all the way from Rome to Matera in one day, it would give us the much needed break we still craved from the lack of sleep we had endured thus far.

So after a simple breakfast of pastry and coffee, we got on our train for Trani. An older woman sat across the aisle after saying her goodbyes to her daughter and for quite a while the train was empty. It began to fill up and the woman across from us was getting booted out of her seat so I suggested she sit next to me. That started a LONG conversation between her, and two of the ladies who had boarded. The woman next to me was Lucia and she had visited in Rome with her daughter who is a doctor. She was curious about us and asked us questions and vice-versa.

The two women sitting across the aisle were from Romania and they worked for Puglian families doing cooking and cleaning. They were introduced a couple years ago by a mutual friend who thought they’d get along. They became best friends. They were on vacation and had made the trek to San Giovanni Rotondo. A very special place for a Catholic pilgramage. They told me how beautiful it was and told us we should go. We ended up not going, but if I were Catholic, I might have gone based on their impressions.

After we all spoke for a while and R chimed in with questions in English which I translated, another gentleman came over and sat down next to R and said in English how he couldn’t help but overhear that we were from California, and since it has been a dream of his to visit California could he speak with us. Well R is not shy with words so he and the gentleman spoke in English while I chatted up the three women in Italian.

By the time we all said our goodbyes, the precious Romanian women had gifted me some souveniers they had purchased in San Giovanni Rotondo. They each gave me a prayer on a wooden frame similar to this

http://www.sanmichelearcangelo.com/s...e525033de1.jpg

and then one of the women gave me a San Pio travel prayer card. Meanwhile I had learned that they were getting ready to take a long vaction back to Romania and so I said, I can’t take your travel prayer card, you’re travelling soon back home, but she assured me she had another so I accepted her gift. It was all so sweet and by the time the four of us ladies parted ways, we were kissing each other’s cheeks and I collected the email of the one woman from Romania since I am not on Facebook and have no other way of communicating with them.

A funny side note is that the Romanian ladies had been in Termini the day before and she said, “You were in line to buy tickets at Termini yesterday weren’t you?” I confirmed the fact and she said that she noticed me and said to herself, “She is not Italian.” haha!

TRANI

We arrived at the Trani station just in time for the siesta. I had picked an apartment the day before which I found on booking.com. Our hostess told us that we would not be allowed to leave our bags with her before we checked in at 3 pm. There were no taxi’s waiting at the train station, we were hungry, so I asked an officer who was heading into a store next to the train station where we might grab a bite to eat. She suggested a place across the street, and she told us we could call for a cab if we needed one. The place across the street wouldn’t let us sit down to eat, we’d have to get something to go. So instead of calling for a cab, we decided to head down the street in search of a place to get lunch.

We stepped into a bar. They had one offering of pasta which included ham, so we passed. I called our hostess of our apartment and she said we’d have to wait another hour. We decided to just relax, use the restroom and then have a cold beer. After a half an hour we decided to carry on towards the port, grabbed some cash at the ATM, and wheeled our bags to the port asking along the way if we were going the right way. FYI, without bags it would be a maximum 10 minute walk. Even with bags, it wasn’t bad because Via Cavour is wheelchair/stroller friendly so your bag doesn’t have to tumble off curbs.

I called our hostess and told her where we were. We were hanging out across from the bar Baracuda along the walkway of the port. She said she’d come right away. We kept looking for a car. After 15 minutes I called her again. Bad connection. After another 5 minutes I called again. It went to voice mail. I left her a message. Then I think I called her one more time. She sounded surprised and asked where we were and said she’d be there in a couple of minutes. I describe what we look like and what we were wearing. Finally I see her walking towards us. I had thought she’d be in a car, but the apartment is very close to any location along the port.

The weirdest thing had happened. When we first had hung up and she walked toward Baracuda, she saw two women standing there in front of the bar, not across the street like we were, and she waved. They waved back. She told them the apartment was ready and they were really excited. She walked them into the apartment, showed them around, asked for their passports and when she saw they were Australian, she realized she had the wrong party! She kicked them out and explained that someone else had already booked the room. She thought it was really funny but R wasn’t happy and thought she was nuts.

He wondered why she didn’t answer her phone when we called but I understood that she was with people who she thought were her customers so she gave them her undivided attention. In any case, we thought the room was cute. There weren’t any windows to the outside, but it had two skylights and a window to the interior of the building. It had really high ceilings too and had been modernized nicely, with a very large bathroom. She showed us around, how to work the coffee maker and the keys, and soon we were off to explore Trani. I noticed from here on out, everyone uses those one-cup-at-a-time coffee makers. They are really convenient and make great coffee so I understand why they are so popular here.

We were REALLY hungry. We decided not to go to the restaurants which were right along the water as those that are open during siesta all have people hailing you to sit down. We walked to the end of the port but most everything was closed. We found Molo 4 along the water on Via Statuti Marittimi at the south end of the port. It's a bar, gelateria, and they sell salads and sandwiches. We ordered two veggie sandwiches and a salad. Fresh and good! Crashed and had gelato for dinner as we walked around and explored sections of Trani that we hadn’t seen thus far. We really liked Trani a lot and felt very comfortable here.

The next day our hostess Roseangela insisted that due to the confusion the previous day that we move to her deluxe apartment next door. It’s really beautiful. Very large, spacious with gorgeous floor to ceiling door-windows. We also told her that we really liked Trani and wanted to stay a third night. She checked and confirmed she could house us. We made ressies for Corte in Fiore that night which was just a few doors away. It’s a favorite on Fodors and our hostess suggested it too. After touring around the fort and church, we ended up for a late lunch at Ferro e Fuoco based on a review here. The food was great! I had one of the same pastas (the ravioli) that HG001London wrote about and R had cozze and a pasta which he loved. It was a delcious meal and I felt bad that we were the only ones here because it should have been more crowded thanks to the atmosphere and quality of meals served.

After a long siesta we decided to cancel our reservation at Corte in Fiore tonight and switch it for the next night because we were still full, so we had a late pizza at Antiche Arcate instead. This may have been my favorite pizza on our trip. R had an orecchiette plate and with a liter of beer and dessert it cost us 27E.

As we were leaving we spoke with the couple next to us about Matera and they said we should stay at Agorà in Matera. I looked it up on the great wi-fi in our apartment and thought it would be nice to stay there but they were full. So I consulted my notes that I brought with me from home and made a call to Fra i Sassi. His price was the same as booking.com so I asked him if he’d like us to book direct with him or through booking so he said with him. I gave him my card info, so we were all set.

The next morning we went to the panificeria not having realized that our hostess had left us some croissants at our door the day before. She showed up while we were eating and brought us some yogurt and pastries. We went to the travel agent in town on Via Cavour a short walk from the port. The gal, Laura was very helpful and she booked our tickets for us from Trani to Bari. She couldn’t get us tickets to Matera because that line is a private line, so we were told that when we arrived in Bari that we’d need to go to the station next door to buy our tickets to Matera. Laura offered us a driver from Trani to Bari, but we are fans of trains, and the cost was so cheap to go via train that we decided not to go with a driver.

VilaViaggi: Via Cavour, 23, 76125 Trani +39 0883 482590

Went to the ATM at the bank across the street and then went inside to get change. Getting inside was trippy. You have to step inside a booth, then put your thumb into a digital reader before the door will open to the inside of the bank. Seems like a simple way to keep out known criminals.

When we walked back we decided that it might be nice to eat at one of those waterfront restaurants after all. We walked around and went into a restaurant suggested by our host’s husband La Banchina but when we looked at the menu, lack of veggie options and steep prices, we said forget it and ended up next door with a man who for the past couple of days always waved to us and invited us to dine with him. The greeter is Giuseppe Garro and the restaurant is Senzio. Just got some grilled veggies with cheese, arugula/tomato salad, 2 beers and a nice view for 27E. After a pisolino (nap) we walked over to the giardino off of the south end of the port. Lots of photo opps and we could see the new part of town and where the locals go for a swim.

During the siesta I did a search on the restaurant we reserved for the night...the one we had canceled from the night before. I’m glad I did because this restaurant is all about fish, fish and more fish, plus it costs an “occhio della testa”. My vegetarian husband had already had some fish the day before and as much as he enjoyed it, he wasn’t in the mood for more. So I called the restaurant and said that I didn’t realize that it was all about fish at Corte in Fiore and that I was sorry but as vegetarians I need to cancel. He asked me my name and when I told him he said, “oh yes, I remember 'Dai'.” Oops! Oh well. Our reservations both nights were for 8 pm and I figure we made someone else very happy because we opened up a spot for people who love fish and want to dine in this popular restaurant.

Instead we went to a place I found on Yelp and cross checked with TA. It was OK. Grabbed a gelato at Moro which is a sister gelateria to the place where we ate only a few dozen yards down the lungomare on our first day there. They had a chocolate gelato which is not made with milk- “senza latticini”. R is mostly a vegan so this made him very happy. We really enjoyed the passegiata along the lungomare then packed up for our morning trip to Matera.

Our delightful host, Roseangela told us she’d drive us to the train station which was VERY kind of her! We really got a kick out of her. She has a GREAT personality. She worked for 20 + years with Alitalia both in flight and in the office. We would absolutely return to stay in any one of her apartments in a heartbeat. The location is perfect. The apartments are super clean. Plus she is a sweetheart!!! She speaks English too.:

http://www.homingborgia.com/ Homing Borgia - Via Cambio 7 76125 Trani Tel: +39 340 2284542 [email protected]
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Old Jul 8th, 2014, 12:41 PM
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We are planning for two weeks in Puglia so await with great interest the rest of your report (i am assuming you havent posted it yet... if you have, I don't seem able to find it!!) And i do enjoy the details and links you include!
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Old Jul 8th, 2014, 01:36 PM
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Hi Christie. Thank you for the encouragement. I am glad you're following along. We absolutely LOVED Puglia! I just need to type a little faster as I try to form my notes that I jotted down on paper into coherent sentences here.

I forgot to make a special note of the places we liked in Trani.

We loved the pizza and pasta at:

Antiche Arcate: Via Ognisanti, 4 Tel: 0883.508646

and a wonderful lunch with exceptional service, we enjoyed Ferro e Fuoco They bring you a little appetizer, a little prosecco, and a delicious meal. R ordered cozze (muscles) as a starter and got a bucket full. Quiet and classy but not formal.

http://www.osteriaferroefuoco.it/ris...erro_fuoco.asp
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Old Jul 9th, 2014, 02:05 PM
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When we got to Bari we were confused which way to go so we asked and were pointed outside where there were taxis waiting and a park across the street. Right next to the train station there was a bar. I asked where we buy tickets to Matera and he sold them to me from behind the bar, then he told me to go down the block a few steps away until we found the “portone” (big doors). I saw one set of doors, then another set which looked liked an entrance to a fancy office building. I wondered if we were to go around the corner, but some nice man basically shoved us into the office building like place and that’s where I finally saw the train schedule. We rode the elevator upstairs and saw an entrance to the trains which reminded me of the NYC subway system. You stick your ticket in and then grab it back from the machine, then hurry through the automated doors which open for a flash of a second.

Just to backtrack a second, when we were on the train from Trani to Bari, I had seen a couple of blonde kids behind R’s seat and I said, “Those Italian kids have the blondest hair.” He said, “They’re speaking English”. So when we got to Bari I noticed their mom was across the aisle from the father and two kids and said something to them as we were getting off the train. So anyway, we get our seats on the brand new train to Matera and the same family soon joined our “carrozza”. I got up and asked them something and we had a little conversation. Across the aisle from the family there was an Italian woman and all of us got into a conversation with me translating for the family and the Italian woman. I go back and take my seat next to R, and about an hour into our travel to Matera, their little boy had to pee. The Italian woman said we’d have a five minute break at the Altamura stop, but the young man across from me told me that the stop may be 5-6 minutes or shorter depending on how the train was running and that it could be dangerous to get off the train.

We were all surprised that there was no WC on our brand new train nor was there the ability to go to the next car. So we get to Altamura and we learned the five minute stop was reduced to 2 minutes. The dad and boy dashed off the train as there was a WC right there on the platform! The Italian passengers stood in the doorway of the train forcing the doors open. The dad and little boy ran back on the train and we all cheered! The little boy must have thought we were all nuts. We were back on our way. At some point the family asked me to translate again for the woman sitting across the aisle, we all had a nice conversation, and we soon arrived in Matera.

As R and I were hauling our bags up the stairs, the family was at the top of the landing and said that they realized a bag with all of their documents and notes was left on board the train! I asked her husband to help mine with his bag, I told the kids to come with us, then I explained in Italian what happened to this poor family to the ticket office. The man responded, “Speak English?” I knew they were in good hands. It turns out that this particular train had only one more stop before it is scheduled to turn around and head right back to Bari. It would return in 15 minutes. So I asked the train guy if it would be in the first car since we were in the last car and he said, “They already have it”. Great news for them. Man they had a lot of stuff. Not easy to pack and ride trains when you have two little kids.

MATERA

We grabbed a short cab ride to Fra i Sassi. So glad I found this B&B. I thought I had found it here on Fodors, but my notes are more attributed to someone who wrote on TA. The owner is the sweetest, kindest, most hospitable person you’d ever want to meet. That’s no reflection against any of the other owners we met because believe me, we met such wonderful people, but there is something very special about Domenico.

http://www.fraisassiresidence.com/

We looked up at the dozen or so stairs and Domenico’s assistant, Elena grabbed both of our bags like they were two loaves of bread and marched up the stairs. Thank goodness for youth. We checked in to room number 4 and thought it was really neat. Ancient yet new, great AC, wi-fi, clean as a whistle with a modern bathroom. Loved our patio with chairs and a table at the edge of the balcony, and another set of table and chairs right outside our door.

We set out to get a bite to eat. As we were heading to the piazza in the “new” area (which was built years ago above the sassi), within just a couple of minutes we came upon a restaurant I read about here, “Osteria Pico”. Great find! R had a pasta with pomodoro and basil while I had a yummy pasta with mushroom and pistachio! Delicious bread, great ambiance in a large sasso cave, delightful host. A real winner.

http://www.osteriapico.it/

We walked up to the main piazza in the new area and walked around. Seriously, photo opps at every turn! We just kind of got lost as we headed toward the humongous church and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

For dinner we took Domenico’s suggestion and ate at Baccus, a one minute walk from our room. SO GOOD! We had pasta dishes. One was called something like “Cicerchie funghi” which was to die for! It came with a lace-like crunchy bread placed on the edge of the pasta. Mine was tomato, basil, parmesan pasta that was very yummy. For dessert we had a fresh fruit plate which was a large plate with slices of watermelon, strawberries, melon, cherries, kiwi all side by side one another. Very fresh and flavorful. We tried to eat there a 2nd night but they were closed.

Baccus - Piazza San Pietro Barisano 5-6, Matera +39 0835 330124

Breakfast is great at Fra i Sassi. So many choices! Cheeses, prosciutto for the meat eater, cereal, cookies, at least 5 different fresh locally picked fruits including cherries and strawberries. We had an orange everyday too. So flavorful. Focaccia, pies with jams inside, bread, jams and nutella for breads and pastries, juice, and delicious coffee served to order.

For lunch we ate at another place one minute away. Oi Mari. We each had a grilled veggie plate and split a Margherita pizza. We ordered a liter of beer which looked like a keg but dang if we didn’t finish every drop! Again delicious bread too. We really enjoyed this meal very much. We were the only ones inside and had a lot of fun here just the two of us. The man gave us our bill when we asked but for some reason he decided to cross off the coperto. Nice!!!

Oi Mari +390835.346121 http://www.oimari.it/

Being positively stuffed, we decided we better take a nap before our tour with the famous Nadia that everyone on Fodors writes about. Well deserved! Loved her! Our two and1/2 hour tour was more than four hours by the time it was all said and done. That’s what happens when you get three people who enjoy talking and a former lawyer who is accustomed to asking questions.

Nadia is truly a gem. She has such passion for her city. She cares about it and loves it and you feel that love and care in return. She knows her city and its history well and I fully understand why she has so many fans. When I went to book the tour, the woman who answered the phone said that they had other guides but she’d see if Nadia were available. Thank goodness she was.

This is a good time to tell you one thing, Do NOT book the optional tasting. When booking the tour with Nadia, I was asked by the woman if I’d like to pay a few euros extra to look at a museum, which I said yes, then I was asked if we’d be interested in a “tasting of typical Matera dishes” for a few more euros each. I said yes, but it’s a waste of time and money. We were brought to a couple’s store-not a restaurant as I had hoped. They opened up a couple of packages from a box and placed some dips from a jar on microscopic pieces of bread. It left a sour taste in our mouths (so to speak) but it certainly wasn’t Nadia’s fault. I tried to text the woman from the tour agency who suggested it, but my text wouldn’t go through. This experience with this couple put a little damper on our tour as we both got the impression that they were money hungry by their behavior, so it is my pleasure to warn you to say “NO thank you” if you are asked if you’re interested in trying the “tasting”. The other options are worth it, just NOT the tasting.

The tour with Nadia was really enriching and I can’t imagine exploring this city without someone like her explaining its history while showing you around. Highly recommended. Here is information from her card as opposed to the agency which we booked her through:

Nadia Garlatti 0835.333214 or mail: ngarlat(at)tin.it

We had gelato for dinner and loved walking during the passegiata which was packed with people in the new area.

Next day we didn’t know what to do. I was sore. All of that walking with Nadia had taken a toll on my bones. I was craving an aspirin because I knew that since I rarely take any pain killers that it would do the trick. I asked Elena where I could find some aspirin on a Sunday. We thought about relaxing and reading a book, that kind of thing, because up until this point we had been pretty much on the go non stop, but I was also interested in seeing if we could hike to the abandoned caves in the nearby valley. R was interested too.

She called around some pharmacies for me, called Domenico to ask him too where I could find an open pharmacy, and I told her I would just wait until the next day to purchase the aspirin when we get to Lecce. The next thing you know, Domenico walked in with a package of aspirin he had just purchased from the pharmacy in the new town section. He let me help myself to a pill, and thankfully the aspirin knocked out my pains right away.

So here we were with one more day in Matera and when I asked Domenico if it’s true that we need to watch out for snakes if we go explore the caves, he said no. Then when I told Domenico we didn’t know what we wanted to do for sure, he came up with an amazing suggestion. He said he'd bring us to IL PARCO DELLA MURGIA MATERANA in order to enjoy an ethnic lunch (including an absolutely scrumptious soup called "crapiata"). The visit would also provide us an education and deeper understanding of the Matera history, and when we were done visiting, it would give us the opportunity to hike back through the valley or we could call him and he'd come and get us. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. OMG!! We had the BEST time!

Our host at the Murgia Materana Park, his name is Paolo, was so incredible! He showed us a short film that is so amazingly well done, everyone with an interest in Matera should view it. It's called, "Città della Vergogna". It's in 5 parts. You can view it on Vimeo, and it's subtitled.

http://vimeo.com/42462425

Paolo also suggested that we take a 10 minute walk to a man living nearby who makes cheese the way it was done in the old days. All by hand! The EU says this way is not proper, but it's been done like this for generations. He works at making the cheeses from his herd of cows for two months straight. After that, he no longer milks his cows. He said after the two months are up, only the baby cows get the milk. His wife invited us into their farmhome and got us a couple of chairs. We watched as her husband stretched and pulled on the cheese, describe to us the types of cheeses he made, etc. One of them was a cheese which is wrapped around a big ball of butter. There were about 60 huge balls of cheese hanging from poles in their farmhome. There were a couple of beds and an oven inside, but most of the space was filled with buckets of milk and large wooden round containers. There was no air conditioning and the flies were plentiful. The work looked hard and laborious, but you can see that he loves it, and he doesn't seem to mind all of the effort involved. His teenaged kids were there with him and his wife and they were hanging out watching their father make this cheese. He offered us a sample and it was delicious.

Going to the park, watching the short film, eating the traditional stew with wine and bread, and meeting that farmer was awesome. We were thinking how traveling without having everything planned before we leave really works for us. We ended up talking with a man named Raffaele who is an Italian language tour guide in Matera and is a friend of Paolo's. He offered us a ride back to Fra i Sassi, so instead of hiking we gladly accepted his kind offer. First though, Raffaele took us to a look out point where we could take photos of the two sassi villages with the new town on top. I got some great photos. We returned and grabbed some pasta at La Talpa because Baccus was closed. It was just OK, but the pizza looked good, and when I asked the Italian girl sitting at the table next to us what when thought of it she said it was "buonissima". So I can't recommend the pasta but the pizza looked good, and maybe their non-vegetarian food options are better than our OK vegetarian pasta. The service was really good.
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Old Jul 10th, 2014, 06:34 PM
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LECCE

I had heard from tdk320n on Fodors about our B&B in Lecce. Cross checking it on TA I saw that 100% of reviewers would stay here so that seemed like a big plus. When figuring out where to stay, I would do a lot of cross checking with TA and I’d compare hotel website prices with Booking.com prices and choose with whom to book it accordingly.

I decided to call DIMORA SAN GUISEPPE to see if they had a room for us. I was surprised that they did because as I recall it appeared as if they were full via “booking”. I told the owner that we wanted to stay at least three nights and we may want to stay four. He was kind enough to hold the room for us the next day and he didn’t ask for my card. He also told me that they close for a couple of hours during mid-day but if we knew when we’d arrive they’d make sure someone was there to greet us. I told him of our anticipated arrival time and that I would call him when we were on the train from Bari to Lecce to let him know if we made the intended train, and to notify him of our time of arrival, and he was good with that.

http://www.dimorasangiuseppe.com/

Can we say “gooooorgeous!”? What a great room! We had their San Giuseppe room and it was so lovely! This palazzo has been completely re-done with such taste.

It has about 20’ ceilings with a loft built in. There is a desk and sofa in the loft. They made this room really sound proof. I was impressed when I went to close the exterior shutters late at night and only when I opened the door-windows, did I realize how busy the street is when it’s filled with people. You can make the room blacked out, or bring in plenty of light.

Comfortable bed and linens. Great AC. Small balcony. Beautifully decorated. Nuovissimo! They could have told me they opened a week ago and I’d believe it.

The bathroom is very large. Just the shower alone is the size of a roomy walk-in closet. Like every place we stayed, this one had a bidet too. I was finishing up my breakfast one morning enjoying some fresh pineapple and R emerged from the restroom with water all over the front of his t-shirt. I asked him what happened and he replied, “40 years of using a bidet and this is the first time the front of my t-shirt has gotten wet!” He remarked about how in Italy the bidet’s direction of the water stream is more horizontal instead of coming straight up as he is accustomed to in the homes he has had in the US. He decided that in Italy they “are all like that, but this one has power!” He said that this one cleaned everything but its intended target; the floor, his huevos, t-shirt, etc. I nearly spewed the pineapple out my nose, I was laughing so hard.

Speaking of the breakfasts here, they were very generous and tailored to each guest. They brought tray after tray of goodies to our room to enjoy on our large table. They also had a mini fridge, a coffee maker and microwave in a kitchenette area that can be closed off with the sweep of a door.

There was only one negative and I would be remiss not to include it. The wi-fi was horrible. Worst reception in our 30 night visit. Didn’t matter if I brought it right out to the wi-fi device in the office. It said that the signal was strong, but we had a 20% success rate in connecting. Sometimes it would work well for 4 minutes then decide it couldn’t work. It was very frustrating. On the other hand, we had originally decided to stay three nights but we added a night in Lecce. We loved the room, breakfast, location and the staff so much, we were not going to move due to lousy wi-fi reception for our last night.

You can’t ask for a more centralized location either. We spent a lot of time in the nearby Piazza Sant’ Oronzo. We liked the bar Cin Cin. This was the first place that I found which sold the beer, “Ceres”. They don’t sell it here in the states so I try to have it often while in Italy. It’s very much a light beer with great flavor but it packs a punch and you shouldn’t have more than two before you see how it affects you. Anyway, they also have a good snack called Rustico, a well-known-in-Lecce cheesy pastry thing as I recall. Cin Cin is a very good place to have a drink, a snack and hang out.

https://it-it.facebook.com/cincinbarlecce Piazza Sant'oronzo, 4, TEL: 0832 309888

Based on a couple of people who recommended Natale, we had some good gelato and some chocolate there. It's around the corner from Piazza Sant Oronzo.

Pasticceria Natale Via Trinchese 7, TEL: 0832256060

We also tried a “Bruschetteria” just around the corner from our B&B called Osteria Mamma Lupa

Osteria Mamma Lupa Via Acaja, 12 Tel: 3407832765

This was a good one for us as we tried a sampler plate with five different veggies-we could choose from a selection of about 10 different veggies. The dish is brought to you with toasted bread. The idea is just to spoon it on the bread. We really enjoyed this with some house red wine. Super casual atmosphere.

Another place we ate twice was at this popular, tiny sandwich shop called Piadina Salentina:

Piadina Salentina Via V Fazzi, 2 TEL:324/05.99.820 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Piadina-Salentina/159500057540814

It’s on the corner of Piazza Santa Oronzo. Just a few steps from our B&B. They are into super fresh vegan, vegetarian deliciously made sandwiches (they have prosciutto too) where even the pita bread is made fresh. They take some dough (which was made from scratch) and when you order they shape the dough and press it on the grill to make it into a pita type of bread. Then it is stuffed with your pick of grilled and fresh veggies, cheeses, meats, etc. It’s all made fresh to order and it’s very popular. Sometimes you might even have to wait up to 25 minutes or so after you have ordered, but it seemed that when the owner was working there that the turnaround time was much quicker. Great prices!! We picked up two huge super filling veggie panini, 2 Ceres, a large water and brought it to our room for around 14E. LOVED this place.

A second shout-out to tdk320n for telling me about going on two tours while we were based here in Lecce. GREAT PICK!! LOVED DARIO!! He was so good to us and he checked on us a couple of times to make sure we made it to our destinations. He also had good suggestions for us

Dario Cava www.nccsalento.it tel. 339.6988163

The first tour we did we had stops in:

Galatina, Otranto, Castro, Santa Maria de Leuca, Specchia

Then the next day we went to:

Ostuni-Martina Franca-Cisternino-Locorotondo-Alberobello

The tours were 50E per person, per day. He doesn’t speak much English, but he and some of his colleagues are hiring a teacher to teach them English. They will concentrate on learning enough English to be able to explain things and speak about what people will see. Kind of a specialized English course for guides, which sounds like a good idea to me.

The first tour felt to us like we were on the go a little more than the second tour we did. I think it’s because we stopped more on the first tour. For instance soon after we left Lecce we went to a castle in Corigliano d'Otranto for just a few minutes. There was a moat and a statue of the pizzica (pee-tsee-KAH)-the folkloric dance of the Salento.

http://www.thethinkingtraveller.com/...a-pizzica.aspx

We also briefly stopped at some gorgeous Adriatic Sea swimming destinations as we headed down the coast to the tip of the heel. We took in the view at Santa Cesarea Terme, and another beach/cliff place whose name escapes me. We stopped at the most eastern point of Italy, “Capo d’Otranto” where on a clear day you may see Albania on the horizon. We went underground and saw how they stored olive oil and produced it all underground. On the return right before Lecce we stopped at an ancient church that had frescoes in it. We really enjoyed these tours.

We’d leave around 9:30 in the morning and then return to Lecce around 7 pm. We would spend about an hour to an hour and a half in the different cities. He would point out that we should try to view a certain castle or a duomo, but otherwise we’d wander and explore.

Originally I had thought that we’d stay in Ostuni, but after seeing these villages with Dario, we were both drawn to Otranto. So we went there for three nights after Lecce. I had also thought that we’d HAVE to stay in Castro since a couple of unrelated Italians that I know who live in the states both told us we have to stay in Castro. We had lunch in Castro but the town didn’t call to us so we dropped it from our proposed itinerary.

We probably should have stayed 5 nights in Lecce because the first day was a travel day and we got there in the afternoon. The next two days we were gone all day touring the salento, and the last day we got out of the room late and just kind of wandered around with only going inside one large church. There is so much to see in Lecce, I hope we can return and get to know the city. I think a guide would be a good thing to try in Lecce.
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Old Jul 11th, 2014, 10:37 AM
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Otranto

Pronounced with the stress on the first “O”. The train ride from Lecce to Otranto indicated that we’d have to switch trains twice, but this is one of the reasons why I suggest you ask and ask again. We were told that we did not need to get off at Zollino after all but we did have to get off at Maglie. I would always ask the guy who checks the tickets and I’d double check with anyone sitting next to us. The people who ride the trains really know the schedule and how they run. We met and spoke with a beautiful woman during our ride and she and the ticket inspector made sure we got off the right spot.

We were waiting at Maglie when we got into a short converation with an Englishman. The train arrived, we all boarded, and just sat there for a long time. The Englishman came to our car and we started speaking again and this time he told us how much they liked Gallipoli. I took it into consideration because of all the cities we had seen with Dario, I knew we wouldn’t choose any of the towns we saw. As I mentioned earlier, after seeing Otranto we changed our minds from staying in Ostuni, but none of the other towns beckoned a three night stay. Of all of them, I can say that we discussed Cisternino, but it didn’t speak to us like Otranto.

When we arrived at the station in Otranto, some young men saw us struggling with our luggage - we had a carry-on and a 22”, so it’s not like we were traveling heavy, we’re just old with a bad knee here and there and sore feet. Anyway the boys grabbed our bags and brought them up and down the stairs. People all over were really sweet that way. Many helpful offers with our luggage were greatly appreciated.

No taxi was there to greet the train but the Englishman said that the port is a short distance and all downhill. He said that he "walked" from the station to his hotel with google earth, so we decided to follow them. In no time at all we were near all the hotels and all I had to do was follow the signs and ask a couple of times to find our hotel.

We chose Hotel Albania. I had found it on booking.com and I saw their website. I called and asked how much it would be for a three night stay. She quoted me 90 E per day. It was about 15 E less per day through booking so then I needed to decide if we would take the three day rate and pay now (all three days up front) or choose the option to pay later (and pay an extra 9E to do that). R prefers not to get tied into anything so I chose the latter.

We arrived and were greeted by a woman who was manning the desk while her colleague was on a lunch break. She was kind enough to notice that we were hot and so she brought us a bucket of ice and some cold water. We used their great wi-fi in the comfortable lobby and looked at a book they had on Otranto.

When the lady arrived to check us in, they let us check in early but we weren’t thrilled with the room. It was very ordinary, painted orange, the bathroom smelled funny, only one medium sized window, and it all felt kind of cramped. Especially in comparison with the other places we had stayed. We returned to the lobby and thankfully since the hotel wasn’t full, they were kind enough to upgrade us to a room with an extra twin bed, a triple. There was a lot more square feet, and it just felt far less cramped so we took it, gratefully.

Being hungry we set out to find something to eat. We found that most places were closing down for lunch but there was a place open which sold all kinds of things. They had a sandwich station, a cafeteria type of set up, pizza by the slice, gelato, etc. The location is right inside the centro storico walls and also on the big and stretched out lungomare overlooking the sea.

It’s called Bibbó and we had two veggie panini and two Ceres. The sandwiches were so good we decided to split another one and split another Ceres. The women there were friendly to us, the food was fresh, and we left very happy.

https://www.facebook.com/rosticceria.bibbo Tel: 0836 801964

That afternoon I saw a procession going up our street with something like an altar on the shoulders of some men, a band playing music, and followers. Then later that night there was an amazing fireworks display which lasted such a long time. It was great! I later learned that it was the patron saint’s holiday.

That night in the hotel, in the middle of the night I awoke sweating. It turns out that the AC was turned off from a switch downstairs at reception. So at 4:30 am I got up, went downstairs, but I couldn’t find the man who had graveyard duty manning the hotel. So I found a piece of paper and wrote that I really needed the AC and to please put it back on. After 10 minutes the red light for the AC came on and the AC kicked in.

The next morning R. commented on how well he had slept. I told him what had happened and he was not happy to hear what happened with the AC to put it mildly. We talked to booking.com about our three day rate that we had signed up for, and asked them if we could leave. They said that first they could talk to reception for us and ask them if they will let us out of our commitment, but there are no guaranties. I asked her if I should talk to them about it myself and she thought it would be best because she said that when a guest isn’t happy, and they hear from booking.com, they inevitably ask, “Why didn’t the guest just talk to us first?”

So I went down there and told them how I awoke sweating and that if it is their policy to always turn off the AC in the middle of the night that we would need to check out early. They said that if we need it on, then it is OK with them. With their assurance, we stayed hoping that they would keep their word. They did. As a matter of fact, when we’d leave for the day, I’d turn off the lights and AC but by the time we returned, it would be on and the room cool, so I really appreciate how they went the extra mile to accommodate us.

I thought the location was really great. It was really close to the centro storico, and pretty much right in the middle of Otranto. The reception employees speak English, the wi-fi is great, although in the lobby only, but yet it was so strong that being one floor up near the stairwell, we could pick up a signal on our tablet from our room, and my old iPhone could get a signal in the stairwell.

The breakfast was good with fresh fruit available which we always appreciate, and it’s served on the terrace with a really nice view of the water.

http://www.hotelalbania.com/default.asp

Let’s talk gelato! We found the BEST (well almost the best--the best of all was in Polignano a Mare) gelateria artigianale in Otranto. You walk through the arches into the centro storico. At maybe the second left (the first Tabacchi shop you see) turn left. It’s tucked in between Bibbó and the Tabacchi. It has a 5 foot tall ice cream cone sitting in front, they only sell gelato, and the ice cream here is REALLY GOOD!!! L’ottimo!

The next day we asked around and found a delicious organic restaurant near our hotel and centro storico. Really scrumptious, fresh food at Primo Trattoria. They have gluten free options, vegetarian, and vegan recipes. This was a real winner and we were very tempted to return for dinner since our pasta was so dang good. Beautifully decorated, fresh quality ingredients, friendly staff, very, very nice and highly recommended. Plenty of fresh whole fish, eyes and all, to choose from too for the fish lovers. Just a short walk up the street from the centro storico arches.

http://www.primotranto.it/ Via delle Torri 3/5/9 TEL: 350 502 1356

That afternoon they erected a stage on the lungomare just outside the centro storico. It was all about the first soccer match for Italy in the world cup. That evening we got a pizza at a pizzeria which is right there where all the action was.

They had a couple of DJ’s dressed up and Vegas type of showgirls/dancers each of them dancing to their own beat, a ginormous screen with really loud speakers blasting. It was very much a party atmosphere. It began around 9 pm and was scheduled to go very late since the game didn’t even start until midnight! There were a LOT of people with high hopes who must have come from all over the area. It was the place to be, and all along the sea. It was great.

The next day we decided to go to the beach. Being very pale, we didn’t stay long, did some shopping, and noticed that the weather was changing quickly. Deep black clouds starting rolling in. Most places were closed for lunch by now so we returned to get a sandwich at Bibbó again. The heavens opened and it started pouring rain, with really LOUD thunder and lightning. R got nervous and suggested that I take my necklace off for fear that it would act as a lightning rod. ha!

Dinner was at a place with lousy service so I will forgo writing about them. We walked along the sea in the opposite direction of the centro storico and happened upon a bar with tables out front called “Santi & Briganti”. It caught our attention because there were two guys singing loudly and basically entertaining anyone who would listen to their songs while a third friend sat and played the accordion and a fourth the tambourine in accompaniment. We probably stayed a good half hour clapping along and thoroughly enjoying their music. They sang folk songs, pizzica songs, and other Italian songs that the audience knew. They gathered quite a crowd, and they were a lot of fun.

One thing that i must mention is DO NOT MISS going inside the Otranto Cathedral. The mosaics are amazing and they are so old. It’s incredible that you are permitted to walk on some of them. There are bones of 813 martyrs who would not denounce their Christian faith, and the stone on which they were beheaded. There are also some colorful panels just inside the front door to the left. They remind me of cloisonne and I took a photo of them because it’s not often you see a blond Jesus, plus they are really lovely.

http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Sicily%20&%20S%20Italy/Puglia/Otranto/Otranto.htm
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 07:07 AM
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Hey, DAI.

I'm really enjoying your report. I appreciate you taking the time to write down all of your adventures for us! I've written a few trip reports myself (one on Puglia, in fact), so I know it takes time and effort.
My wife and I visited the Puglia region a couple of years ago and your report is taking me right back there. Have you ever seen so many olive trees? Amazing. We stayed at Fra i Sassi in Matera, too. As you said, Domenico was a terrific host. We loved our tour with Nadia, too. She's a sweet person and so knowledgeable.
It's exciting to read how easily y'all were able to get around the area of Puglia using public transportation. We had a car and I thoroughly enjoyed driving around that part of Italy.
I look forward to seeing where in Puglia you take us next!
Thanks again, Dai.

Robbie
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 08:48 AM
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Heeeeyyyyyy Robbie! Wow, are you ever a sight for sore eyes! I was feeling quite alone the last few days. I bet that I found Fra i Sassi here from your report (considering I think I read all the Puglian TR's here on Fodors) and then cross referenced it on TA. When I saw that it didn't have a ton of stairs and was easy to find via taxi, I added it to my notes.

You know I should have made mention in the beginning of this report or even in the title that this was all done with public transportation. Maybe then one or two more people would have found this report helpful. Too bad I can't go back and edit to include that.

In any case, thanks for the input, I really needed it!

Next is Polignano a Mare. We were there five nights so I may write up the first few days and post before the last two days which included day trips to Monopoli and Castellana Grotte. We LOVED Polignano a Mare.
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 10:54 AM
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Good report. Yes I'd have spoken to reception first and not even thought of ringing booking. So you learn something new every day.
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 11:49 AM
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Hi Dai

I am enjoying your report very much and I've already bookmarked several of your links.

I have been to Matera, but not Puglia. My grandparents were all from Matera and nearby Corleto Perticara. While reading your report, I thought, "I'm going back."

And I am. I haven't been able to convince any of my family members to come along, despite telling them they don't know what they are missing. Inspired by your report, I'm going back to working on them right away.

I look forward to reading about Polignano a Mare.
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 03:50 PM
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bilbo: Thank you, and yes, it seemed most logical to me. Just discuss it, but R was appalled by the idea that they would do that, and since it was only one night that we had invested, and since he would have preferred a room right next to the water (didn't even know if one was available in town) he was prepared to just leave. He was really put off by the action. So I asked him if they cooperated with our wishes, would he still prefer to leave and try to find another place, or move to a different town, and he decided that he would stay. So we made the call to booking to determine all our options. Upon learning of the options we decided that we may not want to book anything ahead of time for more than one night, since we are traveling at a time when we could get away with that. It all worked out well.

tuscanlifeedit: Hooray! I am so glad! YOU of ALL people should watch that film that I linked to earlier regarding Matera. It links to part one (I think) and if you click on "6 videos" after viewing the first part, you'll be able to watch the rest of it. I don't think it's longer than a half an hour.

http://vimeo.com/42462425

I gave Paolo information on how to get it on PBS through their series "POV". He is going to send the info to the film maker. It is PERFECT for POV and I think it'd be a real ratings generator when word got around because it is such a captivating story.
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 04:31 PM
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Polignano a Mare (with a brief side trip to Gallipoli)

The last day here in Otranto, I was trying to figure out our next move. When we had taken those wonderful trips with Dario while in Lecce, I was sure that I’d want to stay in one of those towns that we had visited, but alas, I wasn’t feelin’ it. R was good with wherever I wanted to go, and he had no particular feelings one way or the other with all of those towns we had seen (except Otranto). I knew we were going to stay in Polignano a Mare (PaM-from here on out) but what held me back from going to PaM after Otranto was the weather report. It indicated that PaM was in for a lot of rain for the next 4 days. I thought it’d be wise to stay south of that and then make our way north.

BTW, When we were in Otranto, we found ourselves talking with a bike guide. They hang out in a three wheeled motor bike that has an umbrella type thing to act as shade hanging over the bench behind the driver. Like a three wheeled golf cart. You sit on the bench and they cruise around and point out things to see. I felt a tap on my shoulder and there was Dario! He introduced us to the guy and his son, Diego who was sitting in a different cart. They were friends of his. Dario was back in Otranto having dropped off another group of tourists to visit this great little town. He told me at that time that if I need any help with anything to give him a call or text. I tucked that thought away.

The Englishman on the train to Otranto said how much he and his wife like Gallipoli, and in conversations with strangers along the way, we had heard from a couple others that thought Gallipoli was a nice place to visit. The forecast looked great, so I started looking at train schedules. To go from Otranto to Gallipoli (as I recall) meant we’d have to go north on the train to Lecce then south to Gallipoli. In any case, whatever the circumstances, it sure as heck wasn’t a quick, straight train ride from east to west, as it would be if we had a car.

I decided that I’d much prefer to get a driver to take us directly from our hotel to a B&B in Gallipoli. I called Dario and asked him for advice. He said he’d find me a guy, but he strongly advised that I pick another city. He just didn’t see any good reason to go and stay there a few days. i told him that I had heard otherwise from a few people and that since the weather looked good, and since we hadn’t been to the ionian sea in Puglia up until this point, that I’d like to give it a go.

Now a word about accommodations...we decided that we need to avoid booking any place in advance. We were in the shoulder season, the villages we were visiting were small, and the main thing was that if we didn’t like it, we’d be able to grab our bags and carry on. This decision of ours could not have come at a better time.

I looked on booking for a place in Gallipoli. We always prefer centro storico so I kept my search focused on that zone. Nothing particularly great was apparant or available as I searched. Then I found one B&B that looked promising. It got good reviews on both TA and booking, the price was right and it didn’t seem to be booked yet for the three days we needed. Rather than book it, we took the chance that it’d be available and decided to wing it if it were indeed booked.

So Dario sent Diego to come and drive us to Gallipoli for 50E. I had heard it was only about a half hour to the other coast, but that wasn’t true. It took at least 50 minutes. Right before we rolled into town, Diego pulled to the side of the freeway and set his GPS for the B&B. After a few minutes he stopped at a street in a nondescript part of town thinking we were nearby, so I said that I didn’t think it could be here since the B&B is in the centro storico, and please God tell me this is not the centro storico.

We continued on and the streets were packed with traffic, then as we neared the centro storico, about half a mile of the road was torn up due to construction and it felt like we exited the peace and calm of one sea side village in exchange for chaos and confusion of another. We drove around the exterior of the centro storico and asked, then found the street. Diego came with us, (thank God) and we found the B&B. Turns out it was full! The owner told us that they had an apartment we could rent if we wanted, which they use in an emergency. She walked us over. I thought it was OK, I could see that it needed to be cleaned and that there were a lot of flights of stairs but R looked around, and looked in the bathroom, and said no way. So the lady walked us to another apartment they had which was on the ground floor. Technically it was sub-ground. We walked down a few stairs and the door opened up to a motorcycle in the very modest living room. That oily bike may have been the best feature of this extremely small and very old apartment. I told R not to bother coming in.

So here we were in this city, surrounded by narrow winding streets leading to nothing more (it seemed) than more narrow winding streets, in a very residential area. I wanted out of Gallipoli and R did too. I decided that we would take our chances and go to PaM come hell or highwater, come rain or sunshine because I knew we’d like it. As much as we loved the salento, it was time to take our vacation north.

I thought about asking Diego to take us to the station in Gallipoli so that we could train our way to PaM. Diego said that the train would take us to Lecce then we’d need to find a train to PaM. So I asked him how much he’d charge us to take us to Lecce. He called Dario and came back with 120E. I spoke with Dario who reminded me that I should pay attention to his suggestions and warnings ;-) and told him, fine, let’s go with Diego to Lecce. I just wanted to get outta there.

So we left chaotic Gallipoli, got dropped off at the Lecce station and only had to wait 9 minutes for our train...which ended up being an hour late. Dario kept checking in to make sure we were OK since he had heard that there may be a train strike. So after a day when we thought we’d find ourselves traveling only 30 minutes to our next destination, it ended up taking us 6 hours to get to our next town!

Polignano a Mare (really this time)

When we arrived here (with the help of the ticket taker on the train and fellow passengers) from Lecce, we didn’t know how long we’d stay, where we’d stay, all I knew is that it sounded like our kind of town, so we took the plunge. After hauling our bags down the stairs we were relieved to find two longs ramps to get us out of there. At the top of the ramp, it didn’t “look right”. I asked a guy in a semi-truck if he could please tell me”...dov’ è il mare” (where’s the sea) and he pointed to the opposite side. Down and up the ramps to the other side where we found what seemed to be a very nice little village. I explained to a man outside that I was new to town and if he could tell me how I can get to the sea and he replied, “sempre dritto”. So straight ahead we went, all downhill (not a steep hill at all).

We ended up in a huge piazza. The air was fresh, there was no chaos, they were setting up a stage, there were huge light decorations wrapping the piazza, and continuing down the streets, and it all seemed like a cool place to be. Most everything was closed for the siesta so we popped into an open bar on the piazza called Minerva. Gianni was behind the bar and didn’t seem to mind when I told him that we’d love to get a couple fo beers in exchange for letting me use his restroom. He was curious about us and asked us where we were from and what brought us here and where we were staying. When I told him we didn’t know, he told of us the nearby Tourist Information and how they can help us find a place. Then a patron told R about a lady who has a brand new B&B. “Nuovissimo!”, he said. So he called the lady, the lady came over and I told R that since he was the picky one, that he should go and look at it and that if it was OK with him, then it’s OK with me.

I stayed and drank my beer and chatted with Gianni who gave me advice about the town, gave me a map, told me about things to see, he asked how I came to speak Italian so well (as did so many people I met) and I told him. He laughed, like everyone else. Then R returned and said that the place was really pretty but there isn’t any AC yet. He said it is so new that they aren’t quite done because there are still wires exposed and brand new furniture wrapped in plastic, stuff in the stairwell, etc.

We said our goodbyes to Gianni, bought the guy a beer who set us up with the prospective B&B owner, and as we headed toward the tourist information office, we saw that people were emerging for the early evening. At the TI, I asked the gal about the Hotel Grotta Palazzese.

I remember reading a trip report from a long time fodorite (Patrick?) writing about his experience staying at this place and eating in the restaurant. He made it sound so beautiful and I always thought of how nice it must be. I had thought that the price would be too much so I was surprised when the girl from the TI called the hotel and when she said that we’d want to stay at least three nights and how much would it be, they said a standard room is 140E.

We walked over and they showed us three rooms. Two standard rooms, and the other was one step up (deluxe?) and 20E more because they had a mini balcony over the sea.

The first room smelled like cigs, the second standard room we saw was amazing. It had its own glass door which first opens up to a HUGE brick terrace which housed four lounge chairs, a table and chairs, a bunch of cactus plants, and had an incredible view of the sea and pounding surf. The room itself was really cute and very bright. It had a bathtub! The first bathtub we had seen since our very first night. It had two large windows which either opened from the top or you could swing open from the side and the door which all opened up onto the terrace. There were no other rooms off this glass door. I guess it was “standard’ because it opens up to a terrace which is on the sea, as opposed to the “better” room which is smaller but has a window with a tiny balcony which is right over the sea.

It didn’t take us long to decide we’d stay longer than 3 nights. By the time we picked our great room, and walked back down to reception, we decided to stay five nights. R would have stayed a week, but I really didn’t want to spend a week out of four in one place.

http://www.grottapalazzese.it/en/l-hotel/

OK, so now we’re very happy with our choice and this town, we decided to heed the advice of Gianni and the TI gal to go to the celebration of the patron saint for PaM, San Vito. It was soon to take place in the piazza in the old town. We got there as the priest was talking. The piazza was full and the band was there in the piazza too and we were behind the band. The lights that were erected all over the city were lining this piazza too and they all lit up. Then as the saint statue (very) slowly descended down a ramp in what looked like an altar on the exterior wall of a church, the band played its slow dirge-like music. Then after it descends all the way they hoist it up in a carriage and on the shoulders of some people and they start walking through the city streets. The band got behind the statue and some of the people who were following it, and since we were behind the band and saw a bunch of people drop in and follow the band, we followed them too! The photo in the lower right corner shows the wall of the church and the ramp where the saint statue descends

https://www.facebook.com/polignanoma...59993827378556

It didn’t seem right to wave at the people who lined the streets as we passed them, like I do in our local Christmas parade (I did our local parade with our Zumba class), so we just looked straight ahead and joined in. There were archs of light every 15 feet or so from one end of the narrow street to the other. Hundreds if not thousands of little lighted bulbs in all the colors of the rainbow forming a decorative pattern. The piazzas were ringed with other lights on poles, reminiscent of lace (for lack of a better description) trimmed with the same bright bulbs. In the huge piazza that we passed when we first arrived, and were now passing with the procession, the band was on stage itching to get started. There was a whole bunch of merchants in the streets selling their wares. Families were everywhere. It was a great summer night.

As the procession drew to a close, R said something to a girl in front of us. Something like “We’re from California”. Then we heard a woman she was with ask, “What’d you say?” So R repeated it and she said she was from New Jersey. R is from Brooklyn so the next thing you know the procession is over and we end up gabbing for an hour with this woman who left the states 15 years ago and decided to live in a nearby Italian town to be near her relatives. She was very nice and interesting.

We got a delicious pizza and a delicious pasta dish close to our hotel at Pepe Nero Pizzeria and Spaghetteria

Ristorante Pizzeria Pepe Nero Via Roma 33, TEL: 0804033548
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 06:07 PM
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what a fun report. I remember your planning process of a couple months ago, so it is nice to learn the outcome. I am going to be posting my own report from our May trip soon. Meanwhile, I am enjoying yours!
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Old Jul 12th, 2014, 07:44 PM
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Dai: I've always remembered that trip report of Patrick's. I will watch the vimeo movie tomorrow. I'm loving your report.
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Old Jul 13th, 2014, 07:45 AM
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Oh yes, aprillilacs you were there while I was planning the trip. I'll look forward to your report too.

Tuscan, thanks so much! Will you please come back and tell me your impressions of the film? For some reason R and I really were impacted by the film, it makes me wonder if you would feel the same way or not.
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Old Jul 13th, 2014, 12:26 PM
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During our dinner it rained really hard, while the thunder and lightning was fierce. After an hour it was all over. We both happen to enjoy rain like that. Everything smells so great after a good rain, and it doesn’t slow you down with sightseeing with a quick rain here and there.

The next day we set out late in the morning to explore the south side of Polignano a Mare to see what we could find. We wandered along the sea stopping frequently to take more photos. When we eventually made our way back, we happened upon a small restaurant/pizzeria (pizza only for dinner) where it seemed like they had a couple of vegetarian pasta options. A very casual place with outdoor seating on a huge piazza by the sea. They had white tables with blue tablecloths and a blonde woman was sitting there waiting for some guests, so we gave it a try. R ordered the contadina which was just some orecchiette with tomato sauce, I ordered the trofiette pasta (delicious, and my first time trying this shape of pasta) which came with mushrooms and salami but I noticed another of their dishes had zucchini, so I asked her if she’d substitute the zucchini for the salami, and she agreed. She tried to get us to order the same dish so that we could get our dishes at the same time, but we declined. Then she came out and asked if the chef could add some tomato to my dish, and I said yes. Then she came out and asked how I felt about adding panna to my dish, so I said, sure. What I got was this great dish that wasn’t on the menu and it was scrumptious. R’s dish was simple and good. With three beers it was 21.50E. The reviews on TA are mixed to say the least, but we got lucky, so I’ll mention it. It’s called Zanzi Pizza Via Magg. Toselli, 16 Largo Ardito

After our siesta we found Super Mago which is a note I had made for great gelato in PaM. VERY quick service as there are a lot of people on staff waiting to take your order. The owner heard us talking and asked in his American accented English where we were from. He was traveling in Italy (15-20 years ago, as I recall) a former hippy type of guy, who came to PaM and fell in love with a girl. He is still very much in love with his wife and they have been running the family business for quite a while now.

We talked American and Italian politics, Italian bureaucracy, lack of consistency in laws, exorbitant taxes in Italy (which we heard from several proprietors), etc and we really enjoyed his company. It was a non stop conversation with a guy that we could have sat and gabbed with for hours. He then gifted us with a taste of their famous chocolate gelato (which tastes like pudding) and he also gifted us a coffee drink that he says is their recipe that they are known for-it has amaretto and lemon in it. He himself makes the gelato since the recipe is a secret which has been handed down, and when he’s done adding the ingredients, one of the employees comes in and blends it. They didn’t have stracciatella but said that they’d add some chocolate chips, which they did. It was very good, and we were glad we stopped in here.

http://www.mariocampanellailsupermagodelgelo.it/

As we wandered around, the storm reappeared so we started heading back towards the hotel. It was dinner time so we popped into Vizi & Sfizi because it seemed like there was always someone going in there. I got a Margherita pizza and he got a funghi with no cheese, and we just sat there by ourselves in a back room while the storm raged and we drank beer and ate our pizza and just took our ever loving time gabbing while the storm soaked the streets.

The next day we went in the opposite direction towards the centro storico to seek out a museum we heard about, and see what we could find. What we found were photo opps at every turn. At one lookout point, there was a beach which I bet is packed in August and we decided to cross over the bridge to take photos of the statue of the man who sang, “Volare”, and to see what else we could find.

I also noticed a lot of B&B’s in the centro storico, and I would say that this could be a perfect spot to be for a few days. We stayed in PaM for five nights and we spoke to a LOT of people during that time and when people asked us where we were staying everyone said that our hotel was too expensive and that they knew of a nice B&B for half the price. We’d always talk about that spectacular terrace on the sea that “belonged just to us” and how we just loved it. In fact, not a day went by where we didn’t just soak in the view for a while, a few times a day, on that terrace.

Anyway, we wandered over the bridge and walked north, and found the statue, and continued taking photos galore. There were many places where people can swim in the sea, and the waters were very clear.

Heading back to town it was time to try the gelateria that two people at our hotel suggested. Now as much as I loved the guy Russell from Super Mago, I have to say that without a doubt “Caruso’s” has THE best gelato EVER! It’s about a 45 second walk up the street from Super Mago’s. It’s across the street. Across from the Tourist Information (and up the street just slightly). The first door you come to is always locked. Walk a few paces more and through the doors you will find an area to sit and enjoy your ice cream, and then you’ll find a beautiful, large, white room with friendly staff who will greet you and a large selection of delicious, creamy ice cream made with organic milk, and fresh ingredients. The selection changed just a little everyday. They had an amazing chocolate ice cream “senza latticini” made with almond milk that R absolutely LOVED. I loved how they poured some chocolate sauce in my cone first then gave me two flavors to choose from on my “small” cone and the Pièce de résistance was a disc of a cone dipped in chocolate sauce and stuck in the middle of my ice cream. Mamma Mia!!!

http://www.gustocaruso.it/?lang=en

For lunch we went again to Pepe Nero for another delicious spaghetti dish, and for dinner we wanted something light and simple, so we stepped into a tavola calda which had chains hanging down the doorway and was located across from the huge piazza. A lot of businesses have strings which hang down the doorway enabling fresh air to come in while keeping flies out. Most people use plastic thin ropes, but this was silver chains which I thought was unique. Anyway, there were three or four guys behind the bar and i told them that we just want vegetables and more vegetables on some bread, and a couple of Ceres. They kind of all just stared at us in a friendly way but with wonder in their eyes. I tried to pay him after our sandwiches came up but was told to sit and relax. There was another world cup game that was getting ready to take place with Italy and a lot of people came in and out. During a lull, I got up and went to the counter and tried to pay again but he told me that eating all of those veggies isn’t right and to “try this”, which was a deep fried triangular thing with melted cheese and tomato sauce in the middle. Then he told me to sit and relax. We’re not exactly into deep fried anything but we did as we were told and finished up our Ceres with his gift. He got packed with orders and when things calmed down we tried again to pay. It was 12E total. To be honest I really liked him much more than what we ate, but this guy is really busy with lots of locals so maybe his pizza al taglio or other meaty things are great. I don’t know. I would go back for a beer and try something else just because I liked how well he treated us. The receipt indicates the name is “Happy Food”, but the front of the restaurant says something else. The address is Via Atropo #5

Monopoli

The next day we decided to do a day trip to Monopoli. We had heard from several people that it is a nice town to visit. We have to agree. It’s only one stop by train but the schedule of the train wasn’t fitting into our schedule so we asked our hotel to call us a cab. We paid 20 E to have a nice guy drive us to the port right outside the centro storico walls.

We walked along the centro storico, and happened upon an accessories store called Castrignano. R loves his wool English cap and when we saw this store with hundreds of hats, I suggested we go in and have a look. We really enjoyed the owner Luciano whose family has been in this same spot for a few hundred years! Even the ceiling of this store has frescoes and ornate plaster work which are photo worthy. R tried on lots of hats in different sizes and fabrics. I told him that if he ever lost that one wool cap of his, he’d be really bummed if he didn’t have a replacement. R left with two linen and one wool English caps. He loves them and is glad I talked him into it. They sell gloves, hats, luggage, accessories.

Castrignano Largo Plebiscito, 11, monopoli

Our taxi driver suggested a place to have lunch. When I told Luciano, he said that he would recommend a place that is just as good but is much closer so we followed his advice. La locanda dei Mercanti. We loved the food here. They start you off with a bunch of frittelle, which are battered, deep fried potatoes (or was it cheese?) and sauce. They also bring you a bunch of delicious olives. We ordered grilled veggies to start. I had orecchiette, basil, pomodoro pasta and R had homemade pasta with prawns and mushrooms in truffle oil. Simply scrumptious. After your meal they bring you fresh carrots and a squash that looked like honeydew melon. Then he brought us over a warm-in-the-middle mini pastry as a gift called sporcamuss that was amazing. The one thing I will mention is to check your bill. I had to bring to his attention that his addition was off by 8 euro and I believe the prices on the menu from what I remember was slightly off from what we were charged, but I wasn't about to scrutinize the menu for 1.50. We either had wine or a beer too and received all of this for 25.50 E. We would absolutely return. Hail to the chef! Si mangia bene qui!

La locanda dei Mercanti Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 44 TEL 080 937 6621

We needed to walk off that meal which left us too full, so we walked around and took photos and popped into a souvenir place where we got into another nice conversation with a gal. She explained the images of the lady with the little boy that you see all over. She laughed when R said that he had declared that the lady was me and the boy was him (I’m much taller than R) It turns out that this same image you see all over is Mary and Jesus. It felt a little sacrilegious when we learned that. She wasn’t offended, thank goodness.

We walked to the train station and 2 E got us both back to PaM. Made a beeline for Caruso’s and had a chocolate/caramel wonder with a licorice flavor ice cream. R had milk free chocolate and mango. Spoke with the VERY helpful TI girl regarding Saturday’s departure and about taking a trip to Castellana Grotte and we skipped dinner.
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Old Jul 13th, 2014, 12:50 PM
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Old Jul 13th, 2014, 07:20 PM
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Dai: my husband and I just finished watching the Matera film. It is a beautifully done short film, and moving too. I hated those thieves! Felt like they stole my birthright.

Another thing that strikes me is that I've always been proud of being a Materese, because it's such a fascinating place, but the narrators talk about the shame they once felt. Of course I'd heard the stories of terrific poverty from my relatives, but still, I had such a connection to the place, even before I visited. I read about it, studied, and even wrote about it during my nascent journalism career.

Stories of the Lucano, wolves and witches, brigands, land pirates, cave dwellers; it all struck me as so romantic. Of course, my ancestors were peasants that lived in the Sassi and walked for miles to their agricultural work. It's not a romantic history but myths and tales of wild Basilcata are exciting.

The film made both my husband and I even more anxious to return.

By the way, did you visit the Modern Art Museum in Matera? It is first rate, with a decent collection and outstanding architecture and presentation.
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