Easter Weekend- Saturday

After Nico finally settled into country life with the minions, complete with cat towers galore, and way more things to watch out the ground level windows, I of course headed across the boot and slightly south to extract him. Within seconds of walking through the door and giving him a call he came running out of the back room. I guess even after hearing his Aunt Jess trying to chat with him all week, he still knew the difference. (Reminds me of baby penguins or seals and their moms...) Reunited with both him and the minions, the weekend was off to a fabulous start. And let's face it...that's always great news after a 3.5+ hour car trip, after a full work day.

Saturday morning was kicked off by a trip to the Ostuni market. Yep. I had been there before but this time had more success in tracking down a fabulous 5 euro tank top, a ridiculously large pair of sunglasses, a few petunia plants, and what we really went for- strawberries and veggies for Easter dinner. Of course when presented with the opportunity to pick up some fresh cut flowers I did, because I'm hellbent on making the interior of my house look like spring, even if it's still rainy and cold outside.

On the way back to the house to drop off our goodies we just had to stop at some of the wildflower filled fields. Why? This "city" girl misses open fields and wildflowers are just so beautiful.

Next stop- Matera! If you think you've heard of it, you probably have. It's where Passion of the Christ was filmed and a city basically carved out of stone with a ton of caves. Simply put? Spectacular, especially when the sun fights off the clouds and shadows add to the lines along the hillside. But getting there wasn't easy. Let's take a step back...

Before leaving the house we sent an email to the place we wanted to eat lunch at for a reservation, just in case.  So, naturally when the phone started to ring we figured it was them. Well, driving and trying to speak Italian is just a talent that neither Jess or I have. She tossed me the phone to try my oh so fabulous Italian "skills." For some reason the lady was asking us where we were and I tried to explain we were leaving one town to Matera. She kept talking about the local (yummy) pizza place and that we could meet them in 20 minutes. Once I said I understood what she was saying, not so much why, she took that as we were meeting her there? Jess was able to piece it together that it was probably the floral shop delivering flowers since that's where they met before. Problem was, we were already outside of town and on a time line of our own. Ha.

There must have been 4 more calls on our way to Matera. Worse? The guy calling only spoke Italian and well, although we understood what he was saying and trying to convey in Italian that it wasn't possible, guess how those turned out? Lots of passionate and loud talking on the phone. Plus side? Our hour plus drive flew by. Finally someone that spoke English called and suggested domani. Ironic part? We were thinking the same thing but figured that delivery on Easter wouldn't be likely. Sigh. Gotta love Italy. 

We rolled into town and were immediately amazed at the sight before our eyes. Of course I was still in shock on how green the hills were, even when spotted with flowers and blossoming trees. The restaurant had a table open for us and we enjoyed a bottle of local wine and some of their local specialties- the local pasta and meats. Such a yummy meal and since the bottle of wine was opened (at the waiter would refill our glasses if they were near empty each time he walked by) we took our time eating and just hanging out. No, we didn't solve the problems of the world but that doesn't mean the conversations we had weren't important. Yeah, how's that for cryptic? 

After lunch we started our adventure. Not 5 steps out the door before we were laughing at a dog up on the ridge/roof across the street. Barking. Barking at the cat grooming itself in the sunshine on the outcropping above the garage, about 10 feet below the dog. The cat could have cared less about that dog. Our adventure only got better after that- gelato! Come to Italy and I'll prove to you that there is ALWAYS room for a scoop. I tried la primevera e fiori, having no idea what it was because you couldn't see into the tubs. It was fabulous- rosemary and lavender! Not too sweet but more savory, and gone before too long. Hey, the sun was melting it?  

We had a blast exploring the town and mainly just taking it all in. Lots of hills. Lots of wind. Lots of nature. Just amazing!

East Coast Italy: Ostuni

Memorial Day 2011: I had just arrived to Italy and was ridiculously jet-lagged. This condition highly influenced my decision to remain in my TLA room for the entire weekend. Well, a year later- no longer jet lagged (but still keeping crazy early morning hours) I welcomed the 3 day weekend and hit the road as soon as work let out.

Heading? SouthEast
Estimated travel time? 3.5 hours
Destination? Martina Franca

You see for some time I've been meaning to pay a visit to someone I met last summer shortly after she arrived to Italy. With the weather finally warming up and the strong desire to flee Napoli on my anniversary date I told Jess to get ready for me.

The drive was absolutely beautiful! After crossing through the mountains via so many tunnels the green rolling hills scattered with vineyards, orchards, and farmland was a welcomed sight. With the windows down, Dixie Chicks blasting, and Ravi going speeds over 70mph since arrival, it felt like I was on my way down I-5 to some central valley town. The air was filled with the sweet scents that only sunny spring day can produce. Well, then again maybe it was just the lack of trash burning, car exhaust and cigarette smoke...

After following the most straight road ever I ended up at her adorable trulli house (more on these in the next post) on the outskirts of town. Talk about a 180 from where I live: neighbors present just a ways off, fresh cut hail bales, sparrows darting through the air, cars following (most of) the traffic laws. Absolutely beautiful!

Saturday morning we headed over to Ostuni, The White City, for the Saturday market. This market was probably even larger than the Caserta market but with the same types of vendors: produce, shoes, fabric, kitchen stuff, fish, meat, cheese, plants, clothes. Once we walked 80% of it we headed over to the old portion of town where the buildings were painted, you guessed it, bianco! With the dark storm clouds forming in the sky the city was radiant and looked so clean. Here we walked the cobble stone hill up to the church and picked a few random allies where the restaurant owners were already recovered from the night before and readying tables for opening at 2pm for lunch.

After our hill side adventure we headed down to the main square for cafe since although our stomachs were requesting lunch we knew nowhere would yet be opened. As we sat on the piazza a wedding let out so we felt the need to critique the outfits of the guests while we waited to see the bride's selection. There were so many short dresses and stiletto heels in attendance that I couldn't help but wondering if some of these girls had worn the same outfit to the club the night before. That thought was quickly replaced when we witnessed a pelting, yes pelting, of rice. Note to self: if ever invited to Italian wedding stand in back of crowd while waiting couple to exit church. Eventually you will get your pictures and won't be stung by rice being hurled at your head. Just when we thought that was enough entertainment, the Fiat 550 we walked by earlier pulled up into the piazza for the couple to drive away in. Now these are tiny cars. Although the bride didn't have a princess gown on, it still was lots of fabric to get in the car! Unfortunately even after finishing our coffees, playing the "can you please bring the check" game with the waitress, the bride still hadn't walked her glitter covered self to the car. We actually were never sure who she married either...At any rate, we had another destination to get to -Alberobello!