Ostuni

May 24, 2019

(Note: for now I’ll leave the photos mostly uncaptioned, because we’re out of time. Later.)

In Lecce

We began by enjoying breakfast at a cafe on the plaza surrounding the Roman Forum, sitting at an outside table in the sun with a French press coffee. I should have taken a photo of it, it was so unexpected; after all this time, I still don’t know how to predict what we’ll get for coffee, even though I always order the same thing - an americano.

Sitting on the square, I continue to be delighted by the wonderful aerial show of the large swift population here in Lecce. I don’t recall that I’ve ever seen them flying so low over the street, sometimes swooping along at a level just above your head. In the early morning sunlight, it’s a bit like being inside a ballroom with a disco ball - in addition to the swifts filling the sky, their shadows constantly dash across the pavement and vertical surfaces so you’re really immersed in constant, ever varying motion.

Lecce itself is quite a wonderful place too. It’s larger, feeling more like a small city than a town, and has a large historical core crammed with colorful churches, palaces, mansions and fine facades that make your neck ache. It’s easy to get lost, whether by accident or design, and find yourself facing something fine that you’ve never seen before. The Florence of Puglia seems a bit excessive, but it’s not a bad analogy - except for the absence of crushing crowds.

I make another mental note that Lecce would be an excellent base for a longer stay, maybe late in the season when you could pass rainy days by exploring the monuments. So that’s like five places in Puglia I’d love to come back and stay longer in. Maybe a 75th birthday present to myself. If Rachael can command the itinerary for her sixtieth, I should be able to do likewise, don’t you think?

Since we’ll likely be back for a longer look some year, we’ll just include a small sampling of photos here, and save something for later.

Today’s ride

I’m falling behind, so I’ll make fast work of the ride itself. We began the day with the plan to bike to Cisternino, 57 miles away. We sent off a message to our B&B announcing our arrival time and alerting them that we had bikes, and left town not long after 9.

Even biking into a mild headwind it’s an easy ride, almost flat for the first 35 miles. It’s a mix of biking on a well shouldered arterial and on small lanes through more of the same interior landscape we’ve been seeing the last few days - old stone, lots of olive trees, occasional overwhelming wildflower displays. The big drama for the ride comes toward the end, when we’re stopped on the shoulder of the road for a photo and I hear Rachael speculating behind me on whether she can retie her shoelace without falling off her bike. I look around just in time to see her in a slow motion collapse, falling over backwards in a narrow slot between her bike and a stone wall. She makes a soft landing on her back, and suffers only a few minor scrapes - it’s a good thing she was wearing her helmet. Moments later a car drives by and two worried occupants check to see if she is OK. They won’t drive off until she stands up; and even then, they double back for a second look.

Partway through the ride we hear back from our B&B. The bicycles are impossible - they’re an upstairs unit, stairs are very steep and narrow, and people even have trouble with normal luggage. We decide to cancel, and as long as we have the freedom to change our plans we book a place in Ostuni, which is eight miles closer. We’re getting late in the day, we’ve been pushing into a headwind for several hours, the roads are getting rougher, and a closer destination sounds attractive.

Also, our gears are working badly again. It turns out that a mechanic who uses his knee as a bike rack might not be the preferred choice after all. We got what we paid for, or even a bit less.

Locating our apartment is challenging. We aren’t given a specific address, and we have difficulty communicating with the owner, who is in the hospital and can’t greet us. She gives us the address and tells us that her friend will meet us at 6 to hand over the keys. With an hour to kill, we find a nearby cafe and sit in the sun over a beer and treat.

Once we get there, the apartment itself is a delight. We’ve never stayed in a place quite like it - it’s all stone arched ceilings and narrow passageways, with a unique character. It’s also quite modern though, spacious, very comfortable. Also, it’s in a great location just a few blocks from the spectacular heart of one of the premier destinations in Puglia. We could stay here for an extended period of time quite happily.

Q: can I retie my shoelace without falling off my bike? A: nope, I guess not.

Not what we had expected, but not a bad spot to pass an idle hour.

Yes, this is an interesting place - but more importantly, what’s in the fridge?

Ostuni

We leave for dinner early enough that we can walk through the core of the city before dinner. Ostuni, which bills itself as the white city, is a marvel. One gorgeous, brilliantly white setting after another, with the Adriatic on the horizon. Full of enticing restaurants, including the excellent La Reggia de Ostuni which we dine at tonight. Yet another spot that would make a wonderful extended stay.

So that’s six, unless I’ve lost count. Definitely something to look forward to when I’m even older, even greyer, even slower. And, as the charming greeter at La Reggia de Ostuni informs us, we’ll be able to eat there again. They aren’t going anywhere - the restaurant won’t budge, and they’re a family business that’s been operating here for forty years.

We could have included many photos of Ostuni, but here’s just a sampling to give you the idea. Come back and follow us in three years if you want a longer look.