Third week of our road trip. Naples, Sorrento, Herculaneum and beautiful Ravello. To the heel of Italy to visit Sassi di Matera (Italy's troglodyte city) and then Puglia. Staying in a "trulli" house in Valle d'Itria near Locorotondo, visiting Alberobello, Martina Franca, Monopoli, Polognano a Mare and Ostuni.

 Sunday 26th May, near Locorotondo, Valle d'Itria, Puglia, Italy.

In Ravello on the Almafi Coast, my favourite place so far (together with Alberobello I should add).

Good morning from Puglia or Apulia in Italian. We have now been on the road for three weeks and most of the time we have spent in Italy. Oh, how we love this country. It's so civilised. I adore the food, I adore the language, I adore the culture and history and I adore the people. 

Last Sunday we were still in Campania and had booked a "free" walking tour (in Spanish) to see the old city of Naples. We never got to see Mount Vesuvius but it was in sight everywhere, although the hazy clouds didn't permit a good view. The photo below was taken on the road to Naples. 

Mount Vesuvius as seen from the road on our way to Naples

The drive from our modest Airbnb in Sarno was about 40 minutes and we got to Naples on good time. We were to meet at the Dante Alighieri Square - there is one in every city in Italy. We were quite a small group but had to wear a walkie talkie - so, so touristy but useful to be able to hear our local guide. Here is Eladio ready to go.

Eladio ready for our walking tour in Naples last Sunday

Naples has a lot more to offer than I could possibly imagine. The Campania region is the most fertile in the country - you see huge lemons and oranges everywhere. The Neapolitans speak a different dialect with origins from French, Greek, Arabic and of course Spanish. If you didn't know, Naples (and Sicily) was under the rule of Spain for 2 centuries since 1504 so we were not surprised to park our car on Via Toledo. We learned that Naples was founded by the Greeks and that although pizza, as we know it today, originated from Naples, it did in fact come from Greece. We also found out that the Neapolitans are very proud they have 1500 churches vs 900 in Rome.  Latterly in WW2, Naples was heavily bombed first by the "Allies" and then the Germans.  It is said the women and children did their bit in getting rid of the latter by throwing furniture at them from their balconies. Our guide gave us a special lesson on the ferocity of women from Naples!!!

We were asked if we knew who the patron saint of the city was to which I answered Maradona. I was wrong, he comes third (hahaha)  and isn't even from Naples. Number one is Saint Gennaro and number two is  a very revered doctor who became a saint, Guiseppe Moscati. We were to learn a lot about him and also legends and superstitions of the city of which there are many. 

It was the streets like the one below that fascinated me. Nothing like Florence; this city is chaotic, colourful, dirty and full of life, decadent and elegant at the same time and literally buzzing. Oh what noise emanates from them, even on a Sunday morning. 

Typical street in the historic centre of Naples

Our first port of call was the Chiesa del Gesù Nuovo right opposite the Basilica of Santa Chiara. It was its  façade made from volcanic rock that struck me. 

The Church of New Jesus in the old centre of Naples

In this church, the revered doctor is buried. To earn sainthood, one of the miracles attributed to him is the saving of the dome of the church when a bomb hit it during WW2. The bomb never went off and is now displayed next to Guiseppe's image in the church. There is a life size bronze image of him and people touch his hand in the hope of a miracle. I touched it too. 

Saint Guiseppe Moscati statue in the Church of New Jesus. People touch his hand and hope for a miracle. 

We then walked into the more popular Church of Saint Chiara where there is a 7 year waiting list to get married. Imagine. 

The Basilica of Saint Chiara

Outside there were lots of children having just received their First Communion. It was a scene very reminiscent of Spain and shows you how similar the countries are really. 

Children celebrating their First Communion

As we walked out, we were invited to try a glass of lemon juice (with lots of alcohol/limoncello) - to be drunk between your thighs!! - apparently it foams up and you have to stand with your legs apart not to get splashed. I didn't try it!

Typical lemon drink - to be drunk with your thighs open, hahahaha

We saw lemons and products of all kinds with lemon motifs, but we also saw lots of red pepper shaped figures or cones - not sure which.  They call it the cult of Priapus and the horn or pepper is the most famous symbol of the city. People hang them on their doors because their hot seeds ward off evil tongues!!!

Another superstition is rubbing the nose of Pulcinella for good luck, a puppet character who symbolises the voice of the people. I tried my luck here as well as when I touched the hand of the Doctor Saint. 

Pulcinella's nose - rub it for good luck

There is a lot of street art too and the one I loved best was of Sofia Loren who I didn't know was from Naples. What a beautiful and strong woman she was. 

Sofia Loren is from Naples

More than half way through our tour, we stopped in front of the most famous bakery in town, the Pasticceria Capparelli and were given time for a cake and a coffee, the greatest loves of the people of Naples. Some of the pastries are unique to Naples and I just had to try a "babà" - in a phallic shape, I'm afraid and laced with rum. With a cappuccino, it was delicious. 

Pasticceria Capparelli, the most famous in Naples

And wherever we went he was there, he who had the hand of God and played for Naples - Diego Armando Maradona. In this image he is treated like a god, don`t you think? Going a bit far IMO. 

Maradona is everywhere in Naples

Parts of Naples are crumbling, although I think that is part of its  charm. This is just one example. 

Naples is crumbling in parts

As our guide came to the end of her tales, I spied an old lady looking out of her window at our group. Whoever, she is, she caught my attention. Ciai Signora. 

An "old" lady, looking out of her window at our goup of tourists in Naples last Sunday. 

We had walked for 2.5h and my feet were killing me. We had learned a lot about Naples but had only touched the tip of the ice berg. I found it a fascinating but crazy city. 

By then we were hungry and searched for somewhere simple to eat near where we had parked our car. 

Our day had not ended. After so much culture, ruins - Pompeii and later Herculaneum, I really wanted to see the Almafi Coast, or at least Sorrento. Eladio had never heard of this chic, famous and rather over crowded town, a bit like Portofino but in Campania. So off we went in our dear Mini. It was an hour's drive and soon we were walking to the famous Tasso Square. But first for a look over the bridge. What a view - a bit dangerous I thought. 

Sorrento from above

An Indian couple on their 25th wedding anniversary in Italy took the photo below. We told them we had been to India on our 25th wedding anniversary and I greeted them with the only word I know in Hindi: "Namaste". 

In Sorrento last Sunday

The streets are charming and teeming with people as you can see below. 

Teeming streets in Sorrento.

We walked to the viewing point to look down on the beach - tiny, grey and disappointing- The view was ok but would have been better with some sunshine. 

In Sorrento last Sunday

All the streets were lined with enticing touristy shops, about half of them dedicated to lemons and some to oranges. The size of the lemons is similar to a Charantes melon; enormous. 

Lemons and more lemons in Sorrento. 

When we had had our fill of the centre of Sorrento - there is not much to see - we drove home. I would have loved to explore the Almafi coast but the road was so busy and the sky so cloudy it wasn't worth it. Instead, we headed back to our temporary home in Sarno.

That evening we were busy planning the next part of our trip - Matera and Puglia - with the help of my dear friend Sandra who is half Italian and has been to Puglia twice. Thank you darling. But we still had one more day in the Campania area.

We had tickets to see the ruins of Herculaneum, on Monday morning at 9.30. This was to be another dream come true for Eladio. He is so fond of that period of history and very knowledgeable about it too. The drive was about half an hour and there was no problem parking. There were no hoards that day but lots of Italian school trips. I think that is perhaps because Herculaneum is a lesser known than Pompeii. 

Here is Eladio smiling for the camera as he looks at the excavated remains of the village of Herculaneum, known as Ercolano in Italy.

Eladio at Herculaneum on Monday

A view of the excavated village

16.000 people died in total after the  eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Of these, up to 3000 died in Pompeii but far fewer in Herculaneum; just 300. Most of those who died there, did so waiting by the sea shore for boats to rescue them. They did not come on time. Their skeletons are still there today.  You can see some of them in this close up picture I took. 

The skeletons of those who died in Herculaneum

The archaeological park is far smaller than the one at Pompeii but the houses are in better condition and you get more of an  idea of how people lived in 79AD in Roman times. Again we saw the common "kitchens" or restaurants. Here I am showing one of them off.

Typical old kitchen/restaurant at Herculaneum

Hercaluneum must have been a lot smaller or there have been fewer excavations. There is no Forum, Coliseum or Theatre, just houses mostly. I have to admit I preferred Pompeii. Eladio was happy to visit both. Here he is coming out of the main entrance after our 2 hour visit in the heat. It was so hot that day when the temperature rose to at least 31ºc.

Eladio leaving Herculaneum

It was time for a coffee in the new town which has a bigger population than Pompeii today - about 50.000 people. Over our coffee, my cappuccino and Eladio's latte, we wondered what to do with the rest of the day. I suggested the Almafi Coast again and we set off for Positano. However, it seemed a bit far, so we changed the destination to a town recommended to me by my dear friend Amanda, Ravello. We had no idea what to expect but came away in love with the place.

What we did not love was the drive up the mountains - steep, narrow and bendy roads. I even saw a man with a horse and carriage and he was so authentic I had to have a photo to share with you.

A man with a horse and carriage on the road to Ravello

The area of Campania is very obviously a lot poorer than the north of Italy and in some parts it looks pretty seedy and run down. However, the Almafi Coast is full of rich tourists from all over the world. What a contrast.

We found the last parking spot just behind the Duomo Square and got out in the heat and wandered towards it admiring the main square. How beautiful it looked only from our first sight of it.

The main square  (Piazza Centrale) in beautiful Ravello

It was lunch time so we went in search of somewhere to have a meal. We found it at Ristorante Palazzo della Marra. What a lovely restaurant and location. We sat at a table next to a friendly couple from Guatemala of all places and we became friends. They took the photo illustrating this week's blog. Thank you Ana and I hope to meet you in Madrid in the autumn. 

We went to look at the view from the main road which is to die for. Ravello is perched on a cliff overlooking the Almafi coast and other villages. That's where we went first after our long and lazy lunch.  

One of the amazing views from Ravello

I later read that Ravello is considered one of the most enchanting towns on that coast. It has long been a destination for artists, writers, musicians and film stars. Virginia Woolf, Richard Wagner, Tennessee Williams, Joan Miró, Greta Garbo and Jackie Kennedy are just some of them. It has also become famous for its music concerts. 

On sale in the beautiful streets, a bit like in Sorrento, are ceramics and there are lemons everywhere. As we walked up to the famous Villa Cimbrone with its incredible gardens, I saw them so close I could have picked a few.

Lemons seen in Ravello

It's quite a climb to Villa Cimbrone but I just loved it as soon as I saw it. Not, the Villa itself which is now a 5 star hotel, but the amazing gardens. 

The hotel has had guests of the likes of D.H. Lawrence, Winston Churchill and apparently Greta Garbo went there for a secret rendezvous in 1938. A room for a night costs about 600 euros. 

The entrance to the hotel

The estate itself dates back to Roman times. Its 6000m2 of historic parkland is considered one of the most important examples of landscape, botany and culture of England created in the Mediterranean. Gosh what have the English got to do with these marvelous gardens I wondered? Well, apparently a man called Ernest William Beckett, also known as Lord Grimthorpe, visited the place after the death of his wife. He was sad and desolate but Ravello and this enormous piece of land and crumbling estate inspired him. He loved it so much he bought it in 1904 and was determined to restore it and turn it into a work of art and at the same time turn it into the finest place in the world. Gosh his words, the finest place in the world, really did come true. Sorrento, I am afraid, pales in comparison, however loved and famous it is. But it's not a patch on Ravello. What an astonishing place we visited in Ravello on Monday. We shall never forget it. 

We went through the main walkway, the Ally of Immensity until we came to a pergola with the most amazing views of the Amalfi Coast. Here are some photos for you to get the idea. 

At Belvedere Pergola at the Villa Cimbrone gardens in Ravello

We then walked through the very English rose gardens past all sorts of beautiful smelling flowers until, sadly, we had to leave.

But beauty was there all the way down as we walked towards the Piazza Centrale. Here is just one photo I took. 

Ravello on Monday as we walked down from the top from the fabulous gardens at Villa Cimbrone

We were happy to have visited this most beautiful village, one of my favourite places so far and sad to leave. We were not looking forward to the crazy drive down the mountain but enjoyed the views of Salerno.

It was a difficult drive home, not far but a long way to drive. Just before we got home, we passed a cheapo looking supermarket where we stopped because we had run out of fruit. We were in luck as we were able to get wonderful local oranges and small melons for a song to be consumed over the next few days. And oh, how tasty they were. Here is Eladio coming out of the supermarket which apart from the fruit was pretty down market. I didn't find good supermarkets in the area. Perhaps I didn't know where to look. 

Buying fruit in Sarno on Monday

We were both bushed when we got "home" and I was in desperate need of water to drink and water on my body so I had a cold shower. 

That was to be our last night in Campania. On Tuesday morning we set off for Matera or rather Sassi di Matera. We didn't know it but that night the Naples area where we were staying was affected by 160 earthquakes. Thankfully the magnitude was 4.4 but still it was felt in many places. Schools were closed, some people were evacuated and I read that it was the strongest quake in 40 years. There is a huge plan in place in case a major quake occurs and it is considered quite likely it will. Add that to the Mount Vesuvius Volcano and I think it's not a place I would be happy to live in. 

We left quite unaware of the quakes. We stopped just before the Autostrada to get some proper provisions at Lidl. Eladio has learned the word "risparmio" which we see everywhere. It means saving money or something similar. So when we left the supermarket and saw a sign with the word I had to have a photo. Oh, how we laughed.

Eladio's favourite word in Italian - ·"risparmio" (hahaha).

We had a 2.5h journey to cross Italy from South West to South East to the heel of the boot, so to speak. A lot of it was on the Naples to Bari motorway and we took turns driving. 

It was my friend Sandra who recommended we visit Sassi di Matera and when I looked it up I realised why. Matera is one of the very few places in the world where there has been a continuous population since Paleolithic times. It is the third oldest city in the world after Aleppo and Jericho. The people lived until the 1950's in caves in the volcanic rock and the place became known as the "shame of Italy" because of the poverty and appalling conditions. From post WW2 funds, the government moved the population of the Sassi (meaning stones) to new housing and the caves were abandoned until not so long ago. Now they have become popular and famous because of a James Bond film and also several films about the life of Jesus Christ. The Sassi, I suppose, look a bit like how we imagine Jerusalem in the times of the beginning of Christianity.

Those people who abandoned their cave homes, began to restore them and now they are a thriving business. Rich people come to stay in some which have been turned into 5 star lodgings. Rich people want to experience the life of troglodytes but with all of today's home comforts, I suppose. It is  a real story of rags to riches.  But, oh, what a beautiful and awe inspiring place it is with its churches built inside caves and amazing views. 

We arrived at our Airbnb and were greeted by Pasquale in Italian. We parked right in front of the apartment which is 1km from the centre. It was very good indeed and squeaky clean. First things first, we had lunch and a rest and at about 4.30 we walked into the old centre buzzing with people. A very kind Italian workman took us to the viewing point (belvedere) in one of the main squares - Piazza Vittorio Veneto. Wow what a view.

The view of the Sassi from Piazza Vittorio Veneto

He then told us to walk 500m ahead to another viewing point. I think it was on a street called Ridola where there was an even better view, or so he said. Here we took tons of photos and a kind Italian couple from Bergamo took a photo of the two of us.

View of the Sassi from the Ridola street (I think).

Being in an Italian city, of course we had to visit the Duomo. It's the building that dominates the view of Matera - with its tower - in the background. So off we went. From the Piazza del Duomo, the views were great too but the sun was in the wrong position. Here, though is the very Baroque Cathedral from the outside and inside. 

The Duomo in Matera

There was so much more to see  - for example the rock churches and cave houses but we left that for the next day when we would spend more time in this amazing city. 

We walked home feeling happy but very tired. We then enjoyed another of our evening meals at our temporary homes on this wonderful road trip.

We spent the whole of  Wednesday morning seeing more of Matera and frankly I couldn't get enough. We parked just below one of the main sights, the Madonna or Santa Maria de Idris (water), a huge rock church. I took a video which you can see here. And this is the church from the outside as seen from where we parked. 

The most famous rock church in Sassi di Matera. Santa Maria de Idris

I had done my homework that morning when I was up at 6 am, so was Eladio's guide for the morning. After visiting the rock church, I took him to Casa Grotto di Vico Solitario which I had read about. This is an authentic cave home, where the last dwellers left it in 1956. The cave house is more or less how they left it. I'm sure when the family lived there together in the same space as their horse and chickens, they could never have imagined it would become a thriving tourist sight 60 odd years later. We loved it. This is the kitchen. 

The kitchen inside the Vico Solitario Cave House in Matera

A kind English couple from Guilford took the next picture, of us with the family's horse trap. 

The horse trap at the cave house we visited

We continued walking the streets until we came to Piazzeta Pascole - previously looked up that morning, for another wonderful view of the Sassi. I couldn't enough of that view. It is so evocative of the  past. 

Couldn't get enough of Matera

Our last but one stop was to only one of the places the James Bond film, No time to Die, was filmed. This location is now next to a 5 star hotel. I spoke to a young concierge assistant there who is from Gambia. He had a lot of steps to climb up and down while carrying rich people's luggage!

One of the spots used in the James Bond Film, No time to die

Our last stop was to a special view point in the Gardens of Murgia where you get a wonderful view of the whole of the Sassi. By then, perhaps I had had enough. But, I can tell you, like Ravello, I shall never forget Matera and its cave homes and churches. 

The view of Matera from the Gardens of Murgia

After our morning in Matera, it was time to move on. I had booked special accommodation in Puglia - the heel of Italy, near a town called Locorotondo (In Latin, Eladio tells me, loco is place and rotondo is round - so round place which fits).

Inspired by the tales of my friend Sandra's trip to Puglia which is now firmly on the tourist map and will be more so when the next G8 takes place here this year, I booked a "trulli". I should say trullo as trulli is plural. 

What are trullis you may ask? I didn't know either. Well, they are unique to Puglia and go back to the Middle Ages but became very common in the 13th to 15th century. They are made of stone without cement, are round shaped with a conical roof (per room). I read the apparent reason there are so many is that they were built to avoid taxes. They could take them down and rebuild them quickly without being taxed. The stone used is limestone. The most famous ones are in Alberobello which, to quote Sandra is the Disneyland of Trulli houses. Their uniqueness is also in their construction. Today they are sought after by tourists like me. This is the trulli I found on Booking and here are a couple of photos. Ours had 4 conical roofs, each one corresponding to 1 room.

Our Trulli home on a farmstead near Locorotondo

We were greeted by Angela who lives with her husband, Giovanni, in a house attached to the Trullo. I have to say I loved the house from the outside but found it a bit jaded and cheesy inside. Eladio didn't notice the decor, hahaha.

We soon settled in and made our lunch. We emerged rested later in the afternoon and after a quick chat with Giovanni in a mixture of Italian and Spanish - that is how we get on here (hahaha), we set off to explore Locorotondo. It claims to be "uno dei borghi più belli d'italia" (one of the prettiest villages in Italy) and we thought it earned that status even though it is far less known to tourists. But they were there that day, as we were, walking up and down the white marbled streets, so slippery for the feet but all so pretty. 

A pretty tsreet in Locorotondo

Surrounding this round town or village are more vineyards and I had my photo taken overlooking them from a pretty little park in the "centro storico"

Happy to be in Puglia - Locorotondo on Wednesday, the day we arrived

Walking back to our car I glimpsed a bar serving drinks in an actual vineyard - what a great idea, I thought. 

A drinks bar in the middle of a vineyard. What a wonderful idea

Before we left we went to find a recommended butcher to buy some lamb chops. It's always fun trying to talk to the locals here. Our passport is to mention we live in Madrid. The response is always "Ancelloti" - the Real Madrid coach. We were telling the butcher and a customer about the rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona. In that moment, in walked a man speaking Spanish asking where he had to pay to park. He then said he was Catalan (famous for worrying about money hahaha). It was quite a coincidence as there are very few Spaniards in this area. Notice he said Catalan and not Spanish. Won't go into that.

Soon we were home again to our lovely and cozy Trulli and sitting down to a simple dinner. I had focaccia and porchetta again - oh how I am loving Italian food. 

Before moving onto Thursday of this week, I must mention it was our youngest daughter Olivia's birthday. To think she turned 39 this week! I managed to send her some flowers and a balloon in lieu of our absence. We later had a video call just before their cake moment. Happy birthday darling. 

It was Olivia's birthday on Wednesday 22nd May. She turned 39. Happy birthday darling.

We woke up in our Trullo on Thursday morning happy and content and enjoying life. It was only when we were on our way to Alberobello (the town with most trulli houses) and parking that we had bad news. Tana rang to say Pippa was missing. She must have got locked out on the street. God forbid, anything might happen to her. Life without Pippa is unimaginable. I immediately rang the patrol guards who very sweetly went searching for her. I rang our neighbour who had seen her but she wouldn't let him anywhere near her. However, he saw her running towards the path we always take on our walk; so, at least she wasn't on the road.  Meanwhile we were walking into incredible Alberobello but I could have been at Buckingham Palace to see the King and I wouldn't have noticed. After about an hour, the patrol guard, Dorian, rang to say he had seen her on the path towards our house, the path she knows and soon she ran into Tana's arms, grateful to have been found. She must have been scared stiff, bless her. Only then could I enjoy Alberobello.

Let me tell you that this town which has 1600 trulli, more than anywhere else, is one of Italy's 58 or 59 Unesco World Heritage Sites. Did you know Italy has the most in the world? I'm truly not surprised. The top ten are Italy (59), China (56), Germany (53), Spain and France both have 49, India (40), Mexico (35), the UK (33), Russia (30) and tenth is Iran with 26. Pity we can't visit Iran. I hope, one day, we can. But I am happy seeing so many heritage sites in Italy.

After the Pippa episode, I was able to take in what I was seeing. Aberobello is more than picturesque. It is another iconic and unique place in Italy and Italy is full of them. I can't begin to describe it so let me do so with pictures and this video. Here is just a small selection of the photos I took that morning.

A selection of photos of Alberebello. 

It's "truly" "bello" isn't it? (hahaha). Today many people live in the trulli there but most of them are souvenir shops, small hotels, bars and restaurants. We were not tempted by any of the "prodotti tipici"

 as honestly we can't fit another ornament in our house after so many years of marriage. 

Actually the typical produce is mostly food and wine as Puglia is considered the "bread basket" of Italy and where between 40 and 60% of the olive oil is produced. But no way was I buying wine, oil or pasta in a souvenir shop. About 1km away there are normal shops where a packet of local pasta costs just over 1 euros. But, oh the Italians are very good at selling their products, just with how they display them and everything is very tempting.  Living in Spain I am not tempted by olive oil or wine really although I do like to try the local wines wherever we go.  Besides, a litre of extra virgin olive oil costs more than in Spain, so why bother? I would have been interested in dresses or tops but in touristy boutiques  the markup is ridiculous. Cotton dresses I can get at a local market in Spain for 15 to 30 euros, cost anything over 80 euros here. I could do with some more clothes though as we only have two short sleeved tops each but I won't be tempted. Ah, but I was later in the week at a street market in Ostuni.

We came home to have lamb chops bought at a local butcher with some risotto for Eladio and local pasta for me. Wow, the lamb was delicious. Love the "agnello" we bought.

In our absence, the owners had put up a pergola on our terrace which had no shade. I was so grateful. I do love the place we are staying at as it is an oasis of peace in the Puglian countryside of the Valley of Itria. I went up to the roof to take pictures of the cone shaped roofs - one per room, to share in this blog.

Our trullo home with its cone shaped roofs

Ah, and I took yet another video to remember this very unique accommodation on this year's road trip. You can see it here.

Before we went out again in the afternoon I had a video call with Sandra, my tour guide at a distance for the Puglia region. Inspired by her, we visited the nearest of her choices, the bigger town of Martina Franca. It is the Baroque capital of the Valley of Itria region with a population of over 40.000. It's only 7 or so kilometres from our trullo through roads with trulli everywhere as well as vineyards and olive trees. 

We parked near the old town, of course and started off at Piazza Roma where the famed Ducal Palace is located. 

The Ducal Palace in Martina Franca

Martina Franca was nothing like Alberebello. Judging by the architecture there must have been a lot of French influence. The city is devoted to St. Martin of Tours, hence the name. 

But right then I had a sudden craving for something sweet. So what better than a gelato to quench the craving. I always go for the Amarena cherry or pistachio flavour. We shared two scoops outside a lovely old ice cream parlour while watching the world go by, or rather the people of Martina Franca as there weren't many tourists, for once!

A delicious gelato in Martina Franca on Thursday 

Only then did we continue our walk through the centro storico. We came across a large church which turned out to be the main symbol of the devotion to St. Martin of Tours. It was a Rococo cathedral, the first we have seen in Italy. This is out from the outside, next to the old University and clock tower.

St. Martin of Tours Rococo cathedral in Martina Franca

For once it was free to go inside which is not the norm in Italy. It was very Rococo inside I have to say and that doesn't mean I didn't like it. 

The altar in the Rococo cathedral in Martina Franca

I have lost count of the number of duomos, basilicas, cathedrals and churches we have seen in Italy.  I heard there are more than 1500 in Naples and more than 900 in Rome. However, there are far fewer churchgoers today than when they were built. That afternoon in the Cathedral of St. Martin of Tours, there were about 9 to 10 old ladies reciting the Rosary and that was about it. That says a lot. 

Our last stop was the beautiful Immaculate Conception round square with its cloisters. I wished we had chosen to have our gelato there but never mind. I think it was the most beautiful square in Martina Franca. 

The Immaculate Conception Square in Martina Franca, Valley of Itria, on Thursday

And that's where our short visit to this pretty town ended. As we walked back to our car on Via Bellini (not the drink), we spied a small greengrocer selling enticing looking peaches, apricots and flat peaches. I had to look up the words for them before asking for a kilo of each - yes we go through fruit like there is no tomorrow (hahahaha). Why a flat peach is called "pesca tabacchiera" in Italian I do not know. Neither do I know whey they are called "paraguayos" in Spanish. BTW apricot is called "albicocca" and peach "pesca". Pesca is a very false friend as in Spanish it means to fish, hahaha. Between my limited Italian and Eladio's excellent command of Latin, we are getting along nicely. When I don't know a word in Italian I ask my husband what it is in Latin and Italians usually understand. Who called it a dead language? It's the root of all Latin languages and very useful to know. I only wish I had taken more notice in Miss Tidmarsh's lessons at St. Joseph's College Bradford. 

Anyway, back to our trip. We took a wrong turn coming "home" from Martina Franca and had to drive along very narrow roads, nearly inside vineyards themselves. All the country roads round here look the same. 

Suddenly it was Friday - oh how time has flown since we left Madrid on Saturday 4th May. Puglia is huge and we can't see it all so we decided to visit just the interesting places nearby. Thus Lecce and Gallipoli were knocked off the list. Instead we went to Monopoli and Polignano a Mare, both on the Adriatic Coast and a short drive.

Monopoli is a bit like Marina Franca, a lot of Baroque (and Rococo) architecture, but by the sea. We headed to the Porto Vecchio which is at the entrance to the "centro storico". Here I am showing it off for the camera.

Porto Vecchio in Monopoli

There is lots to see in the old town, a rococo cathedral, plenty of churches and palaces as well as beautiful squares. The streets were very pretty. Let me show you.

Beautiful streets in Monopoli

Coffee - a cappuccino and a latte for Eladio, was by a tiny little beach but we aren't here for beaches - we have plenty in Spain and this trip is more about culture, history, meeting people and enjoying the food - oh yes. 

From Monopoli we drove on the main road to Bari and took the turn off to Polignano a Mare, very popular with locals and tourists. I didn't see any beaches but the position on top of a very high limestone cliff over the Adriatic Sea made for some wonderful views. It also has a historic centre, but I think we have had enough of churches and palaces for a while. I did like the views from the old centre where tourists, like us, were queueing up to take photos of the views. Here are two of mine.

Polignano a Mare

It's a very chic town with beautiful streets just teeming with  expensive boutiques and restaurants, all wondering how to get your money. They didn't get ours. We would have our lunch at home. We stopped on the way at a pretty good supermarket in Locorotondo where our hosts do their shopping. Thus we got great local food cooked by ourselves and eaten at leisure.

And the leisure was the word of that afternoon. We stayed in our Trullo and rested. I finally bought our ferry tickets from Bari to Duerres in Albania.  With our huge map of Europe book and Google Maps, we also worked out our route from here onward.  

Our onward journey after Italy

It should take us from Bari tomorrow night to Durres in Albania, arriving Tuesday. From there we shall drive straight to Kukes, stay one night and continue our journey to Skopje, North Macedonia. From North Macedonia we shall drive through Greece via Kavala to Turkey, crossing the Çanakkale bridge. Our intention after that is to visit the ancient site of Troy and then carry on to Izmir. From Izmir we shall head to Ephesus which will be our base to see the ancient city as well as Priene, Miletus and Didyma. The final part of our journey will see us in  Pamukale and Hieropolis.  These were the places we would have visited on last year's road trip but if you remember we had to hurry back for Olivia's wedding. There is nothing stopping us this time (I hope). 

After we had worked out our rough route, it was bedtime. On this road trip we go to bed very early but get up early too. I have been sleeping quite well in our peaceful trullo and get up at the crack of dawn - that is when I often search for accommodation for the following days. 

On Saturday we decided on visiting Ostuni, about 30 odd kilometres from here along winding roads surrounded by vineyards, olive trees and fields populated with the odd trulli - it's so quaint. When Eladio sent a friend a photo of our trullo, he replied "so far just to see a hut". He is wrong because the trulli are really unique to Puglia and are not just any type of hut. 

Ostuni, is yet another medieval village on top of a hill surrounded by a wall. What makes it different is the colour; nearly everything is white from whitewash - once used to prevent the plague. So, this ancient town has become known as the White City (Cittá Bianca) and you can see why from the photo below.

Ostuni, in Valle d'Itria, Puglia, known as the White City - la Città Bianca

But first we visited the new town as being Saturday it was market day and I was keen to get some cheap t-shirts and a light summer dress. And I found them there. Here I am trying on a frock (on top of my clothes). 

Trying on and buying clothes at the Ostuni market yesterday

I asked a youngish looking man what he thought and he said "adjudicata". He was right, it was meant for me. We then ambled down to the fruit and veg part of the market and bought medjool dates, huge juicy oranges and a punnet of delicious and fragrant "fragole" (strawberries). 

Now was the time to drive up to the old city which wasn't easy but I won't bore you with the details. Once inside the white city, we could appreciate its beauty and history, not so much its very slippery stone or marble paved streets and squares.  

Like many other ancient places in Italy,  this region has been inhabited since the Stone Age. It was established by the pre-classic tribe, the Messaspians and was nearly destroyed by Hannibal during the Punic Wars. Thankfully the Romans came to the rescue and rebuilt the city. After the Romans, Ostuni was occupied by the Ostrogoths, the Longobards,  the Normans,  the Aragonese (later to become part of Spain) a rich Duke, Giovanni Zevallos, then the Bourbons and finally it became part of Italy, thanks to Garibalidi's unification of Italy in 1861.    Imagine the mixture of cultures. There are beautiful churches and palaces but most people come to see the whitewashed city with its charming streets and get lost in them. Here are some photos for you to get an idea and for me to remember beautiful Ostuni - thanks again Sandra for all your tips.

Beautiful Ostuni in the Valle d'Itria, Puglia

We were home on time for lunch made with local ingredients, including some lovely red wine and stayed at home for the rest of the day. I spent a lot of the time, as usual uploading photos and writing this, but also detailing our route onward. This is so exciting. 

Today is Sunday and our last full day in Puglia.  Today we are visiting Cisternino, another pretty village in the Itria Valley. And tomorrow we leave Italy after 3 weeks for the Balkan part of our trip and then on to Turkey.  I am not sure where we will be when I write next Sunday but wherever we are, thanks for following our amazing road trip, a little slower paced than last year and which we are thoroughly enjoying. I am sad to leave Italy which I have come to love, but excited about the next step of our journey.

Cheers then till next Sunday,

Masha (and Eladio)