Keep the car running
The road to Lecce and beyond.
We were met by a grey and overcast final morning in Polignano A Mare, which meant the iconic seafront took on yet another dramatic persona. We did make it down to the empty beach for one last look and got back just in time as the torrential rain turned the path down to the beach into a river.
On the drive out of town en route to our next destination of Lecce, we stopped at the nearby Abbazia di San Vito harbour. The harbour and old Abby are beautiful and well worth a visit, even under darkened skies.
Driving in Southern Italy may be a concern to some folk. But once you accept the basic rules of the Italian driver as the norm, you can exist in a small bubble of fear and on the whole, be ignored as a tourist.
So it's worth noting most Italians drive with a mobile phone in their hand, the other hand is for holding a cigarette.
Any use of an indicator immediately flags you as a tourist.
The speed limit is a guide.
Overtaking involves a mandatory bumper inspection.
Road markings are optional.
Toot your horn. Always.
That all said, we quickly acclimatised and in the main the driving was fun. The views from the coastal roads and the spectacular countryside more than made up for the odd stressful encounter.
The much touted 'Florence of the South', Lecce is a beautiful city with an abundance of squares, churches and baroque buildings and an impressive, but inaccessible Roman amphitheater.
You can easily take in what the city has to offer over couple of days and is achievable all on foot.
Our own historical highlight was the excellent Museo Faggiano, which is housed in a deceptively ordinary looking building on Via Ascanio Grandi. This is the back story of the museum from the New York times which sums it up quite well.
"All Luciano Faggiano wanted when he purchased the seemingly unremarkable building at 56 Via Ascanio Grandi was to open a trattoria. The only problem was the toilet. Sewage kept backing up. So Mr. Faggiano enlisted his two older sons to help him dig a trench and investigate. He predicted the job would take about a week. If only. “We found underground corridors and other rooms, so we kept digging,” said Mr. Faggiano, 60. His search for a sewage pipe, which began in 2000, became one family’s tale of obsession and discovery. He found a subterranean world tracing back before the birth of Jesus: a Messapian tomb, a Roman granary, a Franciscan chapel and even etchings from the Knights Templar. His trattoria instead became a museum, where relics still turn up today."
After a thoroughly enjoyable trip round the various floors and underground levels of the unorthodox museum we ate a hearty lunch at the nearby Il Ristoro dei Templari. The Knights Templar are big in this area.
Not in the same league was a visit the main castle of the city, the Castello Carlo V. We certainly didn't need to pay to see the photography exhibition, and the paper mache museum was closed, only open on selected days.
You win some, you lose some.
Lecce excels in alfresco eating and ice cream. Make sure you try a connetta (baby cornet) of ice cream at the best ice cream shop in Lecce, the Baldo Gelato.
Ciro Pizzeria in the old town is a wonderful stripped down eating experience in an incredible courtyard setting. Great pizza on a paper plates washed down with a huge Peroni. And it costs next to nothing! Wonderful.
Our couple of days in Lecce went in a flash and we were soon back on the road heading south through Salento, the peninsula known as the 'heel of the boot' of Italy.
The coast is only twenty minutes from Lecce so first stop on our journey south was the Faro di Punta San Cataldo di Lecce. The sedate and peaceful seaside town boasts a lighthouse, a relaxing beachfront and a lovely art deco beach club building has maybe seen better days, but hopefully it's still used.
We even bumped into a few old Italians mods out for a scooter ride on a Sunday morning.
Sticking closely to the coast we drove south through The Cesine Nature Reserve, passing through the pretty seaside towns of Santa Foca and Santa Roca.
You have to stop at the remarkable Cave of Poetry, Grotta della Poesia and marvel at the people jumping in the wonderful naturally-formed lido.
The Adriatic coastline is a joy to explore and further along was the Lighthouse Sant'Andrea di Torre Missipezza, which was adjacent to yet another nice, quiet beach. It is a little difficult to get a good vantage point because of the high walls around lighthouse.
And after a hugely enjoyable drive following the ocean we were nearly at our next stop on our Southern Italian tour, the coastal town of Otranto.
See you next time.
We were met by a grey and overcast final morning in Polignano A Mare, which meant the iconic seafront took on yet another dramatic persona. We did make it down to the empty beach for one last look and got back just in time as the torrential rain turned the path down to the beach into a river.
 |
| Polignano A Mare, Puglia, Italy |
On the drive out of town en route to our next destination of Lecce, we stopped at the nearby Abbazia di San Vito harbour. The harbour and old Abby are beautiful and well worth a visit, even under darkened skies.
 |
| Abbazia di San Vito harbour, Puglia, Italy |
Driving in Southern Italy may be a concern to some folk. But once you accept the basic rules of the Italian driver as the norm, you can exist in a small bubble of fear and on the whole, be ignored as a tourist.
So it's worth noting most Italians drive with a mobile phone in their hand, the other hand is for holding a cigarette.
Any use of an indicator immediately flags you as a tourist.
The speed limit is a guide.
Overtaking involves a mandatory bumper inspection.
Road markings are optional.
Toot your horn. Always.
That all said, we quickly acclimatised and in the main the driving was fun. The views from the coastal roads and the spectacular countryside more than made up for the odd stressful encounter.
 |
| Lecce, Puglia, Italy |
The much touted 'Florence of the South', Lecce is a beautiful city with an abundance of squares, churches and baroque buildings and an impressive, but inaccessible Roman amphitheater.
You can easily take in what the city has to offer over couple of days and is achievable all on foot.
 |
| Lecce, Puglia, Italy |
"All Luciano Faggiano wanted when he purchased the seemingly unremarkable building at 56 Via Ascanio Grandi was to open a trattoria. The only problem was the toilet. Sewage kept backing up. So Mr. Faggiano enlisted his two older sons to help him dig a trench and investigate. He predicted the job would take about a week. If only. “We found underground corridors and other rooms, so we kept digging,” said Mr. Faggiano, 60. His search for a sewage pipe, which began in 2000, became one family’s tale of obsession and discovery. He found a subterranean world tracing back before the birth of Jesus: a Messapian tomb, a Roman granary, a Franciscan chapel and even etchings from the Knights Templar. His trattoria instead became a museum, where relics still turn up today."
After a thoroughly enjoyable trip round the various floors and underground levels of the unorthodox museum we ate a hearty lunch at the nearby Il Ristoro dei Templari. The Knights Templar are big in this area.
 |
| The Roman amphitheater, Lecce, Italy |
Not in the same league was a visit the main castle of the city, the Castello Carlo V. We certainly didn't need to pay to see the photography exhibition, and the paper mache museum was closed, only open on selected days.
You win some, you lose some.
 |
| Lecce, Puglia, Italy |
Lecce excels in alfresco eating and ice cream. Make sure you try a connetta (baby cornet) of ice cream at the best ice cream shop in Lecce, the Baldo Gelato.
Ciro Pizzeria in the old town is a wonderful stripped down eating experience in an incredible courtyard setting. Great pizza on a paper plates washed down with a huge Peroni. And it costs next to nothing! Wonderful.
 |
| Lecce, Puglia, Italy |
Our couple of days in Lecce went in a flash and we were soon back on the road heading south through Salento, the peninsula known as the 'heel of the boot' of Italy.
 |
| Hotel rooftop. Lecce, Puglia, Italy |
The coast is only twenty minutes from Lecce so first stop on our journey south was the Faro di Punta San Cataldo di Lecce. The sedate and peaceful seaside town boasts a lighthouse, a relaxing beachfront and a lovely art deco beach club building has maybe seen better days, but hopefully it's still used.
We even bumped into a few old Italians mods out for a scooter ride on a Sunday morning.
 |
| Faro di Punta San Cataldo di Lecce, Italy |
 |
| Mod, Lecce, Italy |
 |
| Lecce seafront, Puglia, Italy |
Sticking closely to the coast we drove south through The Cesine Nature Reserve, passing through the pretty seaside towns of Santa Foca and Santa Roca.
 |
| The Cave of Poetry, Italy |
You have to stop at the remarkable Cave of Poetry, Grotta della Poesia and marvel at the people jumping in the wonderful naturally-formed lido.
The Adriatic coastline is a joy to explore and further along was the Lighthouse Sant'Andrea di Torre Missipezza, which was adjacent to yet another nice, quiet beach. It is a little difficult to get a good vantage point because of the high walls around lighthouse.
 |
| Sant'Andrea di Torre Missipezza, Italy |
And after a hugely enjoyable drive following the ocean we were nearly at our next stop on our Southern Italian tour, the coastal town of Otranto.
See you next time.
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