That's always good!

Really enjoying revisiting Lecce with you. And I enjoyed seeing Brindisi for the first time through your report.

re: pizza. I believe it's common for places to serve pizza only at night, I think for the reason ekscrunchy suggested above. Traditional areas/restaurants are more likely to do this, but I've occasionally encountered the practice even in super touristy cities like Rome.

For future Lecce visitors: When you buy the multi-site ticket to see the baroque chuches, there's an app that you can download, LeccEcclesiae. It has audioguides for Piazza Duomo, Santa Croce, San Matteo, and Santa Chiara, in Italian, English, German, French and Spanish. [Maybe you can download it without buying the tickets. I don't remember exactly, but it's still on my phone.]

Travel_Nerd : https://www.chieselecce.it/en/

Thanks for this tip, Leely

Leely, thanks for adding that tip. I think I did see that option. I'm afraid that after being to Italy so many times and having visited so many churches, I don't mind if I don't know all the history behind it. I still like to visit the churches just to see the beauty. :)

The next morning, I decide to check out the café a couple of doors from the B&B, Al Ventuno, where I get a discount for breakfast. When I leave the B&B, I’m very surprised to see, in the window of a shop next door, the same cat that I saw at dinner last night. I’m sure it’s the same cat, I can tell by the dark mark by his eye and his red collar. This is not a short distance from last night’s restaurant! Apparently, this cat has a wide-ranging walk at night!

I order the Black Forest Waffle, which is delicious. Then, I had been hearing about Caffe Leccese (a bit of cream in the bottom, then espresso and almond syrup, served over ice with a spoon for you to stir it all together). I’m not a coffee drinker but figure I need to try it. It’s actually quite good. However, a short time later, I have a slight headache, so maybe it’s a good thing I don’t drink coffee.

I’m going to Chiesa di Santa Chiara. Yet another amazing church. While all these Baroque churches have some similarities with the intricate architecture, there are differences. This one has something I’ve never seen in the many churches I’ve visited, a nun and priest in the painting above the altar. Quite unusual.

Next, I want to go in Chiesa di Sant’Irene. You can’t get in at the end nearest Piazza Sant’Oronzo, so I continue on down Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. I see the Truffle Shop I had seen the other day and decide to go there first. I was pretty sure they would ship your order to the US, there might have even been a sign to that effect, and I love truffles. They do ship, so I have fun picking out a bunch of items to ship home. :p I’m only sorry they can’t ship the truffle sausage or truffle cheese. I have them ship it all to my son, since I don’t want the package to arrive at my place before I get home, and I have a couple of weeks to go. (Note that I think they would have held it and shipped it at a later date if I had wanted that.)

By this time, it’s time for lunch. I pass the entrance to Sant’Irene because it says there is an accessible entrance to avoid the stairs on the other side and come across OO Paladini, Via Paladini 2. I have the Fava with Chicory Spread. It’s OK, not my favorite thing, not really a lot of flavor. It’s very filling, so I can’t finish it all. They have some food items for sale, so even though I’m not that fond of whole anchovies, I have used them and know they can add a lot flavor to dishes, so I get a couple of cans to take home.

I continue on to the “accessible” entrance to Sant’Irene. Their idea of “accessible” is the same number of stairs, but with a railing. While I appreciate the railing, it certainly would not be considered accessible to someone in a wheelchair! When I get to the top of the stairs, there is a man at the door who doesn’t speak any English, but I realize he’s telling me I have to go around to the other side to enter. I’ve walked a lot today; I tell him I can’t do that (and of course I couldn’t question him as to why they would have an accessible entrance where people couldn’t enter!). The other entrance is just across the church from this one, so I’m trying to ask why I can’t just go across. A young woman sees what’s going on and comes over, I explain what has happened so far, and she says, yes, come across with me. Then with a twinkle in her eye, she says, just don’t look at anything until you pay to come in! Turns out it was covered by the combo ticket, because this is the Duomo. I don’t understand this at all, the Duomo is in the Piazza Duomo, which is not in this location, plus the church clearly says Irene on the outside. A mystery, at least to me.

Anyway, the church is huge and fantastic. Some Baroque style and some more plain, although it would only be called plain in comparison to Baroque. Lots to see. If you stand at the front of the church way on one side, it reminds me of the Mezquita in Cordoba, Spain, even though they really aren’t alike, because the beautiful arches in the ceiling seem to go on a long way.

When I come out of the church on the “accessible” side, I somehow get turned around, and after a while, I realize I don’t know where I am. There is nobody around and no shops where I could ask for directions. The map I have doesn’t have every street marked, and in this area is lacking. I’m studying it to try to figure out where I am when a young couple asks me if they can help. They only speak a little English, but I say I’m trying to get back to Piazza Sant’Oronzo, because I figure that’s a word they will probably understand, and they do. They start to tell me where I need to go, but it’s not at all clear. I start in the direction they had indicated, but then they are next to me and say they’ll show me. Again, the kindness of strangers. :) This turns out to be a good thing! It wasn’t at all a direct route, but once we get to a spot where I know where I am, I thank them profusely! I’ve walked a lot, so back to the B&B to put my feet up.

Later, I don’t want to walk very far for dinner, so I go looking and stop at Miro, a short walk from the B&B. They have a Marinated Anchovies appetizer on the menu. As mentioned, I’m really not a fan, but I like to try new things and am wondering if it’s like sardines in Italy (far different from sardines in the US), so I decide to try them. So glad I did. Yum! And they are beautifully presented on a long white plate, lined on one side with cherry tomatoes and the other with red cabbage. While I’m enjoying them, a woman stops by (I’m sitting outside as usual) and asks if they are good. I assure her they are. She says she is trying to decide where to eat, and moves on to people on the other side of the street, a different restaurant. Then she comes back to my table and asks whether she should join me. I say sure, so she sits down and looks at the menu.

Turns out she really doesn’t like to eat dinner alone. She’s from New Zealand, and we go on to have a great dinner together, talking about our trips and all sorts of things. Later, she mentions again that she’s not crazy about eating dinner alone, and I say it’s easy to get used to it, and people are much more likely to talk to you if you’re alone. I’ve often ended up in conversation with people at the next table, usually they’re surprised that I’m travelling alone. I point out that she would not have come over to my table and suggested that she join me if I had been with someone, and she agrees. This will not be the last time we share dinner. Fun!

I've bookmarked this post. What a great resource!

That’s so nice to know, SusanP!

Hope it helps you plan a trip to Puglia!

The next day is the day trip to Otranto, Castro, Santa Maria de Leuca, & Gallipoli. I wanted a tour for these towns, since it wasn’t as easy to get to them, and if it had been by train or bus, I then would have had a longer walk to the center than I wanted and would have needed to use a taxi (if there were any) or a local bus, and then have to worry about getting the local bus back. Also, I could easily do more than one town in a day. This tour is with a driver rather than a guide, which I’m OK with. I walk over to the castle in Lecce, not very far, to the pick-up spot for me, others are picked up at a different spot, so they must go by where your hotel is. There are only four of us, a couple from England and a young lady. Our driver doesn’t speak English, but he has one of those apps where he can speak into it and it will translate it for us, or we can speak into it and it translates it for him. As it turns out, the young lady on the trip is from Switzerland and speaks fluent German, French, Italian & English! She easily translates for the rest of us. (If we had had a guide, I definitely would have wanted him to speak English.)

As I mentioned, I wanted to go to Otranto to see the mosaic floor in the cathedral. We’re dropped off at the edge of town by the castle. Since there is no guide, everybody can do what they want. It’s a bit of a walk, not far, down a slope to the cathedral. The floor is great, covered with mosaics of animals. Don’t forget to look up, because it also has a beautiful ceiling. As is usually the case in Italian churches, other things to see as well. I like Otranto, it has a good vibe. I leisurely make my way back toward the castle and have a look around town. I didn’t plan to go inside the castle because I didn’t think I had time, but you can walk in at the entrance and see a little of a courtyard. I’m just looking around and am surprised to hear my name called. I turn and find that it’s my new friend from NZ. I knew she was taking a half-day tour today but was surprised to run into her! We talk about having dinner together again tonight, I tell her where I have a reservation, so she says she’ll message me later.

We had less time in Otranto than the tour allowed for because our driver had given us the option of staying there for a shorter time and doing a detour from the tour route to see the lighthouse that is the eastern-most point in Italy and then time to go into the grotto at Zinzulus (6 Euro) and we had all agreed to this plan. It didn’t take long to stop at the lighthouse, and there was that gorgeous blue water!

At the grotto, there was a little miscommunication when I asked if there were a lot of stairs and the driver said no. We all started down, there was a chain railing most of the way, but there were a lot of stairs! And it’s very hot! I keep going anyway until we get to a point where I’m not sure I want to go any further. We can actually see the entrance to the cave, but there are still a bunch of stairs going down and then a whole bunch going up to reach the entrance. Since I did get to see the neat craggy rocks around the entrance, I decide to sit down for a few minutes and then start back up. Also, I figured if I went all the way, they would all be waiting for me to catch up on the way back up, and I didn’t want to hold up the group. More beautiful blue water.

We move on to Castro and I walk around a bit and go to the Castro Cathedral. This is much different from all the Baroque architecture in Lecce. The outside is more much plain but impressive, more like the stone used in the castles that every town has. The inside is probably not as impressive as others, but there are some lovely partial frescoes. I think the others may have gone down by the water, but I’m tired and feel like I need to have something to eat. I go back up to the square by the castle and have lunch at Bar Foute dei Messapi. I order an Enea, which is basically a sandwich made with fried pizza dough and including mozzarella, tomato, prosciutto and lettuce. It’s pretty good, but maybe I should have sat inside. It’s extremely windy! But I like looking at the umbrella pines, which I love, on the other side of the square.

The next stop is Santa Maria de Leuca, the southern-most spot in Puglia, and there is only one word necessary: Gorgeous! That beautiful blue water with the sun sparkling on it was just stunning. You also look down on a large marina, so boating is a big thing. There is a church there, but I didn’t go in. Although it was so hot, I just liked looking at the water. Everyone seemed to be done, so the driver gave us the option of cutting the time short there and having more in Gallipoli, and we all agreed.

So now we’re in Galllipoli. The driver drops us off about a block from a bridge that he says we need to cross to get to the historic center. After getting to the bridge, there is one of those little tourist trains (3 Euro) that take you around. I’m looking at the bridge, with more walking after that, looking back at the train and wondering if I should just take that, because I’m tired. A minute later, the English couple is standing there doing the same thing. We’re all tired. We look at each other, laugh, and decide to see if we can find out when it will leave next. He goes inside the gelato shop there and finds out about the driver, who comes out a few minutes later.

The train goes over the bridge, past the shore, and turns into the historic center. I actually got a few pictures that turned out better than expected, being taken from a sometimes-bumpy ride. There were a couple of churches I was interested in seeing in Gallipoli on my list, but of course, there is no getting off and back on this type of train. Oh well, in the past few years, I’ve decided to appreciate and enjoy the things I can do and not worry about those I can’t. If I didn’t go somewhere just because I wouldn’t be able to do everything, I’d never go anywhere! The train is only 15-20 minutes, so I have plenty of time to go in the shop and have gelato.

I get back to the driver just a little before the others and at first don’t see his van, but then spot it across the street. He explains with his interpreting app that he would like to send me a link to give him a review, which I easily agree to. Even though he doesn’t speak English (although he’s trying to learn it), he did a good job and made some adjustments in the itinerary according to the wishes of his customers. I’m disappointed that when I later go to give a review, the link doesn’t work. I wanted to give him a good review.

I’m so tired when I get back to the B&B that I cancel my dinner reservation because I don’t want to walk that far for dinner and message my NZ friend to let her know that I’m going back to Miro, where we met the night before, because it’s very close. She says she’ll meet me there but might not be able to stay. That turns out to be the case, because her family, all in various spots (some in NZ, some in places in Europe) have set up a family joint Skype call, so she chats for a few minutes and we agree to go my first restaurant tomorrow night. I have to smile when I show her my notes to give her the address, she’s surprised I have such organized notes. Not her style at all! Most Fodorites would probably be horrified at her itinerary. I forget where she had come from before getting to Lecce, but she spent three nights there, then had one night in Monopoli, one in Polignano a Mare, five in Malta & five in Sardinia before going to Milan, where she would be picked up to go to the Dolomites for her daughter’s wedding.

For dinner at Miro, at repeat the Marinated Anchovies appetizer because it was so good. Then I have one of those meat and cheese platters that I’ve seen delivered to lots of people since I’ve been here. Three meats, three cheeses, delicious. There’s a small bowl that I think contains olive oil, with a small spoon to drizzle it around if you like. However, when I stir it, I realize that it’s too thick to be olive oil and must be honey, which turns out to be correct. Here’s the thing…how did I get to be this old without knowing I needed to put honey on my cheese?! I’ve had jam (fig or otherwise) on Pecorino or Parmigiana Reggiano, but never honey. So good!

Susan, I really admire your attitude, you have adjusted your expectations to your limitations and your positivity just shines through.

Thanks, Adelaidean.

Your day tour sounds like an excellent solution! I barely squeezed Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca in one day (admittedly I am not an early riser--there's something to be said for having to keep to someone else's schedule).

I was thinking about adding Santa Maria de Leuca with Otranto but was figuring it might be too complicated as a single day using public transport.

How did you locate this driver, Susan? I may consider it if it's within budget.

Yes, it would be difficult to do multiple towns in one day with public transport, so I figured this was a good way to do it. I found the tour through Gianni at the B&B. I just looked up the name, it was infolecce.it and cost 80 Euro, which I didn't think was bad at all.

Finally getting some more done...Not surprisingly, I sleep in a bit the next morning and decide to have gelato again for breakfast. :) I go back to Tentazioni so I can have the Nocciolotto again. So good! This is at the southern end of Piazza S. Oronzo, and when leaving, I notice down the street to the right there are a few tables that look like jewelry vendors, so I decide to check it out. I’m not really interested in what they have but notice to the left is another church which I can see is open, so might as well go in. It’s Chiesa del Gesu del Buon Consiglio, not covered by the combo ticket, but no charge. Yet another beautiful church with another great ceiling, certainly worth seeing if you haven’t already had enough Baroque architecture!

Rather than retracing my steps, I see I can continue on Via Rubichi to get back over to Corso Vittorio Emanuele II. I pass Palazzo Carafa, which is now also the town hall. There is a neat sculpture and also a large metal statue of Bishop Alfonso Sozy-Carafa. Always more to see, no matter which route you take.

I’m on my way down to Piazza Duomo to go up the tower, which I had added to my combo ticket. The elevator takes you up, and here’s the thing…I wasn’t really impressed with the view. Just not that great. I wouldn’t recommend paying extra to go up, just my opinion.

On the way back towards Piazza S. Oronzo, I stop for lunch at Gusto Liberimma and have the Parmigiana Salentina (Sformatino of parmigiana with eggplant, tomato sauce, pecorino & basil). It’s delicious! I continue on to the shop that had the pasta mix that included cruschi (it’s a combination of cruschi & red bell peppers) to get a couple packages and also get some sun-dried tomatoes that look really good.

Dinner is back at Pescheria con Cottura with my NZ friend. I order the same thing I had at the beginning of the week because it was so good. We go on to have another enjoyable dinner. Later, she is going the opposite direction, but when I come back onto Piazza S. Oronzo, I decide to go back to Martinucci’s for a limoncello. A very nice evening to end my time in Lecce.

The next morning, Gianni had arranged for a taxi to take me to the train station. He had checked online and said it looked like my train would be leaving on ground level, though there could be a change, but that was unlikely. As a side note, he said they are doing some work on the station now and when they are finished with that section, they will be adding an elevator for me to use when I come back. (I have to smile at how he assumes I will be back!) The train was indeed on ground level, but of course that doesn’t mean it will arrive there in Polignano a Mare…

Arriving in Polignano a Mare, sure enough, it’s again one of those cases where you have to go down a long flight of stairs, walk across to the other side, and up another flight of stairs to get to the exit. I’m at the top of the stairs just starting down when a young couple next to me say, here, let us help you. He takes my suitcase and she takes my carryon and they quickly are at the bottom of the steps and put them down for me. This is not really unusual, I find I often get help without ever asking for it. The kindness of strangers is alive and well! At the other side going back up, there is a ramp, so I don’t have to do the stairs.

Unfortunately, there are no taxis at the train station in Polignano a Mare. I find out later that there are few in the town, period. There are some golf cart-type vehicles that will take you around, but there are none around at the station. If I had known, I would have tried to arrange a pick-up ahead of time. Silly me, I figured PaM was enough of a destination that there would be at least a couple taxis at a train station. Just outside the station, there is a big map of the town. I have both the address of my apartment and that of where I need to pick up the key. Naturally, that is further away. I’m looking at the map and wondering if it’s as far as it looks. It is!

However, I have no choice but to start walking. (I have no idea why it didn’t occur to me that I could possibly go back in the station and find somebody to call me a taxi! Must have been the heat, and it’s only going to get hotter.) I walk and walk and walk! Finally, I get to what I think is the correct street, but of course it’s the only one I’ve passed that doesn’t have a street sign. However, since I can’t go any further, it must be it. There’s only one place open where some men are unloading some stuff, so I ask to make sure it’s the street I want, and it is. When I finally reach the office, there is nobody there and no place to be able to use WiFi for WhatsApp. This is really the only time where no phone is an issue. However, there is a man with his granddaughter who was right behind me, and when he sees I’m not getting an answer to the doorbell, he comes back and calls them for me. More kindness of strangers! I only hope she arrives in a car, not walking, because I sure don’t want to have to walk to the apartment!

The host, Cecilia, was there in a few minutes. She checks me in and drives me over to the apartment, Beb petalirosa-Dimore mare. The address shows as Via Aureliana Turris, but the entrance is actually at the end of Via Modugno. If you’re like me and can’t afford a place right on the water, this is a great option. It’s a very nice apartment, one bedroom plus a pull-out sofa in the joint sitting room/kitchen with table & chairs. No oven or microwave, just a hotplate and a small kitchen area, but it’s fine for me because I don’t plan to cook. It is a few steps below street level which I suppose might bother some people, but not enough that no light gets in, so it’s not dark. It’s a good location, not far from Piazza Garibaldi and the arch entrance to the Old Town. Cecilia is terrific. She has brought a plate of fruit (can’t remember the name of it right now) and sits down and marks up a map with things I might be interested in. I’m taking a cooking class, so she includes where I have to go for the meeting point.

I ask her about the boat trips to the caves, because when I checked them out ahead of time, it said they didn’t leave from the center of PaM but from three beaches away and that there was local transportation to get there, but it was very unclear just what that meant. She shows me on the map the spot they start and says she would be happy to pick me up and drive me there, then come back and take me either to another beach if I so desire or back to the apartment. Wow, I consider this way above & beyond! :) She makes a reservation for me for two days from now and lets me know what time she’ll pick me up.

I had planned to go out for a little while to take a look around, but it’s later than I thought it would be and I want to put my feet up for a bit and get a shower before my cooking class tonight. I had originally booked it for two days from now, not really wanting to do it on my arrival day, but they had emailed me that they needed to change it to today, and an hour later. It also originally included a market visit, but due to the later time, the market would be closed, so that was eliminated. Thanks to Cecilia marking where I needed to go, I find the meeting point, which turns out to be in the opposite direction of where the class takes place in the Old Town. It would have been much more efficient to meet in front of the arch into Old Town instead of having to walk all the way back over there. We pass some large decorative frames of light displays that she says will have much more by the time of a festival they are getting ready for, unfortunately the day after I leave.

We’re making focaccia, panzerotti and orecchiette. It’s part demo, part hands-on. We have three Americans and four Italians, young ladies doing it with a bride-to-be. This creates an interesting situation when one of the Italians asks a question and the teacher gives a long answer in Italian. I decide to speak up, saying we didn’t get any of that. The teacher seems a little perturbed with me and explains that she was answering a question and that the young lady didn’t speak English. I point out that if somebody asks a question, we could all benefit from the answer. She pauses but then does repeat it in English. It was indeed something we all needed to know! I’m glad I spoke up, because she did translate from then on. Other than that, the class was good and everything we made was delicious. I have taken many cooking classes on my trips. My only complaint here was that it’s the first one I’ve taken where they didn’t give us copies of the recipes. If I had known, I would have taken notes. Fortunately, one of the Italian ladies had been taking down information on her phone, so the rest of us were able to take a picture of what she had. This at least gave us the quantities.

Coming out of the class, I find it’s easy to get turned around in the Old Town. On the way in, I hadn’t really been paying attention, since I was just following other members of the class. I ended up at one of the walls that looks out at the sea, which was nice, but also not the direction I needed to go! Walking the other direction (I think), I stop in a shop to ask the woman which way to go. She does not speak any English, but here’s the strange thing…she comes out and, speaking all in Italian, tells me and shows me which way to go, and for some reason, I can understand what she’s saying!

When you come out of the Old Town, there is a row of restaurants to the left on Via Roma. I decide to have a limoncello and, surprisingly, just might have room for dessert. At Begula Restaurant & Bar (part for dinner, part if you just want a drink), I have Panna Cotto Ciocolatta, delicious, and a limoncello and just watch the activity on the street and Piazza Garibaldi. Nice!

That’s so nice to know, SusanP. I’m glad you had such a great trip.

SusanP..if you are still in Polignano. maybe you know already IL SUPER MAGO DEL GELO...at the entrance to the old town but not inside: A Puglian classic...



https://www.ilsupermagodelgelo.it

I love that you have gelato for breakfast, Susan. On my last trip to Venice and Croatia, I was usually still full from lunch that I'd have gelato for dinner. 🤣

Yes, gelato is good any time! 😁

ek, I did have that place on my list. More about it is coming. I'm not still in Italy.

The next morning, I just have some of the fruit Cecilia brought and go out to explore. It’s very hot, definitely in the 90’s. I head over to find Porta Picc, a restaurant she recommended, to make a reservation for dinner. They don’t have anything for tonight, and I have a bit of trouble making one for a couple nights away, even though there doesn’t seem to be a list of reservations. The guy finally gives me one to sit inside. I come back to Piazza Garibaldi and make another one at Casa Mia.

By this time, I’m ready for lunch and stop at Millenium, just before Ponte Lama Monachile, and order the Sand Veit. This turns out to be a sandwich on thick, crisp focaccia with mozzarella, Martina Capocolla cured meat, sundried tomatoes and arugula. Wow, this is definitely a yum! One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. I continue on across the bridge, stopping to enjoy the view of Lama Monachile beach, you know, the one you see in all the pictures of Polignano a Mare that’s enclosed by cliffs on both sides. Of course, it’s beautiful.

Continuing on, I suddenly hear my name and turn to find that I’ve run into my NZ friend again. We’re both on our way to find the statue of Domenico Modugno, of Volare fame. I thought I had read that it was difficult to find, but it wasn’t at all difficult. The large statue has him standing, singing with arms flung out, and everybody is getting their picture taken in the same pose. This is a time when it’s nice to have somebody else to take your picture, so we do so for each other. Fun! She is continuing on to swim, but suggests that we get together for dinner. I mention I have a reservation, and she says she’ll message me.

Right by the statue is a square where I can sit down. I see on my map that it’s Monumento Marinai D’Italia. I actually sit there for some time. I still have water, and it’s too hot to do much else! I move on, back over the bridge and manage to get a few good pictures of the young people jumping off the cliff. Looks like fun! When I get back to Piazza Garibaldi, I decide to go back to Begula for a Negroni, as well as more water. Later, when I get back to the apartment, I’m very thankful for good air conditioning!

After a few message exchanges with my NZ friend, I change my reservation at Casa Mia to my last night and we go to one the host at her B&B recommended, Bella ‘Mbriana, on Piazza Vittorio Emanuel II in the Old Town. For some reason, beef sounds good, and we both order the Grilled Tenderloin with Mushrooms, which is delicious, and end with the Chocobon for dessert. She had been to Monopoli the day before so was telling me a little bit about it, said it was about a 20-minute walk from the train station to the center, which meant it would take me a good deal longer, but she thought there were a couple taxis. However, something was going on there which might mean some closures (don’t remember now what it was).

I had originally planned to do a day trip to Monopoli, so this was not good news, and also perhaps one to Alberobello. The connections to get there were not as easy as they might have been. Plus, it was SO hot. Not surprising to me (since I’m not good at doing day trips, I get to a place, like it, and never get around to it), I never did do any day trips from Polignano a Mare. Plenty to still see in Puglia. That’s OK, it’s a reason to go back. :)

The next day was supposed to be the boat trip, but I received a message from Cecilia that the waves were going to be too rough and we needed to postpone it to tomorrow. I had been scheduled for 1:00 pm, but wondered if I should take the 10:00 am tour instead to lessen the possibility of this happening. She thought it might and booked it. I decide to do a little more exploring in the Old Town. Every turn you take results in something else you want to take a picture of. Across from Chiesa S. Maria Assunta, sort of tucked in a corner, I notice a shop that says it’s local food. Finally, success with cruschi! There are several varieties of peppers. I can see that the two teenagers taking care of the shop don’t really know much about it. Maybe if I come back, the owner will be there, plus I need to check out my suitcase to see how much I think I can fit. It’s even hotter today, over 100 (I heard somebody say it was 43, which would be 109!)

There are several places along the wall in the Old Town to get great views of the sea. Near one is a restaurant where I’ll be able to see the water, Sunshine, so I go there for lunch. The waiter says they have fresh, just-caught Sea Bass (which would be very expensive in the US and obviously not as fresh as that). It’s served with lemon, pink pepper & arugula and is delicious, despite getting around the bones in the whole fish. When I come back out, there’s only one thing to have—gelato—and Il Supermago del Gelo is right there. I know this is supposed to be the place to have gelato, so I suppose it’s heresy to say that their gelato, while very good, is not better than everyone else’s. In fact, I had better gelato at the two places in Lecce. Still, it was good and, importantly right now, cold! When I finish, it’s just too hot to stay outside, so I go back to the apartment and that great air conditioning.

Later I go back to Begula, the dinner side this time. With my new appreciation for anchovies, I order them served with warm bread & butter & lemon. Very good, if not quite as good as the marinated ones I had in Lecce. Then I have Grilled Octopus, which is delicious. There is a guy set up nearby with a piano who is very good, so there is nice music to go with dinner.