We left the screaming swifts (they are everywhere in wonderful abundance) and headed into the countryside. Lots of olive groves with broad beans growing among them.
Wild flowers are stunning – we saw wild roses, honeysuckle, wild sweet peas, scabious, rock roses, geraniums, bindweed, colts foot, wild orchids and so many poppies and lots I don’t know.
It reminded me of my childhood before we seem to have obliterated wild flowers in our fields.
We paused at Putignano to visit the only vertical shaft entry limestone cave in Europe (the stalactites start only 2 metres underground) and the first to be discovered in Puglia in 1938 – apparently Puglia has 10% of all the tourist caves in Italy – 3000 of them!
It is also the only cave to be accessed through a Trulli house.
We learned all this from the very passionate guide – ‘small but marvellous’ ‘magnificent columns’ ‘the only veil-column in the world’ – all in Italian as they are showing school children around today.
The children were very well behaved maybe because they had been told by the guide, the ticket man and their teacher that they had to be on their best behaviour in front of the ‘stranieri’ (literally strangers / foreigners).
Back on the bikes through more wonderful rolling fields and heath to Noci – apparently famous for walnut trees. We arrived in the maze of the old town just in time for an excellent pasta lunch & then had a siesta in nearby farmland. My back is still bothering me unfortunately.
When we got back on our bikes we saw a little owl in a walnut tree!
And some nice cows.
We stopped at the simple ancient church of Barsento – made all in stone including the roof tiles – where I did my sketch.
It’s from at least 12 century but the locals think it dates back to 590.
We saw trulli along the way
but now we’ve arrived in Alberobello we are in Trulli Central! Along with a town full of tourists!
You probably want to know that the food and wine are fabulous – they are! Espectally the broad bean puree that they put with a lot of dishes – heavenly – and then there’s the burrata and negroamaro – yum!
Sounds a wonderful holiday. We have just has a gloriously sunny and interesting day in Wells.