About 15 of us to went to a ceramic factory today in Cutrofaino, Italy. One of our landlords knew the owner and opened up for us today, (big deal i assume since it was palm sunday) It was about a 2 hour car trip. The factory had outdoor and in door ceramics, tons to choose from. The difficult part was trying to decide what to buy. Since we are all here from the states, it is always in the back of our minds,"how am i going to get this home to the States?" To pla...

Grottagllie is known for its Ceramics. The history dates back to the middle ages. One of the iconic pieces is the Egg, it is a sign of welcoming / hospitality. You can see them throughout the town on the corners of the balconys. They come in many different sizes, styles, shapes and colors.

One of our italian employees took some of us on a hike to the Caves of Grottaglie. He was very knowledgable about the history. His wife's grand mother lived in the caves during WWII when the Germans were bombing the airfield near Grottaglie. The name Grottaglie means "many ravines". Many caves built in the limestone date back to the dark ages. The caves were used during invasions and as late as WWII. Wooden walls and doors would have been constructed in fro...

Castle Del Monte is a 13th-century southeast Italy, constructed during the 1240s by the Emperor Fredrick II. I had to see this place it is an octagon shaped. It looks modern, and is built on a hill in the middle of grape and olive orchard country. As you drive to it you can see it from miles away perched upon a hill overlooking the whole valley, with sweeping 360 degree views. The castle has no furnishing but it is still worth the drive to see this ...

Putignano, Italy, has a 630 year old carnival parade, (similar to our madigras) It happens 4 weekends in a row. The floats are 2.5 to 3 storys tall and beautifuly done. It was a very cold day but well worth the trip. We found a little restaraunt go get out of the cold, and a great carafe of local wine, maybe the best so far.