A: Bari- day trip to Alberobello and Locorotondo

Alberobello had been on our list for some time and today we decided to catch the train to Alberobello, take a look around, then get a second train one more stop to Locorotondo- about 3 hours travelling in total for the day, but worth it. The scenery on the way was an entertainment in itself.

Our first destination was all that we had hoped for- a gorgeous little town that today looked even more lovely with the backdrop of a clear blue sky. The trulli are what draws people to this place- tiny limestone homes with conical roofs. In previous times they were built with " drystone" ie no mortar. This was, according to the story, to be one step ahead of the property tax man who would attempt to extract an increasingly prohibitively high tax during the Middle Ages. The simple construction could easily be pulled down and then rebuilt after he had gone. Another version of this story is that nobody would believe that people would actually live in such places as they were originally built for livestock and to store tools.

We had a look through the small museum which was located in a trullo. I thought the sign indicated that the museum would depict the development of the trulli over time which I'd find quite exciting- those of you who know me will know that I love house plans, something Mum and I shared. However I was to be disappointed. There was an exhibition of presepe, or nativity scenes that were interesting but not what I expected. However the museum does add a little more to the trulli story. In the 1600's the people were forced by Count Giangirolamo 11 to live in them to avoid paying taxes to the King of Spain. The symbols on the trulli roofs started to appear only in 1927 when Mussolini was due to visit. The fascist party encouraged the drawing of the symbols to make the trulli appear more mysterious.

M: quite by accident we did most of our exploring of the two major zones of trulli away from the commercial section. This allowed us to simply soak in the beauty of the hundreds of unique variations on the basic s design, and, as Anne noted, the lovely contrast between the stone grey and whitewash and the deep blue sky. The forecast rain bnever eventuates - at least during our excursion.

We had a nice coffee and pastry at a cafe, so decided to eat lunch at our next destination. We got the train to Locorotondo- there are more letter o's in that than there are letter i's in Mississippi! As the name suggests the old part of this pretty little town, perched on a hilltop overlooking broad acres of agricultural land is round. It must be said that after Alberobello, pretty as it was, it was something of an anticlimax. You know: " Cute winding roads, strange steps, white walls, street markets.. meh. Is that the best you've got? " there were some gorgeous views over the countryside though! See the pics.

On the way back down the hill, we had come to a dead end in our search for a recommended restaurant - literally, as what appeared to be a way towards the station turned out to have been closed off. We were just pondering the next move when a woman asked if we needed help. She then drove us straight to the station! This is the kind of thing that you remember and cherish as a traveller. The town will always be known as the one where a stranger assisted us so readily.

The trip back was without incident and the train service had done its job for us, but I have to add that each train was late, the train and platform toilets were always locked, and the assistant/ ticket seller a little hard to find. There were very few locals on the trains too.

M: We got back home after 4 after a long day on the road. I wanted to sort out our tickets for Lecce on Saturday and we needed a couple of groceries. Headed off into the evening gloom, sorted the tickets - this time on the national line, not one of the little regional lines that go to Alberobello or Matera.

All set for the groceries. Of course, having carried Enzo's thoughtfully provided brollies all day, the rain now chose to descend. Not the best weather for a down parka. I got home only a little damp, and with the radiators here, the jacket dried out in no time.

Enough adventures for one day...