On to Otranto

   The next day we left Ostuni for the small village of Melpignano.  From here we would ride to the port city of Otranto.  Having gotten a reply from my doctor, I was ready to ride.  I would have to restrict how many kilometers I rode.  So, I would ride to Otranto and stop for the day while the rest of the group would ride on to our next masseria, a few kilometers outside Otranto.



Spiaggia is Italian for beach.  A few of my group actually went swimming
and said the water was as warm as bath water.

At first I thought this was a variety of iris I had not seen before.
It was not an iris, but I thought it pretty.



   The Madonna Above the Sea chapel is a small chapel near the port.
 It has sea-themed décor.

I had to do a zoom with my camera to get this bell tower.
 

The older part of Otranto

      In the afternoon we were taken to our new masseria, our home for the next two nights. We would stay at Maseria Montelauro, which our guide, Fabio, says is his favorite masseria.  He thinks it is more authentic.  I think he likes it because of the animals!  They have a donkey, two miniature ponies, and a variety of elderly dogs.  The owners have a kind of animal sanctuary going on.

I can't remember his name!  He was a friendly donkey and came when you called him.

Pallanino, little ball, was the larger of the miniature ponies.  The other, Rocco, was quite small.
He didn't photograph well, so I can't include him here.

Jasmine

This flower was so pretty in the sunset.



The door to my room.



Because the walls of our rooms were so think, the only way we could get internet access was to step
 outside on the patio.  Not a bad way to check on home. It was here that I learned my sister-in-law,
Linda Williams, had succumbed to lung cancer.  While I was in luxurious surroundings, I was still deep in
the countryside.  The masseria staff was very good about getting me on the phone with Delta Airlines,
however, I would not get back in time for her funeral.

 

Storia - Italian for History

     Otranto now has a population of about 6,000 permanent residents.  For over 1,000 years it was the main port for ships heading towards the Orient.  Orient meaning the Middle East. 
     In 1480, Otranto was sacked by the Turks who invaded the city.  In a badly planned attempt to convert the citizens to Islam, 800 faithful Christians refused, and were beheaded!  Eventually the Turks were defeated. (Although, I bet a few stayed behind, rather than face their own decapitation upon returning home!)

     That evening we were shuttled back to Otranto for dinner on our own and to explore as we wished.  I spent much of the time wandering alone, as I like to photograph architecture.

      The first place I went to was the Romanesque cathedral that the Normans (French) had built in the 1100s.  A huge mosaic, one of the largest in the world, covers its floor.  It was created by a young monk named Pantaleone.  He  combined a variety of religions beliefs along with classic Greek and Roman figures, and plain superstition.

Here we have a griffin.

 

The evening light made it dark for photography, but I made the attempt anyway.  It was a very peaceful chapel.

The ceiling

It is amazing that the chapel survived.  The Turks used is a stable for their horses.

One of the side chapels is called the Cappella Mortiri, The Chapel of the Dead. The chapel contains the stone on which the 800 martyrs were beheaded.  The skulls and bones are also located in the chapel arranged in neat patterns.  Some people might find this ghoulish, but I do not.  I understand the concept of an ossuary, and it is a sacred place.  The little chapel was quite peaceful.  I took a picture of it from a distance to preserve the sanctity.

 


Charles V of Spain also built a castle here.

Archeologists are still working on the city to find older finds.  Wandering around I found some fascinating sites.

Reminds me of Dracula!

 



Of course, with tourists in abundance, you need some souvenir shops! I also wanted some real Italian pizza, which I had not had so far.  I found a pizzeria and ordered a pizza.  I will describe that experience in the post How We Ate.  Otranto was a wonderful jewel to explore in an evening.

Tambourines for dancing the Tarentella - the dance
that makes you sweat if you get bit by a tarantula - which are still around.
 The old cure if one was bitten was to dance wildly around hoping to sweat the
venom out.  For those of us who took piano lessons, a simplified tarantella was in
several piano theory books, and always my favorite to practice!





 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The King of the Toilets!

     On the same day we went to Alberobello, we would also stop at the town of Locorotondo.  This part of the day will be most memorable for sooo many reasons!

King of the Toilets

      At breakfast, Gigi and Fabio held our morning meeting to go over route information.  Even though I was not riding this day, I still paid attention - good thing I did!
      We would all be shuttled to Alberobello, and after our stay there, the others would ride on to the town of Locorotondo where Gigi and I would be waiting with a snack.  We would be at a local park that had a public W.C. for those who needed it.  Gigi told us that this W.C. was manned by a gentleman he called "Bapita", who was "King of the Toilets"!  He then explained that Bapita liked to play music while people were using the facilities, and that we had a choice.  He then asked us what we wanted to hear!  Everyone just looked at Gigi!  One of the choices was Frank Sinatra, so I called out "Sinatra!"  Later, and I was there, so I can attest to this, Gigi called to give our music choice.

       So, we finish with Alberobello, and Gigi and I head towards Locorotondo.  We get to the park, and start to set up. Bapita shows up and greats Gigi.  Gigi introduces us.  Speaking in Italian, Bapita showed me where the nearest gelato shop was, and escorted me over, stating in Italian to the proprietress, the company I was traveling with and to take care of us when we came in for gelato.  I went exploring the neighborhood to take pictures.

 Soon, however, I needed that W.C.  I headed for it, not knowing that Bapita was right behind me!  Sounds creepy, I know.  He tapped me on the shoulder, I let out a scream and jumped my entire height!  Poor man!  He was more frightened than I was!  Out came a stream of apologies in Italian, then he opened the door for me to the toilet.  The place was immaculate!  Soon, strains of Frank Sinatra singing "Let's Fly Away" could be heard! Wow!
      So, I complete my visit, and Bapita has papers in various languages explaining who he is.  He must have thought I was German, because the paper he handed me was in German, which I can read.  I burst out laughing as I read (in German) that he was the self-appointed king of the toilets. Literally, that was what it said in German.  He then realized his mistake, and tried to give me a paper in English.  I told him "Io parla Tedesco" (I speak German.)  But, he gave me an English version anyway.  I tried to photograph it, but it doesn't show here very well.  So, I will type, verbatim what the English version says:

     5 stars public Toilets
          Mister Giuseppe Corbascio takes care of the 5 stars public Toilets in Locorotondo.  He has got also guides in German language - Deuceland (so written).  All buses stop there.  In France he is known as "Mister Le Pepe"; in Germany Der Spiegel has written an article about him: "When the Americans arrive, do you know what I do? - he tells me smiling with his eyes closed - I put Frank Sinatra (Let's Fly away) and they throw themselves on the floor laughing without going to pee anymore.  You have to write like this: in Locorotondo a 5 stars public Toilets!"

The only change I made here was to put Der Spiegel in italics.
       Bapita must have really felt bad for frightening me as he came back later with a guide book in Italian all about Locorotondo, with his autograph!  I will be keeping that book to practice my Italian! No one was able to explain how Bapita got this job, if he is paid for it, or if he is just being helpful to tourists.  However, he will always be my favorite Italian!  Take that Sinatra!


 Me and Giuseppe "Bapita" Corbascio - King of the Locorotondo 5-Star Toilets!

 

 

Ostuni, the White Pearl

      Our ride from Armando's masseria would take us to the town of Ostuni.  We would stay here for two nights.  After checking in, I immediately e-mailed my pulmonologist, and decided not to ride the next day while waiting for her response.

The Miracle

       A town of about 35,000, though it seems like more, Ostuni sits on a set of hills overlooking the Adriatic Sea.  The area has been inhabited since the stone age and takes its name from the Greek " astu neon" - new town.  This history of the town is a hodgepodge of which city state was in charge at the time.
       Many, if not most of the buildings in Ostuni are painted white.  During the Black Plague, Ostuni had its share of death.  The people were whitewashing their homes with quick lime, a common practice in southern Italy.  They noticed that the plague started to disappear, and attributed this to the miracle of the white paint.  So, a tradition was started of whitewashing pretty much every structure.  The townsfolk were not far off in their thinking, however.  The quick lime pretty much killed any plague bacteria or virus.  However, the people did not know this for several hundred years!


       The following are views of Ostuni.  I like to go exploring on my own.

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St. Francis of Assisi

My group heads to dinner......more about that in the post "How We Eat".

      

Ode to the Olive

     Today's ride would take us away from our masseria, through olive groves, and into the city of Ostuni.

Putting Olives on All Ten Fingers

      I recall, as a teenager, putting black olives on all ten fingers and popping them in my mouth. Everyone did it. I promptly got sick. I haven't been able to eat olives since. However, times have changed over the years, and better tasting olives have to be out there. This trip just may inspire me to try them.
      Along the route today we were shown a spot where the olive trees are over 1000 years old. Scientists used carbon dating to figure out the age of the trees. These trees are still producing fruit. The trunk of an olive tree is nature's finest sculpture. Like snowflakes, no two trunks are alike. The beauty of the trunks lie in the variety of twists, splits, hollows, bulges, and whimsical shapes that the trunks have. I could not help but think of the words of Saint Francis of Assisi " The flowers and fruit that in thee grow, let them His glory also show."

        Next, we would stop at an olive oil museum. I know some of you are thinking, "seriously?" Olives and their oil have been used for thousands of years. Besides food, olives have been used for currency, and their oil is not only edible, but useful in burning in lamps, and in making soaps. This museum started out in the 1200s as a monastery.  In the 1600s, the monks left, and their quarters were turned into a olive pressing building. Oil was pressed there until WWII. The nearby San Lorenzo church is still in use. After a quick, and much needed, snack, we left for another masseria for lunch.

Olive presses used after the first pressing.

These cool little baskets open up like pillows and the olive bits from the first pressing are put inside and then placed in sets of 4 or 5 baskets on top of each other and then put in the presses in the picture above.

Extra virgin oil is from the olive's first pressing.

This is an old filtering system where the oil was poured over cotton, and allowed to drip through leaving any solids.

San Lorenzo Church

It Takes a Special Kind of Woman

         It was a hot day, and the sun was a bit on the mean side. Our lunch destination was Masseria Il Frantoio. This estate is a family-run Masseria. The owners, Armando, and his wife, Rosalba, were born in villages not far away. After seeing the world for ten years, they came home for a visit, and found a " For Sale" sign on this property. They have been there for the last 22 years. It is run like a bed and breakfast, except, Rosalba also makes lunch and dinner. While we never met Rosalba, I get the idea that she is the most patient woman on the planet, and a bit headstrong if she is married to Armando!
          Armando likes to show his place off. He even had a short 10-minute video made of the place. His over-the-top tour, complete with jokes, was a bit much. The tour ended in their gift shop where he offered wine made on the premise, or at least close by. This tour did not exactly go down well with a bunch of hot, tired, sweaty cyclists, who just wanted lunch in a cool room. We did get lunch, and Rosalba's cooking did not disappoint. This was the best Italian food I have ever had!
          The following photos are of the masseria.

 

 

       After lunch we would head off to the town of Ostuni to stay for the next two nights.

It Takes Two Very Awesome Guides

        Asthma runs in my family, but I was not diagnosed with it until my late 40's, and am still learning what my various triggers are to an attack.  It seems the combination of heat and humidity is one of them. Living in bone dry Utah, humidity is not something I am used to. My major attack occurred on the road, while I was riding solo. (We have directions on how to travel so we don't have to stay with each other.)  Luigi, Gigi to us, was the guide riding with us that day and stayed with me until transport could be found to get me to the olive museum. He was very patient and kind.  I would then meet our other guide, Fabio, who would drive me the rest of the route.  I did have my rescue inhaler, but riding hopped up on albuterol is not a good idea, and this attack was taking a long time to breathe through.  There was even talk about taking me to the hospital. Fabio also has asthma, and was very understanding of the situation.  I owe my life to these wonderful gentlemen, and much thanks to my patient fellow travelers.