Ostuni & Alberobello on the way to Martina Franca
We headed out of Galatina and said goodbye to Donatello.
Martina Franca was our next destination, however, we stopped in Ostuni. By now, you probably guessed it, Ostuni is a beautiful town on a hillside, surrounded by a wall with a beautiful basilica in the center. This town was all white and a lot of buildings had blue doors. We walked through the old winding streets, which looked very similar to Monopoli and made our way to the Basilica and then walked along the Porto Nova that had the view of the Adriatic sea. We found a famous blue door, ‘La casa con la porta blu‘ We wondered down the steps of the wall in the winding maze of streets and found a great café and had a café Leccese, an iced coffee with almond syrup. The owner was super nice and very proud of his cafe, Doppia Gusto. He told us that his father was a fisherman, and the café has been in the family for generations. We had a fresh tuna sandwich and a grilled octopus sandwich and we attracted a tattered black cat and shared some tuna with him.
We made way to Martina Franco about 30 minute drive to our unique cave like modern apartment. This area is called the Itria region and we saw many of the iconic structures driving to Martina Franca.
The prehistoric roots: The Itria Valley, home to the most concentrated trulli, has evidence of prehistoric settlements and tholos, suggesting an early connection to stone construction techniques.
Tax Avoidance: In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Kingdom of Naples levied taxes on new settlements. Residents, particularly farmers, responded by building trulli, which could be dismantled when tax collectors approached, and then easily rebuilt.
Dry stone construction:
The use of dry stone, without mortar, made trulli easily removable and helped to avoid the impression of permanent settlements.
Agricultural use: Trulli were initially built for temporary shelters in the countryside, particularly for shepherds and during the harvest season. They also served as storage for livestock, grains, and grapes.
We drove to the town of Alberobello, which has a high concentration of trulli, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site, highlighting the unique architectural and historical significance of these structures.
I personally thought it was weird. Most of the cave like dwellings are selling souvenirs and it was very crowded even at 4 pm. However it was cool to see. Yes, I would go again.
We made it back to our apartment, relaxed for about an hour and headed out to find a restaurant. The one that we thought we would eat at didn’t open until 8 PM so we walked into a cathedral and a Mass was going on so we stayed for the gospel and homily, even though we didn’t understand a word of it. We wandered into the square and it was like a festival. We ended up eating at a Trattoria and live music entertained us. The square had many restaurants, gelaterias and shops. The waiter told us that Martina Fran Square is the same every night.
We will find out tomorrow!
