Almanac Travel (and footy tips): Sal’s travel diary 2024 – Greetings from Puglia and Round 18 tips

 

 

Greetings All from Puglia,

 

 

Roma – Veni, Vidi, Vici

 

We came to Rome, we saw plenty but not entirely sure we conquered it all.  Certainly whet the appetite to take up the battle again!  Arriving at FCO and collecting our bags we decided a cab was the best option given the time of day.  It might not have been Fangio driving but could easily be one of his descendants as we hurtled towards the city, arriving at our home for the next few days Colosseum Corner which was basically an apartment converted into a four room hotel – perfect for our roaming over the next couple of days.  And on the next street from the Colosseum!

 

 

Got our bags in the room and went for a quick bite at the cafe around the corner, Caffe Oppio opposite the Colosseum – this became our regular and our first taste of Rome, Carbonara.  Just magnificent – the pasta we had everywhere was always perfectly cooked.  We needed it and a beverage to prepare for the following day!

 

The early morning walk was to the Fontana Di Trevi – it was recommended to get there early and avoid the crowds!  A few wrong turns had us a bit later than expected but I am not sure we would have missed the crowds.  A great experience reviving memories of splashing my mum there as a four year old many years ago!

 

 

The delay didn’t do much for our schedule, we had to get back and ready for the Colosseum Tour.  We did a group tour which we would highly recommend.   Avoids the queue for individual ticket holders and the guide has plenty of other tricks of how to get around.  The Colosseum itself is just spectacular, what a sight it must have been 2000 years ago with 70,000 Romans in there for the games.  Their day kicked off with the Hunting Games where exotic animals would appear out of the floor of the arena with the arena set up to replicate the environment from where they had come from.  The middle of the day was reserved for the executions of criminals, not the christians their reckoning took place down the road at Circus Maximus.  The main event in the afternoon was the Gladiator Games, organised and matched up by size and weaponry they were not always a fight till death with the crowd left to decide the fate of the vanquished.  A great day of entertainment for free with food and booze included through the courtesy of the emperor just to keep the masses onside.

 

 

It was then onto Palatine Hill where the city was born.  We were taken through the home of Emperor Domitian.  Who built an overly ostentatious house on this hill, the locals did not call it a house and it is the origin of the word Palace.  That was all on the way to the centre of Roman life “The Forum”.  There was just so much information to take in, what are facts, what has been embellished and what is legend.   Our tour guide Laura from @Tours and Tours was very knowledgeable and clearly loved her job.

 

A bit of lunch a rest before attacking our first night in Rome!  Where to eat?  A bit of research suggested @Da Enzo al 29 in the @Trastevere neighbourhood.  A bit of a walk to build the appetite past Circus Maximus and across the Tiber, it also built a thirst so a couple of drinks down by the riverside before dinner watching the demise of the European Cup hosts.  The restaurant doesn’t take bookings so we tried our luck thinking a 30 minute wait at a nearby trattoria would be fine.  No such luck!  No buzzers or wait lists just standing the queue that already stretched about 60m up the street.  In this neighbourhood there is no shortage of dining options.  We found our way to @Piazza Di Santa Maria choosing a restaurant where we enjoyed another Roman classic Cacio e Pepe before calling it night.

 

 

Then it was pilgrimage day with a visit to @the Vatican.  Getting an Uber was intriguing sending us to where they wanted to pick us up, it all worked out fine as we quickly located our guide Catalina from @eco art.  She led us through the Vatican Museums and the extraordinary art collections of the popes over the centuries.  Catalina’s background in Art History was fabulous in providing context and detail to so much of the artwork.  Might all look religious but so much more about power and positioning.  Then the Sistine Chapel and the work of Michelangelo, breathtaking, not only for the content but also for the technique and effects he produced.  We were then left to explore St Peter’s Basilica – incredible to think all the paintings aren’t painted but mosaic and that much of the marble used to build it was pilfered from the abandoned Colosseum!

 

 

 

Lunch beckoned so we headed to a recommendation via The Pantheon.  @Cucina del Teatro was tucked just off the street under a staircase and was well worth the walk.  Another great serve of Carbonara while the bride took the lighter option of melon and prosciutto.  Siesta time before drinks and dinner in the area around the Colosseum.  Gave the pasta a miss this time but kept the vino flowing.  We had another morning to explore before our train to Bari and on to Polignano a Mare.

 

We were looking a restaurant Stanley Tucci recommended for coffee and breakfast in Trastevere only to find it closed for the morning.  It was right near the piazza from two nights earlier where we were able to grab a coffee, but no breakfast.  They thought we were nuts thinking about eating before 10:00 am!  So we opted for lunch at our local cafe with the view of the Colosseum.

 

 

 

Then we had to plan for the train journey with some trepidation.  There was a rail strike on and no guarantee that our train would run.  It was mayhem at the station with trains to major locations such as Milan, Florence and Venice being cancelled but fortunately not the train to Bari so it was arrivederci Roma as we began our journey to Polignano a Mare.

 

Polignano a Mare – Where Clouds just don’t exist!

 

The train pulled into Bari over an hour late, which interestingly entitled us to a 25% refund on our tickets.  Not really worth it as we are on Eurail passes.  The heat from Rome made it down south as we contested to get a cab to our destination.  About a 35 minute ride, not even the cab driver knew what was in store.  Polignano a Mare is a tourist town and they don’t mind a party – every day from 5:00pm to midnight the roads are restricted to locals only.  So after a 300m walk with our luggage over cobblestone we reach the arch of the Old Town, fortunately our street was just inside.  The challenge was then to find numbers – they jumped from 11 to 35 and we had to find 21.  A speculative look up a narrow staircase solved the issue and we were in our digs.

 

Casa di Caterina is a very simple one room apartment with what could be best described as a galley bathroom where only one can fit at a time and side stepping required to get through.  However there is access to the private rooftop where we could relax, listen and watch the life on the street below.

 

It was time to see the town, we headed into the Piazza where there were a range of bars and restaurants to choose from.  As we looked for our first stop a crowd had gathered as an opera singer and accompanying violinist held an audience.  His voice was superb and a great way to be introduced to the town.  We settled down at Diplomatico.  Italian beer in Italy is perfect cold and crisp and plenty to choose from, the wine selections are even more plentiful   Our order for wine so far has been simple “vino bianco seccho”, we were rarely disappointed.  Strolling on through the various nooks and crannies of the town we found the lookout over the famous sea diving cliffs at the entrance to the beach Lama Montelchino.  The beach is extremely popular with sun worshippers finding any place they can lay a towel down from the rocky shore on on the ledges available on cliffs.

 

Our first dinner was at Sunshine – La Casa di Polpo by another lookout over the Adriatic Sea.  This is a seafood town where there were very limited selections of any meats, which suited us just fine as we both enjoyed a slice of swordfish and salad.  The  swordfish was great as was the salad.  A note on the salads, they are so full of flavour.  The tomatoes have not had all the taste bred out of them and rocket so much more peppery than what we are used to.  Next door was a tiny cocktail bar where we enjoyed a Gin and Tonic or two before retiring.

 

 

 

Our walk the next morning was along the coastal path, you can’t say it got hot quickly – it was already hot! The temperature ranges between about 25-32 over 24 hours so it’s always hot, any breeze is welcome.  On our return we came across a marvellous and joyous sculpture.  It is of Domenico Modugno the singer of Volare who was born in the town.  Amazingly we never heard the song in our whole time there.  We planned to head to the beach but after seeing the crowds decided lunch was a better option and stumbled into Terazzo Montelchino overlooking the beach.  We both had pasta dishes with seafood and a lovely bottle of local Fiano.  Fantastic service with plenty of little extras provided.

 

After some down time we were back into the fray with a similar plan, a drink and light snack before dinner was the plan.  Ordered such from Beija Flor, however the salumi plate more than took the edge off our hunger.  It was huge with a range of cured meats and cheeses.  Food was not urgent so a bit of browsing the stores and bar hopping was in order.  Our duet were at it again and this time we got through their whole set including a couple of solos from the violinist, who was as good as the singer.  A light dinner at L’archibugio Norcinera (the charcoal prawns were delicious) before setting sail the next morning.

 

 

We had a 9:00am booking to explore the sea caves along the coast but had to get to Cala Ponte Marina.  Thought a good idea for the morning walk was to go find it before heading back and getting ready for the expedition.  2.5km down the road we found it!  Also found out Taxis were non-existent in the town and we were leaving so early none of the tourist Tuk-Tuks were around.  A quick turn around was required as we repeated our trek.

 

We were greeted by Isabella from PeterNautica who then introduced us to Captain Nico.  On our cruise we were joined by a man with his 2 sons and a couple of young women.  We were taken into a range of grottos, including Rondinella, Blue, Gold, Love and Grotta Palazzese where a famous fine dining restaurant is located.  We had a booking there that evening. We closed out the tour with a glass of Prosecco and a swim in the Adriatic before Nico dropped us off.  Nico is a man who enjoys his job a bit too much, spending plenty of time with le r?gazze (the girls) on board.  Then the walk back and we had done 10km before midday.  On the way had a look at another couple of popular beaches and a coffee at Bar RIviera where Susannah enjoyed the first cannelloni of the trip.

 

The big night was here – our dinner at Grotta Palazzese!  Overall the food and drinks have been surprisingly affordable probably a bit less than the equivalent in Melbourne.  This was different, but what an experience as you descend seven flights of stairs to this amazing view.  It is the finest of dining and the food, wine, service and views did not disappoint.  We had the seafood banquet which was exquisite washed done with another fiano.  We ordered an extra bottle just so we could stay longer before having to climb the stairs again! We both has the Istinto tasting menu

 

Scallop Topinambur, Sour Cream and Truffle

 

Ravioli Cacio ePepe, Red Prawn and Caviar

 

Sea Bass, Spinach, Black Garlic and Herb Bread

 

Tiramisu Moderno – I swapped this out for the Crostata – Ricotta, Fig, Blackberry and Basil

 

Polignano a Mare is a great place and would highly recommend it, the weather was certainly warm but not unbearable.  We did not see a cloud for our entire time there.  For a busy tourist town the prices for food and drinks were very reasonable but save the pennies for the Grotta.  This morning we set off by train for our next town, Lecce.

 

Selezioni – Gatti, Falchi, Cigni, Blu, Corvi, Bonbardieri, Soli, Giganti, Leone

 

Forza Blu, Forza Frati

 

Ciao Sal

 

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