Lucca

15 Monday Jun 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Travel

Tags

Daytrips from Firenze, Daytrips from Siena, Italian history, Lucca, Torre Guinigi, Toscana, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Lucca is one of my favourite smaller cities in Italia. While writing my last post, I realized that I have not yet dedicated a whole post to Lucca! Founded by the Etruscans as Luk, meaning marsh, Lucca became a Roman colony in 180 BC. In the 12^th-13^th centuries, the silk trade and banking were responsible for economic development and population increase. Lucca was an independent republic for 500 years, until Italian unification. Today the population is 88,000 and Lucca has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006.

Lucca does not have 1 or 2 monumental sites-the city itself is the attraction! Lucca is best known for the well preserved, intact Renaissance walls encircling it. The complex defense network is still mostly intact, 12 m high and 30 m wide, with 6 porte – entrance gates and 10 ramparts. The only thing missing is the moat, which was filled in the 1800’s.

On top of the walls is Via delle Mura Urbane, a wide 4.2 km tree lined pathway that is popular for walking, cycling and running. When entering Lucca, the 16^th C walls from can be seen from below. Bike rentals are available near most of the entry gates.

Lucca has a real ‘lived in’ feel to it. Walking through one of the gate tunnels is like stepping back in time. Lucca is flat, with a random street layout. Most of the centro storico is pedestrian only and full of biciclette to photograph. The streets are narrow and flanked by tall, narrow buildings. The many towers and other landmarks are often not visible from below, so it is easy and fun to get lost among the historic architecture and cobblestone streets. Lucca

The main street, Via Fillungo has beautiful storefronts and buildings. It connects Piazza Anfiteatro and Piazza San Michele. Piazza Anfiteatro’s oval shape is the ‘ghost’ of the 10,000 seat Roman amphitheater that once stood there. Entrance to the piazza is through brick tunnels.The stones were looted to build other structures, but the tall buildings in shades of yellow and cream with green shutters were built following the shape of the former amphitheater.

As in San Gimignano, defense towers were a status symbol for Lucca’s wealthy families in the 1300’s. Lucca’s skyline has several towers, the most famous being the 45 m Romanesque Gothic red brick Torre Guinigi. Built in 1384 by the Guinigi family of silk merchants, the tower is 45 m tall with 7 Holm Oak trees growing on top, symbolizing rebirth. The rooftop was originally used for dining, with the kitchen on the floor below. Imagine carrying dishes the 232 steps to the top! Admission is €5 single/ €8 family. A 2 day combination ticket can also be purchased that includes Torre delle Ore and Orto Botanico

At 50m Torre delle Ore is the tallest tower in Lucca. It started as a personal defensive tower, and when defense was no longer needed, it was turned into a clock in 1390. The present clock mechanism is from the 1700’s. It even has its own resident ghost legend-in 1623, a Lucchese woman who had sold her soul to the devil ran up to the top to try to stop time, but she didn’t make it. Climb the top to see rooftop Lucca and the best views of Torre Guinigi. In the photo below you can see Torre delle Ore and the campanile of San Martino.

Lucca has over 70 churches. The Gothic/Pisan Romanesque church of San Martino was started in 1070. It has a mismatched 14^th C campanile-the top is white like the church, but the lower half is red quartz stone. The church façade has 3 levels of open arches and each of the 37 columns are different. There was a contest for the design of the columns and each artist submitted one. Instead of awarding a winner, all of the columns were used without paying the artists. Che furbi! San Martino is home to the famous relic, a cedar crucifix known as il Volto Santo di Lucca (the holy face) and works of art by Jacopo della Quercia, Ghirlandaio and Tintoretto.

Like much of Lucca, the church of San Michele in Foro was built on a much earlier structure. Piazza San Michele was formerly the Roman Forum. The façade has 4 rows of ornate arches and columns, similar to San Martino. I do not think artists contributed these columns for free! San Michele has works by Tuscan superstars Luca della Robbia and Filippino Lippi.

The oldest church in Lucca, 6th C San Frediano has a beautiful golden mosaic façade.

Lucca is the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini, and the house where he was born is now Museo Puccini. Admission is €7. If you are in Lucca in the evening, it is common to hear music coming from churches, piazze and the opera house Teatro del Giglio.

Lucca is beautiful to visit any time of the year……except for the first week of November! Unless you are attending, avoid visiting during Lucca Comics and Games. Lucca is NW of Firenze, closer to Pisa. The train station is right across the street from Porta San Pietro, one of the entry gates, making Lucca an easy day trip -90min from Firenze and 30 min from Pisa. Lucca really deserves a few days of its own though, and also makes a great base to see the rest of Toscana.

The photos in this post were taken on 4 separate visits over a 15 year period, which explains the dramatic weather fluctuations!

Lucca is also mentioned in the posts Viaggio con Isabella and Autunno in Italia

Photos of San Martino and San Frediano from wikimedia commons.

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Viaggio con Isabella

20 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Firenze, Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, Italy travel tips, Lucca, Milano, Monteriggioni, Oltrarno, Torre di Giotto, Vernazza, Viaggi in pultrona

One year ago I was just returning from Italia with my nipotina Isabella. Since we are not able to travel in real life, viaggiamo in pultrona, let’s armchair travel and revisit our trip.

A bit of backstory…when Isabella was about 8 years old, she saw a photo of me on the Ponte Vecchio and asked ‘Zia, where is this?’. I replied ‘Firenze’ and she asked if we could go there together one day. I was thrilled at the opportunity to share my love of Firenze with her, so of course I said ‘Si! We can go when you graduate’. We were delayed a few years due to scheduling issues, but last year in between Isabella finishing her university classes and starting a summer job, we managed to squeeze in a 2 week trip!

We flew to Firenze, where we rented a studio apartment in the Oltrarno for a week. It was in a renovated stone tower a short walk from the Ponte Vecchio and down a narrow alley from Piazza della Passera.

Chef Peppe Zullo, our amico from Orsara, was in town our first day. We met him at the Mercato Centrale where he and his son Michele had recently taken over a restaurant upstairs called Tosca.

We had prebooked only 1 museum-the Uffizi of course, for the Saturday so that Gaetano, our cugino in med school could join us. New Caravaggio rooms have opened since my last visit! I noticed many portraits of Anna Maria Luisa de Medici on display. We have her to thank for all of this! Isabella loved the Uffizi, not just for the artwork, also the building itself, so Gaetano suggested she visit Palazzo Pitti another day.

I am ‘vertically challenged’, which may be why I like to climb to the top of things, especially if there is a view involved. We climbed almost everything in Firenze, starting with a walk to Piazzale Michelangelo via Porta San Niccolò for views of the city, then continuing up to San Miniato al Monte. We climbed the dizzying narrow stairs to the top of Brunelleschi’s Duomo to see the views and the Torre Giotto. Another day we climbed the Torre Giotto and saw the Duomo! These climbs were vital to working off gelato! For more photos taken from above see Viste di Firenze.

We also enjoyed the view, modern art and caffè from la terrazza degli Uffizi. This is the title of one of my monotypes, so I had to throw that in there! The Aperol Spritz from the roof bar of La Rinascente in Piazza della Repubblica was the best I have had. With her new headband and puffy sleeves, Isabella looked like a Renaissance principessa enjoying a spritz!

We were on constant lookout for street art by Blub-even Gaetano when he was with us. The results of our Blub hunt are in the post L’arte sa Nuotare.

Isabella loves caffè. She started ordering caffè lungo because both times she ordered un americano, they repeated ‘American coffee’ and tried to serve her drip coffee! Mannaggia! What has the world come to! Caffe a Firenze We had caffè at a different place every morning, including Caffè degli Artigiani in Piazza della Passera, Bar d’ Angolo in Porta Romana, one of my old favourites I Dolci di Patrizio Cosi, and one place way too close to Ponte Vecchio. They were all wonderful! Isabella kept track of the cost of a cornetto and 2 caffè lunghi…..as expected, she found the price decreased and the quality increased the farther out we went! Valuable life lessons!

We joined 5 others on a lovely daytrip from San Gimignano to Siena with Piero of Bike Florence and Tuscany. The weather was ominous, either sprinkling or threatening to rain all day. Monteriggioni was a stop for wine tasting and we cycled parts of the Via Francigena. In Siena we had a few hours to explore the city and have Panforte.

The weather was not very warm for May. I think this is the first time I have ever packed a small umbrella, but glad I did! We had to dress in layers, or ‘a la cipolla’ as they say in italiano. Some evenings in Firenze, it seemed like we were wearing ALL of the clothes in our valigia! Despite this, we walked everywhere.

Here is our map –YES- a map-of where we walked. Maps of the city centre are great for getting oriented. It is much easier than trying to look at a GPS on a tiny phone screen. We did not have time to take the bus to Fiesole or get to L’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David or attend Mass at Santa Croce. Isabella will definitely need to get back to Firenze. While shopping, she did receive many compliments every day on her Italiano, even bartering down the price of a cute leather jacket!Lucca was our next stop, 1.5 hours away by train. Lucca is one of my favourite places in Italia! We stayed at a small B&B near Torre Guinigi. The owners found out we lived in Vancouver and told us about their nipote in Vancouver who is Isabella’s age. I started to say that Vancouver was a big city…… when Isabella said ‘Uh….Zia….I actually do know him…. Che mondo piccolo! After that, every time they saw Isabella, with no subtlety at all, they went on about what a nice boy he was!

Lucca is known for its intact medieval walls. We rented biciclette to ride the path on top of the walls. The forecast was for good weather. We had done 4 laps of the tree lined 4 km route, when unexpectedly a torrential downpour started. It rained so hard we could barely see.

We tried to get off the path, but visibility was so bad we could not tell which gate and ‘onramp’ we had taken to get up to the wall. This was important because we had to return the bikes where we rented them. Isabella wore her new jacket, and rather than get it ruined in the rain, she had folded it up inside out in a plastic bag in the cestino -the basket- leaving her in short sleeves. Brrrr!

By the time we got to Piazza Anfiteatro to warm up and wait for the rain to stop, we looked like wet rats. The restaurants are outdoor, so they had large heaters, and even blankets. A friend was coming from Viareggio for aperitivo later, but she had to cancel due to the weather. Even in the rain, Lucca is spectacular. It is also a great place to shop! I never spend enough time in Lucca.

Our next stop was La Spezia via Pisa and on to Vernazza, our home base in the Cinque Terre. I wrote about our time there in 2 posts- Le Cinque Terre and Exploring le Cinque Terre. The second post is specifically about our adventures. The weather was beautiful, which is good, as there are no indoor activities there! Hiking all day with a 19 year old is hard work, so luckily there was wine tasting in the evening!The morning we left Vernazza was raining almost as much as on the walls of Lucca! Isabella had been to Roma several times, but not to Milano, so we booked to fly home from there. We met our cugina Federica, who we stayed with, and went to the Navigli area to have dinner with more cugini. Our visit was too short. We spent the next day walking and window shopping around the Cento Storico and had a few ‘streetside reunions’ and phone calls with more cugini and a friend. I have been to Milano many times but have yet to see L’Ultima Cenacola, Da Vinci’s Last Supper. Even 2 weeks in advance, I was not able to book admission. Another reason to return!We hope you have enjoyed this piccolo viaggio virtuale with us! Hopefully we can travel again soon. Ciao, Cristina & Isabella

Un Giorno a Napoli

06 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art, Italia, Travel

≈ 21 Comments

Tags

Campania, Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli, Napoli, Napoli Centro Storico, Southern Italy, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Napoli is one of the oldest continually inhabited urban areas in the world. It was founded by Greek sailors from Rhodes in 680 BC. They named her Parthenope after the siren who tried to lure Ulysses. In 474 BC it was renamed Neapolis, meaning ‘new city’ giving us the present name as well as the anglicized Naples. After Roma and Milano, Napoli is the 3^rd largest city in Italia.

Napoli is an open air museum layered with 2800 years of history-from Ancient to Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque, with ruins, castles, historic buildings and monuments. It was one of the wealthiest cities in Europe before Italian unification of 1860. Allied bombing during WWII caused severe damage, resulting in extensive reconstruction after 1945. Napoli’s Centro Storico, the largest in Europe, still has the rectangular grid layout of the original Greek streets, called Decumani and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.

Napoli is underrated, misunderstood and does not get the love it deserves, except from fans of Elena Ferrante novels. News of corruption, the Camorra and ongoing garbage crises give it a bad rep. It it ironic that everyone-including many Italians fears for their life and thinks it is just a crime pit, when Napoli is actually safer than most large North American cities. It is vibrant, wonderfully chaotic, full of life and passionate, friendly people. Napoli has an ‘edge’ to it and is anything but boring!

Not even 2 hours from Orsara di Puglia, I had only been to Napoli to take ferries or fly home. 2 years ago, I decided just days in advance to arrive by bus the day before my flight and stay 24 hours. Best plan ever! Last year I went for the day with my cugino who had an airport pickup, and took the bus home for €11.

I would not advise anyone to see Napoli in one day. 3-4 days is needed, not including daytrips to Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Capri or Ischia. However, if you have only un giorno-one day to spare, because you are headed somewhere else or taking a daytrip, this is my suggested itinerary!

My first full day in Napoli was a last minute plan. I had 4 ‘must see’ things on my list. They were all walking distance from Piazza Dante, so I booked a night at the wonderfully named ‘Il Paradiso di Dante’. If arriving at the Stazione in Piazza Garibaldi or the bus terminal behind it, all of the destinations are easily reached on foot or by Metro. A day ticket for the Metro is €4.50. From Capodichino airport, the Alibus is a 15 min non-stop ride to Piazza Garibaldi for €5.

I realize few people will drool over ancient frescos or Caravaggio for as much time as I do, so I am adding a few extra sites along the way. This itinerary can be done in reverse and/or in different order.

The first stop on any visit to Napoli is for Sfogliatelle –crunchy layered pastry, filled with sweet ricotta, lemon and candied peel. Sfogliatelle in Napoli are delicious and inexpensive. The best are served straight from the oven at Antico Forno Attanasio, Via Ferrovia 1-4 just a few blocks from Piazza Garibaldi. At €1.30, why stop at just one? The lineup moves quickly. The sign above the oven says ‘Napule tre cose tene belle….o’ mare o’ vesuvio e sfogliatelle’ / Napoli has 3 beautiful things….the sea, Vesuvius and sfogliatelle.

Walk down Corso Umberto I to Via Duomo (or Metro to Museo if reversing). Turn right on Via dei Tribunali a long narrow street packed with great stuff. It is one of the original Greek Decumani. Napoli has elevated graffiti into an art form, so keep an eye out for cool street art.

First stop is the small octagonal church Pio Monte della Misericordia to see Caravaggio’s masterpiece 7 opere di Misericordia-7 Acts of Mercy hanging where it has been for over 400 years. Napoli has been a capital of the Baroque since the 1606 artistic revolution following the arrival of Caravaggio. Admission is €8. Open daily from 9:00-18:00 except Sunday it closes at 14:30. Do not miss this and click the link to read my post!

Not even 100 m away is the Duomo Santa Maria Assunta built on the site of a temple of Neptune. It was ruined in the 1456 earthquake and repeatedly renovated, resulting in a mishmash of styles and a Neogothic facade. The church is often called San Gennaro- Napoli’s patron saint. The Cappella di San Gennaro contains an ampule of his blood that is brought out on the 1^st Saturday in May, September 19^th and December 16^th for the miracle of his blood liquefying.

Duomo di Napoli. Image Wikimedia Commons

The entrance to Napoli Sotterranea is close by on Via dei Tribunali. Napoli’s stratified history is visible here…..40 m below street level are Greek structures, Roman aqueducts and cisterns, catacombs, a Bourbon royal escape tunnel and stuff left over from 1945 when the underground was an air raid shelter! The tour is 1.5 hours so I have never had enough time, but it sounds fascinating!

At Piazza San Gaetano turn left onto Via San Gregorio Armeno. Napoli has a long presepio– Nativity Scene tradition. This street is full of artigiani– artisans making presepio pieces along with figurines of contemporary personalities. I like to visit the bottega of Antonio Pepe.

Via San Gregorio Armeni Napoli, Antonio Pepe, www.unpodipepe.ca

‘Lavorazioni di Pastori e Scenografie Presepiati Antonio Pepe’, Via San Gregorio Armeno, Napoli (no relation!)

The end of this street intersects with the one parallel to Via dei Tribunali, another of the Decumani, called ‘Spaccanapoli’ meaning ‘cut across Napoli’ because it cuts the centro storico in half. There may be time later to visit the Chiostro di Santa Chiara, cloisters with beautiful majolica tile work.

Back on Via dei Tribunali turn left at Piazza Luigi Miraglia to Via Francesco de Sanctis 19, the Cappella San Severo. My Zia told me not to miss this! It is a Baroque chapel with strict security, admission limits and no photography allowed. Lineups can be long, but I only waited 30 minutes.

The main attraction is Giuseppe Sammartino’s jaw dropping 1753 sculpture Cristo Vellato- Christ laying on a mattress, covered in a sheer veil with a lace edge-all sculpted out of marble. It is so lifelike, the urge to reach out and touch it is hard to resist. The owner, Prince Raimondo di Sangro dabbled in alchemy. Baroque urban legend is that he taught the artist how to calcify a veil with marble crystals…but it is actually sculpted. The small Chapel is filled with other magnificent works of art. Admission is €8 or online €10. Open 9:00-18:00. Closed Tuesdays! It may be better to see this first then walk back to Via S Gregorio Armeno.

When hunger strikes, there is plenty of cibo di strada-street food available on Via dei Tribunali and Spaccanapoli. Fritto misto –fried fish or vegetables in paper cones, pizze fritte and pizza al portafoglio are all delicious. Sfogliatelle and babà are €1!

Via dei Tribunali is also home to Gino Sorbillo pizza, which always has lineups. The line moves quickly, but with a shortage of time, try one of the less known places. It is hard to find bad pizza in Napoli!

Exit Via dei Tribunali through the Port’Alba to Piazza Dante on Via Toledo. From here, walk or take the Metro 1 stop to Museo. Walking will take almost the same amount of time. The Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli (MANN) is massive and has the world’s biggest collection of Greco Roman art and artifacts. For archeology nerds like me, this is Heaven and it needs its own post. The frescoes and artifacts from Pompeii and Ercolano/Herculaneum are here, and the massive Farnese collection sculptures such as Toro Farnese. The Gabbinetto Segreto is a secret room full of ancient erotica, mostly from Pompeii’s brothel. Admission is €18 and well worth it. Tickets can be bought online. Open from 9:00-19:30- later than other places, but it is closed Tuesdays! Read more about MANN in Blub a Napoli. The day can also start at MANN, doing the itinerary in reverse.

Depending on how much time is spent walking, visiting all of the above and when you need to leave, there may be time for more. Take the Metro 2 stops to the award winning Toledo station, walk to the end of Via Toledo to Piazza del Plebescito, one of the largest piazze in Italia. On Via Chiaia is Caffè Gambrinus the historic caffè letterario where European intellectuals including Oscar Wilde, Hemingway, D’Annunzio and Totò hung out. Mussolini shut it down for being antifascist. That alone is reason to have another sfogliatella there-even take-out will cost more due to the location, but worth it.

If you somehow still have time left, walk to Galleria Umberto I, Teatro San Carlo Opera House or Via Santa Lucia by the harbour and Castel dell’Ovo. Need more sfogliatelle? Stop at Pintauro, Via Toledo 275. Then take the Metro back to Piazza Garibaldi.

Napoli is great to visit any time of year! Remember that MANN and the Cappella San Severo are closed Tuesdays. Busier times include December for the Presepi on display and the 3 San Gennaro dates. I have only been in July or August when a lot of Napoletani are at the beach. There are less cars on the road-according to my taxi driver-named Gennaro of course! He was so impressed that I was able to understand him! We had many neighbours and friend from Napoli when I was growing up so I understand Napoletano quite well.

An old saying goes ‘Vedi Napoli e mori’. I hope you enjoyed un giorno a Napoli-I guarantee you will be back! Have an extra sfogliatella for me! Buon viaggio, Cristina

Stay tuned for my next post on Napoli street art!

Le Cinque Terre

28 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Travel, Vino

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

Cinque Terre card, Corniglia, Liguria, Manarola, Monterosso a mare, Terrazzamenti a fasce, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Vernazza

Le Cinque Terre are 5 villages precariously perched on the Coast of Liguria, between La Spezia and Levanto. Cinque Terre literally means ‘5 lands’, but in this case terre refers to villages. Inhabited since at least the 11^th Century, they likely date back to Roman times. The 5 villages are connected by rail, bus, boat and ancient trails that follow the coastline and go up into the mountains. The area was almost inaccessible except by sea, until the Genoa to La Spezia railway was built in 1870.

In 1997, the Cinque Terre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an example of a cultural, evolved organic landscape transformed by man over centuries. The inhabitants have adapted and shaped the steep, rugged, uneven coastal landscape so they could use the land vertically. Terrazzamenti a fasce (terraced strips of land) extend along the steep slopes, up to 400 m above sea level for growing grape vines, olive trees and lemon trees. They are held in place by 100’s of km of muretti a secco (dry stone walls). These are thought to have been built in the 12th century, when Saracen raids from the sea decreased. In 1999 il Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre was established, becoming Italia’s smallest yet most densely populated (~4,000 people) national park.

Aside from clifftop villages of colourful houses, viste mozzafiato (breathtaking views), hiking trails and terrazzamenti, the Cinque Terre area is known for fresh seafood, pesto Genovese made with local basilico and olio, lemons, and white grapes. The grapes are made into white wines, including Sciacchetrà, a sweet wine which is a blend of Bosco, Albarola and Vermentino grapes.

The 5 villages are less than 10 minutes apart by train. Going from South to North, they are:

#1 Riomaggiore is the most Southern village with a population of 1500- including Manarola, Volastra and Groppo. Brightly coloured buildings are stacked on either side of a steep ravine down to the tiny harbour. The main Cinque Terre park office is in Riomaggiore and the start of the Sentiero Azzurro (blue trail) the 12 km old donkey trail along the sea, connecting all the villages. The section from Riomaggiore to Manarola, less than 1 km away, is the fairly flat Via del Amore, which is presently closed until 2021. Sadly, I did not make it to Riomaggiore-find out why in my next post!

#2 Manarola is surrounded by vineyards and famous for wine. The brightly coloured houses seem to follow the natural form of the coastline and lead down to the small harbour, boat ramp and several viewpoints. Carrugi-steep, narrow alleys all lead to the sea. Manarola is a perfect place to watch the sunset. From December 8th into January the hills behind Manarola are illuminated with more than 200 figures and 12.000 lights for the biggest lighted Presepio (Nativity scene) in the world.

#3 Corniglia population ~150 is considered part of Vernazza. It is the quietest village and the only one not on the coast. It is on a 100m high promontory, going steeply down to the sea. Surrounded by terrazzamenti on three sides Corniglia has views of the other villages. Ferries and boats do not stop here, since there is no harbour. Corniglia’s stazione is down near the sea, and the village, is accessed by climbing a wide staircase with 400 steps, called Lardarina. This probably explains why Corniglia is the quietest! There are buses too, although I did not see any. Corniglia was named for the Roman family who owned the land, and it was acquired in 1276 by the Repulic of Genoa. Corniglia’s vino is mentioned in Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14^th Century literary masterpiece Decameron:

e allora in una tovagliuola bianchissima gli portò due fette di pane arrostito e un gran bicchiere di vernaccia da Corniglia“. Translation by Cristina–‘and then, in an immaculately white napkin, I brought him 2 slices of toasted bread and a large glass of Vernaccia from Corniglia

#4 Vernazza is the most beautiful of the towns, with its tiny beach, picturesque natural harbour and breakwater, surrounded by terraced olive groves. The population is ~825 including Corniglia. Vernazza is first mentioned in 1080 as the fortified naval base of the Obertenghi family to protect the area from pirates. Verna refers to native or indigenous. The local vino is called Vernaccia, which is probably where Vernazza gets its name. A climb to the 15^th Century Castello Doria (admission €1.50) will reward you with stunning views over the harbour. The harbour church, Santa Margherita di Antiochia was built in 1251, and the octagonal tower added in the 16^th C. The Sanctuary Nostra Signora di Reggio is a 1 hour steep walk away.

In 2011 rainstorms caused massive flooding and mudslides. Vernazza and its stazione were buried under 4m of mud and debris and 7 people were killed. Along the main street is a large black and white photo display of the flooding.

#5 Monterosso al Mare pop 1425 is the largest and most northern village. It is the most accessible by car and has more hotels and amenities and a large beach, the only sand beach in the area. There is an old and new town, separated by a tunnel and the stazione. Monterosso is famous for lemons and anchovies.

How to get there and around– Taking a car to Cinque Terre is a bit of a pain. It is possible to drive there, but the villages are car free, so the car has to be parked somewhere. Parking is more available in and around Monterosso, Levanto and La Spezia.

Boats and ferries leave from La Spezia, Portovenere, Lerici and Genova. Note that many of them do not operate from October to March.

Train is the easiest, cheapest and most efficient way to travel. There are frequent local trains between La Spezia and Levanto. Many people go on daytours from other cities, but note that Firenze is 2.5 hours away and Milano is 3 hours away, which does not leave much time for enjoying the area. It is possible to stay in La Spezia, Pisa Portovenere, Genova, Levanto, Lerici or even Santa Margherita Ligure and commute by train, but you can read more about that in the next post!

Individual train tickets between La Spezia and Levanto are €4 and valid for 75 minutes. If you plan to hike and take the train, buy a Cinque Terre Card. The combo card (trekking and treno) includes unlimited train travel between La Spezia and Levanto, use of all the trails, and wifi that actually works! It costs €16 per day. For trekking only, it is €7.50 per day. The card is available for 2 and 3 days, except in my case! There are also family and low season prices. For more information, check here.

**Note that proper footwear is required on all the trails. Open toed shoes and smooth soles are not allowed and there are fines.

In the next post, I will tell you the details of my own Cinque Terre experience last month, including why I did not go to Riomaggiore!

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Puglia~Mia Regione Preferita

26 Sunday May 2019

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Puglia, Travel, Vino

≈ 25 Comments

Tags

Cucina povera, Cucina Pugliese, Diomedes, Dolcevitabloggers, Parco Nazionale del Gargano, Romanico Pugliese, Southern Italy, Top 10 reasons to love Puglia, Trabucchi del Gargano, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Vini di Puglia

Italia has 20 regioni /regions. So far, I have been to 14 of them. I love them all, but my absolute favourite is Puglia. Why? Well, aside from the obvious reason that it is home, there are countless others. I have narrowed this post down to my top 10 reasons to love Puglia-in no particular order. There are a lot of links to previous posts included here. Please check them out! Many of my Puglia posts were written when this blog only had about 27 readers, 80% of them related to me. These posts need some new love!1) 840 km of coastline-That is a lot of beach! The transparent turquoise colour of the water is real.Earlier this month, 13 Pugliese beaches received the environmental designation Bandiera Blu, including Polignano a Mare, Margherita di Savoia and Peschici.

2) Cucina Pugliese is rustic cucina povera or peasant food, focusing on the freshness and simplicity of the ingredients that are in season.

Pugliese specialties include orecchiette al sugo, orecchiette con cime di rape, grano arso, fave e cicorie, burrata, pancotto e patate, polpo, pesce, focaccia Pugliese, taralli, cartellate, pasticciotto, and pizza con la ricotta. Everything is drizzled with Pugliese ‘liquid gold’, extra virgin olive oil.

I hope I have made you hungry. Buon appetito!

3) Vino- Oenotria ‘Land of Wine’ is the name the ancient Greeks gave Puglia. 425 km long, Puglia has a diverse agricultural landscape with mountains, plains, the Mediterranean sun, coastal sea breezes and fertile soil. The climate is hot and dry, especially during the summer. The name Puglia comes from the Latin ‘a pluvia’ meaning without rain. These environmental features, plus the presence of vitigni autoctoni (Native or Indigenous species of grapes) create an ideal environment for growing grapes and producing vino.

Vino is my favourite topic of research. A few years ago, I published a Vini di Puglia trilogy-a series of 3 blog posts on the wines of Puglia! Vini di Puglia is about the ‘big 3’ Negroamaro, Nero di Troia and Primitivo. Part 2 Aglianico to Zibibbo is about all the other grapes of Puglia plus a glossary of viniculture terms in Italiano. Il Tuccanese a grape native to Orsara di Puglia is the last post in the trilogy. Salute!

4) Architettura. Puglia has it’s own architectural style-Romanico Pugliese (Pugliese Romanesque). Puglia was at the crossroads between Europe and the Crusades in the 11th-13th Century. Many cattedrale were built in this style, including those in Troia, Trani, Bari, Otranto, Molfetta, Bitonto, Siponto and Ruvo di Puglia. Romanico Pugliese is a unique architectural style distinguished by elements of both Eastern and Western elements. These include vaulted ceilings, Byzantine semicircular cupolas, porticoes held up by marble lions, and intricate decorations with classical Byzantine and Arab features. The Romanesque Cathedrals in Puglia are on the UNESCO heritage sites tentative list, which is the step before heritage designation.

The 11 sectioned rosone pictured here of the Cattedrale di Troia built in 1145 AD looks like it is woven in stone. Other architectural styles specific to Puglia are the Barrocco Leccese found in Lecce and the mysterious Castel del Monte in Andria built by Federico II, which is its own unique entity.

5) Promontorio del Gargano One of the most beautiful areas on earth, Il Promontorio del Gargano (gar·GAH·noh) is the promontory sticking out above ‘il tacco’, the heel of Italia. You can also think of it as la caviglia-the ankle spur of Italia. Surrounded by the Adriatico on 3 sides, the area is more like an island; biodiverse with unique flora and fauna. Most of the promontorio is a protected area and marine reserve, Il Parco Nazionale del Gargano, which includes le Isole Tremiti and the ancient Foresta Umbra. Fortunately, this has prevented development by large multinational hotels and resorts.

Il Gargano is famous for picchi (woodpeckers) and other birds, 300 varieties of orchids, almonds and olives. There are endless ancient hillside olive groves, pine forests, sea grotte, limestone cliffs, rocky shores, crystalline water and fresh seafood.

Baia delle Zagare

The winding road around the Gargano, SS 89 from Foggia, has sharp turns and viste mozzafiato (VIS·teh moz·zah·FYAH·toh)-breathtaking views. One of my favourite viewpoints is La Baia delle Zagare, where the battle scene between the Amazons and Germans in the movie Wonder Woman were filmed!

6)Trabucchi Trabucchi (tra∙BOO∙kkee) are old fishing contraptions found on the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo, Molise and Puglia. The design probably dates back to the ancient Phoenicians. Trabucchi have fascinated me since I was a child, taking l’Adriatico, the night train from Bologna to Foggia on a stormy night. They looked like giant alien octopi coming out of the sea! There are 13 functioning trabucchi on the coast of the Promontorio del Gargano between Peschici and Vieste, the oldest dating back to the 18th century. They are protected as National cultural heritage sites within the Parco Nazionale del Gargano. Read more in I Trabucchi del Gargano.

7) Trulli-These traditional limestone houses are unique to the Val d’Itria in Southern Puglia. They were built ‘a secco’, which means dry-without mortar. Trulli have domed cone-shaped roofs built up of overlapping grey limestone slabs called chiancharelle (kyan•ka•REL•leh).

‘La Zona dei Trulli’ includes the areas around Locorotondo, Fasano, Cisternino, Martina Franca, Ceglie Massapica and the largest concentration of 1,620 trulli in Alberobello. Alberobello and its trulli are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read more about trulli in I Trulli di Alberobello. 8) History/Connection to the Iliad Can any other region say it was founded by a Trojan War hero? According to legend, after the fall of Troy the mythical hero Diomede (Diomedes) found out his wife had been unfaithful. Instead of returning home to Argos, he sailed the Adriatic, created the Isole Tremiti, and then was invited by Daunus, King of the Daunia (modern Provincia di Foggia) to settle there. Diomede allegedly planted the first grape vines in Puglia, brought with him from Greece. He also founded many other towns in Puglia. Diomede was allegedly shipwrecked and died near the Isole Tremiti.

La tomba di Diomede on San Nicola.

An unmarked Hellenic period tomb on San Nicola is known as ‘la tomba di Diomede’. According to legend, his crew was so upset that the Goddess Venus took pity on the grieving men and turned them into birds that continue to cry for their loss. The scientific name for the Great Albatross common in the area is ‘Diomedea’. These birds look like seagulls and sounds like a crying newborn. There is a scene in Fellini’s fim ‘Otto e mezzo’ (8½), where a cardinal tells this story to Guido (Marcello Mastroianni).

A Diomedea, San Domino

9)Paesaggi- The landscape of Puglia is varied and beautiful, made up of wheat fields, olive groves, vineyards and rocky coastline. The region has 60 million olive trees, including ulivi secolari-centuries old trees with knotted, gnarled trunks that have been twisted by time and wind. Puglia’s trees produce 40% of the olive oil in Italia.

10) Slower pace Most of Puglia is still very much ‘real italia’, less commercialized and touristy, with great places to visit. I am often told my photos look like they are from old movie sets. Even though Puglia is often on the ‘places to see this year’ lists, it is uncrowded. This is partly because it is poorly served by public transportation, and also because most foreigners visiting Puglia only go to the Salento and Alberobello! Italians from other regions travel to Puglia a lot, making it a great place to practice speaking italiano! Check out the posts A Perfect day in Italia and Il Sole di Metà Pomeriggio for more paese scenes.Have you been to Puglia, mia regione preferita? Let me know in the comments.

This post is written as part of the #dolcevitabloggers monthly blogging linkup, hosted by Jasmine, Kelly and Kristie the 3rd Sunday of the month. Click the link to check out what the rest of the Dolce Vita bloggers have written on this month’s topic.

Ciao, Cristina

Halifax and the Titanic

15 Monday Apr 2019

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Canada, Travel

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Maritime safety, Titanic: The unsinkable ship

April 15^th 1912, 2:20am. 107 years ago today, the doomed luxury liner Titanic hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic. In October, I had the opportunity to visit to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The museum has a permanent exhibit called Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship. The exhibit takes you back in time and tries to recreate what life was like for everyone on board. It is interactive, educational and really well done, focusing on the creation and tragedy of the ship, and also Halifax’s connection to Titanic.

The collection includes photos, reproductions, and many items that floated to the surface when Titanic sank. These were donated or loaned by descendants of the recovery ship crews. Following maritime custom, fragments of shipwrecks were kept as reminders. This ‘wreckwood’ was not sold commercially, but kept by the families. Some very large pieces of elaborately carved wood and a deck chair were also recovered. The deck chair was given to Reverend H Cunningham for his work on the recovery ships. It was donated to the museum by his family. There is also a reproduction deck chair where visitors to the museum can sit and imagine what it would have been like to hang out aboard deck-before jumping into a lifeboat, of course!

Halifax was the closest port to the disaster and when the news broke, there was much confusion. The survivors and damaged ship were expected in Halifax. Trainloads of relatives were on their way. Immigration officers, sleeping arrangements and medical care were prepared in anticipation of an onslaught of 2200 cold, wet, hungry, displaced people. As it turned out, the 706 survivors were all taken to New York by the rescue ship Carpathia because the captain thought it was safer to head south than risk meeting another iceberg on the way to Halifax. 325 bodies were recovered from the frigid water, mostly by the cable ship Mackay-Bennett. 116 had to be respectfully buried at sea because they ran out of supplies, ice and embalming fluid. Regulations permitted only embalmed bodies be brought ashore. The 209 bodies were taken to the Mayflower Curling Rink in Halifax. Undertakers came from all over Nova Scotia to help. 59 of the bodies were picked up by relatives or shipped home, and 150 are buried in 3 Halifax cemeteries, one third in unmarked graves. One belongs to a 23 year old J Dawson, the name of Leonardo Di Caprio’s fictional character in the 1997 movie. Titanic’s band bass player and violinist are also buried here.

The crew of the Mackay Bennett were profoundly affected by the recovery of an unidentified 2 year old boy. They paid for his gravestone and accompanied him to the cemetery. He was wearing a pair of brown leather shoes. Unclaimed personal effects were burned to prevent souvenir hunting, but the Halifax Police Sargeant in charge could not bear to destroy the shoes. He kept them in his desk drawer until he retired and his grandson donated them to the museum in 2002. In 2010, scientists were able to use the shoes to identify the child as 19 month old Sidney Goodwin the youngest in a family of 8 on their way to Niagara Falls.

Visiting the exhibit again made me think about the world’s ongoing fascination with Titanic. Everyone knows how it ends and there have been other marine tragedies with worse devastation. In fact 5 years later the Halifax Explosion killed 2,000 and injured 9,000. Yet it is Titanic and its stories that go on and continue to fascinate and intrigue after over 100 yrs. Why? Read on:

1) Man vs Nature. Titanic was the biggest, fastest moving thing on the planet. According to the builders ‘even God could not sink this ship’. She was considered invincible and unsinkable, yet ironically was gone 4 days into her first voyage. Titanic was propelled with arrogance at full speed at night in an area known as ‘iceberg alley’, steering straight into an iceberg- and no one saw it coming! It turns out the impact of the iceberg should have damaged the ship, but not caused it to sink. As I learned in the exhibit, Canadian scientists discovered that the steel used to build Titanic contained high levels of sulfur, making it brittle at cold temperatures. This helps to explain the devastating results.

2) Maritime safety- In the early 20^th Century, everything was becoming ‘super-sized’, but regulations did not keep up with progress. The White Star Line knew more lifeboats were needed, but did not want to make the deck look cluttered or make 1^st class passengers nervous. There was room for 64 lifeboats but regulations only required 16! With approximately 2224 passengers and crew on board, there were only 20 lifeboats with room for 1178 people. The crew had no lifeboat training, so when panic and fear set in, they were massively disorganized and rowed out with 470 empty seats! It was fortunate Titanic sailed at only ⅔ capacity, as there was room for almost 1,000 more passengers.

Commercial Wireless traffic had taken priority over ice warnings. The ship Californian had sent Titanic an earlier iceberg warning, and was close enough to rescue everyone, but her wireless operators were tired and asleep so did not respond to Titanic’s distress call. The captain even saw thought he saw flares, but did not respond. Safety regulations and procedures at sea improved immediately, ensuring lifeboat space for everyone on board, regular lifeboat drills, and continuous wireless watch for distress calls became mandatory.

3) Social inequality at the turn of the century -There was an extreme contrast of passengers on board-the richest man in the world, John Jacob Astor IV, returning from his honeymoon, passengers returning from the Grand Tour, and the lower deck filled with impoverished immigrants heading to a new life in America. The classes were tightly segregated by locked barriers. The survival rate for 1^st class women was 97% and for 3^rd class men 13%.

4) Media-Titanic went down at the beginning of the communication age and was the first real disaster heard around the world. The first reports were from wireless operators on Carpathia. When she arrived in New York on April 18^th, Carpathia was surrounded by hundreds of small boats chartered by news agencies. The captain threatened to shoot any newsman who tried to board his ship.

5) Personal stories-It took 2 hours and 40 minutes for Titanic to sink. This provided time for survivors to witness the drama taking place-suffering, sacrifice, bravery, selfishness, cowardice, heartbreak. We all know that the band kept playing to keep the passengers calm, and about the older couple who died in their bed together as she would not get into a lifeboat without him, and the richest man in the world putting his pregnant wife on a lifeboat then bravely going down with the ship. The stories were about real people and the public could not get enough.

6) Constant presence in popular culture-The silent film ‘Saved from the Titanic’ was released one month later, starring Dorothy Gibson, a real survivor, wearing the same outfit she was wearing that fateful night. 2 more movies and many books were soon released. The hype continued until 1918, then WW1, the Great Depression and WWII overshadowed Titanic. In 1953 a new ‘Titanic’ movie was released, then the 1957 book ‘A Night to Remember’ sparked renewed interest. Walter Lord interviewed >60 survivors, some of them speaking for the first time. The wreck of the Titanic was discovered SE of Newfoundland in 1985. The ghostly images from the ship’s graveyard at the bottom of the Atlantic brought it back to life. Then of course the 1997 James Cameron blockbuster renewed interest again. There have been at least 15 movies/documentaries, 13 TV movies/miniseries and almost 200 books about Titanic.

I hope you have enjoyed my thought provoking visit to the Titanic exhibit. Despite the tragedy, we have the Titanic disaster to thank for improving maritime safety, and bringing to light the injustices and social inequality that were present at the time. If you happen to visit Halifax, do not miss the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Baia di Campi

08 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Puglia, Travel

≈ 17 Comments

Tags

Baia di Campi, Dolcevitabloggers, Gargano campsites, Il Gargano, Parco Nazionale del Gargano, Vieste

One of the most beautiful areas on earth, Il Promontorio del Gargano (gar·GAH·noh) is the promontory sticking out above ‘il tacco’, the heel of Italia. You can also think of it as la caviglia-the ankle spur of Italia. Surrounded by the Adriatico on 3 sides, the area is more like an island; biodiverse with unique flora and fauna. Most of the promontorio is a protected area and marine reserve, Il Parco Nazionale del Gargano, which includes le Isole Tremiti and the ancient Foresta Umbra. Fortunately, this has prevented overdevelopment by large multinational hotels and resorts.

Il Gargano is full of campsites, inexpensive, rustic accommodation and B & B’s. The campeggi e villaggi turistici -campsites and tourist villages, are ben attrezzati-well equipped. Go with a camper and all the gear, or just a vehicle and a tent. There are villette-little cabins for rent, but you need to bring your own sheets and towels, so these are mostly used by locals. This website (in Italiano) lists Gargano campsites. I have spent many weekends at different sites in the Gargano with my cugini and their camper. In July, we stayed at Campeggio Baia di Campi, near Vieste. Here is a video of the private beach during my windy morning walk:

Nothing like having a spiaggia all to myself! We were going to paddle by canoa-kayak to la Grotta dei due occhi, a sea cave 10 minutes away. Unfortunately, it became too windy to go, so I will hopefully have the opportunity to go again. The campsite had a shuttle bus to whitewashed Vieste, 20 minutes away. Read about other campsites I have stayed at in Campeggio sul Gargano.

View of Vieste from the SS89

The winding road around the Gargano, SS 89 from Foggia, has sharp turns and viste mozzafiato (VIS·teh moz·zah·FYAH·toh)-breathtaking views. You will not see any dehydrated (yuk!) camping food in Puglia. Most campsites have a little market selling fresh fruit, giant watermelon, mozzarelle and other necessities. Fresh fish is never far away, so I get to enjoy Mauro’s insalata di polpo ubriaco-drunken octopus salad!Most of the tourists visiting the Gargano area are Italian, especially in the summer. Many Germans drive their campers down too, but you will not meet many North Americans here. Il Gargano is the place to visit to improve your Italiano! This post is written as part of the monthly #dolcevitabloggers linkup, hosted by Jasmine of Questa Dolce Vita, Kelly of Italian at Heart and Kristie of Mamma Prada the 7th -14th of every month. This month’s topic is ‘Hidden gems’. Il Gargano is not so much ‘hidden’, as remote, unknown and not easily accessible without either a car or a lot of time. I hope you all make it here one day! As the Gargano website says, visit il Gargano ‘per una vacanza tra natura, mare e cultura’…for a holiday among nature, sea and culture!

More Il Gargano posts by Cristina: Isole Tremiti, I Trabucchi del Gargano, Campeggio sul Gargano, Santa Maria di Siponto.

Ciao e buon viaggio, Cristina

In Partenza!

28 Saturday Oct 2017

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Italia, Parole piacevoli, Travel

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Art retreat, Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje, Italia in November, Ritiro artistico

Sono in partenza! I am going on a recently planned trip to Roma, Orsara di Puglia and Lucca! My amica Shannon, who some of you may remember from this post, has organized an artist retreat just outside of Lucca…so of course I have to go. It just so happened I already had vacation scheduled for the week before, with no plans! The week before the retreat includes November 1, which is the festa Fucacoste e Cocce Priatorje in Orsara di Puglia. For years I have been hearing about what an incredible experience the festa is. Even my parents tell me stories about it. I have not ever attended because…. well really, who goes to Italia in November??? Apparently now I do! I managed to rearrange my schedule and piece together another week to my vacation and off I go! Have a look at this lively 47 second video.

I had to find out how to say ‘artist retreat’ in italiano so I could explain what I was going to be doing to my famiglia. The 2 best options I found are ritiro artistico and soggiorno creativo.

I arrive in Roma for the weekend, then will take the train to Orsara for the festa and a few days of hanging out and visiting with amici e famiglia. I must admit I am a bit concerned because my little casa does not have heat! Luckily the forecast is sunshine, and I have 2 of my Nonna‘s big blankets. I may buy a space heater or else bake biscotti every night so I can use the oven! My next stop is Lucca. I will be at the retreat for a week and at the end of it we are having una mostra, an exhibit in Pietrasanta. After the retreat I have a day and a half free, which I will probably spend in Firenze, since that is where I fly home from. As I explained in my summer post ‘Chiuso per Ferie’, which hardly anyone read, new posts will have to wait until I am back. I will be posting to Instagram regularly, so check that out to see what I am up to!

Arrivederci, Cristina

PS The photo was taken while flying over Stanley Park and downtown Vancouver

Ruote di Trani

09 Monday Oct 2017

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Puglia, Travel

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Fiat 126, Fiat 500 Giardiniera, Fiat Cinquecento, Piaggio Ape, Renault 4, Southern Italy, Trani

In August I took a lovely daytrip to Trani, a quiet, sun drenched fishing port on the Adriatic. While walking through town and the port in the late morning/early afternoon there were times I felt like I was walking through a movie set! One of the reasons is because of all the macchine d’epoca or vintage cars that I saw, as well as motorini and biciclette. I have compiled a few photos of these vehicles in this post and, for lack of a better title, I am calling it Ruote di Trani or Wheels of Trani.

I was disappointed because I did not take any photos of my favourite macchina, as every time I saw a Cinquecento, a Fiat 500, it was speeding past me too quick to snap a photo! I have a bit of an obsession with them-but only the old ones. It turns out I actually did photograph one though!

This is a Fiat Cinquecento Giardiniera, also known as the 500K or the Autobianchi Giardiniera. It is basically a Cinquecento station wagon, made from 1960-1977. If you think I am joking, cover the back half of the car, and you will see that the front half is totally 500ish! In 1970, production was transferred to Autobianchi, a Fiat subsidiary in Monza. Later models were branded as Autobianchi rather than Fiat. Notice this one has porte di suicidio or suicide doors, which are hinged at the rear instead of the front. They make it easier to get in and out of the car, but are a safety hazard at higher speeds. I wrote about porte di suicidio here. Notice the bird photobomb in the corner!

The Centoventisei or Fiat 126 was a more modern model to replace the Cinquecento in 1973. The 126 never became as popular. My Zio used to have one that was a Robin’s egg blue. It were very popular in the former eastern bloc countries because of its fuel efficiency. Later models were made in Poland as the Polski 126p.

This ‘vintage’ photo of a white Fiat 126 was taken by me on my previous visit to Trani, in 1994. My Zio had one just like this. I think it even had the same dented front. Thankfully, not much has changed to the look of Trani since 1994!

This photo of a late 1960’s/early 1970’s Renault 4 GTL on the street in front of old buildings looks like it was taken 50 years ago rather than just 2 months ago!

I spotted this Piaggio Ape (AH·peh) 3 wheeled vehicle at the port. Piaggio also makes the Vespa motorino. An Ape is basically a Vespa with 2 wheels at the back supporting a flatbed. Piaggio started making the Ape in 1948 to fill the post-war need for inexpensive light commercial transport. Ape means bee. I thought it was named for the cute buzzing sound it makes while driving, but it could also be referring to the work ethic of this ‘worker bee’ hardworking vehicle. Api make great delivery vehicles for narrow cobblestone streets and alleyways.

I hope you enjoyed your phototour of Trani’s ruote. Grazie mille to Franco for helping me identify them! Ciao, Cristina

Trani

30 Saturday Sep 2017

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Architecture, Italia, Photography, Puglia, Travel

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

Diomedes, Italy travel tips, Puglia, Romanico Pugliese, San Nicola Pellegrino, Southern Italy, Trani, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

A crescent shaped port, fishermen selling their catch on the waterfront, a timeless, picturesque centro storico that looks like it could be a movie set, a castle, and a stunning limestone Romanesque cathedral right at the water’s edge where you expect to find a lighthouse. These are some of the reasons why Trani is one of my favourite day trips. It is a beautiful, peaceful, uncrowded fishing port on the Adriatic, between Barletta and Bari. Trani is on the main ‘Adriatico’ railway line so it is easily accessible without a car.

Trani is ancient Tirenum, allegedly founded by Tirenus, son of Diomede. Trani is famous for issuing the ‘Ordinamenta et consultudo Maris’ in 1063. This is the oldest surviving maritime law code in the west. The street along the harbor is called ‘Via Statuti Marittimi’. Trani is also known for Moscato di Trani, figs, almonds and olive oil.

During the rule of Federico Secondo (aka Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II) in the early 13th Century, Trani became an important political center and trading port with the Orient. Since Trani was on the pilgrimage route to the Holy Land it grew and prospered. Trani also had a close diplomatic and trading relationship with Venezia.When I got off the train in Trani, I walked about half an hour, straight to the cathedral. I am a big fan of Romanico Pugliese (Pugliese Romanesque), an 11th-13th Century architectural style unique to Puglia. Romanico Pugliese includes classic Romanesque features such as tall facades, campanili and rose windows, blended with Byzantine and Islamic architectural details. In fact, since 2006, the Romanico Pugliese churches in Puglia are on the the UNESCO World Heritage Sites tentative list. This is the step before becoming a World Heritage Site.The Trani cathedral was built in 1099 out of local tufo, a creamy coloured limestone that almost seems to glow in the sun. One of the oldest and largest cathedrals in Puglia, it was used as a model for the ones built later. It was named for San Nicola Pellegrino (the Pilgrim), a 19 year old Greek shepherd who died while on pilgrimage in Trani in 1094. His bones are in the crypt. Note….this is not the same San Nicola who is buried in Bari and is the inspiration for Santa Claus. Trani’s cathedral was constructed on layers of history. It was built over the foundations of a 5th Century Byzantine church, Santa Maria della Scala, which was built over the Roman crypt of San Leucio. Both of these ‘layers’ are accessible. The beautiful bronze doors are a copy. The original doors are on display inside. The 32 panels were sculpted by Barisano di Trani who also did work on the cathedrals in Ravenna and Monreale. The 60m high campanile built in 1239 has square corners and an octagonal spire. The number of windows increase with each floor. The campanile was being renovated when I was there, so I have included a photo I took in 1994 without the scaffolding.

Trani 1994

Right on the harbour is the Chiesa di Ognissanti, built in the 12th Century by the Knights Templar in the courtyard of their hospital. Trani was on the route to the Holy Land and the knights had a hospital here for those wounded in the crusades. It is not open to the public.At the far end of the harbour, the Villa Comunale is a park with benches and a seaside walk. The breakwater near the Cathedral is a nice place to sit and soak up the sun or go for a swim.

Federico II built the Castello Svevo in 1249. It has square towers at each corner. The sea water moat was filled in. From the 1800’s-1974 the castello was used as a prison. Now it is open to visitors and hosts cultural events. Admission is €3.

Trani once had southern Italia’s largest Giudecca community or Jewish neighborhood. It was not a ghetto, as it was not closed off. There were once 4 synagogues. The Scolanova Synagogue spent centuries as a church, but in 2006 it was rededicated as a synagogue.

Trani is small enough that you can walk everywhere. From the Stazione, walk straight out and turn left at Piazza della Repubblica. There is an info point here. It is about a half hour walk along quiet streets with beautiful palazzi to the cathedral and port. Just ask a local for ‘Il Porto’ if you need directions. Shops are closed from 1-5 pm.

For seafood lovers, the port has many excellent restaurants. My cousins had given me 3 restaurant recommendations. It was such a beautiful sunny day I just wanted to sit near the breakwater and enjoy the sea. I had a mad craving for polipo-octopus. I ended up getting a take away insalata di polipo and a glass of Falanghina. It was perfect!

Trani is a great base to stay for exploring several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Castel del Monte, Alberobello and Matera are all about 1 hour away.

Ciao e buon viaggio, Cristina

Un po' di pepe

~ …… (oon∙poh∙dee∙PEH∙peh) Cristina writes about interesting stuff /Cristina scrive di cose interessanti

Category Archives: Travel

Lucca

Viaggio con Isabella

Un Giorno a Napoli

Le Cinque Terre

Puglia~Mia Regione Preferita

Halifax and the Titanic

Baia di Campi

In Partenza!

Ruote di Trani

Trani

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