Birthday Boy!

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Yep...another birthday notched on the belt of aging. Thank God that at least I'm not letting out notches. How many? Five decades plus three; that doesn't sound quite as harsh :-) Bonus: It is also our anniversary! We had planned to go to Bari but decided instead to go and visit Alberobello. This literally means beautiful trees which is kind of misleading as there isn't a forest close by or a plethora of trees. Well perhaps centuries ago when it was first settled there was a significant forest. Nevertheless, the day was spectacular. It was sunny with temps about 65.
This town and area is most famous for the style of houses that people built there. The style is called "trullo" or plural "trulli." It is truly (pun intended) interesting. I half expected the lollipop guild munchkins to pop and break out into a rendition of "we're the lollipop guild" at some point in the day. From what I have read, this is quite unique architecture and may be have been brought by people from Turkey. Italy has been a recipient of a number of different peoples that have come and re-settled in that country.
The only disappointment was that all of the musuems were closed...on a Saturday? Shrug. We met a guy that works at the American Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany. He also shrugged and said "ummm, well it is Italy...there doesn't have to be a reason..." I'm sure that there is a reason but sometimes it is indescernible to visitors.
So we walked around in the historic centre and enjoyed the sunshine and fine temps. We did visit one place that was open to visitors. I'm not entirely sure what the rationale was for this building plan, but it is quite cool looking. The whole area is dotted with these buildings. I don't think they are being built anymore but our landlady did tell me that her father had built one when she was a young girl.
Naturally, so much sightseeing builds up the appetite and we had lunch at a cool looking little ristorante. A very tasty lunch of yound kid and orchiette pasta with rape (a celery looking veggie pronounced rah-peh). After lunch we decided to visit another nearby town named Martina Franca. So off we were with the O'Jays Essential blasting in the stereo. As we rolled into that town we headed into the historic old city. On the way we passed a large church with a funeral mass about to begin. They had a band playing some funeral music out front. It sounded just like the music that I heard in the movie "The Godfather." I asked Beth if she thought we ought to crash the funeral, but as there was quite a crowd out front; we decided not.
We were able to find a parking spot (not an easy task) and went exploring. The city has organized information spots that point out historical and architectural points of interest. Unfortunately, time ran out and so we called it a day. The old city is quite a maze and we would like to return and look around some more.
Next up is a trip to the town of Ostuni. Our big trip we are looking forward to, however, is Christmas in Rome. We will be riding the Eurostar into Rome and staying at the B&B Roman Rooms. I asked the owner if he could arrange tickets to a performance of The Nutcracker" at the Teatro dell Opera di Roma (this is The Opera house in Rome). He responded and said he would! Wow! We are excited about the trip; we also hope to luck our way to Midnight Mass at St Peter's Square. Christmas in Rome!

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Photos

Trulli
Very unusual building style...unlike anything I've seen in Italy

Trulli town
There is a bit of a fairyland aspect to this town. Even Italians come in large numbers to visit.

Birthday Boy
The day was spectacular. A perfect fall day when a fleece vest is plenty.

War memorial
Virtually every community we've visited has a memorial with the names inscribed.

Nifty piazza
The Italians really utilize their piazzas as places to hang out. I like that.

Calling Edward Scissorhands
Apparently Ed has been busy. I thought this was cool.

Inside a trullo
They aren't particularly roomy.

Inside a trullo
I imagine that they are pretty heat efficient though.

Trullo restaurant
This was located in an out of the way street. A typical 2 hour lunch. Not complaining.

Bocce court
Building one of these when I get home. Fun game and requires vino to truly enjoy.

In Martina Franca
Best photo from our trip to that town. It was hard to get photos of building when one stands in the middle of maze.

Preserved entry
This dates from the 1700's and are highlighted in the tour of the city.

Which way
Best to have a map when in the middle of a maze! Or have a good sense of direction.

Comments

[viv]

happy birthday
Sorry that I did not email you earlier but was spending time w/Dougs family in the Midwest for Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday!! It seems that you had a nice one, beauuutiful pictures!!! Ciao

[GS arcs]

Birthday Boy!
Yes another birthday is easier to take when celebrated under those circumstances :-) And the anniversary is an easy one to celebrate..."Hey lets go to Alberobello for our anniversary!" :-)