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Published: September 4th 2010
Travelling in Italy's Puglia and Abruzzo regions
This is our third trip to the Region of Puglia . In 2008 we spent 3 weeks (see Blog other blog) and loved Puglia (the heel) so much that we are back in 2010. This time we are leaving out Calabria and Basilicata and spending some time in Abruzzo. We have a direct flight from Toronto, Canada to Pescara in Abruzzo.
I have purchased a "netbook" computer and hope to be able to update this blog as we travel from September 14 to October 6.
Tuesday, September 14 Bracebridge to Toronto.
On this trip we had a direct flight from Toronto to Pescara with Air Transat. The absolute worst part of these trips to Europe is the flight. Our charter flights are always at night so we get no sleep. Once we arrive, I am raring to go, but the 8-10 hours during the night on the plane is torture!
Wednesday September 15 Pescara to Vasto (Abruzzo)
We arrived in Pescara about 45 minutes early. Getting luggage, customs and rental car all went off pretty quickly. As on our trip to Puglia 2 years
ago, we once again had a Fiat Punto. Getting out of Pescara airport was fairly easy.
I had had a number of email contacts with the owner of
B&B Novecento, www.web.cheapnet.it/novecento in Vasto (province of Chieti). It took us 6 queries before we were able to find his B&B on a small side street in the old part of town. He wasn't home! A hair dresser two doors down agreed to call him for us. He had left a key (hidden) for us.
I walked around until I found a small market and bought some bread, cheese, meat and a beer. That was supper for tonight! I could not get the WIFI to work.
Parking is at a premium in these old parts of town and we had been lucky to find one spot only a few blocks from our b&b. The blue lines around the parking indicated that you had to pay, but no indication of how or where. We were too tired to care! Two hours later we found a 38Euro ($53.00Cdn) ticket on our wind shield! Welcome to Italy.
Carol’s best moment: Being able to have a full night’s sleep
Joe’s best moment: Easy drive from Pescara to Vasto
Thursday September 16 Vasto to Vasto Marina The worst par of about the ticket was trying to pay for it. Early this morning we were sent to 3 different officials in two buildings, none of them able or willing to help because it was a rental car and I was not the owner. At the third official I really lost it! An Italian, in line behind me, told the official,
“....look these are tourists who do not understand the language but they want to pay the ticket, surely we can help them!” He took the form that we had been given at first and started filling it out. We were then sent back to where we started and our fine was accepted! This was a great example of bureaucracy.
It was only about a 10 minute drive to
Vasto Marina where my friend Lars and I had stayed 5 years ago when we crossed over from Croatia. I remembered that there was a great beach there. I found the same
Hotel Perrozzi and once again managed to negotiate a good rate, internet access (office computer),
as well as a fridge in the room. We had a great location with a balcony on two sides looking out at the Adriatic about 100 metres away. We spent the afternoon at the beach and then found a paved bike/walking path that runs behind the hotel for about 4 km.
Carol’s best moment: the beach
Joe’s best moment: The beach and my longest jog of the year.
Friday September 17 Vasto Marina We were able to sleep in this morning before heading out to the beach again. The beach is fairly wide and long (took me an hour to jog it one way) with white sand and warm water! Took another long walk in the evening along the path and then back along the beach.
We were kept awake all night by of all things -- mosquitoes! We had a few bites last night but tonight there may only have been a few but they were more persistent and simply could not be found! We slept only a few minutes!
On checking out we got a big shock. When I had checked, in the owner had agreed to a rate of
52 Euros per night and actually wrote 104Eur on paper to make sure I understood. On checking out everything changed and he insisted that we pay 136Euros (the regular rate + a charge for the fridge) There was nothing wrong with my understanding. This was a pure and simple robbery of a tourist.
Therefore, although the hotel has a good location, I
can NOT RECOMMEND the Hotel Perrozzi in Vasto Marina. This same highway robbery happened as well 2 years ago, where a rate was agreed on (written) and then they went back on it. The previous one was in Calabria. From now I will insist that any rate is “tutto incluso” and I will ask them to write it in a book that I keep! We have been to Italy, many, many times and this has only happened twice. But buyer beware!
Carol’s best: the beach
Joe’s best: same
Saturday September 18, Vasto Marina to Peschici We took the coastal highway SS16 and arrived in Peschici in about an hour. This time we easily found a hotel that I had researched on the internet called
Centro Vacanza Incontro www.peschicivacanze.it. info@peschicivacanze.it Same price as the hotel in Vasto and we have access to a private beach and high speed internet in our room. We get a great view of the town perched on a promontory. It is a really beautiful sight at night as well. The car park is shaded by grape arbours and the grapes are in their glory and no one is picking them! I helped myself to a shopping bag of them. As a result I got sick (but enjoyed the grapes!)
One of the benefits of having the netbook with me was that tonight we were able to speak with our daughter Lisa in Montreal via Skye!
Sunday September 19 Peschici We actually overslept this morning. After breakfast (decent) we set off to hike into the town of Peschici perched on a cliff across from out hotel. Of course the hike there was all uphill, mostly on switchbacks. We found the centre of town where Carol spent most of the time in artist's shop and ended up contributing to their economy with the purchase of 3 prints. We also visited a “sweets shop” and I bought a limone gelato! The views looking back
down on the beach and harbour were spectacular.
Being a Sunday night we ate out at our hotel. I had a pasta dish and Carol had beef. Both were good and reasonably priced. Tonight we actually had some rain.
Carol's best: the artist's shop and the prints and the beef dinner at the hotel
Joe's best: touring the town and views of the beach and harbour
Monday September 20 Peschici to Ruvo di Puglia We continued along the coast of the Gargano Promontory and soon reached Vieste. Vieste is the tourist capital of the Gargano. It is one hotel after another. Once you leave the town and reach a height of land and look back, there is a breath taking panorama of the beach and sheer limestone cliffs. Continuing along the coast road is not for the faint of heart. Constant switchbacks and very narrow roads make incredible scenery if you dare take your eyes off the narrow road clinging to the cliffs!
I had a number of towns selected for our next stop, with
Ruvo di Puglia being my first choice. It is always difficult trying to find a b&b with just an
b&b antica aia
Valle d'Itri (Casalini)address. When you ask for directions, many have never heard of the street. This one was no different. We were sent in opposite direction first and then on our fifth query, the person used his phone to call and then said “follow me.” Two years ago in Puglia this happened to us at least 4 or 5 times!
We would never have found
B&B Elizabeth email: stasi.Daniela@libero.it and would we ever have missed something. Elizabeth only speaks Italian but goes out her way to be helpful. This place is 3 years old (owner has been working on it for 10 years) and is surrounded by hectares of olive trees (about 300 of their own) with an unbelievable view of the Adriatic and the towns of Barletta, Trani, Biseglie and Molfati as well as the Gargano in the distance.
We have the entire upper floor with a wall sized one way mirror which overlooks the ocean and towns. Every modern convenience! We are out of town but only 5 minutes by car. This will go down as the
nicest B&B we have ever stayed at and it is only costing 70Euros per night (we were given a discount.)
If you speak some Italian, or are comfortable in trying to find out of the way places, you will not be disappointed with B&B Elizabeth and it will be worth it. Head for the train station and you will at least be close.
Carol's best: Hearing the chatter of the birds at sunset from our balcony and the calm and peaceful feeling.
Joe's best: Persevering and getting to B&B Elizabeth in Ruvo di Puglia
Tuesday September 21 Ruvo di Puglia After breakfast we wandered around the olive groves. They have over 300 trees and their oil is pressed at a small boutique plant. Many of the trees are hundreds of years old.
Our objective for coming here was to visit
Castel del Monte 18 km from Ruvo. Castle del Monte is just one of Puglia's many
WORLD HERITAGE SITES. I won't go into detail but it was very impressive, sitting at the top of a large hill, as you approach it from the surrounding valley.
In the afternoon we wandered around the old part of the town. Ruvo di Puglia has been called one of Puglia's prettiest towns and we could see
why. The old centre has many piazzas with lots of trees as well as many tree lined streets and beautiful buildings. Spent the rest of the day soaking in the peace and quiet from our second floor patio and trying out some good beer and wine (castel del Monte brand!)
Carol's best: calm peaceful feeling walking around the Castle overlooking the countryside and treated specially at a geletaria in Ruvo
Joe's best: touring Castel del Monte and Ruvo di Puglia
Wednesday September 22 Ruvo di Puglia to Cisternino If we had not planned on seeing all of Puglia again, we would have spent many more days at B&B Elizabeth. I think the owner liked us too. We got a special going away snack of bruschetta, a bag of pears and grapes and a bag of olives to take home and prepare for eating. We in turn bought a bottle Elizabeth’s extra virgin olive oil.
The drive down SS 16 was very good as the highway is 4 lanes. Around noon we arrived in
Locorotondo.. This is the prettiest village in Puglia and one of the prettiest in Italy. Being in the
Valle D’Itri was like being back home. We spent 5 days in the area two years ago. We wandered the streets of Locorotondo and decided to have lunch at
(Trattoria al Vecchio Arco) and came across an owner with an attitude who tried to tell us what we should eat and how much and how North Americans did it all wrong. We would
NOT recommend eating here unless they change owners.
I found, and got a tour of the library. We enjoyed the rest of the walk around town and once again returned to tour their cemetery, which is impressive.
We tried a new hotel this time called
(Hotel Aia del Vento, www.aiadelvento.it
aiavento@libero.it Via Locorotondo, 79 - 72014 Cisternino Tel. +39 (0)80 4448388 just outside of Cisternino on the road to Locorotondo. Romina, the owner’s daughter speaks perfect English, our large screen TV receives CNN and BBC and there is free WIFI in the lobby!
Carol’s Best: The walk through Locorotondo
Joe’s Best: Being back in the Valle D’Itri
Thursday September 23 Cisternino I had read that this hotel put on a great spread for breakfast and boy was it ever. There
Peschici
Gargano Penninsula were 4 large tables full of everything you could possibly want. It even included eggs in the form of omlettes. The buffet breakfast alone is almost worth the cost of the room!
We took off late morning for a beach. Drove through the very pretty town of Ostuni which we toured 2 years ago, and then headed south. We eventually found a sandy beach at
Lido Spechiola. A German couple were the only other ones on it! We came back a different way and as usual lost ourselves temporarily and ended up seeing more of the countryside.
Carol’s Best: The breakfast at Aia del Vento and the beach
Joe’s Best: The breakfast and touring the countryside
Friday September 24 Cisternino (Casalini) Had another fantastic breakfast, this time including fried eggs. and had a long discussion with our waitress, Stefana, about everything! At 9am we returned to Locorotondo since they have a market every Friday. Carol ended up buying gifts for our daughter and for my mother.
On the way back we stopped in at
Frantollio di D’Amico Pietro, www.ilfrantolio.it which is a boutique olive oil factory that we had toured last time. Took
Vasto Marina
Hotel Perrozzi photos again of the 1000 and 600 year old olive trees at the entrance!! Stocked up on MANY bottles of organic extra virgin olive oil. The factory is about 1 km from Casalini.
Casalini (a suburb of Cisternino) is where we spent 3 days last time. This time I found a
TRULLI bed and breakfast. Trullis are cone shaped stone homes and this area is the centre of Trullis which have been declared a
world heritage site. For more information try Wikipedia or Google them. The one that I found was less than 1 km away from La Terraza del Quadrofoglio hotel where we had stayed last time. It is called
B&B Antica Aia, www.anticaaia.it, email:francescofumarola66@libero.it tel: 080 444 7006 They have 5 Trulli rooms and Elvira the owner, let us have the biggest one, which has three bedrooms, including a loft, and a full kitchen for the price of the smaller ones (my charm??)
The B&B is on a small rise that overlooks Casalini and is surrounded by Bougainvilleas and many other flowers in bloom. There is a hammock between two ancient olive trees and even though the temperature is in the high 20’s there
is a constant breeze that cools things (and sways the hammock.) This is another b&b that we could label “died and gone to heaven” and we had it all to ourselves.
Yesterday when we had stopped by, I had mentioned to Elvira, how much I loved cactus pear fruit (growing in abundance here.) When we arrived today she had a plate all peeled and waiting in our fridge and later brought down a plate of fresh persimmon! Her young son, Andrea, saw some almonds that I had picked while jogging, so he soon came back with handfuls of walnuts for us! It is so beautiful here that we just spent the afternoon in the hammock and under the bougainvilleas!
As former teachers we found it of interest that kids in Puglia go to school from 8:00am to 1:00 or 1:30pm BUT they also go on Saturday. From later conversations it would seem that perhaps the 40’C temperatures might have a lot to do with getting out early!
For super we returned to our old hotel
La Terraza del Quadrifoglio hotel and had a good meal of beef and pasta.
Carol’s best: The market in Locorotondo and
sunbathing beside the bougainvillea
Joe’s best: Relaxing in a “trulli” paradise and able to use Wifi from the hammock!!
Saturday September 25 Casalini to Specchia Great breakfast and again Elvira had a plate of peeled cactus pear fruit and persimmon. Elvira is the techno person and we spent time with both of our note book computers comparing countries, websites, families etc. She had spent 20 years as a seamstress and maker of wedding dresses for a fashion house called Valentini.
Today was the first rainy/cloudy day so we decided to travel. We headed to Ostuni and then south along some back roads to Lecce and more back roads until we arrived just outside of
Specchia, one of Puglia’s prettiest towns. We stopped at the
Hotel Salento, which just like the Aia del Vento, is about ½ km outside of town in a rural setting. We have a great view of the town from our second floor balcony, as we sit and watch the drizzle! There is nothing fancy about this hotel but if you have a car, the location is perfect.
Carol’s best: breakfast at the Trulli B&B
Joe’s best: The talks with Elvira and Franco and
the rural drive through Salento.
Sunday September 26 Specchia I don’t know if this is the place for the this comment, but it is part of Puglia. Ever since we left the Gargano and whenever we were on one of the 4 lane roads, every exit was staffed by one or two black prostitutes. By “staffed” I mean that they had a plastic chair and an umbrella and made themselves very conspicuous. We never actually saw any of them transacting business, but there was no doubt as to what their business was.
This morning we toured
Santa Maria di Leuca which is at the absolute southern end of Italy’s heel where the Adriatic meets the Ionian Sea. Two years ago in October it was as lively as a cemetery. Today on a gorgeous Sunday it was very lively with windsurfers, sunbathes and scads of tourists walking along the board walk.
Two years ago we drove south along the Ionian Sea. This time we did it in reverse and revisited a few places where we had stopped before, culminating with a few hours at the gorgeous beach (Baie Verde) south of and within sight of the city of
b&b lucerneddha
Gift from Saveria Gallipoli.
We took a complicated route back to our hotel taking in the towns and olive groves.
Back at our hotel we were able to order take out pizzas, which we devoured from our balcony.
As my Italian improves daily, it is interesting to see how Carol is also improving. Most of the time she can follow a conversation and as she did two years ago, she has taken up to watching “Who wants to be a Millionaire” in Italian and is often able to decipher the question and give the correct answer! I really do think that Italian is one of the easiest and most logical languages!
Carol’s Best: Walking around Santa Maria de Leuca and the beach at Gallipoli
Joe’s Best: Ditto!
Monday September 27 Specchia to Cursi Before checking out this morning we toured the square in Specchia and watched while heavy duty equipment cut down a giant palm tree in the central square.
It was a short drive to
Cursi, a small village of 4000 people, a few kilometres from Maglie and 18 km from Otranto on the Adriatic. We found
B&B Donna Giulia at Via Margottini 57 www.donnagiulia.it info@donnagiulia.it phone: 08363313 374) easily enough since it was just off the main street. Our hostess,
Ada was fantastic. On arrival she basically fed us lunch! A table full of 4 or 5 hors d’oeuvres, a carafe of wine, two hot vegetables and a 2 litre bottle of water and then left extra food! WOW! But that is not all.
Later in the afternoon she took me (Carol was not feeling well) to their other property about 800 metres out of town. There they have an olive grove, a house and 3 separate fully equipped apartments. The trip, however, was to let me sample fresh figs and cactus pears fresh off the trees. Her father and husband Salvatore picked and peeled and I ate! Discovered for the first time in my life how the cactus pear fruit is picked and how to easily get rid of the spines (put them in a basin of water!)
B&B Donna Giulia (their daughter’s name) is our third B&B on this trip and each time we think we have died and gone to heaven. Our hosts have been so friendly and helpful. Once again I don’t know if it is because of
my engaging personality or perhaps it is the ability to speak some Italian that helps.
Carol’s Best: the surprising and unexpected lunch at our B&B
Joe’s Best: same as above plus the tour given by Ada.
Tuesday September 28 Cursi Ada gave us a great breakfast. To make sure she got the eggs correct she took Carol into the kitchen and had her give directions! We had eggs sunny side up with bacon, a fairly rare treat at our hotels and B&Bs.
Later in the morning we headed for Alimini beach just north of
Otranto. Even though there were only a few cars in the parking area the signs indicated that you still had to pay. I finally asked an Italian and he confirmed that we had to pay
…... “or you could park over there by the restaurant where I am parked, for free!!” Works for me!
This is one of the widest beaches that we have seen in Puglia and also has huge sand dunes. We walked the length of the beach but never went in the water since storm clouds kept threatening. At noon we decided to pack it up and
head for
Torre dell’Orso about 15 km north where we had spent 3 days 2 years ago. We found and used the same cash machine and within minutes it started to rain. We ducked into a bar and ordered gelato. Forty five minutes later it was still pouring and water was running down the streets so deep that it would be up to you ankle!
We ordered coffee and waited. I had wanted to revisit the beach, our old B&B and a few other sites and take some photos, all within 100 metres or so. It was not to be. We have never seen so much water. Of course there was no soil for it to soak in and we did not see any storm drains.
While sitting outside we met an old man (Gino) who has had a fruit and vegetable stand on the corner for 49 years. Two years ago he helped us by making a call to the owner of the b&b across the street. He of course did not remember us but he stayed and chatted for a while saying that he could be very wealthy now, if he had just bought a
bit of property in the area 49 years ago (all built up now).
During a break in the down pour we got to the car and then it started again. As we maneuvered around the streets there was real concern that the car might be picked up in one of the rushing torrents or the water would be so deep that it would come up to the door! Yes I am serious! We slowly worked our way out of town and instead of taking the scenic route back through Melendugno, we went back via SS16 and Otranto. Our B&B in Cursi was only 18 km away and they did not get any rain at all! Hard to believe.
After we got back I went for a jog along the back roads with olive grove after olive grove on both sides as well as cactus pear fruit and stopped in at Ada’s farm.
Carol’s Best: The long discussion at breakfast and helping Ada with the eggs!
Joe’s Best: Discovering Alimini beach and the jog in the countryside!
Wednesday September 29, Cursi to Calimare Another breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast this morning. Ada’s mother gave
us two chunks of local bread that she had made: one with nuts and one with whole olives in it! We took this away with us.
We really thought long and hard about leaving. Ada’s mom wanted us to stay so she could make some orriechie pasta for us. Ada and her family have really treated us like part of their family! On leaving, we also discovered that Ada is the president of a small but active group of women who run 27 b&bs
(GirandolaPuglia, www.girandolapuglia.com) whose aim is to really make tourists feel welcome! They certainly did! Uknown to us, we have actually stayed at two other B&Bs in their organization.
I had wanted to get good internet access again so had chosen a hotel in Martano just a few km north. In town, there was bit of friendly tussle at a garage among 3 people as to who was going to lead us to the hotel! The guy in the smart car, beat out the guy on a motorbike! When we got there, I decided against staying since it was right in the centre of the town (down an alleyway) with nothing but those BLUE (pay) parking
places and no parking anywhere near the hotel.
Our next stop was a few kilometres north in a small town called
Calimera, which had a B&B listed in the GirandolaPuglia booklet we got from Ada. I asked for directions 3 times and each time we seemed to be close but not enough! Finally on a side street I saw a “carabeniere” (police car) go by, so I stuck out my hand. They pulled over, found a map, stopped traffic while I pulled a “U turn” and then said “….follow us!”) So twice today we were led! I love it!
When we knocked on the door of our b&b, no one was home. We checked at the house next door, and it would be our luck, as it happened to be the office of Leo Tommasi, a satellite engineer who spoke pretty darn good English. Leo had worked in Cannes France for 6 years and got fed up with the cost of living and unfriendly people, so he packed it up and returned home. He called the owner and within 5 minutes she arrived on her bike! Leo brought it up and we agreed that
Salento (mostly the province
of Lecce) is very beautiful, but the one distraction is the amount of garbage on the roads. While jogging the back roads I have been disgusted at how much trash has been thrown or dumped and left there! What a way to spoil a beautiful countryside.
We are at
B&B Lucerneddha, www.lucerneddha.it and our hostess is
Saveria. We had been expecting rain again today so did not go anywhere. We did not get any rain, just some clouds and wind but a nice day. We hung around the b&b and once again we had the entire roof top patio at our disposal (also a full kitchen!) I went for another nice long jog since we are almost on the outskirts of town.
As an FYI, for 3 days we had tried to withdraw 400 or 300 Euros from 3 different bank machines. We had no luck and the message, in English, was that it was not able to establish a link. Finally we tried 200 Euros and it worked. Yet a few days earlier we had easily withdrawn 400 Euros. I guess certain “bancomats” have limits! Tonight in Calimare we succeeded in withdrawing 250 Euros! I guess
with smaller amounts they get more service charges!
Just by coincidence, on this trip to Salento, we have spent 6 nights and all have been in the
centre of the region. When we came two years ago we spent 5 nights in Salento and each night was on the
coast. We now have a pretty good feel for Salento, especially the part south of Lecce.
Carol’s best: breakfast and the chat with Ada and her mom
Joe’s best: being led in grand style by the Carabeniere to our b&b!
Thursday September 30, Calimare We had a self serve counter with breakfast goodies and Saveria made coffee for us. Since the weather looked better today, we headed off for our beach at Torre dell’Orso again. This time we had much better luck. It was a mostly cloudy day, but we were able to swim and play Frisbee in the water. I took my net book and showed Gino (the guy with the Fruit and Vegetable stand) a photo that we took of him two years ago plus the ones we took two days ago. I think he enjoyed seeing them as he started asking me questions
about when we were going, how far we were going, how long to fly to Canada etc. We also dropped into the bar and showed the girls the picture we took a few days ago. Walked around a bit in the town and took some more pics looking down on the beach. I guess Torre dell’Orso has become our favourite beach in Puglia. We returned by a circular route and revisited the town of Melendugno from two years ago.
Speaking of circular routes, I have to give my navigator Carol, a lot of credit. She navigates for me whenever we travel in Canada and USA, but once you get to Europe, you can throw those skills out the window. Over our many driving trips to Europe she has become very adept at unscrambling the seemingly illogical road signs (or lack of!) Rarely do we make a wrong turn due to her navigating.
Carol’s best: the beach at Torre dell’Orso
Joe’s best: same!
Friday October 1, Calimare to Biseglie After breakfast this morning Saveria gave us a gift of a miniature vase, which is a replica of the much larger vases seen everywhere in the
Salento -- Greek influence. They were great for storing olive oil and bread for long periods. It will make a very nice souvenir.
The rest of the day was a travel day and we flew past Lecce, but not before making a wrong turn, Brindisi and Bari and finally arrived at Biseglie on the Adriatic coast. We stopped outside of Lecce at a big mall, just to look around. Could have been any mall in North America.
In Bisgelie I stopped at a grocery store to get directions and the first three people had no idea. I found a lady who knew where our hotel was and OF COURSE she offered to lead us there! Carol was shopping and the lady INSISTED that Carol finish while I insisted that we get going. After a long --friendly argument, I won out! As with all the other places that we have been led to, we NEVER would have found this place. It is in the old part of the city and up an alley way! I think that this is now the last 3 or 4 lodgings in a row that we have had a personal escort service. Don’t believe
it if anyone says that Italians are not friendly.
We are at
Olympio hotel and in the Bacchus Room which means the Roman god of wine! After settling in, I went out and got a very nice hair cut which included two shampoos all for 12 Euros!
It means nothing to me, but Carol is in love with the 4 poster bed with sheer curtains, the small table, the balcony etc. etc. We also have Wifi so I am happy!
We had dinner at
La Taverna del Duca, wwwtavernadelduca.com The service was excellent, there was no problem in ordering just what we wanted and the prices were reasonable. This taverna was everything that the trattoria in Locorotondo was not. We would recommend La Taverna del Duca in Biseglie.
Carol’s best: shopping at E.Leclerc (mall) and the nice room at Olympio Hotel.
Joe’s best: Once again being led to our b&b (the first time by a lady!)
Saturday October 2, Biseglie to Vasto Marina For our last two beach days we were going to return to Gargano or to Vasto Marina. Weather report for Vasto won out. A second day of a 200 km
drive or so along SS16 which is basically an excellent 4 lane road to just past Foggia. Went around Foggia without a wrong turn. North of Foggia almost every intersection had a prostitute or two on the corner. This part of Puglia also has many tall windmill farms generating electricity. As of this year Italy is getting almost 20%!o(MISSING)f its energy from solar and wind.
We arrived in Vasto Marina and would have loved to stay at Hotel Perrozzi again but no way we were going to reward this guy. Tried to find a b&b and this time no one offered to lead us! So we checked in to the
“Hotel Lido, www.hotellidovasto.it” No bickering over price and we are paying 5Euros less than Perrozzi and have excellent Wifi reception in the room AND a fridge. The owner’s name is Roberta and she was very helpful to our needs. Just as an aside, the hotel is open year round and the rate is the same every day (60Euros) except for July and August.
Spent the afternoon at the beach and had another nice long jog. Went for a short walk along the beach after dark and
saw the lights of Vasto on the hill and of Vasto Marina as the bay curved around.
Carol’s best: the beach
Joe’s best: same here!
Sunday October 3, Vasto Marina Today was a day of relaxation and likely our last beach day. In the morning we walked the beach and in the afternoon we swam and I jogged. It was a partly cloudy day but certainly warm enough for sunning and swimming. We had dinner at the hotel.
Carol’s best: what else but the beach
Joe’s best: same here!
Monday October 4, Vasto Marina to Francavilla al Mare Ever since we were at home I had planned on spending our last two nights at one of two b&bs near Pescara. As it got closer it appeared that finding them would not be easy and I really did not want to use the toll road. Roberta said that SS16 to Pescara was a good road, so I checked out hotels near Pescara and found one near Francavilla al Mare. Roberta had called them last night to confirm that they were open. SS16 was a two lane road, but had hardly any traffic and
Castel del Monte
near Ruvo di Puglia very scenic as it paralleled the Adriatic.
We stopped off at a market on the way, where Carol bought a sweat shirt and arrived at
Hotel Mare Blu, www.marebluhotel.it tel 0858 100 32 in Francavilla al Mare, on the border with Pescara.
We have a nice large balcony, overlooking the Adriatic, less than 50 metres away. Guess where we spent the afternoon? This is a family operated hotel.
Alberto, the owner, speaks very good English.
Tuesday October 5, Francavilla al Mare We had an unexpectedly good breakfast which included eggs, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and of course all kinds of sweets. This hotel caters to North Europeans and North Americans.
After breakfast we went for a long walk along Viale Alcione and ended up crossing into Pescara. The sidewalks on both sides of the street are twice as wide as most of the streets in some towns and very clean. They also seem to have more deciduous trees here including what look like maple trees and oak. They must be preparing for winter since the leaves are falling and have turned brown. They certainly don’t have the vibrant autumn colours that we have back
home right now.
In the afternoon we got the expected showers so we stayed inside and tried to decide what to take home and what to leave behind.
Carol’s best: Relaxing for the trip home
Joe’s best: Winding up the loose ends such as how to get to the airport.
Wednesday October 6 Francavilla al Mare to Toronto We were awake early and had another good breakfast! The trip into Pescara was about 20 minutes (after one missed turn.) Finding the entrance to the car rental at the airport also took some time.
Less than 100 metres from the airport was a large (Auchan) shopping mall, so we killed an hour there.
When we were all aboard the plane, the pilot announced that we were 1400 kg (about 1 ½ tons) over weight. The choice was to leave luggage behind, refuel (3 hours) or burn off fuel and make an extra stop. The burning off, of fuel was selected so we left about an hour late, with a refueling stop in Montreal and finally landed in Toronto 1 ½ hours late.
As with our trip two years ago, another fantastic time. We hope we can
do it again in a few years and perhaps spend more time in Valle D’Itri and Salento regions.
Suggestions if you plan to drive to Abruzzo or Puglia:
Puglia is the easiest region of Italy for driving, due to flat land and generally wide(r) roads
Best exchange rate is at bancomats and they are everywhere.
Cost of living is not much different than it is in Ontario.
WIFI and internet access is widely available, even in small villages.
All taxes, gratuities etc. are rolled into one price. What you see is what you pay.
Low season begins around September 15 or October 1.
Always negotiate (ask for a “sconto”.)
Direct Charter flights from Toronto to Pescara or to LaMezia (in Calabria)
More Final notes:
This was the first time that I had a computer with me and it really paid off during the three weeks. Almost every hotel has Wifi and in larger centres it is free at malls. At most b&bs they will let you use their home computer if you inquire about internet access. I had a U3 drive which facilitated this even more.
How I used my netbook computer: We were able to view
(and often show our hosts) our hundreds of photos on a daily basis.
We updated our travel blog daily with text and photos.
Contact via Skype and email with friends and family.
The ability to carry out and monitor banking, payment of bills and other time sensitive items.
Checking availability and price of hotels and b&bs, the night before we expected to arrive.
Using Google maps and streets to help us find our way around and to our hotels.
Listening to radio and TV broadcasts from home.
Checking the weather forecast (for planning, we used this a lot.)
Using the USB ports to charge cell phone and mp3 player.
Knowing in advance what the going rate for accommodations is in an area.
And much much more.
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