Two Seaside Towns

       Today's ride took us to the nearby town of Savelletri. Normally, the town is a small fishing village of three hundred people. In the summer, it becomes crowded with tourists, both Italian and foreign, who want to be by the Adriatic Sea.
        Puglia is not known for long stretches of sandy beach. In fact, a good part of the land is covered with lava flow. Much of the coastline is rocky. But, every so often a small pocket of sand will appear, and people will flock to it. It is also common to see people bringing deck chairs out onto the rocks.

This beach north of Savelletri was mostly rocky.

The beach south of Monopoli.  It was a narrow stretch of sand.

Monopoli beach

In and out of rocks.  When it comes to beach side, the Italians make do.

         We then headed north to Monopoli. Unlike the board game based on Atlantic City, New Jersey, this city of about 50,000 souls has been in existence from about 500 B. C. Part of the town is behind medieval walls, complete with cannons. The town was founded by the Greeks. It has also been under the control of  the Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Swabians (Germans), and Spanish. It was often attacked by Muslim pirates. Monopoli was the starting point for the navel Crusades.

I found this cherub carved into a building as I was walking along.

Monopoli from the terrace where we ate lunch

A close up of the wall Charles V of Spain built, complete with cannons. The beach is right below this wall.

This photo, and the following, are pictures of whatever took my fancy while walking. 

The vegetable truck, where root vegetables were sold.

          We spent our time at the Basilica Cattedrale Maria Santissima della Madia. We then had lunch at a tavern particularly friendly to VBT travelers. we found the gelato shop, and were free to wander until a certain time, when we had to head back.

The cathedral was quite spectacular.  Another couple in our group visited the cathedral at a different time, and met a young woman from Utah who was getting married in the cathedral.  They mentioned they had a fellow traveler from Salt Lake City.  The young woman had met her Italian fiancé at the University of Utah.  They were getting married in his home town of Monopoli, and then going back to the states to reside, probably in Utah!  She and her future mother-in-law were checking out the cathedral where the marriage would take place.  The following are interior shots of the cathedral which is decorated in precious stone and rare wood.

 

Masseria - The Fortified Farm

     My flights went from  Salt Lake City to New York City, then on to Rome, and then on to Bari, the capitol of Puglia.  From  Bari I was taken south to the town of Savelletri to stay at my first masseria.


In Times of Pirates and Brigands

      Masseria were fortified farms.  The local farmers were often being pillaged of their crops by pirates, brigands, and others.  So, fortified boundary walls, watch towers, and drawbridges were built around the small farms to keep the people safe.  Families within the masseria would have their own church so they would not have to leave the relative safety for spiritual needs.  They would also share an oil mill and outdoor oven.
     Also within the masseria would be cisterns for water, stables and storage rooms for hay and other crops, as well as storage for tools.  The farmers did not own the land.  In one section of the masseria was the comfortable home of the Padrone or master of the masseria.
     Today, many masseria have been turned into resorts for vacationing tourists.  Most masseria can boast of 5-star amenities, like spas, golf  courses and cooking classes.  The cooking class was a tempting option, but I also wanted to explore and photograph my surroundings.
      The morning of my second day, I spent time exploring the masseria I was staying at. I stayed at Masseria Torre Coccaro. Most of the rooms are converted from existing buildings from the 15th century. My room was in a building standing alone. I was the only one there. I had my own little courtyard. There were rooms in the 15th century watch tower. There were rooms built next to the masseria church. I also explored the gardens. Most of the fruits and vegetables grown here are served in the masseria restaurant.

The main wall with an arch was the entrance to the masseria in the 16th century.

Outside the walls, stone walls surround the olive groves.

This box was my room.  Don't let it fool you.

Once you walk down a path, you find my front door.

The inside.

I had my own courtyard that was walled in.

This was once an old well.

The pool house

We had a wedding at the pool on our last night.

I love the bas relief of the Madonna and Child.

Inside the arch was an outdoor oven.

Two views of the watch tower.  It now contains guest rooms, a massage studio, and a gallery.

Down this path was flower gardens.

The garden with pillars

The herb garden

The vegetable garden

 

 

 

Inside the archway was the chapel.  It is still in use with a visiting priest on Sundays.

Interior of the chapel.

        On our second day, in the afternoon, after all of my group was together, we had a bike safety class and were fitted to our bikes.  We then rode through 800-year-old olive groves to Egnatia, an ancient site. This town was started before the ancient Greeks and Romans were in power. The Greeks took over, and then the Romans. Around 300 A.D., the town died out, and eventually the ruins were covered under fields to be discovered in the last century.

Going into a underground room

Which turned out to be a series of connected tunnels.  Storage and safety from pirates was the purpose of this room.

The Via Triana, a road that would connect with the Appian Way.  All roads lead to Rome.

        That evening, we had dinner as a group - a typical four-course Italian meal. While the servings were small, it was still more food than I am used to eating at one meal.

A Day's Travel Between Four Airports

       My day started at Salt Lake International, a smaller, but well-organized international airport. From SLC I would fly to NYC's JFK airport.

        Nine Degrees of Hell
   
       JFK is going through massive renovations. This means passengers have to shuttle between terminals. In my case, it also meant walking through a construction zone. By the time I got through this, I was ready for a shower and nap. But, the fun was just beginning as I went through security, which I can only describe as a combination of Disney's It's a Small World ride combined with Dante's Inferno.
       In defense of the TSA, they were great, even friendly, compared with the snarling masses trying to get to their planes. One agent patiently explained to an obnoxious man that security did not cater to first and business class, that we were all equal in the eyes of TSA. I would have loved to take pictures of some of the things I saw while going through security, but that would have gotten my in a lot of trouble.

        Seriously, lady.......

        The last time I was in Rome's airport, it was just for an hour between planes, and the terminal was decked out because it was Christmas. In reality, this airport is a bit run down and seedy. But, the Italians were so friendly, and got me to the right places, that it didn't matter.
          My last flight would take me to the city of Bari, in Puglia. From Rome we flew south, and I got to, at least, see Naples and Mt. Vesuvius from the air. My nephew and his family live there. I would have taken a picture, but I was in the middle seat, and not next to the window.
          The lady next to me was a piece of work. She would talk on her phone and then get really loud whenever the pilot made an announcement. He was clearly making her life miserable! The passengers    in front of us would turn around and tell her to be quiet. Even the male flight attendant told her to shut off her phone.
           We were in the very back of the plane, and had to wait for passengers to get off. What little I had to say, to the flight attendants, was in Italian. So, I was not prepared for this lady to address me in English, "Would you please move, I need to get out!" I looked at her and asked to where would she like me to move? The aisle was jammed full of people waiting to move forward. Then she was upset that the flight attendants didn't open both doors. She was in a hurry. I turned and explained that this was not a choice they get to make. Security on the outside determines this, and until they unlock the outside of the doors, the crew cannot open the doors. She looked at me like I was nuts, but the flight attendant nearby confirmed what I had to say. Another passenger offered to get my backpack from the overhead. They all ignored her.
             Flying is a truly wonderful mode of travel, but, I am glad to be on the ground!

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?