Day 28 Ostuni and Polignano
A fortifying breakfast again today and then we packed our bags, wrestled them down the stairs and set off for Polignano a Mare via Ostuni. It had been a great stay in the accommodation in Lecce and Luca had taken very good care of us.
There have been many battles waged on Italian land but none
so baffling and persistent as Johnny’s battle with the parking meters. The
difficulty of translating the instructions and the inevitability of
temperamental machinery that sometimes will and sometimes won’t accept coins,
made each of the battles long and frustrating. Johnny finally won again and (we
think) we got 4 hours of parking in Ostuni.
Our walk took us along the winding road just outside the massive white
walls of the town. We could see a vast, green flat plain stretching away in all directions, with patch of industrial activity..
Working our way back into the old city we joined the crowds of tourists
exploring the laneways that rattled through the town. We worked our way up to
the cathedral then lost ourselves in the tangle of laneways lined with the
white houses that the town is known for. It was hot work and we had earned an
ice cream.
Instead of having a big sit down lunch, we decided to buy
lunch and take it to the beach. The seafront all along this strip continued to
have that gorgeous turquoise colour. We found a tiny beach with nearby parking
and took our food down to the rocks that fringed the water. It was very much a
bit of unspoilt beach. A few locals biked or walked down for a swim, but the
area looked as if it was largely overlooked by tourists. A couple of young
women entertained us with their persistent attempts at handstands. An older
woman walked obsessively up and down the sand. Some people braved the sea. It
was a nice, peaceful interlude in Villanova.
We drove on to Monopoli where we toured the city in the car.
On towards Polignano we parked and walked down to the water. A private marina spread along the foreshore and we were only welcome there if we were going to the bar. Instead, we walked down to what looked like a beachside bar that looked out on to hundreds of little rockpools. It looked as if there were the foundations of stone houses set into the sand and rocks of the beach. (Turns out that this marina is the new "Tourist Marina" and is where the grotto trip boats depart from, but we did noy know this at the time).
Our destination for the day was really Polignano, a buzzing tourist spot. Reaching the hotel was a bit of a trial with very narrow streets, mental drivers and no grid layout. With the help of google maps and the ever flexible Aussie lady voice, we finally found it. We were a bit early. Vilu Suites Centro was wonderfully situated just outside the tourist chaos and yet within reach of everything. The highly solicitous Marianna assured us that she and her colleague would be available and able to deal with “any disaster or emergency”. I started to wonder what she may have been called on to assist with in the past. She tried to guide Johnny into the underground parking spot but I whispered to her “He is very proud of his parking and I think we should leave him to it”. She seemed surprised that he neither scraped the car nor brought the building down.
The accommodation was great. It was roomy, clean, smart and near
to a 24 hour supermarket that sold all of life’s necessities. We took our bags
up and headed out to the sea front. It was like Sunday at St Kilda. If this is
the off season, what in the world is it like in August?
We followed the crowd past the turn to the old town to the bridge that was crowded with people. When we looked over we could see why. A river had carved a deep ravine out to sea. On either side the cliffs soared up and into these were studded houses. Far below there was a small beach that was boiling with people. Johnny told me that there are mad souls that dive off the cliffs into the water. Idiots risking life and limb!
We took the coastal path back to a piazza ringed with bars
and restaurants. The drink of the moment seems to be Aperol Spritz. Young and
old could be seen sucking on these glorious looking drinks. No we did not have
one and no we didn’t have a cocktail. We had a Zero Peroni and it hit the spot
beautifully.
On the front there was an enormous statue of a singer in full flight. Domenico Modugno was the originator of the song Volare and it became a world wide hit. He was a much loved local son. You couldn't help but start singing the song (however imperfectly).
Returning to our accommodation we dropped into the mercado and bought all the things we
would need for breakfasts. Well we also bought a kilo tray of strawberries as
well, as they looked too delicious to pass up. By the time we got back to our accommodation
it was quite late and there was barely any time for blogging.
We went out quite late (for us) and walked just fifty metres
to a restaurant Marianna had recommended. It was an absolute winner! We were
lucky to get a table without having booked. By the time we left, there was a
line of people outside waiting for a table to free up. We shared a plate of
antipasti and then I had octopus on a bed of creamed beans with celeriac shavings.
Johnny had crusted sea bream with vegetables. Yes, Johnny finally got the serve of
tiramisu he had been lusting after. I got a blissful panna cotta with berry
topping. It was a good day and a good night.
