http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Italy , Puglie en-us Wed, 09 Dec 09 03:55:51 +0000 Wed, 09 Dec 09 03:55:51 +0000 This is going to be a short entry because I don't have much time. I don't have internet on this farm and right now I'm at an internet cafe. I'll explain the longer story later. The gist of it is this farm isn't so hot. But don't worry I'm OK. I'm leaving on Monday for another farm where there are a bunch of WWOOFers that are 18. Party I hope. But anything will be better than where I am now...I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-449717.html Underground ldquoTrappetirdquoOlive oil is a fundamental element of Leccersquos material culture and is symbolically represented by the undergroung oil mills or ldquotrappetirdquo that abound in the area. There are several reasons for their being subterranean firstly the far lower labour costs since digging an oil mill underground was far cheaper than building it abouve ground. Furth http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Lecce/Alessano-/blog-443395.html the cloth a chiaccherino is a traditional product of the Apulian workhops for example in Alessano where the specialists make beautiful laces and knots with threads by quikly manipulating a small bobbin. The hands of many skilled Apulian artisan continue to create delighful lacework and embroidery which can make presents and look lovely an diplay in the shops http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Lecce/Alessano-/blog-442691.html Tuesday night in Rome I spent trying to sleep through the demands of the neverceasing traffic through the open window and the snoring restless turning and conversational Spanish of my nine room mates. It was an experiment in travelling cheaply and all good experience The frustration of having my new unused travel towel stolen my own fault for carrying such a desirable lightweight micro http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Bari/blog-441426.html The beaches and caves of SalentoBetween Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca the Salento coast boasts some wonderful beaches at Marina di Marittima and Marina di Andrano Tricase Marina di Novaglie and the Ciolo .The sea is stunning here alongside beaches cliffs and some extraordinaire natural caves .On arriving at the extreme southern point of Apulia Santa Maria di Leuca you can admire the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Lecce/Santa-Maria-di-Leuca/blog-440567.html Salento the magic of the sunFragrances and flavours from a landscapes have been preserved intact for centuriesLecce capital of Salento region and a supreme example of the Baroque style predominant in this area has maintained its historical and cultural identity more than any other city in Puglia. Lecce dominates a vast and in some parts slightly undulating plain a frontier land placed at the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Lecce/blog-440251.html OKhellip So this is a very personal blog for me as its definitely one Irsquoll want to look back on and remember. Before we started on this holiday I asked mum if she knew any of her relatives in Italy and whether we could meet up with them. As mum left Italy at such a young age I donrsquot think she ever had much to do with her extended family but Nonna has been in constant telephone c http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/blog-433217.html SALENTOit's great to enjoy beautiful natural scenaries....all so quiet and relaxing.It's so enthrallig how nothing feels like home. Moving away from this place really uprooted me from my own earth. But even if London has always been my dream city I couldn' t help but coming Home. The mild climate our beautiful sandy beaches our natural beauties.that's why I decided to write down a bit about th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Lecce/blog-432650.html We left Rome for Foggia on a blistering hot 40 Express train which had no air conditioning You can imagine the heat inside the cabins for the 3 hour train ride Even first class airconditioning wasn't working The train ride was a complete ride off and ive lost all confidence in the Italian Railways Although the beautiful sleepy town of Foggia definitely makes up for it The main reason why http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/blog-430800.html Today marks 7 months since we left home. Sometimes it is hard to believe that it is that long at other times it is hard to remember what it was like to not be travelling.The boat is still moving in the waves when Evy and I wake up. The bathroom is also the shower which is a somewhat inconvenient arrangement though it is somewhat novel to have the water sloshing around with each wave as you strug http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-403336.html We left our overpr305ced hotel and made our way to the Bar305 Patros ferry. We had qu305te a wa305t ahead of us but who really m305nds wa305t305ng when the weather 305s clear and the temperature 305s hot We sat on the only ports305de 305n Europe not to sell water 305t took half an hour of search305ng before we found an expens305ve vend305ng mach http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Bari/blog-402591.html Dates of travel May 13th May 17th 2009Recently my buddy Robert and I got back from one of the best trips I have ever been on. We went to the Gargano Peninsula which is known as the Spur of Italy because Italy is shaped like a boot and the peninsula is located in the exact position of a spur on a boot. The final destination was a small town on the Adriatic Sea called VIESTE. Our arrival in http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/blog-399900.html We had read that the Amalfi Coast had one of Italyrsquos most wild and rugged landscapes so we decided to go for a drive and take a look. We drove through the rough streets of Pompeii before taking the motorway south to Salerno and turning off to the coast. The Italians definitely drive to a different set of rules to other people similar to the Chinese in that if there is a gap they will fill http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Bari/blog-396179.html 8th day Saturday We went for a drive to end of the world. That is what Santa Maria di Leuca is called by the Italians because it is the southern most tip of the peninsula. We didnrsquot spend much time there as it was starting to sprinkle so we headed up along the coast. It is a beautiful drive reminiscent of the Amalfi Coast. The weather wasnrsquot cooperative and so the photos turned http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-391950.html 7th day Friday It was Lent and Friday so of course we had a fish fry that evening. We woke up at the crack of 930AM and headed with Sara to her fave pescheria fish shop. We ordered orata fish for the main meal mussels and clams. We also went to another shop to order some additional delicacies that were not available at the first place for mostlyhellipahem legal reasons.At the second shop http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-391706.html 6th day Thursday Today we got up late yet again. It was raining hard and it was damp coldish...hee hee hee. No sense in getting out of bed too earlyToday's goal was to go to Lecce do some sightseeing find an internet point and take care of a problem with Sam's phone.We departed for Lecce hopeful for a break in the weather and upon arrival it was still raining and everything was closed up f http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-391303.html 5th day Wednesday Oh glorious day This has been a treat we have been looking forward to for quite some time. The big questions were Will the asino donkey meat be available Will our friends Sam and Terri like the meat Will we drown in a plethora of ass jokes puns and plain old jackasseryWe started out late yet again this was a pattern that we just couldn't seem to break. We dropped o http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-391125.html 4th day Tuesday We slept in until noon apparently there is such a thing as too much wine and good food but we are on vacation so no harm no foul.We headed out to one of the local malls to shop for some essentials. It became readily apparent that the color purple was the new black of the season. Virtually every display window had their mannequins swathed in that color. Many of the locals cou http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-390736.html 3rd day Monday We bounded out of bed without any hint of jet lag and got ready for our road trip. We follow a flight day routine that insures we donrsquot suffer any jet lag. Part of the routine is to take a homeopathic supplement called AntiJet Lag. Wersquove been doing this ever since our first trip together in 2003 and it seems to work for us.We had to go back to the airport to get ou http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-390347.html 2nd day Sunday We arrived in Rome slightly ahead of schedule. In fact Beth and I woke up from our sleep with only an hour remaining in our flight. Yep you gotta love that. The only major stressor was that our friends' bags did not make it to Rome. Good luck prevailed and there was an extremely helpful individual we think he was some kind of supervisor that assisted Sam Terri. The supe http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Puglie/Brindisi/blog-390097.html