Nov. 23, 2024
Pangea Africa, Trani, Italy
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| Lettomanoppello |
The hill towns in Abruzzo had been fascinating, but I was tired of being cold. I was glad to pack my things and hit the road. I left Lettomanoppello about 9:30 and headed down the mountain. Google Maps took me on a circuitous route through new territory. There was frost on the ground in shady places. For the past week, all roads had led to Pescara. I finally reached the city and continued south. Now, all roads led to Bari.
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| The Adriatic at Vallevo |
Just south of Pescara, I passed through a couple of very long tunnels. Each one was kilometers long. The tunnels passed under fairly low hills that roads could easily have climbed. I concluded that the tunnels allowed the communities above to avoid disruption. I was once again travelling on the coast highway, SS16, and I was concerned that I might be battling traffic in a canyon between condos all the way to Trani. Fortunately, this was not the case. By the time I had reached Vallevo, I had left the condos and hotels behind and I could see the Adriatic again. I stopped in Vallevo to shed a jacket and admire the scenery. I saw a few scattered fishing huts along the coast.
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| Driving Through Puglia |
Population got sparser and sparser as I drove into Molise and finally into Puglia. The countryside grew flatter and field crops edged out vineyards and olive groves. I could see the range of mountains known as Gargano off to my left, jutting into the sea, as I entered Puglia. It made me curious, but I was done with mountains in this season. I had left time to stop somewhere for lunch, but there were no roadside restaurants and the towns were off the highway. Not until I reached Cerignola did I see anything that invited me to stop.
I misjudged which exit to take to get to the interesting part of Cerignola and just ended up stopping on the side of the road long enough to eat some bread, cheese, and salami. I knew I was going to be early for my 15:00 check-in time, but the host had told me she was out of town, so I figured I would be OK. Before I got to Trani, I passed the seemingly new town of Barletta. If I had wondered where all the residents of the empty hill towns had gone, Barletta was a good candidate. Hundreds of modern, multi-colored apartment blocks comprised its skyline. I wondered what industry employed all those people. Apparently, the area is known almost exclusively for producing food and was a historical producer of salt. What could be more Italian?
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| Living Room & Kitchen of My Apartment in Trani |
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| My Bedroom in Trani |
Shortly after passing Barletta, I arrived in Trani. The outskirts were modern, but my apartment was in the old section near the harbor. The parking was atrocious. I could barely squeeze my car down the narrow streets. I drove around for about ten minutes before finding a place to park and that was four blocks away. Despite all the cars, the neighborhood was quiet. Most of the buildings were about four stories tall. My apartment was about a block from the water.
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| Neighborhood in Trani |
I had been thinking that three nights might have been too many to spend in Trani, but my misgivings faded when I entered the apartment. It was deliciously warm and attractively decorated for Christmas. Unlike the last place that didn’t even have coffee or a tea towel, this place greeted me with a basket of cookies and chocolate. I decided that I might just take a day trip to Bari instead of moving there and take advantage of the comfortable pad in Trani.
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| The Public Garden in Trani |
After schlepping all my gear the four blocks to the apartment from my parking space, I took a walk around the neighborhood. I headed down to the shoreline and followed it to the public gardens. They stretched as far as the marina. The cathedral was located on the other side of the marina. I wasn’t wearing my back brace and didn’t want to be out after dark, so decided to leave exploring the cathedral for the next day. I did enjoy wandering around the marina, the most scenic one I had seen since Turkey, and back across a big, empty plaza to my neighborhood. I nibbled on the goodies provided by the host and ate some of the salad I had bought in Pescasseroli. Then I settled in to practice the mandolin and write.
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| The Marina in Trani |
Nov. 24, 2024
Pangea Africa, Trani, Italy
It was Sunday morning and I took my time, washing my hair and rebraiding my hair. I ate breakfast in the apartment and then set out about 10:00. My car had survived the night parked on the narrow street. I took off for Castel del Monte. I drove for about 40 minutes through low hills covered with olive groves, gradually gaining elevation.
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| Castel del Monte |
Castel del Monte was constructed by the Holy Roman Emperor and king of Sicily, Frederick II, in the thirteenth century. It was a tall, octagonal building on top of a hill, surrounded by eight octagonal towers. It was an impressive structure with an incredible 360 degree view and was visible from the sea. The castle had been abandoned for centuries and had been plundered for its luxury building materials, some of which were even used to build a later royal palace. The new unified Italian government bought the castle in 1876 to preserve it for public use. They landscaped the surrounding hillsides with pine trees. I had followed a gravel path embellished with sculptures up the hill from the parking lot.
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| Entrance to the Sculpture Garden |
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| Castle Interior |
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| Castle Fireplace |
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| Breccia Framed Multi-Media Presentation |
The castle, even in its plundered state, was impressive. The ceilings were high and vaulted. Immense fireplaces had provided heat. The original hoods were mostly gone, but part of one remained. Marble benches ran along the walls. Mullioned windows provided natural light. Most of the castle was built from limestone, but the doorways and decorative columns were made from breccia, a reddish conglomerate stone. A multimedia presentation was projected on the wall of one of the first floor rooms.
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| View from Castel del Monte |
I toured the castle and then walked around the top of the hill, enjoying the view. Just as I arrived, a large group of motorcycles descended on the site. I would have liked to eat lunch in the restaurant, but they were setting up for the big party of motorcyclists. I sat in the car, trying to decide where to go next. I would have gone to Bari, but all the attractions were closed until Tuesday. I decided to go to Ruvo di Puglia.
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| The Castle Courtyard |
I drove for another half an hour through olive groves and vineyards to Ruvo di Puglia. Ruvo di Puglia has an old town surrounding a cathedral. Outside of the old town, newer buildings crowded narrow streets. I wanted to park on the outskirts. I set Google Maps to locate a parking lot near the train station. When I got there, I couldn’t find a place to park. I turned down a narrow side street and found a parking space within a block. I left the car and walked towards the cathedral.
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| Cathedral in Ruvo de Puglia |
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| Ruvo de Puglia |
It was Sunday and the cathedral was closed. There were a few restaurants open around the cathedral square, but I realized that I had left my purse in the car. At that point, I also realized that I had neglected to note where I had parked. That made me very nervous. I knew where I had tried to park, so I headed there and hoped I could recognize the street where I had parked. Fortunately, some rubber stripping on the pavement looked familiar and I found the car. My purse had slid down between the seat and the door. Everything was fine, but restaurants would have been closed if I had gone back. I ate the last of my foccacia with some cheese and salami and then drove back to Trani.
By this time, it was about 15:00. I parked near the castle and cathedral in Trani.
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| Trani Cathedral |
Both the castle and the cathedral were closed. I walked out to the end of the breakwater and took some pictures. The cathedral looked remarkably intact for an eleven hundred year old building exposed to sea air. It was encased in scaffolding and some sort of restoration project was underway. Unfortunately, I could find no information about what they were doing. The Romanesque cathedral was impressive and sported a sixty meter high bell tower.
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| The Trani Breakwater |
It was cold and I didn’t want to wait an hour and a half for the cathedral to reopen. I headed back to my apartment and spent the evening doing laundry and working on my various projects.
Nov. 25, 2024
Pangea Africa, Trani, Italy
I would have spent the day exploring Bari, but nothing was open on Monday. I wasn’t feeling very ambitious, anyway. I left the house about 9:30 and drove over to the cathedral where I knew there was a large parking lot. I found a parking spot easily enough but discovered that I had left my coin purse in my laundry bag after doing laundry the night before. I couldn’t buy a parking ticket. I drove back out of the cathedral area and found a spot on a nearby street. Despite the fact that no one was visiting the cathedral or the castle, the parking lot was busy. This was due to the courthouse which also opened onto the same plaza. The courthouse building was in the process of being plastered to preserve the stone and the sides were covered by scaffolding.
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Trani Cathedral Crypt
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After parking, I walked back to the cathedral and entered via the crypt at plaza level. It was a light, pleasant space that housed the remains of St. Nicola. It was the first time I had seen a crypt filled with pews. I then climbed a stairway into the nave of the cathedral, which was exceptionally lofty and had a wooden ceiling. The Trani cathedral was completed in 1099 and is known as the “Queen of Cathedrals.” Its location on a promontory jutting into the sea also sets it apart and makes the marina incredibly scenic. I was the only person in the cathedral.
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| Trani Cathedral Interior |
After inspecting the cathedral, I proceeded to the
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| Castle Interior |
Trani Castle. Federico II of Swabia, the 13th century Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily moved his capital from Palermo to Foggia because it was more central to his empire and made it easier to defend. Born in 1194, he was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220, and King of Jerusalem from 1225 until his death in 1250. Often at odds with the papacy, he was excommunicated four times. He built a network of castles for the defense of Puglia. While Castel del Monte was primarily a residence, the castles at Bisceglie, Trani, Barletta, and Andria were primarily for defense. Trani was used as a prison for much of its existance.
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The Trani Castle
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In the 19th century, reformers insisted that all prisons be provided with a chapel. One was constructed in the courtyard of the castle, used for a time, and later converted into a holding area for prisoners facing the death penalty. After the death penalty was abolished, it became a barbershop and then was demolished during the restorations following the conversion of the castle to a museum. The remains of the chapel are now stacked in a corner of the courtyard.
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Stone Cannon Balls
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| Castle Battlement |
I walked through the castle, through vast audience halls and areas used to house artillery. A pile of stone cannon balls rest in a corner, but the guns are gone. Margherita, the first queen of unified Italy, was beloved by the people of Puglia. She was quite an art collector and her collection of paintings were on display in the castle. Her popularity is still evident in the most popular pizza in Italy which bears her name. There is still a beach named after her (Margherita di Savoia) in Puglia.
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Painting from Margherita's Collection
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It was only 11:00 when I left the castle. I wanted to eat lunch somewhere around the harbor before returning to my apartment, but it was too early. I threaded my way through the old section of Trani to the main shopping street and strolled along that. There were some open restaurants, but it was still too early. Eventually, I found my way down to the harbor. I stopped into a cafe and killed an hour drinking a cappuccino and responding to messages. Then I went looking for a restaurant. I was in the mood for pizza. I finally found a pizzeria. They had a lemon pizza that looked amazing but I learned that pizza is not for lunch in Trani. It is only served at dinner.
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| View Across the Marina |
Lunch was a bigger process. I found an enclosed restaurant (It was cold outside.) that advertised lasagne. It had a nice view of the marina. The lasagne was tasty, but not warm all the way through. It was hard to keep anything warm in the cold weather. Even a six ounce coffee got cold before I finished it. In Italy, they charge you a cover for bread and silverware. The bread comes in a bag and is prepackaged. It is usually far more than one person can eat. This bread was amazingly good. Italian bread has no salt in it and is often rather tasteless. This bread wasn’t sour, but had a texture similar to sourdough and was made with egg in the dough. I rolled up the bag and tucked what I couldn’t eat into my backpack for later.
I was back in my apartment by 15:00 and really enjoyed lounging around the apartment, practicing the mandolin and writing. I ate the remainder of the bread with cheese and salami for dinner.
Nov. 26, 2024
Tipico Resort, Alberobello, Italy
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| Dawn in Trani |
The cappuccino I had had in Trani the day before had kept me awake until 2 AM. Still, I woke at 7:00 in time to see a small slice of the sunrise over the Adriatic between the apartment buildings. I hated to leave the beautiful apartment in Trani, but it was time to move on. I was out the door by 9:30. The parking was so terrible that I really didn’t get a chance to pack the car properly because someone was blocking the street while she waited for me to leave. Fortunately, I had already set my phone to navigate to my next stop.
I wormed my way out of Trani and took a short drive up the coast to Bisceglie, the location of Frederick II’s next castle. Bisceglie was even more crowded than Trani but I eventually found a parking spot adjacent to the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. I paid to park for two hours.
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| Bisceglie |
I worked my way through the warren of alleys and archways in the old city to the castle. It wasn’t open, but I circled it and took a few pictures before heading for the cathedral. The cathedral, at least, was open. It was a simple cathedral but it had a nice crypt displaying an ossuary with the remains of St. Nicola. The chapel dedicated to the Virgin was much nicer than the rest of the church.
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| Bisceglie Castle |
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Bisceglie Cathedral Crypt
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It took about 45 minutes to drive to Bari. Bari is the capital of Puglia and it is a big city. I had set Google Maps to take me to a parking lot near the castle. Somehow, I took a wrong turn and ended up in the new port. Parking was good, but it was three kilometers from the castle and further than I had time to walk. I got out and looked around, but decided I needed to find a parking spot closer to my destination.
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| Malecon Near the New Port |
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| The New Port Facility |
There was no parking very close to where I wanted to go, but I found a spot about a kilometer away on the other side of the castle. I paid to park for two hours and made sure I knew where I had left the car. I walked along the malecon (lungomare in Italian.) I passed a McDonald’s and thought about stopping for food and the restroom, but the restaurant was absolutely packed. There must have been thirty people waiting in line to order. I didn’t have time to deal with that, so I kept walking.
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| The Bari Castle |
After walking through the city center, I came to the castle. It was in much better repair than the one in Bisceglie. This castle had never been abandoned and plundered, but it had been renovated several times. The museum had a lot of multimedia exhibits. There was also a hall filled with plaster casts of carvings from the cathedral.
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