Gallipoli - A Southern Italian Port Town

Shores or Gallopoli

On Friday at 12:35 Beth and Rob stepped off the regional train into an empty train terminal. They were not sure what would see or experience as they walked from the dirty platform of the train station which obscured their view of the sea coast and the island on which the old town of Gallopoli rests.

Fortress and harbour

More harbour

Without a map or any directions to guide them, they took a short walk to a busy pedestrian square where Beth spotted the marine blue waters of the Mediterranean down a side road and was drawn toward it.  Within a few minutes they reached the shore and quickly hopped on the shoreline rocks that let them peer into the clear aquamarine water where small schools of silvery fish darted about.  Turning westward, they glimpsed the port marinas and old stone buildings that rose up from the small island that sat at the end of the peninsula they walked along.

Fisherman at shore work

Beth walks Old Town

After crossing the bridge that linked the mainland and the island they stopped to observe the fishing boats and the

 men that were busy working about. Some picked nets clean of catch, some gutted and scaled fish, while others arranged and set the nets into neat piles for the subsequent day's voyage. They enjoyed looking down into the water 

below to see the diversity of sea creatures gathering and feasting on the spoils that were dumped into the waters around the boats.

Baroques Basilica of Gallopoli

Leaving the boats they passed the port's old battle fortress walls that sat to the  right of the bridge and dominated the old town’s entrance. To the left, the fish market was wrapping up and closing for the afternoon's quiet period. Like in Lecce, most shops in the old town closed between the hours of 1 and 4, then reopened for the evening shopping hours. Rob and Beth took this time to become acquainted with the town's inner maze of pedestrian streets then found a small restaurant with a seaside view of the port.

Short Orecchiette pasta

The waiter brought them the freshly-made flavoured breads and served them their Primitiva red wine.  Together 

they shared an appetizer of grilled local vegetables before they were served their entrees. Rob ordered the local short pasta, Orecchiette, with turnip tops and clams, while Beth dined on the macaroni pasta with swordfish.

Afterwards they strolled passed the town’s beach before once again moseying  around different parts of the old town's core looking at the baroque churches and building.