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Breakfast of egg and toast and wonderful coffee on our balcony, watching our neighbor, nice lady, sweeping the alley below us. She waves but I don’t think we are communicating because she talks quickly to us but never says Bonjourno.
We started the day with shopping at the hardware store. I needed some plate glass for a contact printer, clothes line, funnel, etc. On the way, we met a woman at the vegetable market who gave us some zucchini with flowers which we were admiring! At the store Martha found some great German paintbrushes, and I got most of my list. We bought our supplies, $11, and headed to the castle.
I forgot the glass and had to return to the hardware store. I went a different way home and went by the mozzarella cheese factory and picked up some fresh mozzarella and ricotta. Then I went by the grocery and picked up much needed fresh bread, yogurt and lemoncello. I stopped by the internet to blog and catch up, and met Margaret for lunch at 1:00.
We ate our sandwiches and beer, and decided to take a walk for the next
Antipasto
Mushrooms, eggplant, stuffed polento cakes, etc. YUM hour. The town is so quiet during the week!!!! It is quite delightful. We discovered some interesting new restaurants on streets we had not seen before, overlooking the harbor, and a great Spinnaker Bar!
At 3:00 our group went to Lecce. BAU had arranged for a very nice bus to take us. It was an hour ride. What an amazing town full of beautiful architecture!!! We walked around, saw several interesting churches, and had coffee at Paola’s favorite bar. Paula told us many interesting stories about architects and buildings in the town; how lucky we are to have such a knowledgeable guide. Paola is planning to move to Lecce after she sells her property in NYC. I know she will love it here!
Lecce is a beautiful Baroque town, known as the “Florence of the South.” Much of what we see today was built during the 17
th and 18
th centuries. There is a Roman theatre that is still in use for concerts and plays. There are over 40 churches and as many palaces. One of my favorites was Chiesa di Sant Irene, so simple with its wooden ceiling and marble alters. I enjoyed the
Art Store
Buying out the store! noted paper mache sculptures, which Lecce is known for, and wish I could have looked at them more carefully.
We eventually ended up at the art supply store. It was very well equipped with almost everything an artist would want. It was slow going with all our demands, but we eventually finished and headed toward dinner! The owner was very sweet and gave us all a cup in which to wash paint brushes.
Dinner was a group affair at the Alle due Corti restaurant. We had 4 or 5 appetizers, all wonderful. Then we had the pasta course, 3 entrees, which were fantastic. A plate of sliced fruit followed. There was not a second course of meat, but we were all very satisfied. We then moved on to a café and had after-dinner drinks. We boarded the bus and returned by 11:45pm. All in all, it was a wonderful outing!
MORE PHOTOS below and two videos.
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