FOODIE IN FLIP FLOPS

Ostuni is a white washed walled city situated just inland on the Murgia plateau in the Puglia region. It is referred to as the La Cita Bianca, "The White City". It was resettled by the Greeks after it was destroyed in the Punic Wars.  The old city demands that the buildings are repainted every year to keep up its pristine white appearance. Passing through the gate, which leads into the old town, we came across another example of a helpful Italian. I was carrying a bag of dog waste and a car stopped right next to us and rolled down his window. We understood only one word he said, "cane", Italian for dog. Immediately I thought, are dogs not allowed in Ostuni?!?  Of course they were! He was just trying to point out where the garbage was to drop Bogi's waste, then off he sped in his Fiat Punto! The city was beautiful, with clean limestone pathways and newly planted flowers that popped against the white backdrop.  ...

Ever hear of a Trulli? Me neither until I started researching our trip to Italy and discovered these interesting little hobbit like houses. The village of Alberobello has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 1996.  Alberobello is located inland in the Puglia region and the first trullo was built in the 14th century. It was gifted to the Prince of Taranto and the King of Naples as a recognition for his services during the Crusades.  The houses were originally built as temporary shelter for workers and animals. They were constructed without mortar, making them easy to disassemble for tax evasion. The bases are typically square with a cupola style roof. They were normally one room until the 18th century when they were "modernized". The inhabitants added water collecting systems and also started building on creating multiple connected trullos.  The town has turned a lot of the homes into shops, restaurants...

Bari is a major port city on the Adriatic and also home to the famous Nonna's making fresh pasta. The city seems divided into its' old town and the newer section which has grand promenades with sweeping sea views. It is a great place to stroll with a gelato in hand, or have an aperitivo and watch the world go by! The old neighborhood was where the grandmothers were making pasta by hand. They were just inside their doorways putting on a show for the onlookers. The two streets Arco Alto and Arco Basso behind the castle were lined with pasta cages. They make the traditional pasta orecchiette in different sizes and with different flours. It is traditionally not made with egg since this region was poorer and didn't have additional money for eggs. They sell the pasta for next to nothing! A two person portion was about $2 and pasta for two in Italy equates to enough for 3 or 4 people!! I guess that is not surprising.  They also make biscotti and cookies. We boug...

This is Polignano a Mare, a beautiful medieval but manicured town with winding streets and alleyways filled with shops and restaurants.  Behind this statute of Dominco Modugno, the Italian singer and actor born here, are stairs that lead to a rocky outcropping with perfect views of the town.   During June every year the Red Bull diving platforms are added to the corner building and divers put on a show. I would highly recommend avoiding that Sunday unless being trapped and smothered in a crowd is your thing!  The beautiful bridge that links the town together and looks out over the water.  This is the entrance that leads you to the cove.  This is the picturesque aquamarine cove nestled in between the rocks.  It is common to look down streets and see more turquoise sea at the ends. Enjoyed wandering the old town where we stayed, it was fun to explore. Shops and restaur...

The reason we chose to stay in Vieste was that it looked beautiful and it had ferries running to the Tremiti Islands. Unfortunately during the low season and winter, the ferry and helicopter only operate from Termoli a few times a week (the islands would not be the place to have a heart attack or stroke!!!) With our new free day, we decided to visit Peschici.  With Puglia being a top producer of olive oil, it was important to visit a mill. We visited Oleificio F.Ili Vieste and the son Rafaele Vieste greeted us enthusiastically with a tour of their operation! They were pruning the trees removing the old branches getting ready for this seasons fruit.  They will not harvest until October, so we saw nothing in action, but Rafaele went through all the steps with us. These are the granite blocks resting on a granite platform that they use to first press the olives. After the tour we tasted the olive oil, it was so fresh, and also a little spicy. The...

The drive from San Marino to the Gargano Peninsula was long, but gorgeous! On one side of the highway it was layers of hills covered in vineyards and farmland and the other was a view of the Adriatic Sea. We wanted to break up the five and a half hour drive, so we stopped in Vallevo for  lunch on a trabacco. Trabaccos are fishing platforms that have mostly been turned into seafood restaurants. Unfortunately, we were a little early in the season as they will open in mid April. Driving into the region of Puglia, there were olive groves everywhere! Puglia is Italy's number one producer of olive oil and has over 60 million trees. They also have the oldest olive tree dating back 3000 years.  We stayed in Vieste, which is said to be founded by Noah. After the flood, he left the Ark, came to this region, fell in love with a woman named Vieste, and named the town after her.  The San Francesco church and convent, which is placed nex...