Day 30 Alberobello

On Day 30 of what has been a brilliant holiday, we planned to go to Alberobello to see the Tulli round houses. As we were in no hurry, we opted not to use the autostrada and instead took the local roads through farming territory. The landscape had changed from the incredibly flat plains that we had seen near the coast, to lush rolling hills. The soil must have been incredibly fertile as there was a lot of vegetable production going on.

A little bit of thin, high cloud had swept across the sky and we were grateful for it as it made the temperature more bearable as we approached the town. We spotted several Tulli houses in the fields as we approached the hillside town of Alberobello. These looked as if they were used as storehouses or just left standing as no-one had the heart to demolish them.

Alberobello was prepared for the summer influx of tourists and there were multiple car parks ringing the town. Johnny did battle with the parking machine again and this time for a few euros we scored about 12 hours of parking. Actually we were only looking for about three hours, but when a win comes your way, you take it.

We walked a short distance into the town. The white painted houses and the light coloured street stone gave off an intense glare. The restaurants were already filling up with customers, but we had come to see the houses, so we skirted these and made our way up the main street towards the basilica. In the piazza there was a wonderful, clipped stand of trees that cast a beautiful shade. The stone seats under these were already dotted with people. The cafes nearest the church were already serving food and drinks even though it was early in the day.

Having gone inside to see the church decoration, we stopped briefly at a café down the hill for an icy cold ginger beer. A busker played in the background. Refreshed we explored the streets lined with Tulli houses. These were all still inhabited and locals either ran a side hustle selling souvenirs, or they made money charging people for a look through their homes as most had kept the key historical features intact. It was all a most unusual sight. We wondered which of these Peg had lived in during her recent stay in the town.

As we walked up the hill, we could hear music and see some sort of activity at the top in the park opposite the Tulli church. While Johnny was interested in seeing the inside of the church, I was more interested in the food being sold in the park. There was a food and wine festival showcasing the region’s produce. It looked fantastic and was a great drawcard for the locals as well as the tourists.

When Johnny returned, we worked out the system and bought a ticket that we had to present at a stall of our choice, to get a meal. You could also buy a wine ticket that gave you a glass in a little bag and a ticket to present to the massive wine stall that surrounded a wine tree that had been constructed out of wine bottles. This we carefully avoided as we remembered how sleepy we felt when previously seduced into drinking wine at lunchtime.

There was all manner of food on offer but we selected a panzerotto, a tomato and mozzarella filled pastry that had been deep fried. It came with a tasting selection of local cheeses and a packet of the delicious nibbles that we have seen served with wine. We ate our wonderful lunch under the shade of pine trees, listening to some live (Celtic?) music,  surrounded by families. It was a terrific and unexpected addition to our Alberobello adventure.

After 30 days o the road we were feeling happy but also tired. Somehow we seemed less able to just push through the tiredness. We headed back to Polignano, stopping on the rocky outcrop that fringed the coast near the new harbour. Johnny took an apple out to the edge of the rocks. I was happy to see the sight from the car.  My body was crying out for a rest, so back to the accommodation we went for a cup of tea and a lie down. Oh yes, and a bit of blogging before dinner. Through the open window of our apartment I could hear the conversations of passing families and the rumble of tourist suitcases over the pavement. I hoped they were having as much fun as us in Polignano.