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| mountains of Basilicata |
Rugged mountains did not stop Greeks, Romans or Normans from building and fortifying towns in seemingly inaccessible places. We drove to two of these towns, southeast of Naples in the Basilicata region, up incredibly steep and narrow roads, some only 1 car wide with no shoulders (and, right now, with snow piled on the sides of the roads). I was happy this is not tourist season so I didn’t have to face off against the nose of a large bus or even another car.
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| Pietrapertosa |
Jagged slabs of rock rise above the roads and shelter the
towns nestled against them. We wandered
around both Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano, closed down right now, but busier
during the tourist season with a few shops and restaurants that cater to the
visitors. It took us 25 minutes to wind
our way from Pietrapertosa down into a steep valley and up the opposite
mountainside to Castelmezzano, but there is the (reportedly) longest zip line
in the world between the two towns that would probably get you there faster, if
not as comfortably.
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| Castelmezzano |
Only a few older locals were sitting in the sun in Pietrapertosa and Castelmezzano, but still a couple of carabinieri stopped us
on our way out of Pietrapertosa on the skinny, windy road with no one traveling
on it to make sure I had a driver’s license and the car had a
registration. An excellent use of resources. A small hotel in
Castelmezzano opened in time for us to get some lunch before moving on to the
striking 13th century Castel del Monte, built by the Swabian king, Frederick
II, who prized the area for its excellent hunting. The castle has been stripped of its
treasures, but is worth a visit to see its unusual octagonal shape formed by
large towers, and beautiful limestone walls.
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| Castel del Monte |
We drove through the hills of Puglia, visiting 3 of the hill towns known for their historic centers. Locorotondo, founded as a town in about 1000 AD, has been called the prettiest town in Italy, a title it deserves along with many other charming ancient towns in Italy. We wandered around the tiny streets of several towns, enjoying the beauty of their limestone buildings and pleasant piazzas. Since this is not tourist season, nothing was open, but people told us the crowds are thick during high season.
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| Locorotondo |
We are staying at an old farm, Masseria Montenapoleone, in the midst of Puglia’s ancient olive orchards (which I’ll write about in my next blog), close to both the hill towns and the lovely cities along the Adriatic Coast. The most popular of these is Polignano a Mare, with its beautiful historic center and clear turquoise water washing up against the cliffs below the town and creating dark blue grottoes in those cliffs.
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| Polignano |
Once a Greek trading center, Polignano was later dominated by the Romans, Byzantine Turks, Normans and Spanish. Most of these towns had walls and towers, including tower homes built by families who hoped to spot foreign invaders coming from the sea before they arrived in order to mount a defense. But, history was not kind to the townspeople in any age and none of the protections they devised ultimately kept them safe from the next wave of conquerors.
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| church in Polignano's main piazza |
Polignano’s “centro storico” did have some tourists, mostly
vacationing Italians, despite the off-season, so restaurants and shops were
open. But, the pretty streets were not
crowded. Many lead down to the edge of
the cliffs, providing a beautiful view of the gorges dividing the sections of
the town and the white buildings lining the sea.
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| Polignano's tiny beach |
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