Alberobello

Our plan for our time in Puglia was to only stay in a few locations, but to then day trip around to visit the region.  We didn't want to be constantly on the move, to be packing and unpacking as we made our way from hotel to hotel.  With the car, it seemed to be a better approach to limit the moves, that would balance our rest with our exploration.  After a relaxing first full day, we went off to see more of the region.

Our first stop was the town of Martina Franca. Beyond having a lovely name, the town has a reputation for being a beautiful place to visit.

We parked on the edge of town and made our way in.  It was the beginning of a very hot day and we could already feel the effects of the sun as it seemed to bake us from both above and reflecting off all the stone surfaces.  Once we reached the old town itself, we were able to hide in the shade in the narrow streets and alleys.

Veronica wandered from shop to shop, browsing through through the clothes and jewelry on offer.  It was indeed a very pretty town, but the old town was quite small.  Most of what we were there to see seemed to surround a long street that cut through the middle of the town and ended at a unique crescent shaped piazza.  We wandered back to the nearby church and found a small cafe to recuperate from the heat.  It was getting close to lunch, so rather than stay we decided to move on to another destination.

We had the choice of going to the nearby Locorotondo or driving a little futher to Alberobello.  Given the time, we decided to skip Locorotonodo.  We had been recommended a "zero kilometre" restaurant in Alberobello, and given the time, we needed to move fast.  The short drive became a longer drive as the navigation system failed me completely and sent me down roads that didn't exist and onto turns that lead to dead ends.  Somehow, we managed to find a parking spot in the closest carpark immediately next to the beginning of the ZTL.  We grabbed the baby out of his baby sit, put him into the stroller and sped off towards the restaurant which was still over ten minutes away.  Ignoring everything around us, we walked quickly.  The day was extremely hot now, so we moved to the side of the streets with the most shade as we walked, oblivious to our surroundings.  We arrived at the restaurant with feint hope that they would still take us, but by some strange miracle they let us in. 

We were led through a small discreet door.  From the outside, it looked like a small shop front or even a home.  But through the restaurant on the other side we found ourselves in a huge garden.  All along the side were tables, shaded under trees and vines.  This was a secluded little paradise away from the rest of the world.  In the near distance, we could see some of the famous trullo style houses that this town was famous for.  By some stroke of good fortune, baby also decided that now was the time to fall asleep.

We ordered some wine to savour this moment.  For the food options, it was already decided for us and we were brought out course after course of all locally sourced produce.  As a "zero kilometre" restaurant, everything served at the restaurant was sourced from, the name suggests, within one kilometre of the restaurant.  The food was incredible.  All fresh as you would expect, but the flavours were intense and everything was cooked with that in mind.  There was a crunch and a snap to all the produce.  Each bite seemed full of goodness, full of the life of the region.

After our very satisfying meal, we slowly walked back towards the town.  In our rush to get to the restaurant, we had ignored all our surroundings.  Our focus had been on the restaurant only, so nothing else around us seemed to matter.  As we walked back towards the famous part of the town, we were shocked to see the famous trulli, all lined up on the hill. We hadn't seen any of this in our rush.  

From our vantage point on the hill opposite the main attraction, we could see the densely built up trulli.  Other parts of the town we had walked through had the occasional trullo house popping out and we had even seen some on our drive around the area, but this was the most densely packed we had seen them.  It didn't seem entirely real.  Everything had very clearly been built up and restored for the benefit of tourists and visitors, but there was still a strange and almost "magical" feel to it.  That words seems odd to use, but rather than trying to convey some meaning of how beautiful it was (and it was), it had that feeling in a more literal sense.  The small pointed houses seemed to be something out of a fairy tale book, or from a fantasy movie, like a village for elves or fairies.

We walked across to the other side of the town into the densely packed trulli.  It was crowded with visitors.  Most of the trulli were occupied with little shops, restaurants or cafes.  Veronica went in looking at the various things on offer, finding lots of lovely locally woven fabrics (which seemed to be something this region was known for).  I went exploring further with baby Pickle.  He seemed to be amazed by the surroundings, with his head turning constantly to look at everything around us.  Veronica was still shopping, so Pickle and I found some nice buskers playing music.  I took Pickle out of the stroller and let him dance around to the music, to the delight of the buskers and those nearby.

We walked all the way to the very back of the built up area and found a big park for Pickle to run around in more.  He seemed to enjoy the wide open spaces to explore.  Part of the reason I had arranged this holiday was my hope that it would give him more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors more.  Pickle soon made friends with a local boy, who's family invited us to visit their nearby shop.  Walking over, the pressed the small local biscuits into his hand and his happily munched on them as Veronica and I tried some of the local drinks.