Until we get a car, we are pretty limited in the places to check out right now. We chose to head south to Lecce on the train today. The regional trains are very clean and comfortable as well. We went 80 miles an hour and it took almost 2 hours. The train stopped in about 8 towns along the way. We are headed to the heel of the boot. I didn’t know really what to expect except “baroque architecture.”
We have been stopping in the same coffee shop / bakery for our morning cappuccino ritual. The shopkeeper is starting to recognize us. Yesterday, she gave us some samples of a treat: chiachiere. It is a thin sheet of sweet dough, fried and then topped with powdered sugar. They are incredibly delicate and shatter when you bite into them. She told us that these are only available during Carnevale. So kind! We didn’t know what to expect in Lecce, so we purchased a sandwich at the bakery to split for lunch.
Carnevale is a festival that lasts a couple of weeks and ends when lent begins, the major one in Puglia is in Putignano. It happens to be going on next week and a train goes there, so I think we should go check it out.
By the time we arrived in Lecce, we were already hungry for our sandwich, so we found a park bench to sit on. Along the way, we stopped and bought 2 oranges. Mine was a blood orange and Jim’s a navel. We enjoyed our sandwiches but those oranges though! They were honestly the best we have ever had. They also were only 1,20 euro! It’s hard to believe, but in February oranges are in season here. Fortunately, it was a proper Italian fruit and vegetable store; you are not allowed to touch the produce. They pick it for you. So, consequently, the shopkeeper “did the balance” for us.
I was stunned when the baroque architecture appeared. WOW. I took so many pictures, it is going to be hard to choose just a few to show you. It was absolutely stunning. We paid 11 euros each for a pass to go into the attractions. This is the first time we have had to pay to look around a church, but it was worth it! (but didn’t you pay to visit St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican? Nope! We paid to skip the line!)
I think Jim was inwardly groaning. I will stop into every church and look around. I think he is thinking – enough with the churches already! He humors me though and never complains.
We chose a looped path back to the train station. We were pleasantly surprised that the next train was leaving in 15 minutes. We purchased our tickets from a vending machine. I won’t bore you with the details but this is the first time we need to validate our ticket. Now, to figure out how. Yes! Someone is validating their ticket as we approach. You simply stick it in like a time clock. Your ticket is stamped with the time, date, and station name. Now we know.
We enjoy our ride back to Bari. We are seeing our first signs of spring. Flowering fruit trees. (maybe cherry?) Don’t ask me about the mystery of the oranges and how they are ready right now. There are lots of orange trees full of fruit, but cherry trees are just blossoming.
We stopped at the grocery at the train station for dinner supplies. We wanted to stop at a shop on the way home and buy a couple more oranges. But they practice riposo here. The shops close for the afternoon and open again for a few hours in the evening. We happened to be walking home during riposo. So, no oranges for you! We enjoyed our aperitivo on the terrace; made dinner, watched a little San Remo festival and hit the hay.
paleremo presto.