Trulli amazing

Please excuse the cliché but we are in Trulli country and everywhere you go on the country roads, you see these funny little Smurf-like structures made of stone in the shape of a mound. They date from centuries ago during feudal times when initially they served as storage sheds and later were converted into homes by the local people. Apparently they could be erected quickly because they require no mortar. So in order not to pay property taxes to the king of Naples, the lord of the area of Alberobello where there are still 1600 trulli, had his serfs dismantle their trulli and then rebuild them again after the tax man had passed. This went on until 1797 when the king sided with the serfs and declared an end to the feudal government in the town.

As you visit this area, especially in the countryside where there are clusters of trulli between the olive groves, you half expect a little blue creature (Smurf) to pass by. In Alberobello, you can visit Trulli and meander through narrow alleys where each trullo is now privately owned, and many renovated.

                                                             Trulli in Alberobello

We are in the province of Puglia, in a town called Martina Franca, situated in the Valley of Itria. This is part of the heel of the Italian boot. It is an area that produces some of the finest olive oil in the world. We were treated to a visit of an olive oil company that has been in the same family since 1889.As the present owner told us, in Martina Franca, olive oil is more important thatnfood.

The other fascinating thing in the Itria Valley of Puglia is the beautiful towns, made of white stone, and dating back many centuries. The architecture of Martina Franca is baroque; the older homes have ornate carvings over the doors and windows, and pretty iron balconies, dripping with flowers.

This is slow travel at its best. We have spent the week walking through the town, shopping in local shops to buy our food for supper. People are very friendly and all say they know about Canada and what a great country it is. The tourists that come here are mainly from the continent. At this time of year we are almost alone. Our little apartment (AirBnB) is fine. It is in a typical stone building on one of the back streets of the historic area. Other than having to deal with little ants on the first day, there have been no other problems. We enjoy not having to eat out every day but rather to buy local produce and cook it ourselves. Last night I cooked a delicious rabbit meal that was a recipe given to me by my Italian secretary years ago. Delicious. The wine here is from primativo grapes…hardy and a deep red, at only $2.99 Euros a bottle!

Naples to Martina Franca

Leaving Naples on Sunday, we headed for the Amalfi Coast, described by some as the most beautiful drive in the world. For three hours we climbed and twisted through this mountainous road that hugs a cliff overlooking the sea. It is indeed beautiful, at times a little scary especially when meeting larger vehicles. But nothing like the more dangerous drive in Costa Rica over the Cerro de la Muerte. I had been worried for nothing as Pierre drove with ease over this one. We were glad to be sight-seeing when there are few tourists as we have heard that it is impossible to drive in the summer months, the roads crowded with visitors and tour buses. The sea is turquoise , dotted with white caps and the odd sailboat. Unfortunately weather was cool, and although we saw men raking the sand at the resorts, there were no beach chairs out. People we did see were dressed with coats and long pants. The clouds were rolling in and by the time we got to Salerno, it was sprinkling.

                                                                     Amalfi Coast

This was the only night we had not planned accommodation, not being sure how long it would take to drive the coast. Looking for something unusual I made the mistake of asking our GPS to avoid highways as we headed towards Puglia. For one hour we drove in circles over tiny back roads, finally realizing what I had done. We corrected the mistake and came out onto a main road at the same place we had entered. Before continuing Pierre needed to stop for gas. There are few stations and the one we did find was self service. For some reason we had assumed we had a diesel car, and for about five minutes Pierre tried to figure out how to get the nozzle into the gas tank. Luckily another customer came along and together they figured out that the car does not take diesel, that the pumps and gas tanks are colour coded so you know which goes where, and that the automatic machines only take cash. All this in Italian and sign language.

Luck was on our side, with a little help from Frommers guide book. Looking for ideas for a good place to stay, and not seeing anything interesting as we continued onward, I found the name of Matera, in the province of Basilicata. It is known for its Sassi area, which is a mass of caves dating back to Paleolithic times, 9000 years ago. People have lived in these caves for centuries some in extreme poverty until 1952 when they were moved to more adequate housing. More recently it has been named a Unesco site. Movies have been filmed here because of the resemblance to a middle eastern town such as Jerusalem. Mel Gibson filmed the Passion of Christ here when he was forbidden from doing so in Israel. Since then the area has taken on a whole new life.

                                                            Sassi in Matera, Basilicata

The impression you get when you first see the Sassi is incredible……a hillside settlement, all grey, with homes and churches built over and inside caves. It has become a popular place to live, and a great place to visit. This is where we found a B&B, spending the night in a modified cave, that was very comfortable, and breathed the fascinating history of the area. The next morning we visited several churches that date back to the time of Saint Francis, one of which is actually built in a cave, with another church inside it. This would be a place to visit

again, especially to hike through the less developed rock formations nearby.

                                                               Sassi

Odds and ends

Our B&B in Naples was lovely, but every morning we were entertained by a local bag lady who spends the day at the edge of the square outside our window. I wonder where she sleeps because she was never there in the evening. But every morning she begins the day by shouting what sound like obscenities in Italian, while eating and throwing peach stones across the alley. The locals seem to ignore her and walk past without reacting. She is just part of the local colour.

Driving in Naples to get out of the city, we were surrounded by masses of cars and motor cycles. I saw a business man on a motor cycle, weaving in and out of crazy traffic, all the time texting as he drove. They do not have the same road rules as at home, that’s for sure!

One of my regrets is that I could not buy any of the beautiful shoes that the women wear here. Italian footwear is amazing, making me drool. The women trip around the cobble stone streets in stiletto heels and their feet look great. I am walking around in running shoes, nursing blisters that I got in Rome, and complaining about my bunions. I guess it will be in another life that I can wear these amazing shoes, but I can dream.

The drive to Naples from Rome was uneventful other than the excitement of getting our rental car without trouble and making our way out of Rome. Our GPS is a blessing...such a surprise to hear the same voice that has accompanied us on our travels throughout North America. It is like finding an old friend.

We arrived in Naples during a huge family celebration that caused closure of many streets leading down to the waterfront and included roads to our B&B. We finally found it, in a tiny alley. Pierre double parked and I ran down the alley, looking for the address. Luckily a man was on the second floor balcony looking out for us and we were able to then squeeze into the alley, dump our bags and be escorted through a courtyard, up stairs to a door behind which we found a very cute little B&B with 6 rooms. Pierre than had to go and park the car, driving though a stone archway into a narrow parking lot where we put the car to rest for three days, not daring to venture out with it for fear of damage on the narrow winding streets of Naples. The luxury cars in the lot are hoisted up onto lifts to keep them safe from theft and vandalism. 

So it has been public transportation, using bus, metro and train to get around Naples. Getting tickets is not complicated, as long as you can find a ticket dispenser that works or a tabbachi (news stand) where they sell tickets. Otherwise you get on the bus and hope the inspector does not come aboard to check. Yesterday we waited for the bus after visiting the art museum and the dispenser did not work. Two young African priests told us to get on the bus because there was no place to buy tickets and anyway the inspector never passed at that hour. So far we have not met an inspector, and as we discovered in Rome, we were paying for tickets but no one else was! Today we had bought tickets for the metro earlier, but there were no tickets readers before getting on the trains. Go figure! 

We have also walked for miles exploring the city. Whenever a local tells you it is a ten minute walk, we have learned that means at least thirty! Naples is on the coast and has a wonderful coastal view of the bay and mountains opposite, including Mount Vesuvius. The town is on a hill and funiculars connect one level to the other.  We have visited museums that are packed with the art treasures collected over several centuries by wealthy merchants, kings and popes. The archeological museum contains the greatest collection of ancient art and artifacts in the world, including many from the excavations of Pompei. We are feeling very cultured.

The art gallery on top of the hill (Capadimonte) looks like Downton Abbey.   

                                                     Museo Nazionale di Capodimenti

It was built to house the art collection of the Farnese family. Walking through the huge halls and rooms made us wonder how a family could live there and actually manage to stay in touch. There are

hundreds of paintings by the great Italian masters as well as some from Flemish artists that were obtained through strategic marriages between Italian and other royalties.
We are struck by the tremendous wealth of the families of Renaissance Italy, and the power they wielded. It also makes us realize how little really know about these artists and worlds they worked in.

Observations

One of the pleasures of walking through the streets of a city like Rome is to see the sites that you might miss otherwise. Everyday we remark on something we have passed.

There are many beggars on the streets, especially around landmarks such as St Peter's Square. Several times we passed by an old bent-over woman walking with a cane, hand outstretched for alms. On closer look one can see that her hand is a young one, and one wonders how the same woman (because the clothes are identical) can be in so many places at the same time. Another sight is of a veiled woman kneeling with her forehead to the ground. The only part of her body that is visible is once again her hand that is outstretched and begging. Yesterday I passed by such a woman and saw that the hand was a large, masculine one. What to do? It is not easy to refrain from being charitable. Over the years I have agonized over whether to  give to the alms seekers and squeegies at home. My personal solution has been to give to charities that support youth and families, rather directly to someone on the street. But here in Rome, as in other cities and countries we have visited, I am again confronted with this dilemma.

Another common sight is the many "fire hydrants"that are actually sources of drinking water and can be found in every park. They run constantly and are used to fill your water bottles, as well as to create a reverse drinking fountain by blocking the end, thus causing the water to spray up through a hole in the top of the tubing. If you can do it without getting soaked, there is an unlimited source of clean drinking water in Rome...very different from the experience in Asia and India. Apparently you can even drink the water that pours into the many fountains throughout Rome, as long as you can find the source before it falls into the fountain...that water is soon contaminated by the slime and bird droppings in the basin.

                                                        Ceiling Fresco at Palazzo Farnesini

Yesterday we visited the beautiful Palazzo Farnesini, filled with frescoes by Raphael, Peruzzi and Sodoma among others. After a very interesting free guided tour, we stepped outside, over a low chain, and into a quiet garden, filled with citrus trees and other greenery. Another couple from Australia did the same. I found a bench where I could read while Pierre tried to get his Rick Steves' guide to the Jewish quarter to rewind and fast forward on my smart phone (the techie in him comes out when met with these challenges). Suddenly a little man in a suit came walking rapidly towards us, waving his arms and shouting in Italian that the garden was closed. At the same time he shooed us out of the garden, he was jabbering into a cell phone. He looked very upset that we had dared to go into the garden and of course I felt very guilty. We left and finished our reading on the other side of the chained entrance. Several minutes later we saw four other people doing exactly as we had done. And following them soon afterwards, there came the little man going through the same routine, walking with determination and gesticulating to banish them from the garden. 

Why was the garden closed when it looked so inviting? Was it to give him a purpose in life as he seemed to take his job of guardian very seriously. They will need to put up a higher fence.

Italy at last

 After 5 days of trying to blog, Google has finally let me back in. Talk about high security! It probably does not help that I have so many passwords and have trouble remembering most of them.
Our flight from Dorval was one hour late due to a computer glitch. That made for a frantic dash through Charles de Gaulle airport to get our flight to Rome. Our bags were held back in Paris. Alitalia kindly gave us toothbrushes and sent us on our way to our hotel.
As always, the trip by train and then tram to our B&B was an adventure. The local constablieri are just next door to our B&B. This pretty old building is comprised of many apartments, condo style. We were pleasantly surprised when the old door opened to reveal a lovely apartment with three beautiful  inner doors leading to  three small rooms. Our room is perfect, with a great view over the busy street, comfortable furnishings and a good coffee machine for our European style breakfast. The building reminds me of my aunt's place in London, England where I stayed in 1969... dark hallways, many closed doors, an old elevator and an open courtyard in the middle. Very European, with chic older women getting off the lift accompanied by fancy little dogs!
Our bags finally arrived but because of Visa insurance, we were able to shop for new shirts, pants and sleeping apparel. Our Montreal clothes were just too warm to where as we waited for our bags to arrive. Other than me leaving my passport at the store where we bought our SIM card, and Pierre being violently ill with poison mussels, we have settled into a routine of walking everywhere, visiting museums, churches and historical sites. Our walking guide tapes copied onto our IPod and phone have made everything easy to understand.

We are in the Trastevere sector, across the Tiber from ancient Rome. This was originally a working class area, where trades people lived and worked. It is now a mass of tiny, winding streets, full of lovely old buildings that house apartments, shops and many restaurants. The original Jewish population that settled here centuries ago and were bankers, lawyers, doctors, etc, were moved by the Pope across the river in the 1500s as a means of segregating them in a ghetto. They were forbidden from becoming tradesmen or developing a craft. The ghetto is still there, a vibrant part of Rome, boasting a beautiful synagogue, a school, and many restaurants.

                                                       Walking in a Trastevere ally

Pierre is a great map reader. I have developed faith in his sense of direction, but must admit there have been a few difficult moments, such as finding the Trevi Fountain, as well as the Pantheon. After five days and many detours, we are pretty sure of where we are going. The streets feel safe at any time of day, provided you keep your head up and your bags secure.

                                                                 St Peter's Basilica

One of the highlights was a concert given at Chiesa Sant' Agnese in Agone (Saint Agnes was a martyr who was killed at age 12 because she refused to marry an important official's son, having taken a vow of chastity with a desire to keep herself for Jesus). Life was tough! The choir was from a university in California and the music was ethereal.  Surprisingly the church was packed with locals and tourists.

                                     
                                     Concordia University Choir at Chiesa Sant'Agnese in Agone

You cannot really go anywhere in Rome without seeing a church or some part of an ancient building. The opulence of some buildings is incredible, and so is the ever-present history of this ancient civilisation. Pierre's Jesuit education of the classics has stood him in good stead, as he remembers a lot of the history of the Roman empire. Four years of latin helps me a little. Lots of fun, reading, exploring and fitting together the pieces.

                                                           Shopping for our lunch

                                             Picnic in Villa Borghese Park (with sore feet)

Italy beckons

After a long hiatus, Pierre and I are off on a month long holiday to Italy. This will be very different from my last three adventures to developing countries. We are looking forward to comfortable accommodations in small apartments, good Italian food and of course, great wine. If time I hope to share some of our experiences with you. Enjoy!