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.

Day 29 Polignano

We had a lovely breakfast in our accommodation. Muesli with LOTS of strawberries, toast with cherry jam and coffee was just right. Then we set off for the old town.

The old town was buzzing. The Saturday holiday and a very welcoming sun had brought people out early. We loved walking those labyrinthine streets where it’s a complete guess where you will emerge. We took in some of the vantage spots that let us see deep into the gorge and across the beach to the bridge.

We walked to the gorge bridge, but took the stairs through the houses down to the stone beach at sea level. The beach was packed. We sat there for a while, taking in the atmosphere and baking in the sun. Enterprising hawkers were moving through the crowd selling cold Aperol and beer. 

We worked our way back to the piazza where the church was and wandered over to see what the white stands in front of the church were. There were bowls of petals and cornets full of rice. We assumed there was going to be a wedding and sure enough, a very smartly dressed military man, decked out in medals and with a dress sword turned up. Of course we lingered, hoping to catch sight of the bride walking to the church. There was no way that a car could deliver her up there. Guests arrived. Old guys in smart suits lingered out the front…but no bride showed up. We took a walk around the streets and returned about 20 minutes later, passing a family dressed as if they were church bound. The little guy was immaculately dressed with blazer and button hole. His red faced dad did stop mid crowd to snap a photo of his son before he melted in the heat. More sworded and uniformed military men had gathered and the party of guests had swelled. Still no bride. We wandered off again finding a place to get a cooling ginger beer and swung by the church again. Yes, here she came on her father’s arm, beaming. The service must have taken nearly and hour. I managed to sneak into the church and the fancy little guy was not only a page boy, he was delivering part of the service. By this time we had gone off to see the sights. Just as we were making our way back across the piazza to find a place for lunch, there was a huge cheer. The happy couple were emerging under the crossed swords of the military men. Rice filled the air. Everyone in the piazza joined in, crowding the church to catch the sight and snap a photo. It was such a lovely sight.

We walked through the hubbub of leaving guests to the shops near the bridge to get one of the huge seafood filled rolls that the city is known for. We took this and a couple of lemon drinks back to the seafront and had a lovely lunch overlooking the Adriatic ocean. All this happy mood was topped off by the phone pinging with the news that the Liberals had been decimated and that Dutton had lost his seat. 

 

This has been a pretty rugged holiday. it's been all go, go go and my shoes have just about given up the ghost

A short rest and we were off again. Johnny had booked an afternoon boat trip that took us along the coast and to the grottos.  We drove out to the new marina, a short way out of the city. The cruise company had a flotilla of boats so even though there were lots of us there, there was no trouble getting a berth. We were skippered by Diego. We set out with a young couple, a woman travelling alone and a group of five young Dutch women.

We hugged the coast for a while, carting into several caves dug out of the rock by the sea, and then took a turn further out, to the hermit island and into some far flung grottos. Each group of passengers had its own vibe. We passed a boat full of young people who looked like they had hit the prosecco early. they were waving their arms and singing Volare as if their hearts were in the lyrics. They were also the boat that decided to jump into the waters of the bay when the opportunity arose.

Our cruise lasted just under two hours and ended with a glass of sparkling rose as the afternoon sun bathed the cliffs with a golden light.

Dinner was at a nearby restaurant recommended by Marianna again. It was a seafood restaurant but we bucked the trend. I had steak and Johnny had ravioli. We finished off with rum baba and some cream filled cakes that were a local speciality. The night was still young, so we took a turn along what could only be called Polignano food street. Everybody and their dog (literally) was down there and the festive atmosphere was only made more so by the tuk-tuks that buzzed the streets with disco lights blazing both inside and outside. While the Italians were just heading out for a night of revelry, we headed home for a well earned rest.