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Published: January 30th 2007
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Screaming Deal!
No menu, just tell them what you want...order enough and you get some freebies...oh yeah! This installment is on our daytrip to Gallipoli. This is a picturesque little town on the interior of the heel. It is located on a little cape that is on the coast about half-way between Taranto and S. Maria di Leuca. That is the little town on the tip of heel that we visited. Gallipoli is about an hour and a half from Brindisi if you take the fast strada and about 2 hours taking the road less traveled. We opted for the road less traveled getting there and the fast strada to come back home.
We went with our friends Vincenzo & Sara this past Saturday. It was a beautiful sunny day. Unfortunately, appearances are sometimes deceiving as temps were quite cool even though it was sunny. The wind was a bit chilly in Gallipoli and that cut short any ambition to walk around extensively.
Mr. Mariani, the Italian teacher at our school, told me that “Galli” in Greek means beautiful and of course the suffix “polis” refers to city or town. The southern section of Italy was a Greek colony in ancient times. And we did find it quite charming. It is as I mentioned on a little cape
Fishermen's Harbor
Beautiful sunny day...but a bit brisk. and there are three small islands that are just off the edge of the land. Early Gallipoli was built on the island closest to the land and a bridge connects the two. That is the section that we visited. The main part of town was quite modern and even one modest skyscraper that seemed a bit out of place to us. In fact, we commented on how odd the design of the building was in relation to the rest of the town. The newer section also had some very new and modern looking shops. We whizzed past those and didn’t give Sara or Beth a chance to think about shopping
The island portion of the town is about 1 ½ the size of US conventional city blocks. It has a road that circles the interior. We drove around the island and then parked and went poking about. As I said, it was windy and chilly so after a few photos we decided to look for a place to eat. That took a bit of time as one place after another was ruled out; the litmus test being the “good eats vibe” it either had or did not have. Finally
Old Town Bridge
We walked across this bridge and wandered around the ancient part of the town. we found a place and we settled in for a 3 hour meal.
I included the receipt in the photos to give you an idea of the size and complexity of the meal. We of course began with the obligatory bottle of water and the basket of bread (I’ve learned to resist digging into the bread). Then we had two orders of antipasti which consisted of several medium sized plates of vegetables and seafood. The best of those was a type of broth with potatoes and octopus. We began washing that down with a liter of regional white wine. Vincenzo then ordered an additional dish of fresh mussels that he and I downed. Holy moly were they good!
We took a breather preparing ourselves for the primi piatti. During this time conversation ebbed back and forth in Italian and English. Vincenzo doesn’t speak English and Beth doesn’t speak Italian, but we still manage to laugh and have a great time. The owner was a really nice guy and came out and bantered with us. Vincenzo noted that his accent was not Pugliese (and was a cause for concern for the quality of the food, at least according to Vincenzo) and
Narrow Streets
Light and shadows caught my eye...it was cold in the shadows. sure enough the owner said he was Calabrese (from Calabria). But he had run a an eating establishment in Brindisi so that put he back in the good graces of Vincenzo; plus the food was good so we let that slide…just kidding.
For the secondi, Beth and I both had tuna and Vincenzo and Sara had the swordfish. Both were excellent. By this time we had downed a second liter and I was almost at the end of my appetite. They brought out some little bite-sized cookies for a dolci that we all ate. Vincenzo had a grappa and the rest of us a caffe. The place was empty by that point and so we got up and hit the road.
Note: It has finally snowed enough in the local mountains and we will head back to La Sellata this weekend for some well deserved skiing. A post and photos to follow that trip.
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Emily Rae
Emily Rae
Hello, from a fellow travelblogger! I'm going to be traveling to Italy in a month or two and was wondering if you could give me some advice on getting around. I want to see...well, everything...and thought that a train pass would be easiest. The only one I've seen offers just three days within two months - I'll be in Italy for a week and want to travel more than that! I'm also a student. Any advice? Email: travel_goddess@hotmail.co.uk