While we had planned to spend a few days here, the weather is constraining us to use Brindisi as a base and not to sail True Colors up the coast to Polignano this time. The is not a big constraint. We have rented a car and can visit pretty much the same places as we would have done from Polignano.
Our first trip was to the village of Ostuni a white-washed hill town that overlooks the fertile coastal plain and the sea. One thing you notice around here is the dark orange color of the earth. It is made more noticeable by the fact that in this region the ground under the olive trees is weeded and tilled providing a beautiful contrast to the grey-green leaves of the ancient olive trees. Olive trees and grape vines are everywhere and we haveenjoyed driving the back roads through the farms and vineyards.
Ostuni is apparently a secretly chic place. Movie stars and musicians have homes here (although you wouldn’t know it) and while we were in the area a famous Italian tennis star was to be married here. It is a charming spot with white-washed houses, narrow alleyways and tiny squares. It may be the time of year (for we are still early in the season) but it is not busy and it is very pleasant to stroll around the town with no particular itinerary or purpose other than to soak up the atmosphere.
The next day we headed for Lecce. this would have been easy if the main road had not been blocked with traffic for one reason or another. So we took off along the back roads again with no good map and a vague sense of the right direction. If you had a bird’s-eye view of our route I am sure it would have been hilarious but we got there in the end.
The center of Lecce, the old town, is truly remarkable. I don’t know what we were expecting but it far exceeded any expectations we might have had. Our first objective, however, was to find lunch rather than just a snack in one of the many cafe bars. Down a side street off the main square, we discovered a little osteria, Mama Lupa’s (Mother Wolf). Osterias are the next step down in sophistication fromtrattorias. This means that the food is fairly simple but not diminished in quality when compared to the more fancy menus of their siblings. We had grilled veal served on lettuce leaves and accompanied by grilled mushrooms. Simple but delicious. We have been struck by the fact that, in both Greece and Italy, portion size seems to be inversely proportional to the quality of the ingredients. When you have such exceptional produce with which to cook, you don’t need vast quantities to satisfy your clients; they appreciate the quality rather than the quantity.
According to the waiter in the marina coffee bar, Lecce is called “the Amsterdam if Puglia”. But it didn't have any canals that we could see, so we were not exactly sure why it would have this nickname. We checked Wikipedia when we got back. It thinks Lecce is “the Florence of the south”. Much more sensible.
The baroque architecture is almost more stunning than that of Florence. I think it is because it is more approachable and less overwhelmed by cars and tourists. While Florence bustles with business and people, the old town of Lecce with its narrow alleyways and broad piazzas hadthe relaxed feel of a university town like Oxford or St. Andrews. Interestingly enough, Lgcce has links to the Greeks. Its founding can be traced back to the time of the Trojan war (Odysseus/Ithaca) and in the area around the town a local language call griko is still spoken.
To wrap up the day, Lori demands gelato. You can't come to Italy and not eat some ice cream, she says. So we sit in a little gelateria overlooking the Roman amphitheater and, with the evident blessing of Saint Oronzo, eat ice cream made by people who have never heard of high fructose corn syrup.
Our third day trip was to a little town quite near Ostuni called Ceglie Messapica . This is another white-washed hill town but this one is renowned for its food and wine. We found a trattoria and enoteca (meaning that it is proud of its wine local wine list) called Cibus. Lori loved the small dark and hot olives that came to the table. We’ve never seen that before. The “wheat pie” appetizer turned out to be cracked wheat baked in a white sauce with truffle oil and a little melted cheese. Delicious.
When I write these thoughts covering a period of a few days, I don’t do it all at once. So it is coincidental that the roast lamb we had was yet another example of quality far outweighing quantity. The lamb was roasted with a little rosemary, no sauce, no gravy with just a plain baked potato as accompaniment. We both agree that it is probably the best roast lamb we have ever tasted. We had a bottle of the local Puglia wine, Primitivo - dark and rich in flavor. This is certainly one that we will seek out when we come home.
As you can see, we’re getting into the whole Italy/food thing. but may only have another day to enjoy this before we head off for the less inspired cuisine of Croatia (more on that later).
We finished the day sharing a bottle of wine in the cockpit of True Colors with our agent Cristiana. A great socio-political discussion covering movies, the differences is perspectives and attitudes of the many different nationalities that we encounter and the inevitable question. “Who are you going to vote for? Trump or Hillary?” Generally and specifically in this case, people in Europe are scared of the prospect of Donald as president and don’t understand why there is so much hesitation about Hillary as a viable alternative. It would take more than a couple of hours to even scratch the surface of that one.