Saturday, September 7

A lovely blue sky greets us as we leave our room at the Hotel Caveoso, to enjoy our last day walking the narrow lanes of Matera....

Some of which are cobble-stoned....makes for a bumpy ride for our suitcases...

But so worth it for these kinds of views.....

The photo above taken from the area in the yellow circle...

Matera is built into a hillside over looking a large ravine...

...there are numerous caves in the cliffs on the far side of the ravine, where many lived until the 1950s...

We visited a museum that depicts what life was like in those caves, they even shared their home with their animals...

Even the churches were built into those caves...

making good use of the little space they had...

We continue to explore this unique city....

the Basilica Cattedrale di Matera...

quite plain-looking on the outside...

but very ornate inside....

Some businesses capitalizing on Bond's fame...the "007 Jump" is on the menu...

Matera, the city of Belvederes....

a beautiful view to the right....looking back on the Cattedrale from Belvedere Raffaele Giura Longo....

and to the left....

Itinerario Turistico!  hey, that's for us!

The rather more ornate exterior of the Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi....built in the 1200s...

on to the bizarre Chiesa del Purgatorio...built in the 1700s...

whose ornate features are rather spooky...

including the designs on the door...

and a statue of someone appearing to be stepping on a baby's head...

We continue our exploration...

walking our way back to the Hotel Caveoso...

to enjoy yet another look at the fantastic view from our room...

Then an enjoyable walk to Virtu Pizza & Cucina...

Pizza all around....One vegetariana...

one quattro formaggi...

and one Virtu, with truffles....

But first, pepperoni cruschi, a Basilicata specialty...fried sweet peppers....

Let's eat!

Walking back to the hotel, we found Matera even more enjoyable after dark...

Sunday, September 8, 2024

A long drive through the Puglian countryside is the plan for this day.  Our destination is a rented home with a private pool just outside Corsano in the very tip of the heel of the Italian boot.

But our first stop is a small nondescript coffee shop - called a bar in Italy - which we had stumbled upon on our last trip and discovered the best pistachio cornettos (croissants) we'd ever had.  The San Paulo Bar.  But we were to be disappointed, they were sold out by the time we got there.  

We enjoyed a coffee but it wasn't quite the same...so on we go through trulli country, homes with conical shaped roofs, very common in this part of Puglia.  Many are now abandoned but many have also been converted into modern homes and some have become airbnb rental homes.  We spent several nights in one on our last trip in 2022.  

As we approach our destination in the Salento part of Puglia, the temperature soars to 36C, so we're looking forward to using that private pool...

but by the time we arrive, the weather had changed but late afternoon rain of short duration is not unusual in warm tropical climates...

Monday, September 9, 2024

So the next morning off we go in search for a typical Italian breakfast of coffee and a cornetto, in Alessano, a small town nearby...ok, let's try this one - the Caffetteria de l'orologio...

And yes! 2 Americanos and one doppia Americano for Cory and an excellent pistacchio cornetto (chocolata for Cory).....we would return....

At the local outdoor market....

We buy some local cheese - from Foggia, a town further north in Puglia - and prosciutto to enjoy back at the house.....

And the sun makes a late afternoon appearance....perfect for a dip...cast or no cast....

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Road trip day.  Starting with the weekly Tuesday outdoor market in Tricase, then following the coastline to the tip of the Salento peninsula at Santa Maria di Leuca, then north as far as Gallipoli, before looping back to our home near Corsano.  About 130 kms in total, with many stops along the way.

Clear blue skies and warm comfortable temperatures to walk around the market in Tricase....

but when we stop for coffee later along the coast, clouds are gathering, with rain in the distance....

we are where the Adriatic Sea meets the Ionian Sea....so that rain is over Albania...

a stop at the Spiaggia e Piscina del Marina Serra, a natural pool formed by the rock formations, our first look at the clear green waters of the Salento coast....though not everyone seems to appreciate the photo.....

and soon, that rain will reach us....

So we move on down the coast....

but the clouds follow....

well it might be vacation time, but there are still some Team Canada fitness expectations to meet....at a park on the coast...

An amusing reminder of the impact of trash in our oceans....

another stop where the road crossed over a narrow inlet of blue-green water....Grotta Grande del Ciolo

it's getting windy!

but look, blue sky that way! ...near Santa Maria di Leuca at the very tip of the Salento peninsula...

and on towards Gallipoli now...we come across something not usually seen in Canada, a herd of goats moving along a narrow lane between a wall and a canal, carefully watched by 2 sheep dogs...

Driving further along the coast road, we pass a tiny plain-looking chapel...the Chiesa del Santi Medici in Capilungo...

Plain and simple interior too...highlighted by a statue of the Virgin Mary, wearing her Christmas lights as one of us said, much to the amusement of all...

A couple more beaches as we approach Gallipoli....Punta Pizzo....with Gallipoli in the background...

Spiaggia dei Foggi....

By the time we arrive in Gallipoli, it has become very windy (photo courtesy of Google Streetvies and taken on a different day)....

We wander the car-less narrow alleys, 

admiring the architecture...

A few brave enough to enjoy the windy beach....

By the time we get back to Corsano, it's getting dark and in a small town, we find not much is open, but in Italy there's always pizza!

And with some unusual choices for us from the menu....Wurstel & Patatine (Hot Dog weiners & fries) or 
Verdure with eggplant, zucchini, and radicchio....or tonno & cipola (tuna & onions)....

none of us chose the hot dog & friees, or the tuna & onions for that matter...not the best pizza we had during our trip but we were hungry after a long road trip day.

The next day, it's blue sky & sunshine and another day trip but by boat, to explore the caves along the coastline and see that wonderful blue-green water up close.

 

a few hardy enough to brave the winds to enjoy Spiaggia della Punta...

Italy is many things, certainly the land of churches, and Gallipoli, with at least a dozen, has more than its share...a pleasant sanctuary from the wind...