The Road to Lecce - Alberobello, Locorotundo and Sevelletri

Hello everyone!

After reluctantly checking out of the Masseria Montenapoleone, we hopped in the car and entered Alberobello, Locorotundo and Sevelletri  into the GPS.   These 3 villages are all located between Bari and Lecce, our ultimate destination for the day.  

Alberobello is quite a picturesque agricultural town in the center of Puglia.  It was established around 1000 BC and named as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It  is known as the “Capitol of the Trulli” which are dry limestone huts with a conical roof.   The building technique dates back to prehistoric times.  Notably, there is no mortar used in the construction.  


Originally, the Trulli were intended as temporary field shelters and storehouses or even as permanent dwellings.  They continue to be used today and, according to experts, the thickness of the walls and few windows help to optimize warmth in winter and cool in summer.




                                      

We were really lucky to be there at this time of year because there was hardly anyone here.  In summer, this would be packed with tourists!

Next, we drove through Locorotundo, and Sevelletri, two other quaint villages in central Puglia.  We were hoping to stop in Sevelletri for lunch but we forgot that it was Sunday and all the locals were out after church and enjoying a family meal together in the bright sunshine.  Bad luck!  So, we went on to Lecce.

Lecce is known for its Baroque architecture, and not surprisingly, is nick-named the “Florence of the South”.

Our hotel, the Santa Chiarra (very charming), was located on the edge of the old city of Lecce.  Just up the street was the piazza Del Duomo.  The Cathedral was originally built in 1144.  The square is enclosed on three sides and contains the Bell Tower…


                                                …the Duomo (Bell tower is attached to the left),                                 

                                            …And the Bishop’s Palace and the Seminary Palace

Overall, the old city is very compact, with a narrow maze of alleyways.  These helped protect the city’s inhabitants during times of invasion because they could easily barricade themselves into the square.

These are just a few examples of what is a very beautiful area, full of fine architecture, art and history.  We know that we have only just scratched the surface of what to see and do here, so we plan to come back to visit other historic sites (e.g., the Roman Amphiteatre) and museums.

Our next blog will feature our wine-tasting trip to Manduria and yet another fabulous lunch at a seaside restaurant.

Ciao for now!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to Susanna e Vincenzo's 2025 Italian Travel Blog

Image
 Buongiorno di Italia! It's Susanna e Vincenzo, returning to bring you highlights of our 2025 adventures in Italy! The adventure actually began in the few days prior to our scheduled departure.  The weather forecast was looking awful - 25cm of blowing snow on Saturday, February 15, and an additional 25cm on the day of our outgoing flights, Sunday, February 16.  Ugh!   We decided that we weren't going to take a chance with the snow and horrible road conditions and instead rebooked to go out on Monday, February 17. Good thing, since the snow came as predicted!  Phew! - avoided a major worry there.  There is a "but" however, as many of you will no doubt remember that Monday brought with it an accident on the runways at Toronto's Pearson Airport.  A plane coming in from Minnesota had a crash landing and ended upside down when it finally stopped moving.  Frightful!  Fortunately all passengers and crew were able to exit the aircraft and we are grat...
Read more

Salerno and Amalfi rediscovered Through Jenn's Eyes

Image
  Buonasera!! Hello to all of our faithful viewers and to new friends that are joining the blog for the first time.  We are going to have some fun today exploring the sights of Salerno and Amalfi.   Before we get to the pics, we want to mention that we've had lots of interest  expressed by friends to  learn more about Salerno, Amalfi and Sicily  for their own travel planning.   As a result, some of what you see today may seem familiar since a a few of the sites are places that we've shown before in previous year's postings.  The other terrific thing that's happened since we last posted, is that my lovely sister, Jenn, joined us for the last 3 weeks of our time in Italy.  For those of you who have not met my sister,  I'd like to introduce you to her virtually. Say hello to Jenn! Jenn is a lovely gal and a bag of fun.  So we're going to have a look through her eyes as she sees Salerno for the first time.  Ok, ready?  Here we...
Read more

La Festa Della Donna, scuola e Un Giorno Speciale

Image
  Buongiorno! Welcome back to Salerno!  Since we last posted, the world has celebrated International Women’s Day.  In Italy, this day is called “festa Della donna” and has a long history.   Over the years, legends and unfounded stories have spread about the birth of International Women's Day. One of the most common is that it was established to commemorate a fire that killed hundreds of female workers in a shirt factory in New York on March 8, 1908. This celebration recalls the struggles, violence and discrimination experienced by women in history.  The mimosa was chosen as a symbol of this day and is linked to the sense of freedom, autonomy, and sensitivity. This is a picture of the students and instructors from L’Acadamia celebrating the day.  Each woman was given a mimosa.  Nice touch!!  Can you find me in the picture?  I’m the one with the crazy hair! Our session of Italian lessons finished last week and, as in the past 2 years, we were ...
Read more