Puglia:Day Trips

Otranto Port

The main port square into Otranto

On Monday, Beth and Rob stepped out of the tiny regional train when they reached the end of the line at Otranto. The station, located atop a gently slopped hill, was about half a kilometre from the beach front of this old scenic town.

Mosaic floor of the Otranto Church

Much like Gallopoli, the town of Otranto is a port town, and as such, contains more than it's share of seafood restaurants for a town of only 5000 residents. Beth and Rob scouted out prospective places for dinner before venturing along the marble lined square that opened into the old town's city wall leading to the large Otranto fortress. The fortress was the great protector of this port town and its residents who are of Greek origin. The fortress never contained cannon arsenals, but walking through the old town they were able to see large stone balls scattered throughout the town, which were ruminants from the Turkish Ottomans attack in 1480.

Twins

Bone or 800 martyrs

Entering the old town, Rob and Beth was drawn to the Cathedral of Otranto that was beautifully decorated with an immense mosaic floor. The floor’s tree of life pattern was completed under the work of the monk Pantelone nearly 900 years ago. Beth was captivated by its cartoonish figures before she noticed the side alter that housed the skulls and bones of 800 Christian martyred townsmen. These martyrs had chosen to be beheaded by their Ottoman conquerors rather then to convert to Islam. Rob and Beth were both horrified and yet curiously interested in the forensic scars from the torture and execution inflicted on them that were still visible on the bones.

Bones again

After a tour of the town that lasted until early afternoon, they settled on a seafood dinner at Cassa Nonna Constance Seafood Restaurant. Here Beth, who has grown fond of sea bream, ordered a filet along with trajedda -a local, traditional tart made of potato, rice, and onion. Rob chose polpo in pignata, which is a traditional dish of stewed octopus with olives, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Trajedda

On Thursday, Beth and Rob did the last day trip in the Puglia region by travelling two and a half hours by a regional train to the UNSECO world historic town of Alberobello. Rob was very excited to see this picturesque town, renowned for having the largest gathering of traditional peasant trullo housing. Beth, who had not done any advanced research, was not sure about what to expect and she was happy to have another trip into the countryside.

Trulli neighbourhood

The origin of the trullo house, he read, is unknown to this day as they have been around before the earliest recorded history of the region. The common belief is that the trullo house was a reconstruction of the less permanent grass/stick hut that peasants of the area first used, but with the local area littered with limestone and stone fragments, later converted into this more permanent dwelling.

Alberobello Cityscape

In a Trullo Home

Walking through the town they felt that at any time hobbits would come bounding out of the shire-like community. At one house, a short, stocky man emerged and greeted Beth and Rob who had been wandering around and taking photos.

“Come in, Come in." he gestured, and proceeded to give both Canadians a tour of the house he grew up in and still lives in. Like the other few residents they met during their short stay, this man was proud of his trulli heritage.