It all started in Egypt

     In the late 90's I was teaching kindergarten in Cairo, Egypt.  We were working on a social studies unit on homes around the world.  Our school library had a children's book on homes around the world.  As I was reading through it, I saw a drawing of some homes in southern Italy called trulli.
 
     The houses looked like the homes in the movie The Wizard of Oz. Could people really live in these homes?  I have always been fascinated with architecture. As a child, I used to build my own homes, compete with floor plans with my legos. Unlike my sisters, I am  not interested in how a house is decorated.  I just like the architecture. So, going to a country just to see houses is not out of my realm  of  reasoning.



     Now, getting to Italy was another  goal.  But how?  I could just get on a plane and hope for the best, but going to a country I have never been to takes planning.  I decided that I would go with a tour group - and there were none!  I knew these homes were in the Puglia area of Italy - the heel of the boot. It would take several years before I was able to find tours to the region I wanted to go to, and then I started to save up for this trip.

Io Parlo Italiano

     I love languages, and I can pick them  up fairly quickly.  Through my school district, I got a discount for Rosetta  Stone.  I studied an hour everyday.  I just wanted to make myself  understood, but would I?
     Italian is the main language of Italy, but it is only one of over 30 languages spoken in the country. As a child, watching the Winter Olympics, I learned that the residents of many towns in the Italian Alps spoke dialects of German as their first language.  Dialects of  French and Spanish are also spoken in Italy.  Sicillian has enough differences with Italian that is is considered a separate language.
     The dialects of  Puglia are part of the southern Italian series.  In fact, a form  of  Greek, Griko, is spoken in towns both in Puglia and Calabria (16 and 18 on the map). Thousands of years ago, Greeks colonized the area, and their descendants still speak the language. Other dialects and languages spoken in Puglia include the Neopolitan language, the Bari dialect of  Italian, Foggiano, Tarantino and Salento dialecs, Faetar- a rare French dialect spoken in two villages, and Arbaeresh - an Albanian dialect can also be found in a few areas.


Lay of the Land

     Puglia is mostly a broad, flat plain with a few hills.  The altitude does not go beyond 3,800 ft.  A mostly dry area, it is the bread basket of Italy with the majority of the agriculture products being grown and produced there. Rainwater permeates the limestone, so there is plenty of groundwater.  There are also great caves, sink holes and grottos to be found and explored.

Puglia History - Tiny Version

     Puglia has seen a great share of various groups claim  and settle the land.  Greeks, Romans, Goths, Lombards, Byzantines, Sarcens, Normans Spaniards, Germans and French are just a few of the peoples who settled the land.  In the 15th/16th centuries, Albanians settled parts of the land.  Puglia was also part of many kingdoms depending on who was in charge at the time. The Puglians pretty much kept to themselves and went along with whoever was in charge.  In 1861, Puglia joined with the newly formed Italian state.

About this Trip

     I usually do research and writing on my trips well in advance - like this post.  However, the internet did not yield  much information on the list of towns and villages I will be visiting.  I also do not know how much Wi-Fi I will have access to.  So,  It may be a couple of weeks before the trip is up on the blog.  My netbook is coming with me, as is my iPad.
     Another interesting tidbit is that this is a cycling trip, and most of my travel will be done  on a bike!  I own my own Trek, and have had a lot of practice in the hilly areas of Salt Lake City - really, there is no truly flat area of downtown SLC.

      So, another trip begins! Pizza anyone?