Puglia
Winter 2022/2023
We met at the airport in Bari. We set off on our short round trip through Puglia in beautiful sunshine.
Gravina
We met at the airport in Bari. We set off on our short round trip through Puglia in beautiful sunshine. Our first stop was the small town of Gravina. We strolled across the old Roman bridge, which was converted into an aqueduct in 1722, into the old town centre. Unfortunately, we could only see the Chiesa Rupestre San Michele Delle Grotte from the outside as it was lunch time.
Matera
We spent New Year’s Eve in Matera, which is no longer in Puglia but already in Basilicata. We had a small attic flat very close to the centre. In the evening, we took our first tour of the old town centre with its two districts, Sassi Barisano and Sassi Caveoso, with its cave dwellings. The cave dwellings were built in two valley furrows in the rocky Murgia plateau. There were no toilets and no sewage system worthy of the name. They made do with holes in the ground. The fact that domestic animals such as sheep and mules lived in the caves was not just a question of space. They also provided their owners with a little warmth in the cold winter.
Until the middle of the 20th century, people still lived in caves without electricity or running water. In the 1960s, the inhabitants were relocated to newly built blocks of flats. Today, some of the cave dwellings are open to tourists as a museum. In addition to the residential caves, there were also several churches that were dug into the rock. We visited the three most famous churches, Santa Maria di Idris, San Pietro Caveoso and San Pietro Barisano.
The Palomaro lungo is located on the main square, Piazza Vittorio Veneto. We were lucky and were able to enter on the last guided tour of the day. The cistern, which was dug in the 16th century, holds 5 million litres of rain and spring water. It has a depth of 16 metres and a length of 50 metres.
Alberobello
It felt like the whole town was in the centre enjoying the sunshine.
Alberobello is famous for its trulli, the small, mostly white round houses. In the centre, there is a large, enclosed district that is entirely built up with trulli.
In the 17th century, these houses began to be built on behalf of a count who did not want to pay taxes. The stone houses are built entirely of stone without cement or mortar. This meant that they could simply be dismantled in the event of a royal inspection and easily rebuilt later.
Ostuni
After a stopover in Alberobello, we travelled to Ostuni, the Citta bianca. The town’s nickname comes from the whitewashed houses in the well-preserved old town centre. We strolled through the maze of alleyways in the evening, enjoying the view from the hill over the olive groves to the Adriatic coast. After very touristy Alberobello, the peace and quiet in Ostuni is really nice.
Lecce & Santa Maria di Leuca
Further south, our next stop was Lecce. As there was a lot of calcarenite as a building material in the area, the Lecce Baroque style was able to spread quickly. Freddy really likes the city centre. There are many beautiful houses with lavish decorations. A famous example of the Baroque style is the façade of the Basilica of Santa Croce. Lecce is also very well known for papier-mâché. Many figures in churches are also papier-mâché and then richly painted. The most remarkable thing made of papier-mâché is certainly the ceiling in the Chiesa Santa Chiara, which looks deceptively similar to a wooden ceiling.
From Lecce, we took a day trip to Santa Maria di Leuca. We travelled along the coastal roads from Otranto to Santa Maria di Leuca. The water was crystal blue. It really made you want to go for a swim. On the coast, we took a short hike to a small rocky cave. We arrived just in time for sunset. In the evening, we had a panzerotto in a bar.
Monopoli & Polignano A Mare
On the way back to Bari, we stopped in Monopoli and Polignano a mare. Between the two towns we stopped on the coast and looked for a small sunlit bay to go for a swim. A few other people were also sunbathing there. The water was quite cold, but the refreshment was very good.
We arrived in Polignano just as the sun was setting. We strolled through the maze of alleyways into the centre. There were always small viewing balconies from the cliffs overlooking the sea. Polignano is famous for its annual cliff jumping event. You could see the balcony from which the jumpers jump. We would never jump down there.
The alleyways were all beautifully decorated and lit up for Christmas. On the way back, we passed a living nativity scene. There was a small path that was lit up with tea lights and led past craftsmen to the cot. A really great idea.
