Puglia ( Lecce , Gallipoli )
Gallipoli
From Roma Termini, we took the night train to Lecce. Yuri,my September roommate was from Lecce and I finally here to visit his hometown. From Lecce, we were contemplating whether to go to Otranto or Gallipoli. Both are reputable for their scenic coasts. We chose Gallipoli because the there is a train in an hour’s time upon our arrival in Lecce. In the meantime, we explored Lecce and walked toward the historical centre. We tried searching for accommodation at the tourist office but were warned that we might have difficulty looking for one as the rooms were limited. We were panicky but decided to see if we can find one in Gallipoli and spend our night there.
Back at Lecce train station, we were told to hop onto a bus that will bring us to another train station located a few kilometers away. Together with the rest of the clueless tourists, we followed with some apprehension but soon realized that the train masters were onboard the bus too. At the smaller train station, we were asked which towns we were heading for and to follow the train master to the correct train carriages. Along with us were two British tourists from Oxford. They had taken the budget airline (Ryanair) from London to Brindisi. They have initially intended to the go the most south-eastern tip of Italy, Santa Maria di Leuca but there were no trains there unless they drive their car there. Hearing that, they decided to join us for Gallipoli, an ancient city in the south of Italy. The word “Gallipoli” has origins from greek language and it means “ beautiful town” ), in the pearl of the Ionian Sea.
At Gallipoli, we bumped into a taxi driver called Antonio. He is a local and is a taxi driver cum tourist guide. As the summer vacations have long passed, he was passing his time chatting with his old friends at the café during the low season. He approached us if we are interested to explore the town with his cab and we pay him for his services at the end of it. We told him that we were looking for an accommodation and he offered to rent us his farm stay. Upon hearing that, we were happy that we can spend more time at Gallipoli instead of rushing back to Lecce without any chance of finding a hotel. However, the British travelers had already booked a hotel in Lecce and will be leaving tonight.
As it was around noon time, we told Antonio to recommend some nice local restaurants but as it was a Monday, most restaurants were closed. Next, Antonio suggested that we buy some fresh seafood from the fishery market and he will cook us a sumptuous lunch at his home. We bought swordfish, big prawns and squid. Wow, it was our first time trying the swordfish and we can’t wait to savour it. At Antonio’s apartment, we met his wife, Olivia and daughter, Maria. Apparently they were not surprised to see strangers as Antonio has the habit of inviting tourists to his humble residence. While Antonio is cleaning the squid, Olivia pan fried the sword fish with olive food and boiled some vegetables. Antonio sliced the squid into thin slices, sprinkle some lemon juices and basal leaves and it was an equivalent of eating Japanese sashimi. Perfetto is the word as the succulent squid is so fresh. The prawns were grilled and taste extremely sweet.
As the new wine (il vino nuovo) was ready for the local market, Antonio served us a small glass to sample and we liked it and he offered us more. It was a great pleasure to sample a home cooked meal with such great Italian hospitality. Olivia served us the contorno ( boiled vegetables ) which is over-cooked by Chinese cuisine standard. However, it tasted so nice even when dashed with only extra virgin olive oil. We ended the meal with Clementine oranges and espresso. Olivia brewed the espresso in a 6 cups caffetiere.
After our lunch, we drove to the historical centre of Gallipoli and stop by at the harbour. Slowly, we started seeing fishing boats returning with their daily catch. The cats were also waiting for the fishermen as they will be generously rewarded with the small fry that is unwanted by the fisherman. Antonio chatted with his old friend returning from his fishing trip and showed us his catch. He picked up a live prawn and nipped off its head and started eating its fresh like fresh sashimi except without wasabi. He offered us and we tried too. Fantastico... the prawn is succulent and sweet with a hint of the sea-water. The locals here have a fondness of raw seafood as well and would definitely hit off well with the Japanese.
Next, Antonio drove us to a nearby pasticceria (pastry shop) and ordered the local pastries and espresso. We realized we had been eating all these while and were joking that we have turned into gluttons overnight.
As the sky darkens, the town became captivating as well. Antonio drove us to the Duomo which was lighted up and we visited the Duomo and saw some old folks saying their prayers while we watched in silence from one corner.
Finally, it was dinner time and Antonio brought us to a pizzeria managed by his son, Giorgio. Antonio has taught his son the art of pizza making to perfection. We greeted the cheerful Giorgio with his wife as his cashier. We saw Giorgio making our pizza and saw that he was generous with his ingredients and we couldn’t wait to savour it. After 2 minutes into the hot oven, the pizza with porcini mushroom and prosciutto cotto (ham) was ready to be served. Although the Americans loved to eat their pizzas with beer, we followed suit as well except that it was Peroni beer instead of Budweiser.
After a hearty meal, Antonio saw the British tourists off to the train station as they headed back to Lecce. Next Antonio asked us if we want to explore Gallipoli at night but we were too exhausted. He suggested picking us early to explore the bay of Gallipoli and were thrilled with the idea too. At his farm stay, it was really remote but he assured us that his cousin is staying next to us if we need help anytime at night. We took our showers and fell asleep soon. However, in the middle of the night, the cold air seeped into the room and there was no warmer and the blankets were not thick enough. It was a terrible night and we couldn’t wait for morning to arrive.
The next morning, we woke up early to explore the surrounding of his farm stay. It was an old building with the neighbours rearing farm chickens (not kampung chickens) which are all plump and well-fed. There was a fig tree with only a few leaves left and some green figs hanging. We plucked those within reach but there are not ripe enough to eat. Dried figs are cheap and available in most Italian supermarkets. However, they are mostly imported from Turkey.
A few seconds later, we heard the car horn and saw Antonio with his car. He waved to us to get onto his car. He drove us along the Bay of Gallipoli and we were enchanted with the crystal clear waters but it was too cold for a swim.
From Roma Termini, we took the night train to Lecce. Yuri,my September roommate was from Lecce and I finally here to visit his hometown. From Lecce, we were contemplating whether to go to Otranto or Gallipoli. Both are reputable for their scenic coasts. We chose Gallipoli because the there is a train in an hour’s time upon our arrival in Lecce. In the meantime, we explored Lecce and walked toward the historical centre. We tried searching for accommodation at the tourist office but were warned that we might have difficulty looking for one as the rooms were limited. We were panicky but decided to see if we can find one in Gallipoli and spend our night there.
Back at Lecce train station, we were told to hop onto a bus that will bring us to another train station located a few kilometers away. Together with the rest of the clueless tourists, we followed with some apprehension but soon realized that the train masters were onboard the bus too. At the smaller train station, we were asked which towns we were heading for and to follow the train master to the correct train carriages. Along with us were two British tourists from Oxford. They had taken the budget airline (Ryanair) from London to Brindisi. They have initially intended to the go the most south-eastern tip of Italy, Santa Maria di Leuca but there were no trains there unless they drive their car there. Hearing that, they decided to join us for Gallipoli, an ancient city in the south of Italy. The word “Gallipoli” has origins from greek language and it means “ beautiful town” ), in the pearl of the Ionian Sea.
At Gallipoli, we bumped into a taxi driver called Antonio. He is a local and is a taxi driver cum tourist guide. As the summer vacations have long passed, he was passing his time chatting with his old friends at the café during the low season. He approached us if we are interested to explore the town with his cab and we pay him for his services at the end of it. We told him that we were looking for an accommodation and he offered to rent us his farm stay. Upon hearing that, we were happy that we can spend more time at Gallipoli instead of rushing back to Lecce without any chance of finding a hotel. However, the British travelers had already booked a hotel in Lecce and will be leaving tonight.
As it was around noon time, we told Antonio to recommend some nice local restaurants but as it was a Monday, most restaurants were closed. Next, Antonio suggested that we buy some fresh seafood from the fishery market and he will cook us a sumptuous lunch at his home. We bought swordfish, big prawns and squid. Wow, it was our first time trying the swordfish and we can’t wait to savour it. At Antonio’s apartment, we met his wife, Olivia and daughter, Maria. Apparently they were not surprised to see strangers as Antonio has the habit of inviting tourists to his humble residence. While Antonio is cleaning the squid, Olivia pan fried the sword fish with olive food and boiled some vegetables. Antonio sliced the squid into thin slices, sprinkle some lemon juices and basal leaves and it was an equivalent of eating Japanese sashimi. Perfetto is the word as the succulent squid is so fresh. The prawns were grilled and taste extremely sweet.
As the new wine (il vino nuovo) was ready for the local market, Antonio served us a small glass to sample and we liked it and he offered us more. It was a great pleasure to sample a home cooked meal with such great Italian hospitality. Olivia served us the contorno ( boiled vegetables ) which is over-cooked by Chinese cuisine standard. However, it tasted so nice even when dashed with only extra virgin olive oil. We ended the meal with Clementine oranges and espresso. Olivia brewed the espresso in a 6 cups caffetiere.
After our lunch, we drove to the historical centre of Gallipoli and stop by at the harbour. Slowly, we started seeing fishing boats returning with their daily catch. The cats were also waiting for the fishermen as they will be generously rewarded with the small fry that is unwanted by the fisherman. Antonio chatted with his old friend returning from his fishing trip and showed us his catch. He picked up a live prawn and nipped off its head and started eating its fresh like fresh sashimi except without wasabi. He offered us and we tried too. Fantastico... the prawn is succulent and sweet with a hint of the sea-water. The locals here have a fondness of raw seafood as well and would definitely hit off well with the Japanese.
Next, Antonio drove us to a nearby pasticceria (pastry shop) and ordered the local pastries and espresso. We realized we had been eating all these while and were joking that we have turned into gluttons overnight.
As the sky darkens, the town became captivating as well. Antonio drove us to the Duomo which was lighted up and we visited the Duomo and saw some old folks saying their prayers while we watched in silence from one corner.
Finally, it was dinner time and Antonio brought us to a pizzeria managed by his son, Giorgio. Antonio has taught his son the art of pizza making to perfection. We greeted the cheerful Giorgio with his wife as his cashier. We saw Giorgio making our pizza and saw that he was generous with his ingredients and we couldn’t wait to savour it. After 2 minutes into the hot oven, the pizza with porcini mushroom and prosciutto cotto (ham) was ready to be served. Although the Americans loved to eat their pizzas with beer, we followed suit as well except that it was Peroni beer instead of Budweiser.
After a hearty meal, Antonio saw the British tourists off to the train station as they headed back to Lecce. Next Antonio asked us if we want to explore Gallipoli at night but we were too exhausted. He suggested picking us early to explore the bay of Gallipoli and were thrilled with the idea too. At his farm stay, it was really remote but he assured us that his cousin is staying next to us if we need help anytime at night. We took our showers and fell asleep soon. However, in the middle of the night, the cold air seeped into the room and there was no warmer and the blankets were not thick enough. It was a terrible night and we couldn’t wait for morning to arrive.
The next morning, we woke up early to explore the surrounding of his farm stay. It was an old building with the neighbours rearing farm chickens (not kampung chickens) which are all plump and well-fed. There was a fig tree with only a few leaves left and some green figs hanging. We plucked those within reach but there are not ripe enough to eat. Dried figs are cheap and available in most Italian supermarkets. However, they are mostly imported from Turkey.
A few seconds later, we heard the car horn and saw Antonio with his car. He waved to us to get onto his car. He drove us along the Bay of Gallipoli and we were enchanted with the crystal clear waters but it was too cold for a swim.
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