Monday April 17, 2023
We start out with another great breakfast and say our farewell to the kind owner. He gives us a croissant and pastiociotti to go. It is raining slightly for our short walk to the station. There is train there which most likely is our train but much newer than the one we took here, so I ask a guy who misunderstands me and tells me when the train leaves. We wait and watch and a girl asks if this is the train to Lecce and yes it is so we get on. It is a nice ride and our connection in Lecce goes smoothly. Here is a little Monopoli history before we arrive. It was first settled in 500 BC and fell under Roman Rule. The Via Traiana, an important road for the empire, was built through town. After the Romans, the town passed between different rulers. Defensive forts were built to defend the town from maurading pirates and also the Spanish Armada which held siege on the town for three months before being repelled. The town flourished economically and traded local produce throughout the Mediterranean. The Spanish eventually were able to take over and gave it a free Status. In 1860, it became part of Italy.
We arrive in Monopoli where it is raining. It is not a hard rain so just our rain jackets will suffice. We get off the train and head into a tunnel under the tracks and the other side does not look like we can get through. Dave and Carol say they saw Uscita (exit) on the other side so back we go and exit onto a street by the tracks. My map said to go right so we do and when we turn away from the station, things do not add up. We are by a grocery store, so I was thinking about going in to ask when Gwen says do you want me to google map it? Heck yea. It sends us back to where we started and to the left of the station where there is a track crossing. We wait there about 5 minutes with cars and other people as the gates are down. Finally, a train goes by and we are free to walk again. After several blocks we get to a Piazza and I am back on my handwritten map. We wind our way up a few streets and lastly look for a sign for our street Santa Caterina. I do not see one but Carol spots one on the opposite side. A short block later we are at our apartment. Francesca is waiting and the apartment is ready. We have a two bedroom apartment which we will be sharing with Dave and Gwen. Francesca gives us nice information about the town, some restaurants, and a little of her family history. The apartment belonged to her grandmother and her sister and she inherited it. The paintings and artwork inside were all done by Francesca. After a bit she leaves us and we plan our afternoon outing.
It has stopped raining for the time being so we stroll around and head to the cathedral. Along the way we find one of the old bastions with a cannon. The Cathedral and the Church of Purgatory are both closed until later, so we walk along the town wall by the sea. We walk around the outside of the 16th century castle of Carlo V which was part of the fortifications around the city. Even though it was built to protect against pirates and the Spanish army, the Spanish eventually took the castle and the town. We walk further along the ramparts passing the Church of San Salvatore, the oldest church in town. According to legend, it was built by a Captain Salvatore after he and his crew survived a shipwreck and why it takes the name of Salvatore the Savior.
We walk around the old port with blue wooden fishing boats and take a few very scenic pictures. We are near two places on our dining list so go to check them out. The first a sandwich place is closed. The second looks good with pizza, sandwiches, panzerotti, etc. However Dave and Gwen are focused on a small bar where you can have a glass of wine. They go in and we debate whether we should just eat or have a drink first. Glass of wine wins out and we go in. They have already made friends with Jeff and Dana from Leavenworth Washington. They had previously lived in Italy for 12 years and are hikers. We learn about some trails in the Dolomites and other information before they leave. The bartender in this place is super friendly and gives us several tastes of different wines from the area. We enjoy a couple of nice reds and tell him we will return. On the way back Dave and Gwen see a cafe bar they want to check out in Piazza Garibaldi. We decide to go back to the apartment and decide where to eat. On a side note Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi incorporated the Colonnade Infame where anybody who committed a crime was tied to for public shaming.
Carol and I decide to see if a Puccia sandwich place is open and it is not so we head to King Street food for pizza and a sandwich. They are next to and associated with the bar we had hung out at. We look inside and all the tables are full but we go in to see if they can seat us. It is not a problem as they have several tables downstairs in their cellar that we did not know about. We order a Puccia sandwich and a pizza to share along with two glasses of wine. Our favorite bartender in Monopoli delivers them and says hello again with a big smile when he sees us. Our sandwich is amazing, a whole grain type bread with chicken, carrots, mashed potatoes and our pizza is ……… It is a very nice meal and a great way to finish our day. Weather forecast for tomorrow is rain so our plans may get altered. Hope for the best.
Expenses Train from Gallipoli to Monopoli 26.40E King Street Food Wine 8E King Street Food Dinner(Puccia Special, capricciosa Pizza and wine) 26E Pizza BNB U Mare Mio 56.70E Walked 7.0 Miles
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