We have enjoyed having guests over the past 8 weeks, and it's nice to be home and get back into our normal routines. Friday, October 28th After finishing our absentee ballot we walked over to our beautiful Central post office to mail in our vote!
This is the ceiling inside the post office. After mailing our ballots we decided we wanted to check out the Municipal History Museum in the City Council building in Plaza del Ayuntamiento. But by the time we arrive it was closed to the public. By the look of these "official guards" it looks like something interesting is going to take place
So we headed home to get ready for our first "intercambio" with Daniel Martinez, who I mentioned in my last post I met at my gym and he invited Beth and I to a cooking/birthday party. He held this in a Cafearte and it happened to be Jamón night. Daniel is on the right with some other people we met
Saturday, October 29 - today we took a walk, had some lunch and while we were in the Turía Park decided to visit the Museum of Belle Arts (Museu de Belles Arts) to check out the Joaquin Sorolla Bastida permanent collection, again. We were surprised that there was a special exhibit for Ignacio Pinazo Camarlench. There are more details about the exhibit on the Belle Arts link above. This evening we attending another event that Daniel arranged via his MeetUp group. And evening at Jimmy Glass Jazz Club. I loved the venue, small and intimate. We saw the group Unexpected Trio.
Monday, October 31st - Halloween We joined Daniel and a few others again this event to see a special performance tonight at the Theater Talia (Teatre Talia). The performer was by Juan Habichuela Nieto. An amazing flamingo guitar player. He is "part of the 5th generation of flamenco guitarists in the illustrious Habichuela family history". If you have a few minutes look at these links to see him playing...we were in awe! Our Spanish schedule now looks like this: Tuesday 2:00 to 3:30 PickUp Valencia - Tuesday evenings MeetUp intercambio (with Daniel) 7:30 to 8:30pm Wednesday morning MeetUp intercambio (with Daniel) 10:00am to 11:30 am at Puerta del Mar restaurant - Wednesday afternoon 3:00 to 4:30pm MeetUp intercambio at La Galería Jorge Juan with Maria Hidalgo Mateos. Thursday morning 9:45am to 10:45am private tutoring in our apartment with Maria followed by 2:00 to 3:30 class at PickUp Valencia. Friday's we again join Daniel to play Trival Prusuit in Spanish. To add to this I go to the gym each morning Monday through Friday from 11:00 to 12:00 and Beth take Pilates classes twice a week. We are quite busy!
Thursday, October 20th After a wonderful, but some what exhausting trip to Italy we needed to just hang around, walk the town, enjoy meals together. Therefore we didn't do to much today and Friday. Saturday, October 22nd I met a very nice guy at my gym, Daniel Martinez, and we've spoken while working out. He invited me to his belated Birthday/Paella Valenciana Cooking Party at Innovateya Escuela de Cocina. This is a Cooking school teaching professionals and amateurs how to cook, especially rice dishes like paella. We were asked to bring some hor dourves and a bottle of wine. We made pinchos - bread with fig spread, chevre cheese and a portion of fresh fig on top....they were a hit. We also were involved in the preparation of our meal, check out the fresh beans we peeled, the head cook and our paella.
We met a number of nice people and got to know Daniel better. It turns out that Daniel teaches Spanish via an online social networking portal available in various locations around the world that allows members to find and join groups unified by a common interest, it's called Meetup. So after this night we started to go to his Meetup meetings in addition to our other Spanish leaning vehicles. Sunday, October 23 Laura went out for a morning run and she saw almost 12,000 runners in a Marathon. You see where we live at Colón street and it is used for every major event, marathons, demonstrations, walks against domestic abuse, old fashion bicycle parade, LBGT parade, the Fire works parade, just to name a few that I remember seeing. So they were all running up Colón street.
We decided to go to the Port and beach today as it was a warm and beautiful day. When we arrived we realized the port was the Marathon finish line and it had just recently been completed. But we had a nice walk around
So check out how many people are enjoying the Mediterranean Sea on October 23rd
We all went to lunch at the Maria Beach Club after and simply had a marvelous day!
In the afternoon we took a walk around town, did a little shopping and took Michael and Laura to see the Torres de Quart, the Quart Towers. But on the way we saw the Water Court.
And enjoyed a few of the many graffiti's on the walls of Valencia
Wednesday, October 12th - Yom Kippur So for the second year in a row I am flying on Yom Kippur (last year it was from Heron Island to Sydney and I broke the fast on the plane with a free beer). This year we departed in the morning and arrived around noon. We picked up our car from Firefly (NEVER rent a car from Firefly - the car itself was excellent but the rental location, the service or lack thereof is not worth the savings). In any case after getting the car we drove straight into Bari, which is the airport we landed at. We were all hungry, including me even thought I could not eat, so the first bar/restaurant we saw we (they) ate at. Not the best start to our Italian eating experience but at least they were no longer hungry. The city of Bari is the second most important economic center of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. The old city center is charming, complete with flower boxes sporting plastic flowers, pasta drying in screened boxes sitting in the streets and people darting from house to house and yelling down the alleyway for family (like a Prince spaghetti ad from Boston in the 70s). It was fun to lose ourselves in the meandering alleyways.
When in Italy it's a must to have a "shrine" embedded into the old wall outside your home. Italian's love their saints but I think most of these are of the Virgin Mary
Since I am the chauffeur for this trip I get to make the driving decisions. I did not want to drive in the dark so after our walk around Bari we decided to drive to our AirBnB in Fasano. We gained one hour going to Italy so the sun set at 6:14 and I got to drink water, to break the fast on the way to our home. We met our contact and made it to our home Masseria Ulivi for the next four nights just before darkness.
In the morning before we left for Alberobello we took a few photo's of our AirBnB, complete with authentic Trulli structures. Beth had wanted to see (let alone stay in) Trullis for years.
Our pool, which we did not swim in as not only was the water cold, so was the weather. As you can see, it's an awesome place with a great view. We would highly recommend this place - especially in warmer weather to take advantage of the spectacular outdoor space.
Our picnic table
Laura modeling in front of her Trullo
Our room - BTW we loved the set up of this AirBnB, 3 different personal spaces, 2 of which were Trulli's. A country home with a great view We also loved the Olive trees near our home. We were gaga for these ancient trees all over this part of Puglia. And check out the beautiful circles around the bottom of the trees. We think it was from the nets used to collect fallen olives - but given our limited language skills, we weren't certain of anything we heard.
Thursday, October 13th Today we drove to Alberobello, which means "Beautiful tree" specifically to see the Trulli's. On the way Michael met one of his fellow countrymen!
The Trulli of Alberobello have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.
"A trullo (plural trulli) is a traditional Apulian dry stone hut with a conical roof. Trulli were generally constructed as temporary field shelters and storehouses or as permanent dwellings for small proprietors or agricultural laborers." Apparently, the nobleman who ruled over Apulia taxed permanent homes in the towns. The dry stone wall constructed homes could be dismantled quickly. In fact, rumor has it that there is a cornerstone for each roof. If removed, the entire roof purportedly tumbles in ruin - leaving an open structure not a permanent house - ergo - no taxes.
We loved walking around the town and seeing all of the Trulli's. You will see different images painted on the roofs, here is one image showing what they mean.
We enjoyed a nice lunch outdoors overlooking the city and it was a beautiful day. From here we drove to a town very close by called Locorotondo "round place". What a cute little town. Here too we loved simply walking around town. Laura bought one of white wines they are known for and it was delicious! When Michael and I were walking back to our car in Alberobello there was a group of Israel's with a tour guide. I heard them speaking Hebrew and I mentioned it to Michael. A person overheard me and confirmed that indeed they were all from Israel. Well when we were in Locorotondo we saw the same group from Israel. The guide was talk about this War Memorial Statue. From what I understood many Jews who were forced to leave Spain or convert or get killed, immigrated to Italy. He was pointing out some of the names Jews had changed to, many were trees like Pine, or Oak, etc
Some other photo's I like of this town.
How about this chimney
I would love to find a bottle of wine that would need a corkscrew this large!
Tonight we went into town bought a oven roaster chicken and ate in Michael's space of the AirBnB as he had the "kitchen" Friday, October 14th
At breakfast we discussed possibly going to see Matera. But from what we were reading we thought it might have to many steps and to many hills to enjoy the day with Michael. So instead we drove to the Adriatic Sea and kicked around. First we went to the seaside small town of Savelletri. It is quite pretty, but at this time of the year we were almost the only people in town.
Looks like a wonderful place to enter the Adriatic for a swim
Howard taking a picture ofBeth watching Laura taking a selfie!
The cute little harbor
Senso Unico.....we kept seeing these signs as we were headed to City Centers. We felt very confident that they were pointing us to UNESCO sites. Then, this corner giving competing directions. ....turns out it means ONE WAY! Senso Unico became laugh on demand trigger for us in every town. From here we drove to the next seaside town Torre Canne, another nice town on the sea, but again hardly anyone around. Except a number of old folks walking around. We spoke with a few of them and found out that they are all part of a group called The Ramblers, based out of the UK. They all walk together. In any case they told us Matera would be walkable for Michael so after our short visit here we hit the road to Matera.
I did love these two pieces of street art at the sea
And I do always love to see wall art - or sea wall art.
I also liked the Punta Torre Canne Lighthouse, but it's off to Matera! It was about a 2 hour drive from Torre Canne to Matera. We arrived in time to have a late lunch before our guided tour. Matera, as this link says is "one of the most interesting, unusual and memorable tourist destinations in Italy. In the remote southern region of Basilicata (also called Lucania), still little-visited by foreign travelers, is a town famous for its extensive cave-dwelling districts, the sassi. It's been continuously inhabited for over 40,000 years. Incredible. it was all a bit spooky and compelling. We met our guide Alessio Leardi, and he took us on a easy walking guide around the city. Words nor photo's can describe this UNESCO designated city. All of us felt that it was one of, if not THE most unique places we had ever visited.
Now houses but these were cave homes, built on top of cave home on top of another cave home. In some places the stacking is 14 structures from the valley floor to the rim.
This link is to an article in the Smithsonian that tells how Matera went from an ancient civilization to a slum to a hidden gem! It's worth the read. And if it looks familiar to you maybe you saw it in the movies as it "has been chosen to double for ancient Jerusalem in films including Pier Pablo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew and Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ"
Alessio also told us about the above Fascist symbol that are on water fountains, etc. "The original symbol of fascism, in Italy under Benito Mussolini, was the fasces. This is an ancient imperial Roman symbol of power carried by lictors in front of magistrates; a bundle of sticks featuring an axe, indicating the power over life and death. It was interesting to hear our guide talk about the two sides of the fascist coin. On the one hand Musolini helped improve living conditions with infrastructure improvements - flip side - was oppressive ruling with an iron fist and caring only for his own glory. So glad we took this 4 hour detour. Saturday, October 15 I wanted to not drive to far today as yesterday was a long day of driving and tomorrow will be as we head to San Giovanni Rotondo.
So we went to Polignano a Mare. It is famous throughout the world for 3 things (none of which we experienced and still had a good time): #1) Cliff diving #2) It's outstanding ice cream #3rd) The most famous export of Polignano a Mare, is the great Domenico Modugno, who wrote and sang numerous classic songs, including the massive international hit, Volare. Below he is singing his famous song on the Ed Sullivan show!
I read an article listing the 100 most unique restaurants in the world and the Grotta Palazzese was on this list and in this town. We chose not to spend the crazy amount of money for the prix fixed huge meal but it did look pretty cool.
Beth saw her new perfect car for San Francisco! Next we ventured north of town a bit to find wonder #8 in our guide book. It was the place Michael picked out that he wanted to see. It looked like a glorious sea side palace that we imagined would be the cornerstone of a charming village. It was cool but a bit of a let down - a small fishing cove and a less than spectacular palace (monastery). A cute place none the less. We all marveled at how great photography can compel us to visit.
Of course they had to have a boat named San Francisco, I'm just surprised that it's not painted orange and black!
On the drive home Beth HAD to stop in Monopoli! This one doesn't have Boardwalk or Park Place!
Sunday, October 16
The drive to San Giovanni Rotondo begins.....but on the way we visited the Castle of the Mount.
It is a pretty cool Castle in what seems like the middle of nowhere. (it is now in the middle of a national park) It was built as a resting spot between Sicily and Germany for Frederick II. Like him, it was our halfway spot on the way from Fasano to San Giovanni Rotondo. "The octagonal plan is unusual in castle design. Frederick II may have been inspired to build to this shape by either the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which he had seen during the Sixth Crusade, or by the Palace Chapel of Aachen Cathedral.
After our visit we were able to make it to San Giovanni Rontondo before dark to check into our hotel (Hotel Corona), from which they promptly moved us next door as they were full.
On to Family time. Both of Michael's parents are from San Giovanni Rontondo (SGR) in the middle of the Gargano Peninsula (the spur of Italy's heel). This was the first time Laura and Michael had been to SGR. We were greeted by Michael's cousins, Elia and Maria Stelluto who joined us for dinner on the evening of our arrival. They were amazing tour guides and family guides during our whole stay in SGR.
Monday & Tuesday October 17 & 18
We spent these days with the Stelluto family. Maria and Elia could speak to us in Spanish and we understood a little. Elia and Maria could speak with Michael in Italian and he could understand a little. San Giovanni Rontondo has grown a lot since Beth and I were here 12 years ago. We Their is a HUGE Shrine to Padre Pio and therefore many people make pilgrimages here to see him.
Elia Stelluto was the "official photographer" of Padre Pio. Here is his most famous photograph of Padre Pio and his explanation.
The Shrine is quite beautiful both outside and inside! It's designed by Renzo Piano a world famous architect. We think that Beth might be related to him as her grandmother's maiden name is Piano - but who knows. He's from further north in Italy.
We thought this is an example of modern and mosaic done right. It's spectucular.
The Shrine has him displayed as you can see and they have his real hands, or to be more specific, what used to be his hands!
I haven't been able to figure out this image, of a Jew in jail. I've googled to look for an explanation but have found nothing.
Us in front of the "Home for the Relief of the Suffering" or hospital
Elia in his home with the bottle of wine he is about to open!
We had a great time, being with family and getting to know them. We met Daniel, Maria's middle son - and saw Ruben and Christina his wife (who we met 12 years ago) - and they speak English making things a bit easier for us. We enjoyed several meals together including lunch (or an all day meal) at their home. What feast of local delights.
Elia's photo studio
Elia, Antonio and Michael, with Beth, Maria and Laura (The Stelluto's). Michael with his Italian cousins and his American daughters.
Antonio's home and the chapel in his home. Antonio, is 92 years young - restoring this home himself (his occupation was a mason - so he has the skills). As he was restoring the home, he took down a wall and discovered this chapel. We were suitably humbled and impressed.
Maria, Michael and Beth in front of a Padre Pio statue
Antonio and Michael loving life! They both look fabulous!
Maria was gracious to take us to the town hall in SGR to see if we could get official proof of birth for Michael's parents. It was a slog and took a couple of days but we now have them for Salvatore Stelluto - Michael's Dad and Filomena Piano, Michael's mother. They tried to give us paperwork for another Filomena Piano - born about 15 years before Michael's mother. Try explaining that not speaking the language. We had a good time recreating family trees.
Elia was nice enough to call a woman Rosetta Piano. She showed up at our hotel with her grandson. After chatting for a few minutes, it was pretty clear that she is the daughter of Michaels' mothers cousin (is that second cousin or cousin once removed?). When we looked at Michel and Rosetta, it was obvious they are related. There is a distinct family resemblance. She looks so much like Michael's Aunt Mary that is scary.
It was so exciting to be with extended family and deepen the Italian Roots!
Wednesday, October 19th
We fly home, to Valencia! It will be nice to relax a bit. A great trip but we all need a vacation from our vacation.
