Sunday April 16, 2023
We wake up and go out into the dining room for breakfast. Our host Emmanuel greets us and shows us our breakfast. There is prosciutto and cheese, bruschetta with tomatoes, olive oil, and oregano, a bowl of fresh fruit, yogurt, a pastiociotti, chocolate filled croissant (called cornetti here) blood orange juice, and of course coffee of our choice which for us is cappuccino. We manage to communicate well enough although he does not speak English. I understand enough when he speaks and later we also use google translate to help. He tells us the history of the Palazzo which has been in his family for 5 generations. He has pictures on the wall of his great great grandfather, his grandfather and his father. His wife comes in to say hi and we ask if their children live here and they still do. Emmanuel shows me picture of his one son who is a fisherman and loves to fish. Pictures of large mahi-mahi, swordfish, tuna and many others follow. They have been married 52 years so i say”you must like each other” in Italian which makes them laugh.
Finishing breakfast and looking out to another rainy forecast which is nothing but sunshine, we decide to walk along the coast on the mainland. We stop to visit the fish market and look at all the different catches of the day. There is swordfish, Bigoli, octopus, mussels, squid, cuttlefish, and a few mean looking fish with sharp teeth. From there we check out a Greek fountain either from 200 BC or the Renaissance depending on what historian you wish to believe. It is a bit eroded and not flowing with water. The town coat of arms has a rooster which signifies crowing out if you see the enemy coming. By the church of Santa Maria del Cannetto, we observe divers in the port doing a salvaging operation clearing junk from the bottom. At the moment they are listing up and old rowboat which looks like it has been below water for quite a while.
We also see a barnacle encrusted bicycle that must have been pulled out another day. I go for a short ride on it while Carol gets a picture. We peak inside the small church from the 17th century. A fire in the port left an image of the Virgin Mary untouched. To honor this miracle, the church was built. Continuing, Carol and I walk about 2 miles before turning back while Dave and Gwen go further. The sun shining on the old town is really pretty. We return to the BNB and relax a bit before going back out with Dave and Gwen who also have come back. We grab another Rustica bechamel pastry and focaccia pizza for lunch and head back to the beach. I have brought a towel and intend to go in at least up to my neck. I strip down to my ex officious underwear swimsuit and brave the water. It is a very nice sandy bottom and stays fairly low for quite a ways out. To the cheers of the crowd, the water rises above my waist and then I dip the rest of me in. I wish there was sun and no breeze but alas, it is not to be and the breeze expedites my departure. My first foray into the Ionian Sea is complete.
As we walk further, the storm clouds start to build. It makes for a good picture. We have a little time before the olive oil mill museum is open and it starts to sprinkle. I go to take shelter under some scaffolding by the main cathedral (which was closed earlier) and discover it is now open, so we go in. The cathedral was built in the 17th century and replaced a Romanesque Church. They are getting ready for Mass. We manage to look around and see a reliquary with the bones of St Faustino. The Mass is starting and the singing is very nice to listen to and appreciate the great acoustics built in to the architecture. Truly beautiful. We now go to the small olive oil press museum where we learn about the conditions and ways that they pressed the oil. It was all done underground so the temperature remained constant and the oil did not spoil. They used blindfolded donkeys to pull the wheel which crushed the olives into a paste. the paste was pressed three separate times up to four hours. The oil traveled in grooves in the floor to a central well where it collected. The well had water but the oil would rise to the top and be collected into transportation containers either amphoras or barrels. The working conditions were not great. The mill worked 24 hours 2 hours on and two hours off but they had to stay in the cave in case they were needed. The oil was so important that the church issued a decree allowing them work on Sundays and miss church. That is all the touring for today. We return and relax in the BNB watching a heavier rain go by which luckily we missed outside. I publish a few blogs, work on pictures, have wine with my wife and just relax. We have a quick pasta meal out and then back for some prepacking for tomorrows departure. Another nice day. According to my watch, last week we walked over 148,000 steps, 67.4 miles and climbed 100 flights. The calories burned may have been offset by the pastiociotti consumed. Tomorrow Monopoli.
Expenses Fococcia Lunch 5.5E Olive Oil Press Museum 4E. Dinner at Dimora Muzio 34E Palazzo Barba BNB 67.32 E Miles Walked 6.1
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