12 & 13 June 2023 - Bari and Alberobello

Monday was spent talking to Tommaso in the boat yard about work that we need to be done, both this week and after the boat is lifted. We’re planning to replace the mattresses on our beds, and the upholster came to see what we need.

Tuesday was a day out sight seeing and being tourists. We went to Alberobello. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site because the western hill of the town contains 1500 old cottages with beehive-shaped conical roofs, white at the top, as if tipped with snow, typical of Puglia. It resembles an urban town, for gnomes. These dry stone buildings are made from local limestone and none are older than the 14th century. Inhabitants do not wear pointy hats, but they do sell anything a visitor might want, from miniature trulli to woollen shawls. The town is named after the primitive oak forest Arboris Belli (beautiful trees) that once covered this area. It’s an amazing town but also something of a tourist trap – from May to October busloads of tourists pile into trullo homes, drink in trullo bars and shop in trullo shops. We were fortunate to be here out of high season.










In the modern part of town, the 18th-century­ Trullo Sovrano is the only two-floor trullo, built by a wealthy priest’s family. It’s a small museum giving something of the atmosphere of trullo life, with sweet, rounded rooms that include a re-created bakery, bedroom and kitchen. The souvenir shop here has a wealth of literature on the town and surrounding area, plus Alberobello recipe books, and I bought one, because it seems to contain recipes that conform to the Mediterranean diet and can be cooked on the boat. I’m already looking forward to trying out some of dishes than are similar to those we had when we ate out in Vieste.

It was a bus ride of a little over an hour to get to Alberobello from the centre of Bari. The terrain in between was mainly agricultural, with lots of fields of vines, olive trees or orange trees.

We arrived back, just in time, before yet another thunder storm. Excellent timing.

Miles today             0

Miles in 2023      747

Tricia (& Steve)

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