BARI, POLIGNANO, LECCE: Introducing 2 Italvirgins to Puglia
Nov 25th, 2012, 11:19 PM
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BARI, POLIGNANO, LECCE: Introducing 2 Italvirgins to Puglia
September 8, my husband and I left Vancouver for Zurich. For the next three weeks, we travelled from Zurich to Lugano, Lake Como, Verona, Venice, Umbria, and then across the mountains to Ascoli Piceno.
On September 29, we drove from Ascoli down to Bari to pick up our 26 year old daughter and her husband at BRI.
This would be the first time in Italy for both of them.
I had this anxiety going on, because I really wanted my daughter and SIL to like Italy, and Bari is not really like arriving at the train station in Venice.
My husband said, Relax, how could anyone NOT like Italy?
On September 29, we drove from Ascoli down to Bari to pick up our 26 year old daughter and her husband at BRI.
This would be the first time in Italy for both of them.
I had this anxiety going on, because I really wanted my daughter and SIL to like Italy, and Bari is not really like arriving at the train station in Venice.
My husband said, Relax, how could anyone NOT like Italy?
Nov 26th, 2012, 12:00 AM
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A continuation from
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...l-ascolana.cfm
My wish for cooler weather evaporated in the hot, humid air. As the Lufthansa flight that our kids were on was coming in to Bari airport, the pilot announced it was 37 degrees outside.
They thought the pilot was mistaken until they stepped outside the plane and were smothered by the heat. Now that's desirable if one is on a beach holiday, but not for the heavy duty street slogging I had in mind.
Meanwhile, Tim and I had an hour and a half to wait for our two Euro virgins, so sidled up to the "bar" in the airport, and asked if they had any "Birra locale". A spirited discussion erupted between the three guys standing near us about what might be considered a local beer, with the server stepping in to translate when necessary.
The decision was, no local beer: We got Heineken. But it was a fun way to while away some time with our bar mates, anyway.
Tim found some blank paper and made a "Welcome to Italy E and C" sign to hold up. Well, the ensuing happy re-union in English caused a bit of a stir in the little airport, as we excitedly visited and rehashed our respective trips. There is not much English spoken here.
I had this anxiety going on, because I really wanted my daughter and SIL to like Italy, and Bari is ' not really ' like arriving at the train station in Venice.
My husband said, Relax, how could anyone NOT like Italy?
Nevertheless, in true worrywart fashion, I caused myself no end of discomfort over the next few days, silently fussing over every experience.
Not to worry, though, they were truly wowed, and their impression went from good to better to best.
The drive from Bari airport to Polignano a Mare along the highway is flat and unattractive, and our GPS takes us to the wrong location.
What to do now? I love watching the look of amazement on E and C's faces as a stranger walks along in front of our car, waving us on to our location, and even shows us where to park!
Our hotel is Malu Bed and Breakfast
http://www.bebmalu.it/#home
Our little white rooms overlooking the beach and the old town are duly impressive, with the moon sparkling off the water. Excitement is high and appetites are stoked for some fresh seafood on the Adriatic coast in Italy!
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...l-ascolana.cfm
My wish for cooler weather evaporated in the hot, humid air. As the Lufthansa flight that our kids were on was coming in to Bari airport, the pilot announced it was 37 degrees outside.
They thought the pilot was mistaken until they stepped outside the plane and were smothered by the heat. Now that's desirable if one is on a beach holiday, but not for the heavy duty street slogging I had in mind.
Meanwhile, Tim and I had an hour and a half to wait for our two Euro virgins, so sidled up to the "bar" in the airport, and asked if they had any "Birra locale". A spirited discussion erupted between the three guys standing near us about what might be considered a local beer, with the server stepping in to translate when necessary.
The decision was, no local beer: We got Heineken. But it was a fun way to while away some time with our bar mates, anyway.
Tim found some blank paper and made a "Welcome to Italy E and C" sign to hold up. Well, the ensuing happy re-union in English caused a bit of a stir in the little airport, as we excitedly visited and rehashed our respective trips. There is not much English spoken here.
I had this anxiety going on, because I really wanted my daughter and SIL to like Italy, and Bari is ' not really ' like arriving at the train station in Venice.
My husband said, Relax, how could anyone NOT like Italy?
Nevertheless, in true worrywart fashion, I caused myself no end of discomfort over the next few days, silently fussing over every experience.
Not to worry, though, they were truly wowed, and their impression went from good to better to best.
The drive from Bari airport to Polignano a Mare along the highway is flat and unattractive, and our GPS takes us to the wrong location.
What to do now? I love watching the look of amazement on E and C's faces as a stranger walks along in front of our car, waving us on to our location, and even shows us where to park!
Our hotel is Malu Bed and Breakfast
http://www.bebmalu.it/#home
Our little white rooms overlooking the beach and the old town are duly impressive, with the moon sparkling off the water. Excitement is high and appetites are stoked for some fresh seafood on the Adriatic coast in Italy!
Nov 26th, 2012, 07:16 AM
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My SIL has been cooking meals for years, since his mom has had MS since he was about 12 years old. He loves to cook, and he loves to eat, and has quite a refined palate.
We go around the corner from the hotel to Ristorante Chichibio, and my husband goes manic on the seafood menu.
Plate after plate of incredible fish and seafood comes out of the kitchen. What a feast! I'm not too sure exactly what the locals are thinking of us, but every time another plate comes out, everyone turns around and looks.
SIL recorded the food, fortunately, so we can relive that feast anytime we want, with no calories.
Whole sea bass baked in salt crust
Grilled langoustines huge and very sweet
A plate of grilled prawns
All of which DH Tim has chosen inside from the fresh seafood display.
Beautiful grilled vegetables
Risotto
A seafood antipasti platter. SIL's description: "We then had a heavenly antipasti plate, as pictured below. I’ll start with the little round cake with the tomato on top and describe each item clockwise. The round cake with the tomato was actually a delightful fish soufflé, lightly fried, which simply melted in the mouth. Next, a fried cylinder of ricotta, where the crunchy batter nicely contrasted with the smooth, soft cheese inside. Next, grilled octopus in a delicate white sauce. After that, a fried ball of ground tuna, not dry at all but tender and juicy (a surprising amount of fried things, but done just right and so well). Finally, a Puglian tipico, or typical dish, of puréed fava beans with shrimp and red onion."
For pictures check out his blog:
http://mangiereinitalia.wordpress.co...lignano-a-mare
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant...ri_Puglia.html
Dessert time it is, and it has to be gelato.
Across the bridge to the main part of town we go, along with hundreds of happy locals. It's Saturday night, and its party time. Family style, that is.
Polignano has an extremely lively passeggiata. It seems that every single person that lives there must be out in the streets tonight.
Providentially there are at least 10 gelato shops around the main piazza, so we just spin around and point to one.
It turns out to be a really good choice. SIL asks if they have a specialty, and we watch the maestro take a cone, put some whipped cream inside it, then a scoop of truly home-made chocolate gelato, another one of cafe gelato, then he dips the whole thing in a vat of thick whipped cream.
I'm usually not a Gelato Raver, but the rich deliciousness of that concoction is simply beyond words.
These Puglian towns on the coast, like Polignano, look very Greek, with the whitewashed thick walled buildings in narrow lanes with steep steps up to the flower potted entrances.
We walk in the piazza and around town, to observe the townsfolk visit, laugh and talk, and finally fill up all those restaurants we walked past earlier.
After leaving home on Thursday, and finally arriving Saturday, E and C are now exhausted, and ready for bed.
Tomorrow, more seafood, dipsy driving, we call this a carrot, "some little place", and tourist trap crap.
We go around the corner from the hotel to Ristorante Chichibio, and my husband goes manic on the seafood menu.
Plate after plate of incredible fish and seafood comes out of the kitchen. What a feast! I'm not too sure exactly what the locals are thinking of us, but every time another plate comes out, everyone turns around and looks.
SIL recorded the food, fortunately, so we can relive that feast anytime we want, with no calories.
Whole sea bass baked in salt crust
Grilled langoustines huge and very sweet
A plate of grilled prawns
All of which DH Tim has chosen inside from the fresh seafood display.
Beautiful grilled vegetables
Risotto
A seafood antipasti platter. SIL's description: "We then had a heavenly antipasti plate, as pictured below. I’ll start with the little round cake with the tomato on top and describe each item clockwise. The round cake with the tomato was actually a delightful fish soufflé, lightly fried, which simply melted in the mouth. Next, a fried cylinder of ricotta, where the crunchy batter nicely contrasted with the smooth, soft cheese inside. Next, grilled octopus in a delicate white sauce. After that, a fried ball of ground tuna, not dry at all but tender and juicy (a surprising amount of fried things, but done just right and so well). Finally, a Puglian tipico, or typical dish, of puréed fava beans with shrimp and red onion."
For pictures check out his blog:
http://mangiereinitalia.wordpress.co...lignano-a-mare
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant...ri_Puglia.html
Dessert time it is, and it has to be gelato.
Across the bridge to the main part of town we go, along with hundreds of happy locals. It's Saturday night, and its party time. Family style, that is.
Polignano has an extremely lively passeggiata. It seems that every single person that lives there must be out in the streets tonight.
Providentially there are at least 10 gelato shops around the main piazza, so we just spin around and point to one.
It turns out to be a really good choice. SIL asks if they have a specialty, and we watch the maestro take a cone, put some whipped cream inside it, then a scoop of truly home-made chocolate gelato, another one of cafe gelato, then he dips the whole thing in a vat of thick whipped cream.
I'm usually not a Gelato Raver, but the rich deliciousness of that concoction is simply beyond words.
These Puglian towns on the coast, like Polignano, look very Greek, with the whitewashed thick walled buildings in narrow lanes with steep steps up to the flower potted entrances.
We walk in the piazza and around town, to observe the townsfolk visit, laugh and talk, and finally fill up all those restaurants we walked past earlier.
After leaving home on Thursday, and finally arriving Saturday, E and C are now exhausted, and ready for bed.
Tomorrow, more seafood, dipsy driving, we call this a carrot, "some little place", and tourist trap crap.
Nov 26th, 2012, 09:49 PM
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In the morning, we plan to drive into Bari, so we get up early, and have a fine breakfast at our B&B, home made cakes, jams, and yogurt, meats and cheeses, and fresh fruit, even 'uova sode'. We learned that term from a young woman serving breakfast in Sicily, only said with a full on inflective Sicilian accent, and ever since, it's been our reference for boiled eggs.
A friend of ours in Vancouver whose family lives near Bari has suggested a restaurant for really fresh crudo and otherwise cooked fish and seafood. So, after our visit to Bari, we stop in the little coastal town of Torre a Mare at Zia Teresa restaurant.
It's Sunday, and the place is full of families, as is the town. Right at the marina, the fish comes off the boats to the restaurant, where there is a glassed-in room for cleaning, cutting, shucking, and icing the seafood.
The two guys have been anticipating this opportunity to eat really fresh crudo for some time now. It's not about the presentation at this place. It's just a big plate of raw prawns, mussels, clams, calamari, oysters, and baby octopus. They go to it with gusto, while my daughter and I, the two sensitive stomachs, choose to sit this one out for fear of ruining the next 3 days of our holiday.
All this eating is eating into our time. We have about an hour to make it to the Grotte di Castellana for the English tour. Whoa, this is a windy road with SSDD (sensitive stomach dear daughter) in the back seat.
We arrive to find that the English tour is joining with the German tour and the Farsi Tour.
Close enough......
Well, they won't let you in unless you go with the 'tour'. So we follow our Dear Tour Guide down stairs, then weaving around corners and more stairs. It's 200 feet underground.
This is pretty cool stuff, a subterranean world of stalagmites and stalagtites, in different shapes and sizes and colors. The caves run 3 kilometers long and culminate at the beautiful Grotta Bianca.
Our English Dear Tour Guide speaks in a high pitched voice with a strong Italian accent. DD starts to giggle at the DTG's descriptions of what we are seeing. No boring scientific stuff, just, We call this one a carrot, because it looks like a carrot, and We call this one an owl because it looks like an owl, and We call this one Madonna and Bambino because if you have imagination, it looks like Madonna and Bambino (that would be a LOT of imagination). The whole while she is making circles on each one with a laser pointer.
Well, by this time, we are all giggling, especially as we get the doppio description on the way back.
" And this is the 'back' of the one we call the owl because it looks like an owl. "
Enough of the caves, even though it was nice and cool down there.
SSDD is in need of food, but as yet, does not believe that the whole place can close up for 3 hours in the afternoon.
"There has to be some little place open", only, as anyone who has travelled to Europe before knows, NO THERE ISN'T.
We drive around and into the Centro of Castellana in our search, but find nothing open. What we do find are some really bad drivers. They are intensely, incredibly as bad as Naples! Only in Naples, drivers are just crazy, not angry.
It seems rather odd, because we have not encountered this anywhere else in Puglia.
It's not far back to Polignano, just a short drive through the rolling hills and olive groves. We all sit in stunned and hungry silence after our harrowing experience.
Once back in Polignano, we are ready for some good eats, and the " old town " seems enticing, well at least atmospheric. All the restaurants look like tourist traps, but we are mighty hungry by now.
The back side of one looks promising though, with the kitchen door open, and staff eating great folded pizza Napoli style while watching the ball game. So we go round the front and sit down and order pizza.
Shortly, a few other English speaking couples sit down, and we're all eyeing each other wondering, do 4 English couples and no Italians constitute this a tourist place?
The truth is in the pizza, and I swear the staff in the back must have ordered in! Oh well, at least we aren't h'angry any more.
Of course, the next stop is our over the top 'gelato with whipped cream' shop.
It seems like all we're doing is going from one meal to the next, but let me assure you, there is a great lot of walking in between.
In this area, there is a custom for the bread shops to make fresh focaccia late at night while preparing the next day's bread. Our tall, lanky SIL, otherwise known as C, is still hungry, and can't resist waiting in line for that treat. Focaccia in southern Italy is something I wish everyone could experience.
It could be described as moist and chewy, with an irregular hole structure, and an oily, crunchy underside. The bread is delicious.... the toppings are just a bonus.
Check out the pics and article:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food...8913.htmlstory
Time to get the kids (and the oldsters) to bed.
A friend of ours in Vancouver whose family lives near Bari has suggested a restaurant for really fresh crudo and otherwise cooked fish and seafood. So, after our visit to Bari, we stop in the little coastal town of Torre a Mare at Zia Teresa restaurant.
It's Sunday, and the place is full of families, as is the town. Right at the marina, the fish comes off the boats to the restaurant, where there is a glassed-in room for cleaning, cutting, shucking, and icing the seafood.
The two guys have been anticipating this opportunity to eat really fresh crudo for some time now. It's not about the presentation at this place. It's just a big plate of raw prawns, mussels, clams, calamari, oysters, and baby octopus. They go to it with gusto, while my daughter and I, the two sensitive stomachs, choose to sit this one out for fear of ruining the next 3 days of our holiday.
All this eating is eating into our time. We have about an hour to make it to the Grotte di Castellana for the English tour. Whoa, this is a windy road with SSDD (sensitive stomach dear daughter) in the back seat.
We arrive to find that the English tour is joining with the German tour and the Farsi Tour.
Close enough......
Well, they won't let you in unless you go with the 'tour'. So we follow our Dear Tour Guide down stairs, then weaving around corners and more stairs. It's 200 feet underground.
This is pretty cool stuff, a subterranean world of stalagmites and stalagtites, in different shapes and sizes and colors. The caves run 3 kilometers long and culminate at the beautiful Grotta Bianca.
Our English Dear Tour Guide speaks in a high pitched voice with a strong Italian accent. DD starts to giggle at the DTG's descriptions of what we are seeing. No boring scientific stuff, just, We call this one a carrot, because it looks like a carrot, and We call this one an owl because it looks like an owl, and We call this one Madonna and Bambino because if you have imagination, it looks like Madonna and Bambino (that would be a LOT of imagination). The whole while she is making circles on each one with a laser pointer.
Well, by this time, we are all giggling, especially as we get the doppio description on the way back.
" And this is the 'back' of the one we call the owl because it looks like an owl. "
Enough of the caves, even though it was nice and cool down there.
SSDD is in need of food, but as yet, does not believe that the whole place can close up for 3 hours in the afternoon.
"There has to be some little place open", only, as anyone who has travelled to Europe before knows, NO THERE ISN'T.
We drive around and into the Centro of Castellana in our search, but find nothing open. What we do find are some really bad drivers. They are intensely, incredibly as bad as Naples! Only in Naples, drivers are just crazy, not angry.
It seems rather odd, because we have not encountered this anywhere else in Puglia.
It's not far back to Polignano, just a short drive through the rolling hills and olive groves. We all sit in stunned and hungry silence after our harrowing experience.
Once back in Polignano, we are ready for some good eats, and the " old town " seems enticing, well at least atmospheric. All the restaurants look like tourist traps, but we are mighty hungry by now.
The back side of one looks promising though, with the kitchen door open, and staff eating great folded pizza Napoli style while watching the ball game. So we go round the front and sit down and order pizza.
Shortly, a few other English speaking couples sit down, and we're all eyeing each other wondering, do 4 English couples and no Italians constitute this a tourist place?
The truth is in the pizza, and I swear the staff in the back must have ordered in! Oh well, at least we aren't h'angry any more.
Of course, the next stop is our over the top 'gelato with whipped cream' shop.
It seems like all we're doing is going from one meal to the next, but let me assure you, there is a great lot of walking in between.
In this area, there is a custom for the bread shops to make fresh focaccia late at night while preparing the next day's bread. Our tall, lanky SIL, otherwise known as C, is still hungry, and can't resist waiting in line for that treat. Focaccia in southern Italy is something I wish everyone could experience.
It could be described as moist and chewy, with an irregular hole structure, and an oily, crunchy underside. The bread is delicious.... the toppings are just a bonus.
Check out the pics and article:
http://www.latimes.com/features/food...8913.htmlstory
Time to get the kids (and the oldsters) to bed.
Nov 27th, 2012, 01:09 PM
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Thanks, Jamikins, I read your report earlier on this year, but will have to review it and see if we went to any of the same places.
annhig, it was fairly expensive because the fish and langoustines were sold by the kilo. For 4 persons, the cost was Euro 140 ah but so worth it!
annhig, it was fairly expensive because the fish and langoustines were sold by the kilo. For 4 persons, the cost was Euro 140 ah but so worth it!
Nov 27th, 2012, 01:16 PM
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The seafood restaurant where the boys ate crudo is in Torre a Mare, and the meal for 4 people was Euro 64. including a bottle of Falanghina for 6euros. A cute little town, too.
http://www.ziateresa.it/
http://www.ziateresa.it/
Nov 27th, 2012, 09:21 PM
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A few photos of Polignano, Alberobello, our young friends from Bari, eating crudo, don't know who the dude is tanning his feet!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1tpon80f1...%2056%20AM.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1tpon80f1...%2056%20AM.jpg
Nov 27th, 2012, 11:15 PM
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I'm learning that my hyper planning will drive me to despair if I don't give up that perfect picture in my mind that has developed over the last year of reading and planning. It's good to have a dream, but one has to let go of it sometimes.
My daughter cannot eat wheat. Gluten free only. What was I thinking, bringing her to Italy? Pasta, pizza....Already she is starting to feel sick, and not finding much in the way of gluten free.
We will just have to take things slow.
This day is to take us to Locorotondo, where we will walk through the lanes of the historic center, which was our favorite small town the last time we were here. Then, Tim and I have dreamed of having lunch at the restaurant we staked out 2 years ago that was too busy to take us in.
(Either that or they thought I was a really stupid English-speaking woman for asking them what cut their lamb was, and deemed me not worthy of eating there!
"The lamb is the lamb, madam!")
In any case, the historic lanes are just as pretty, white, clean and picturesque as we remembered. They wind around, seemingly in circles. Its easy to get lost.
Sadly, the restaurant is closed.
But we wander around and admire the view over the trulli and farms in the surrounding countryside. A pack of American bicyclists arrive, and sorry to say, but they are quite rude in complaining loudly and cycling in the ped zone, and generally wheeling in front of every photo I am trying to take.
I spot a little market, and find that they have fresh ricotta, which we discovered on our last visit. We call it ambrosia, it is so unlike any ricotta we have had at home.
A good snack of olives, bread and ambrosia will be perfect to tide us over until we find lunch. I'm standing in front of the deli display case when who should come charging in but a couple of our biker friends. They try to butt in ahead of me, but I've noticed that the little Italian lady that came in before me went to the checkout, and ordered her cheese from there.
So, I sneak over to the checkout and do the same, much to the consternation of the biker butters. Ha! I'm not vindictive!
My daughter cannot eat wheat. Gluten free only. What was I thinking, bringing her to Italy? Pasta, pizza....Already she is starting to feel sick, and not finding much in the way of gluten free.
We will just have to take things slow.
This day is to take us to Locorotondo, where we will walk through the lanes of the historic center, which was our favorite small town the last time we were here. Then, Tim and I have dreamed of having lunch at the restaurant we staked out 2 years ago that was too busy to take us in.
(Either that or they thought I was a really stupid English-speaking woman for asking them what cut their lamb was, and deemed me not worthy of eating there!
"The lamb is the lamb, madam!")
In any case, the historic lanes are just as pretty, white, clean and picturesque as we remembered. They wind around, seemingly in circles. Its easy to get lost.
Sadly, the restaurant is closed.
But we wander around and admire the view over the trulli and farms in the surrounding countryside. A pack of American bicyclists arrive, and sorry to say, but they are quite rude in complaining loudly and cycling in the ped zone, and generally wheeling in front of every photo I am trying to take.
I spot a little market, and find that they have fresh ricotta, which we discovered on our last visit. We call it ambrosia, it is so unlike any ricotta we have had at home.
A good snack of olives, bread and ambrosia will be perfect to tide us over until we find lunch. I'm standing in front of the deli display case when who should come charging in but a couple of our biker friends. They try to butt in ahead of me, but I've noticed that the little Italian lady that came in before me went to the checkout, and ordered her cheese from there.
So, I sneak over to the checkout and do the same, much to the consternation of the biker butters. Ha! I'm not vindictive!
Nov 28th, 2012, 03:38 AM
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This is bringing back memories..lovely to read more about Puglia.
We actually had a reservation at Chichibio this past September (I've not had time to file a report here yet, shame on me!). But at the last minute we decided to dine closer to "home." I will make sure to get there next time, I've heard good things...Polignano is a jewel.
We actually had a reservation at Chichibio this past September (I've not had time to file a report here yet, shame on me!). But at the last minute we decided to dine closer to "home." I will make sure to get there next time, I've heard good things...Polignano is a jewel.
Nov 28th, 2012, 09:30 PM
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Thanks Ann 
And yestravel, glad to help with the memories.
Ekscrunchy, I had literally pages of your restaurant reviews with me, but didn't get to any of them! Next trip, I guess.
I really like Polignano. Its a great place if you like photography. Those caves are really something when it's a bit stormy and the waves are crashing in.
Did you know in the summertime, there is a cliff diving contest there?
And yestravel, glad to help with the memories. Ekscrunchy, I had literally pages of your restaurant reviews with me, but didn't get to any of them! Next trip, I guess.
I really like Polignano. Its a great place if you like photography. Those caves are really something when it's a bit stormy and the waves are crashing in.
Did you know in the summertime, there is a cliff diving contest there?
Nov 28th, 2012, 11:16 PM
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Part of the charm of Puglia is that its like going back in time. In Martina Franca, on our drive into town, we had to stop for a train. There is a man whose job it is to come out of his little house by the tracks and manually wind down the 'arm' then wind it back up again after the train is gone.
Next to his little house is a garden with tomatoes and veggies, a fig tree, and probably a few grape vines. It's the quintessential Puglian vignette.
You could define Puglia by its pastoral way of life, but it's so much more than that. It's the funeral procession we saw walking through the street in the middle of town, a huge crowd following behind, with musical accompaniment to the shuffle of the feet.
Its the stone fences everywhere you look, lining the roads, and checkering the fields.
It's the passeggiata, which is different than in northern Italy. The old men still dress up and come out at 6 pm to solve all the world's problems.
Yes, shoes are important, but they aren't Prada.
The cafe owner doesn't mind if you sit down at his outside table with your own lunch.
It is so hot you understand the popularity of gelato and the Mezzogiorno.
The roads between the towns are in horrendous shape.
A good espresso is only €.80, a glass of wine, €3.50 or 4, but comes with plates of little snacks and olives.
it is a real conflict to decide whether we should be charmed or be wondering how anyplace in Italy could be so backward. I prefer the former. But then, I'm just an observer, not a participant, in this circumstance.
So, on to Ostuni, the White City, Citta Bianca, where for sure we will get a good lunch, and stand on the highest ground to look out over the beautiful, ancient city and the countryside.
Circling through the narrow streets of Ostuni several times looking for a parking place can only be described as nerve racking. One never knows when that street will suddenly have posts in front of it, or become so narrow that you must fold the mirrors in and hope you don't have to back up a quarter of a mile.
I think I've seen too many videos taken from the BBC helicopter; because in reality there is no high spot from which one can see the view. In fact, Ostuni is probably prettier seen from afar, especially at night when lit up.
Discard the dream, live in the moment. We park, and start to walk up the steep streets to the Osteria del Tempo Perso. DD stops, and is bent over with stomach pain. We send the boys on to find the restaurant while we rest. They return to announce they have found the restaurant, and it is closed as well.
Just then I look up and see a sign on the wall, Ristorante Porta Nova, 100 meters, my second choice.
The day is rescued, the air conditioning is lovely, the restaurant is very elegant, and has the best view in town. And the food is delicious and beautiful.
http://en.ristoranteportanova.com/index.html
My wood fire grilled gamberoni comes with a glass dome that is filled with gauzy smoke, and when the lid is lifted, a wonderful aroma of wood smoke escapes and wafts by our noses. I have no idea how they accomplished that!
In the late afternoons, in southern Italy, you can see the wheelbarrows filled with fire wood being delivered in the back alleys to the kitchen doors, and in the evening, that delicious odour hangs in the cool night air. It's one of the things I love about southern Italy.
C chooses noodles made with sepia, and Tim chooses langoustine. DD, otherwise known as E, has white fish with olive, caper and lemon sauce.
Look at these delectable pictures:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6sl7evyh3elo3oc/5QanTVMRxQ
And the local white wine has relaxed us all, and we're ready to hit the highway and move on to Lecce.
Next to his little house is a garden with tomatoes and veggies, a fig tree, and probably a few grape vines. It's the quintessential Puglian vignette.
You could define Puglia by its pastoral way of life, but it's so much more than that. It's the funeral procession we saw walking through the street in the middle of town, a huge crowd following behind, with musical accompaniment to the shuffle of the feet.
Its the stone fences everywhere you look, lining the roads, and checkering the fields.
It's the passeggiata, which is different than in northern Italy. The old men still dress up and come out at 6 pm to solve all the world's problems.
Yes, shoes are important, but they aren't Prada.
The cafe owner doesn't mind if you sit down at his outside table with your own lunch.
It is so hot you understand the popularity of gelato and the Mezzogiorno.
The roads between the towns are in horrendous shape.
A good espresso is only €.80, a glass of wine, €3.50 or 4, but comes with plates of little snacks and olives.
it is a real conflict to decide whether we should be charmed or be wondering how anyplace in Italy could be so backward. I prefer the former. But then, I'm just an observer, not a participant, in this circumstance.
So, on to Ostuni, the White City, Citta Bianca, where for sure we will get a good lunch, and stand on the highest ground to look out over the beautiful, ancient city and the countryside.
Circling through the narrow streets of Ostuni several times looking for a parking place can only be described as nerve racking. One never knows when that street will suddenly have posts in front of it, or become so narrow that you must fold the mirrors in and hope you don't have to back up a quarter of a mile.
I think I've seen too many videos taken from the BBC helicopter; because in reality there is no high spot from which one can see the view. In fact, Ostuni is probably prettier seen from afar, especially at night when lit up.
Discard the dream, live in the moment. We park, and start to walk up the steep streets to the Osteria del Tempo Perso. DD stops, and is bent over with stomach pain. We send the boys on to find the restaurant while we rest. They return to announce they have found the restaurant, and it is closed as well.
Just then I look up and see a sign on the wall, Ristorante Porta Nova, 100 meters, my second choice.
The day is rescued, the air conditioning is lovely, the restaurant is very elegant, and has the best view in town. And the food is delicious and beautiful.
http://en.ristoranteportanova.com/index.html
My wood fire grilled gamberoni comes with a glass dome that is filled with gauzy smoke, and when the lid is lifted, a wonderful aroma of wood smoke escapes and wafts by our noses. I have no idea how they accomplished that!
In the late afternoons, in southern Italy, you can see the wheelbarrows filled with fire wood being delivered in the back alleys to the kitchen doors, and in the evening, that delicious odour hangs in the cool night air. It's one of the things I love about southern Italy.
C chooses noodles made with sepia, and Tim chooses langoustine. DD, otherwise known as E, has white fish with olive, caper and lemon sauce.
Look at these delectable pictures:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6sl7evyh3elo3oc/5QanTVMRxQ
And the local white wine has relaxed us all, and we're ready to hit the highway and move on to Lecce.
