Go for Baroque

After my stay in Bari, I decided to go further south to reach Lecce.  If you look at a map of Italy, you will see that Lecce is located in the heel of the boot, almost as far south as you can go. Often, Lecce is referred to as the "Florence of the South", though other than artisan shops and open piazzas, I didn't see other similarities.  Lecce is unique. 

Lecce is over 2,000 years old, with a long connection to Greek culture.  (However, I did not observe modern ties to Greek foods or traditions.) The Baroque monuments were added in the 1600's and it is a significant feature that is distinctive to Lecce.  

Pictured here are the Lecce Duomo (cathedral), the Basilica di Santa Croce,  interior of Santa Croce, the Roman amphitheater (2nd Century AD), a public garden and park (Giardini Pubblici Giuseppe Garibaldi), and my post-breakfast snack of cappuccino and pasticciotto Leccese.  

The pasticciotto is a rich pastry filled with egg custard.  I ate the entire pastry one morning as a "snack". The following day on the way back to Florence, I lamented that I didn't buy one to eat on the train.  Each region has its own food, and these pastries are particular to Lecce.  

I liked everything about Lecce. The city is both elegant and lively. The shops are a mix of artisans, upscale, and funk. (I purchased a beautiful linen robe and table napkins at Society Limonta, which also has online shopping.) There is a wide range of restaurants from traditional cuisine, to pizza, to salads. There are plenty of places to enjoy a glass of primitivo and to buy taralli. I would happily return, but it's a long trek by train. (NB- It is possible to fly from Florence to Bari, though I prefer the train.)

Check out the link below for the restaurant Alle due Corti to learn about the local pasta dish called "Ciceri e tria". I ate at the restaurant and greatly enjoyed this traditional fare.  

http://alleduecorti.com/reloaded/index.php/2019/07/17/italian-traditional-recipe-ciceri-e-tria/?lang=en

Progress

From the city of Bari, it is easy to visit both Matera and Alberobello.  I like having a guide at historical sites, so I searched online and got lucky with a wonderful guide through "Tours by Locals". Giorgio met me at my hotel and we proceeded first to Matera, which is about an hour away.  En route, I learned about the history of Bari, which includes complicated Mafia connections.  The south of Italy does not have the wealth and prestige as the north, and life was/is run a bit differently!  

Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the many in Italy. It is in the region of Basilicata, next to Puglia. You may recall that in 2019, Matera was named the European Cultural Capital.  And years before that, it was the setting of Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of Christ". Matera is an area of "Sassi" or cave dwellings.  The oldest dwellings are eight thousand years old, opposite the more "modern" dwellings.  They are divided by a ravine, which was once a river.   

The Sassi of Matera are regarded as "one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world." The area was occupied by many different groups.  By the 1800's, Matera had extreme poverty, poor sanitation and disease.  In the 1950's, it was called "the shame of Italy" and the townspeople were forced to evacuate to modern housing in the "new" Matera.  For years, the dwellings were abandoned until the 1980's when the town became a historical tourist attraction.  Now, there are hotels, restaurants, shops and artist studios. 

There are several empty caves that are open to visitors.  One has been reconstructed to show what life might have looked like when the caves were inhabited.  There was a small kitchen and table.  Animals were housed inside the cave to provide heat.  The matrimonial bed has the toilet nearby and a loft above for children.  We can imagine that there was no privacy at all!! 

After lunch in the modern section of Matera, we got back on the road to reach Alberobello.  The guide pointed out the change in the landscape when we crossed from Basilicata into Puglia.  The olive groves returned in abundance.  

Alberobello is the home of the famous "trulli" and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We arrived first into the inhabited area of Alberobello. My guide, Giorgio, stopped to say hello to a family living in a trullo. The wife of the couple showed me her garden. Outside her door she had a table with fresh figs, at no charge, and I helped myself.  Mamma mia- delicioso! 

There were trulli that were open to walk through and imagine life in the round home with the conical roof. My guide explained that the original design of the roof was a way to avoid taxes.  The workers for the feudal lord Count Acquaviva lived in Alberobello, but he didn't want it to be considered a "town". So,  the stones on the roof were not joined with mortar, and when the keystone was removed, the roof would collapse. Thus, the building was no longer considered a house and so the area was not officially a town.  This was changed in 1797, and now each roof is permanent.  

A long post for a long and wonderful day!  I am always glad to see respect given to old ways of life. People live with what they know and what they are given, until something happens to improve their lives.  Even then, someone might like some of the old ways best of all. 

Heading South

With rain in the forecast and no activities in Florence, I decided to chase the sun and head south, all the way to the "heel of the boot" in fact.  My first stop was in Bari to see the "old town" and from there visit the villages of Matera and Alberobello.  Then, I planned to continue further south to Lecce. 

In order to reach Bari by train, I first went north to Bologna, and then along the coast to Bari.  The train ride is picturesque, with views of the hills and then the coast for many miles.  Since the trains are still running at 50% capacity, travel feels safe and relaxing.  

While the narrow streets of the "old town" do have souvenir stands, there is also a sense of real life-- small coffee shops, butchers, fruit and vegetable stands, non-touristy panino spots.  One church was setting up for a wedding. There were elderly out doing the shopping and stopping to talk.  There was an odd calmness between all the twisting streets.  

In the evening, the old town filled with youngsters on scooters, teenagers, adults and families.  It was exciting!  I had an aperitivo while looking at the sea, then walked to Piazza Mercantile (around the corner!) and enjoyed outdoor dining at a wonderful restaurant.  I was overjoyed at the sight of the bread basket alone!

In the picture, the restaurant tables are under the large umbrellas.  To the right, was a woman selling squares of freshly fried polenta.  (On my tour the next day, the guide said that she is there every day.) 

The region of Puglia is well known for seafood, burrata, focaccia, and taralli.  There would be plenty of all of that in the days ahead!