Monday, April 28, 2014

Six Nights in a Trullo

The trulli at our B&B Fontana Vecchia
When we finally got our rental car, we needed to make the trip to our next B&B in Valle d’Istria in the southern Italian region of Puglia.  If you look at a map of Italy, Puglia is located in the heel part of the boot.

Some of you may recall, that Anne had become quite frustrated with navigating in Italy during last year’s trip, so this year we brought our own GPS (a Garmin updated with Italian maps).  The GPS actually worked quite well initially although it did not recognize the exact address of our B&B, so we had to ramble around a bit but finally found our way.  

The strange cone-roofed trulli homes of Valle d'Istria
We are staying in a wonderful B&B in a strange limestone structure called a "trullo".  This part of Puglia is known for their unique buildings called trulli (plural of the word trullo) with their cylindrical bases and cone-shaped roofs that look like something in which the Keebler elf might raise a family.  Trulli date back to the 1500’s and no one is sure of their origin or exactly why they were devised.  One popular idea is that they were designed as a way to dodge property taxes.  Trulli were built without mortar, and skilled trulli builders could put one up in a matter of hours, so the theory is that the peasants would dismantle their trulli homes before the tax man arrived and put them back together after he was gone.  Pretty clever - no house, no taxes!!

Our trullo during the April cold & wet spell
Now here is the thing about trulli.  In the summer, trulli are very comfortable; the thick stone walls keep them nice & cool without the need for any air conditioning.  However, if you arrive during an April cold spell (like we did) with 40-degree temperatures and driving rains, the trulli tend to hold the cold and damp conditions.  Our trullo was adorable, but we would have enjoyed it much more during warmer, dryer weather.




Low arches made Frank feels a bit like Gulliver
 (from "Gulliver's Travels") as he tries to fit
into our Lilliputian accommodations
We have to be honest and admit that Puglia has been somewhat of a disappointment.  Of course, the bad weather has not helped, and we have both been battling miserable colds.  But we can’t help comparing Puglia with other parts of Italy that we loved, like Sicily and the Piedmont, and although the people here are absolutely lovely, the overall experience has not been what we hoped for.  However that is not to say that we didn’t have fun.












Trulli-lined streets of Alberobello, Italy
Alberobello

The village of Alberobello, known as the Capital of the Trulli, is pretty much “trulli central” with street after street of these fairytale-like structures.  Many have been transformed into souvenir shops and the town is definitely touristy, but it is still a unique & great place to roam (and shop). 







Antonella teaches us all about Puglian wine

In one shop, enthusiastic Antonella gave us some generous wine pourings along with samples of all kinds of Puglian specialities like crispy chocolate treats made with fried rice, an onion relish, and biscotti with almonds.  She was so lively, and so much fun to joke around with since she spoke just enough English to understand our humor, and we hers!






The beautiful town of Locorotondo
Locorotondo and Cisternino

Locorotondo is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Italy.  We have to admit that our first impression was not good, but the old historic center is completely different from the drab modern city.  The old section sits on a hill and all the buildings are almost blindingly white, with architecture like some city in Morocco.





If you look carefully, you can see the witch
hanging overhead between buildings




In one street we saw what looked like a doll dressed up like an old woman hanging directly over the middle of the street. We learned this was part of a Puglian tradition -- Puglia still has some strange (almost pagan) customs.  These witch dolls are strung up in many of the villages on Ash Wednesday.  The witch represents the sins of the village, and after mass on Easter, the people burn the witch to symbolize washing away their sins and making a fresh start.




A toast to "Vinella" made by Alessia's father


From Locorotondo we continued on to another lovely village called Cisternino.  We ate a delicious pasta lunch here sitting at an outside café, so happy to be out in the sunshine.  Our waitress Alessia was such a doll.  She gave us free glasses of a liquor called “Vinella” that tasted like cherries and an even better, wonderfully nutty liquor called “Nicciolina” made from hazelnuts.  Alessia’s Dad concocts these delightful potent drinks himself, and we felt honored to get a sample.

Mimmo pours the cream into his gelato machine
But the highlight of our visit was a stop by the local gelateria called “L’Era Glaciale” (means "The Glacial Age") where the congenial owner, Mimmo, chatted with us for a while and then asked if we wanted to go in the back and watch him make some gelato.  Frank was thrilled – no way were we going to turn down this opportunity! 

Frank enjoys the freshest gelato ever
 (thanks to our new friend, Mimmo)
Mimmo explained that he uses only the best cream and fresh milk as ingredients, and he showed us how the liquid is turned into ice cream in a special multi-paddled mixer.  Next he put the paddled & thickened cream in a heavy duty refrigerator (cost him 9,000 euros) that froze the gelato to a very low temp to prevent ice crystals from forming.  It is very important that you do not have ice crystals in the finished product, as they ruin the otherwise-smooth "gelato eating experience".  The mixing only took 7 minutes, after which Mimmo rewarded us with some super-fresh, right out of the gelato maker, super creamy Italian vanilla gelato -- what a cool experience, no pun intended!
Mimmo proudly displays
his marvelous gelato

Polignano e Mare on the Adriatic Sea
Polignano e Mare

On Easter Sunday, the sun was shining, so we decided to head for the beach, to the town of Polignano e Mare located right along the Adriatic Sea.  The old town was quaint with piazzas positioned on craggy cliffs overlooking the blue sea, and it felt heavenly to be out in the warm sun!

The wonderful baroque "Pumo de 'Fiuri"




Frank bought Anne a very Puglian souvenir: a ceramic egg called a “Pumo de ‘Fiuri.”  These Baroque-style eggs dating back to the 1700’s are considered to be good luck charms.  And since it was Easter, what could be a better gift?

Buona Pasqua (means Happy Easter!)


Imposing, fortress-like walls of Ostuni
Ostuni

On Easter Monday, known as “Pasquetta” (meaning "little Easter"), we drove to the town of Ostuni, another famous white town with a real Greek feel to it.  Lots of other people had the same idea, and the ride over was fraught with crazy, aggressive Italian drivers doing things that made Frank use words that Anne never knew existed (and won’t repeat here)! 

Ostuni's impressive central piazza
When we finally arrived, the parking lot was very tight, and it seemed as if we would be spending the afternoon cruising for an open spot.  Suddenly an Italian man ran over to our car and somehow got through the idea that several spots would be opening up in a few minutes.  We pulled over and waited; sure enough, this kind gentleman returned in a few minutes and gave us his space!  We weren't exactly sure what was happening, but later determined that he and his family were all leaving (3 cars worth of Italians!), and we had our choice of any one of his family's spots.  What a nice guy! He also explained (in Italian) that parking was free – saving us from feeding money into the payment machine unnecessarily. They told us that parking was free at this time of the year because it was so “tranquilo.”  Wow – if this is tranquilo, remind us to never come back in the middle of summer!
Atmospheric street in Ostuni


But here is the thing about Italians: one minute the crazy drivers pull antics that make you want to shout some very nasty things, and then a few minutes later, you encounter someone who goes out of their way to be incredibly kind and helpful.  You never know if you want to strangle them or give them a kiss!

We had been concerned that shops might be closed on this National Holiday of Pasquetta, but everything was open, and the shopping streets were filled with families enjoying the day off.  This was one of the prettiest towns we visited with an impressive main square, a maze of narrow side streets in which to get lost, and a happy energetic vibe.



Our hosts and new friends Biagio and Maria
People of Puglia

We have been so fortunate with our hosts on this trip.  Once again, we are staying with the nicest couple at our B&B called "The Fontana Vecchia" (means - The Old Fountain).  Biagio greeted us with a bottle of “eccellente” Barbera wine when we first arrived, and his wife Maria presented us with sumptuous breakfasts every day that included bacon and eggs that we know she made just for us.  On Easter Sunday, Biagio made us frittatas and proclaimed himself “the frittata king.”  ( A frittata is similar to an omelet but served in a pie-shaped wedge, similar to a crustless quiche.)  The B&B is gorgeous with a large swimming pool and grounds covered with olive, almond and cherry trees – we can just imagine what it will be like a month from now when the cherries are ready to pick.  When it was time for us to leave, we all felt sad and there were lots of hugs and kisses all around.   Biagio turned to Frank with glassy-eyes, and said sincerely, “I will miss you, my friend.”  These were some very lovely folks.

As we remember all the people we have met here and all the different conversations, two things stand out.  One is that these are some of the most genuinely friendly people we have ever met.  We have only recounted a few of their many acts of kindness. Every day, people went out of their way to give us a helping, welcoming hand, teach us a new Italian word, or just laugh with us to make us feel at home.

Main piazza (square) in Polignano e Mare
The second is that these people are very worried about their country.  They love Italy; but they believe that government corruption and irresponsible policies are destroying the country.  They see many places going out of business because of the ridiculously high taxes (70% with everything included!), and young people end up leaving the country to find employment elsewhere. 

Our neighbor, Clif, sent us a recent New York Times article bemoaning the state of Italian tourism.  The Times article stated that once upon a time, Italy was the number one most visited country in the entire world by tourists. Now, it ranks down at number five, behind France, America, China, and Spain.  We love Italy and only hope that they can get their act together and make better use of their incredible resources.



No comments:

Post a Comment