September 20 – 26
Day 34: Sunday, Sept 20… How often do you get to do something you’ve never done before? Not very often! Not when you’ve lived a long time and make a point of trying new things. That made this day pretty special.
Just outside Santa Maria de Leuca we climbed down a jagged cliff and jumped into the sea. We spent the next hour or two swimming (and floating) around giant sea caves. That was a first! A local woman swam by and told us the occasional pockets of icy water were large freshwater springs flowing into the sea from the back of the caves. OK! That’s new and unusual! And because Sharon had been smart enough to buy some cheap goggles earlier on this special day, we got to look at colorful little fish and underwater rock formations we otherwise would not have seen. Yet another first!! Eventually a flotilla of tour boats began to encroach, but we didn’t mind. We’d already had our special day – and it wasn’t even noon!
Santa Maria de Leuca was only a few minutes from the Grotto. We found the missing tourists from the “ghost towns”. It looked interesting, but we left it in the capable hands of the touring hordes. Santa Maria was of interest to us as the southernmost point of our trip. Once we turned the corner and started north, the coastline changed from mostly flat to soaring. We climbed until both the vastness of the impossibly blue sea, as well as the point where it beat itself against the cliffs.
We ended the day in a barely there little town that looked sad, and a bit ghostly when we arrived. Later when the sun dropped out of sight, the two restaurants in Marine di Novalgie opened and the town sprang to life. Cars were zipping around. People were walking their dogs. Grandparents were singing songs to a disinterested infant. Drinks flowed and dinners were served! Perfect end to a special day.
Day 36: Monday, Sept 21… Magically, miraculously, we discovered we have a new superpower! We can control the wind! It is true. First day excepted, whichever direction we travel we cause the wind to blow directly into our faces. It pairs well with my other superpower of making easy things look hard. We rode into a wind almost all the way south. Now that we’ve turned the corner and are heading north, we once again had a stout headwind as our companion.
Just past Santa Cesurea the landscape shifted. Suddenly it was almost devoid of anything green except prickly pears. Small wonder so many buildings are made of stone – in this arid, rocky region they have an endless supply of building material!
Downtown Otrento and the waterfront looked appealing. We tried very hard to enjoy it, but a cold aggressive wind made it difficult. Instead, we returned to the campground with ingredients for dinner.
Day 37: Tuesday, Sept 22… Headwinds reared their ugly head – again! Sharon has been feeling a bit worn of late. So our “plan” was to pedal a relatively short distance up the coast, see some sights along the way, and stop early. That was a plan, but you may know about us and plans…!
We arrived at our potential stopping point and thought “Why stop now? We feel good! The day is still young.” So we didn’t. We turned inland toward Lecce. When we left the coast we were sort of expecting the whole arid, rocky, cactus-y thing again. Surprise! We rode through olive groves on narrow lanes lined with hand built stone walls. Some of these trees looked ancient. Once again we are charmed by the variety Italy has on offer.
We’ve planned a rest day in Lecce, so we put off exploring the city until tomorrow. The afternoon and evening were spent doing the laundry, shopping for dinner, working on the blog and Polar Steps, showering, reading, relaxing.
Day 38: Wednesday, Sept 23… Pietra leccese is a soft, warm limestone that is easy to carve when freshly quarried. Over time it hardens when exposed to air and Mediterranean heat. For centuries, craftsmen have gone wild turning stone into exuberant art all over the city.
This is one of many interesting tidbits we learned while exploring Lecce. Another is that Lecce is home to the remnants of a large Roman stadium. Estimates vary, but many believe the stadium could hold as many as 25,000 people. According to historians, in the morning, spectators were treated to gladiators killing wild animals. One could then enjoy lunch while watching public executions. Afternoons were reserved for the main event, when gladiators faced off in hand to hand combat. Such beauty and such barbarism existed side by side in the Roman empire.
Day 39: Thursday, Sept 24… We had a campground picked out forty some miles away. In spite of the prevailing headwinds prevailing yet again, we made good time. Even with stops in picturesque little towns. Even with locals literally taking us by the hand and walking us to an eatery when we asked for a nearby market. Even with a stop to render assistance to a driver who flipped his truck, and needed help getting out. Even with all that, we arrived in Mesagne by 2:00pm. Plenty of time left to bike the last eight miles to the campground.
As we meandered charming old town Mesagne, the gravel parking lot campground we were heading towards lost its appeal. It took us all of 30 seconds to change our minds and book an amazing room near the “centro storico.” Perfect place to celebrate my birthday with perhaps just a bit too much local wine and beer.
Day 40: Friday, September 25… Today the weather has finally matched the calendar. Long sleeves were not too warm. It felt good to not swelter. Off and on throughout the day our rain jackets also got put to good use.
It is a sad commentary on the human race that from the earliest times, people have had to seek isafety from other humans. The historic city centers, the “centro storico” that everyone enjoys are almost always enclosed within protective walls. For 2,500 years people in Ostuni have used an imposing hill and walls for protection.
We spent an enjoyable evening wandering the labyrinth of the centro storico. We also were introduced to panzerotti. This taste treat from the Puglia region is basically a deep fried calzone. Mmmmmm! So good!
Day 41: Saturday, Sept 26… Fun Facts: The Puglia region is home to sixty million olive trees, many are thousands of years old. As a result, Puglia produces 40% of Italy’s olive oil. Our tour guide was the owner of a small (5,000 trees) masseria. They only make cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil – and she was passionate about the process and their product. She dismissed lesser quality mass produced olive oil as nothing more than “lamp oil!” Certainly not suitable to consume.
We use olive oil fairly often in our cooking. I will never think of it in quite the same way after today. Or after spending hours riding past a few more of the 60 million trees.
In the 1400’s the Kingdom of Naples decreed that local nobles pay a royal tax on any new permanent settlements on their lands. The crafty nobles required their peasants to build stone homes without mortar. When the royal tax man made his rounds, the peasants had to partially dismantle their “trullo” homes. Tax man came, found just piles of stones, not a permanent settlement, saving the nobles some money. I’m sure those well compensated peasants were happy to endure any hardships, like unbuilding and rebuilding their homes, to save the uber rich overlords some more money.
These trulli were everywhere as we rode through the Itrea valley. Apparently it has become quite the tourist draw, as many trulli have been converted to luxury B&B’s. “Experience life just like medieval peasants barely eking out an existence in our luxurious, well appointed Trulli!”
We ended our day in a campground just outside Alberbello. It is famous for the large number of well preserved trulli, which we will see tomorrow. Turns out we also arrived during the weekend-long celebration of Saint Medici, the town’s patron saint. We rode past a large numbers of pilgrims making their way towards Alberobello. We also got to enjoy the music of Fabrizio Moro. Even though the venue was a mile away, I felt as though Fabrizio and his amplified voice were right in the tent with us. It was a special night.
So there you have it, our week in the Puglia region. A few years ago in France, Hubert invited us to his house for lunch. Over cheese and wine, it came out that he was the organizer of a rather famous event that celebrated “slow travel” in all its forms. This region of Italy invites – begs – you to travel slowly. We can do slow. And we still have almost a week to continue to slowly explore this captivation region. Until next week – ciao! And Seize the Carp!
