<![CDATA[ALUSOARE

<![CDATA[ALUSOARE - Italy]]>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 20:57:11 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[Amalfi Coast in November]]>Tue, 13 Jun 2023 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/amalfi-coast-in-novemberAs you will be able to read through several of my posts you will see that I almost always try to go somewhere warmer for my birthday and last year the destination was the Amalfi Coast. From the title you can figure out that my birthday is consequently in November (great month, I know :|). So lets see how everything was planned (and why it was done like this)

Why Amalfi Coast and the reasoning behind the itinerary

I decided for the Amalfi Coast as it was an opportunity to see the area without the huge crowds that you experience during the warmer months.

Instead of landing in Naples as most people will do, we landed in FCO and made it into a road-trip. My sister lives in Cork and from there she has super few direct flights. As Rome, FCO was one of them, so we decided to opt for this option.

We stayed from Thursday evening to Monday afternoon, to give you a view on how much time we had.

Day 1

Two of us arrived on Thursday afternoon/evening and my sister was landing on Friday noon. So we booked an accommodation in Fiumicino itself.

Getting to Fiumicino although not straight forward it can be done with a public bus and if there is no traffic you reach the city super fast and very cheap (2-3 Euros).

We stayed at Porto di Claudio - the place is ok, nothing special, but breakfast was included in the price which was nice.

Day 2

After our breakfast we drove to Castel Gandolfo which is a small village at the outskirts of Rome. It's a very nice trip if you have an extra day when in the area.

From there we went back to the airport to pick up my sister and off we went all the way to Sorrento.

And as always in search for Tre Coni rated ice cream places, we went to Gabriele Vico Equense

And in the evening it was time for my birthday celebration & we decided to try La Cantinaccia del Popolo.

Staying in Sorrento itself was expensive so we stayed a bit at the edge of the city, but still walk distance. We decided to stay at Casale Guarracio which is a super cute decorated B&B with awesome views.

Day 3

This can be considered a pour road trip day. After breakfast we headed over to the port of Sorrento to park our car and from there took a walk through the city.

If you are to buy souvenirs on the Amalfi Coast, I strongly recommend to buy them from Sorrento, as they would be the cheapest.

From Sorento we went to Positano and spent there a few hours taking some pictures and having a snack.

And then we continues our road to Amalfi, where we also had our accommodation for the weekend.

Keep in mind that in Amalfi itself there are only some common parking, you will not find free parking at the accommodation.

We stayed at Amalfi Luxury House, and although the place was very nice with great views and nice breakfast, I was a bit disappointed on the staff. They came 1h later than agreed and they double charged me the stay. After spending quite some discussions with them I finally got reimbursed but

Day 4

I woke up super early and went for a walk around the Amalfi with no people around. Almalfi is super pretty (I personally liked it more than Positano.

I also took a walk to Atrani as the sun was just coming up. Great walk :)

From there we went to Ravello, which is a nice village, but if you don't have spare time, it's ok to miss it (at least from my perspective)

From there we continued our trip to Casertavecchia where you can spend a bit of time walking through this tiny village around

Our list of must does was to try out one of the best Neapolitan Pizza's in Italy, namely Il Masanieli - Francesco Martucci in Caserta.

And we finally drove back to Fiumicino where we stayed at Casa Vacanze Giramondo. I do not reccomend the place so best to avoid it if you need to book something in Fiumicino

Day 5

We started by brining my sister to the airport and then came back to visit Fiumicino (nothing special)

If you have the time, you can visit Pontile di Ostia and the Port (Porto Turistico di Roma)

One must try in Fiumicino are some pizza slices (roman type of pizza) at Sancho pizza (this would be similar to Bonci, if you are familiar with the Netflix Pizza series.

]]><![CDATA[One week in Sardinia - Roadtrip edition]]>Tue, 23 May 2023 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/one-week-in-sardinia-roadtrip-editionI fell in love with Sardinia back in 2017 when I first went on a weekend trip to Alghero and as one weekend is never enough to visit such a spectacular islands like Sardinia, I decided to go back for a tad longer time this time renting a car and being able to move out of Alghero. I am sure this will not be my last time on this gorgeous island, but for now, let's give you some ideas for your trip.

Getting there & car rental

We stayed there for a full week (Saturday to Saturday), landed in Alghero and rented a car. When we fist checked prices for car rentals we got a bit scared as they were pretty significant. In the end we decided to rent a car from Entreprise but I did have a discount code from my work.

If you don't have a car, to get from the airport to the city don’t worry it’s super easy. There is a bus that makes the connection, make sure to buy your ticket inside the airport (not that straight forward to find the ticket machine but it’s there and then you can hop on the bus that brings you to the center of Alghero.

Day 1: Alghero

We stayed at La Pavoncella Blu which is an apartment with several private rooms having private bathrooms outside of your room. There was a small shared kitchen and some super basic (sweet) breakfast.
As we arrived in the afternoon, went to the local beach Spiaggia di Alghero Lungomare and then watched the sunset from the nearby Riservato Beach Bar

Day 2: Alghero

We took the bus to Maria Pia Beach and enjoyed a relaxed morning.

Booked at table for lunch at Lo Chalet Ristorante Wine &Bar for pasta & prosecco.

From there we went for an ice cream at Alghero gelateria oops

And then continued our dulce far niente day at La bia dei Venti till sunset.

Walked home along the beach on Via Lido enjoying the relaxed end of the day

Day 3: Alghero Town + Drive to Orosei

Our day started with a visit through Alghero town enjoying the Catalan feel of the city while enjoying yet another Gelato from K2

Early afternoon we jumped in the car and drove towards Orosei with a first stop in Castelsardo with some great photo opportunities :)

From where we went to Spiaggia Poltu Biancu for a the afternoon sun.

Arriving in Orosei we stayed at Agriturismo Don Lucifero which is a very relaxing place to stay at but a bit outside Orosei, a car is a must for this place.

Day 4: Oasis Biderosa

We spent our day in Biderosa National Park. You have several beaches that are wild'ish and not that many people around. Keep in mind you need to pay an entrance fee, but if you want to go out for lunch you can come back by showing our initial ticket (just ask at the ticket office to be sure).

After trying to figuring out a place to eat we booked a table at Locanda Sa Veletta that had good food and awesome views

Our evening finished in Orosei town for some drinks at Bar yesterday and yet another ice cream from Bar Gelateria Pasticceria Smeralda.

Day 5: Boat Trip in the Golf of Orosei

I am not a boat fan, and my heart rate stays pretty high when on a boat, but this is totally worth it.

You can drive the boat yourself and stop along the golf, making sure you return your boat at the agreed hour. You do not need a special driving license for it just follow the instructions they provide.

After a full day at sea, we stopped for dinner at Ristorante Bar 'Da Mario for a pizza and some prosecco or Aperol.

Day 6: Back to Alghero

It was time to head back, but not without stopping at a few other places along the way.

Spiaggia Is Arutas is a beach with tiny quarts stones that makes it very difficult not to pick some to get home as souvenir (but make sure not to take any, as you are not allowed).

And visiting the colorful Bosa Village, one of the cutest ones on the island

Make sure to take a few hours to go all the way up, if you have time, have lunch at Bacco Bistro

From Bosa we stopped in a tiny village for an ice cream at Dolci Sfizi one of the Tre Coni rated ice cream places.

And we even had time to catch the sunset on Spiaggia Le Bombarde

Our accomodation was at Il Giardino del Nespolo which is pretty centrally situated making it great to catch the bus to the airport. The wifi was almost not working but they did have a funny turtle in the garden.

Day 7: Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Conte

This day was dedicated to the Beach and (as we did not book enough time in advance to go to La Pelosa) we decided to go to Spiaggia Mugoni where we stayed as long as we could given the heat.

In the eveing we went for dinner at Il Pesce D'oro for some well deserved pasta.

And so our holiday on this magical island came to an end, the next morning was time to head to the airport.

]]><![CDATA[A weekend in Rome]]>Tue, 22 Oct 2019 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/a-weekend-in-rome

It's been a very long time I wanted to go back to Rome. I love the city despite the crowds and sometimes the unfortunate garbage smell. This time I went on my own and so I got to cover far more in a weekend than usually. Get ready :)

It was my 3rd time in Rome, first time was when I was 11 and part of my bus trip with my grandma all the way from Romania and second time it was my first big roadtrip since I moved to Belgium. Let's see how a weekend would look like.

Getting to Rome

You can either land on Ciampino (CIA) which is closer to the city of on Fumincino (FCO) which is some kilometers away. I landed on FCO and took the Leonardo Express Airport Train to central station. The trip is about 30 min and costs approx 14 Euro one way.

Getting around in Rome

I would say that Rome is quite walk-able so you can cover a lot of the top sites walking around the city. As an alternative and saving maybe some time depending on what you need to reach, i can recommend the metro which worked very good.

Accommodation

I stayed at Royal Termini which is located very close to the train station. The downside to it is that it's overpriced for what it offers. I know Rome is expensive, but still. Below my review
+ excellent location
+ friendly stuff
+ comfortable beds
- poor wifi
- reception is usually not present
- expensive

DAY 1: 26km

It was a long day, but got to see everything I had on my list. The locations are listed in the order i saw them.
Maybe one thing worth mentioning is that I absolutely hate eating alone and so I opted for street food

Santa Maria Maggiore Church

I really did not have this church on the list, but with so many of them in Rome is hard to have them all, plus you get to see them anyway, but it seems that this one is quite important as it is the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome.

Santa Prassede Church

What i did have on my list is this medieval church which was started in 780 and finished 822 being one of the oldest churches in Rome.

This is one of the places which I would recommend to go inside (you don't have to be religious for it) as it's small, not crowded and the mosaic of the apsidal arch is really gorgeous.

btw, I also absolutely loved the ceiling

Basillica di Santa Pudenziana

Not far away from Santa Prassede, you can find the Santa Pudenziana church which according to Wikipedia it is recognized as the oldest place of Christian worship in Rome.

Route to Spanish Square

As said a lot of times in Rome you get to see things that are really special without having them on your list.

Crossing of Quattro Fontane which is an ensemble of 4 fountains located in the intersection Via delle Quattro Fontane and Via del Quirinale in Rome. The 4 is said to represent: The River Aniene, The River Tiber, The goddess Diana, The goddess Juno

A bit further down the road you can find Palazo Barberini which is the home of the Gallery for Antique Art

Column of the Immaculate Conception: "The Marian monument was designed by the architect Luigi Poletti, the actual figure atop was sculpted by Giuseppe Obici and commissioned by Ferdinand II, King of the Two Sicilies. In part, he wanted to put closure to the dispute between Naples and the Papal States that had developed in the last century, when Naples abolished the Chinea, a yearly tribute offered to the Pope as ultimate sovereign of Naples. Since December 1953, Pontiffs have visited the monument annually and offered a bouquet of flowers at the base of the column commemorating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception." (Source)

Spanish Square & Spanish Steps

One of the places that best stayed in my memory from my first time in Rome was the feeling of being around the Spanish Steps. But this was happening more than 20 years ago (OMG) and so the tourism since increased. The feeling I got now is incomparable and far less impacting than during my first time. Still is one of my favorite spots in Rome.
Please check some of the rules and regulations that you need to take into account when travelling to Rome.

"The monumental stairway of 174 steps (the slightly elevated drainage system is often mistaken for the first step) was built with French diplomat Etienne Gueffier's bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723-1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinita dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, both located above - to the Holy See in Palazzo Monaldeschi located below. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. (Source)

Spagna Metro Stop (for streetart lovers)

Don't get too excited, as it's not that much art. But when I went there was one piece of Seth_globepainter and some other mosaic pieces.

Trevi Fountain

This is of course one of the top crowded places in Rome. Now I am not sure if the coin is the one that makes you come back, or just your appreciation for the city, but each time I went, i threw a coin and went back :)

Before the current fountain was built there used to be a fountain here which was considered by Pope Urban VIII as not dramatic enough, so he requested an improved version. When the Pope died the project was abandoned. In the end was Nicola Salvi the architect that started the construction in 1732 at the request of Pope Clement XII.

One one of the small streets around I found a window full of locks. Crazy tradition, but looks pretty.

Cathedral of Saint Ignatius

The highlight of this church is the ceiling and the mirror placed so that you can properly see everything happening on the top. So I highly recommend going inside

Andrea Pozzo, a Jesuit lay brother, painted the grandiose fresco that stretches across the nave ceiling (after 1685). It celebrates the work of Saint Ignatius and the Society of Jesus in the world presenting the saint welcomed into paradise by Christ and the Virgin Mary and surrounded by allegorical representations of all four continents. (Source)

Pantheon

The whole atmosphere around the Pantheon is somehow special, could really say why. But i definitely recommending passing by.

It is a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD). It was completed by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated about 126 AD. Its date of construction is uncertain, because Hadrian chose not to inscribe the new temple but rather to retain the inscription of Agrippa's older temple, which had burned down. (Source)

BREAK: Sant Eustachio Il Cafe

It was time for a break and an Italian espresso. After a bit of research I found online that Sant'eustachio il caffe is a must try. So i went to check it out.

I could not say it's the absolute the best coffee I tried, but it definitely has a local charm (even if it is overfilled also with tourists - like me :|). I ordered my cappuccino with a sweet bit to make sure I get enough energy till lunch and enjoyed the coffee Italian style standing at the bar. Great thing to do if you love people watching ;)

Piazza Navona

Such a wonderful square!

Here besides the nice architecture you'll find a collection of street artists, that somehow fit it and you don't feel as overwhelmed as in a lot of other locations.

"It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans went there to watch the agones ("games"), and hence it was known as "Circus Agonalis" ("competition arena"). It is believed that over time the name changed to in avone to navone and eventually to navona. (Source)

Road To The Vatican

As mentioned also before, there are so many nice things in Rome that's impossible to have them all on your what to see list. This section here is to add for you some pictures from around the city that I found cute or interesting to share

Castel Sant'Angelo

Maybe you will think that how is it possible I did not know the place/museum, but well, to be fair I did not know about it and so when walking towards the Vatican I was wondering what is that? Well with some google research was not hard to figure it out.

"is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum" (Source)

Saint Pieter's Bassilica

Not sure this needs any introduction or comments or anything, but if you did not already know here some fun & interesting facts about it

It is the second largest church in the world, it is so big that the statue of liberty can easily fit inside it.

It needed 219 years to complete (maybe this is not that incredible there are some monuments out there that needed a lot of time to finalize, or are still being built.

Do you fancy views from the top? Then you would need to climb 551 steps (less if you take the elevator) for the view. I must admit I only did it once and it was not during this trip.

The majestic dome, designed by Michelangelo is one of the world's largest measuring 42 meters in diameter and reaching 132.5 meters high.

BREAK: Bonci Pizzarium

As I was alone, I preferred to stay on street-food and so after checking out what's there to try, I found as must try the Bonci Pizzarium. They serve a thinker type of sliced pizza with super fresh ingredients.

I know that the pizza dough is special & all, but I did not appreciate it that much :|. I am clearly more of a Neapolitan pizza dough, BUT the ingredients and the tomato sauce was absolutely exquisite

If you do decide to go, expect long to very long queues. HERE you can read more about the story of this pizza

Views of Saint Pieter's Bassilica: Via Nicolo Picadomini

I try to find places that are worth the time and are not that crowded, sometimes I manager sometimes there is a mediocre outcome. I went all the way up on this street for a view over the St. Pieter's Basilica and not that is bad, but not worth your time.

Largo di Torre Argentina

If you love cats, then this place will be like heaven as they are everywhere. It is a cat sanctuary but also a sort of an ancient square with four Roman Republican temples and the remains of Pompey's Theatre. It is in the ancient Campus Martius.

If you don't like cats, just go around and take some pictures, it looks quite nice and for sure it's interesting to read a bit about the place. "The name of the square comes from the Torre Argentina, which takes its name from the city of Strasbourg whose Latin name was Argentoratum. In 1503, the Papal Master of Ceremonies Johannes Burckardt, who came from Strasbourg and was known as "Argentinus", built in via del Sudario a palace (now at number 44), called Casa del Burcardo, to which the tower is annexed." (Source)

The four temples, originally designated by the letters A, B, C, and D, front onto a paved street, which was reconstructed in the imperial era, after the fire of AD 80. The area was delineated to the North by the Hecatostylum (one-hundred columns porch) and the Baths of Agrippa, and to the South by the buildings related to the Circus Flaminius, to the East by the great porched square of Porticus Minucia Frumentaria, and to the West by the Theatre of Pompey. (Source)

If you do like cats, you can visit the shelter and also make a donation. Of of the reason of the need for this shelter is because Rome has a no kill law for cats so they need to have a place where they sterilize them

Piazza Venezia

"Located almost in the 'geometric centre' of Rome (after a complex series of reconstructions), Piazza Venezia was named after the Cardinal Venezia who, in 1455, ordered the construction of his own Palace (Palazzo Venezia) that later became the seat of 'Serenissima' (Republic of Venice)." (Source)

Colonna Traiana

Towering over the Foro di Traiano, Trajan's column (AD 113) is adorned with a microscopically-detailed spiral frieze illustrating the Romans' victorious campaign against Dacia (roughly modern-day Romania). It later served as Trajan's tomb - his ashes were interred in a room inside the column's hollow base - and was crowned by a statue of the emperor. In the late 16th century, Pope Sixtus V replaced this with the statue of St Peter you see today. (Source)

Temple of Portunus & Bocca della Verita

While walking towards the green door with the keyhole :) I passed by these 2 locations.

Temple of Portunus: I liked a lot how it looks like and that's why I actually took a photo of it. Later when researching a little bit online I found out what it actually is. "one of the best preserved of all Roman temples. Its dedication remains unclear, as ancient sources mention several temples in this area of Rome, without saying enough to make it clear which this is. It was called the Temple of Fortuna Virilis from the Renaissance, and remains better known by this name. If dedicated to Portunus, the god of keys, doors and livestock, and so granaries, it is the main temple dedicated to the god in the city" (Source)

Bocca della Verita: If you do want to actually get you future read in your palm, prepare to queue. When I passed by there were quite some people waiting to see what the future has reserved for them

Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta

When you get there it looks sort of stupid (and probably it is stupid) to wait about 45 minutes in a line to look through a keyhole. That's literally all that is happening.

The excitement grows as you approach and so when I finally reached it, i decided to take a picture also of the door & the keyhole itself.

When ready look through the keyhole and you get to see through a tunnel Michelangelo's dome. Now, you have to apologize my photos, but was not that easy to take a picture of it (not a professional photographer here)

Panoramic Viewpoint: Giardino degli Aranci

After the huge wait, I stopped in this park for a panoramic photo of Rome, It was not previously on my list, but I needed a short break on a bench after the wait :)

Roman Forum

At this moment of the day, the battery of my camera died, so it was just being plugged to the external battery to charge a bit and so the pictures are only with the phone. No panic as the next day i pass by again in more detail to take pictures with the camera. I did not enter the sight, but went around it.

Colosseo

As I arrived at the Colosseum as expected thousands of people were everywhere around. Not that I know too much about it but was not that impressed by the light at that time and so I went back again next day. I did not know that there was Rome marathon day, but I did get some nice views :) Wait for it.

Acquario Romano

Very close to the hotel there was this Piazza Manfredo Fanti which holds the building of the architects. Looks nice, so entered for a second for a picture :)

DAY 2: 23 KM

For day 2, I promise it is a shorter post as my main focus was to search for street-art, which I will only briefly mention here. I intend a separate post in my streetart section to come up later on.

Streetart

One of the Italian artists I like a lot is Alice. As a local (she is from Rome) you can find quite some of her art around the city. I will be adding below 2 main areas that I have checked out and will leave you the closest metro stops: Porto Furba & Manzoni. More detaisl you'll have in the streetart tab.

Porta Tiburtina

When going from Manzoni metro stop towards the streetart area I spotted some sort of walls and I was wondering what they were. Well it seems that it is a gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, Italy, through which the Via Tiburtina exits the city.

Colosseum 2.0

Monti Neighborhood

They call it one of the cutest neighborhood in Rome, and i could not agree more. Take an hour or so to walk around.

Grab a Gelatto sit on the stairs and watch all the people passing by.

Arch of Constantine

"Is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the largest Roman triumphal arch. The arch spans the Via triumphalis, the way taken by the emperors when they entered the city in triumph." (Source)

Roman Forum - actually the road around it

If you head towards the Roman Forum entry point but you tern left instead you'll find a road up, which is a very pretty walk with some nice views around.

Road to Lateranense Palace

This was a random direction, where it looked pretty as I had some time to spare. Happy I took it as i found some nice looking spots along my way.

With 49 km walked in 2 days, I can't complain of the things I got to see. Next time, I'll focus more on food

]]><![CDATA[Discovering Puglia]]>Tue, 30 Apr 2019 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/discovering-puglia

Italy is an amazing place with amazing landscapes food and please. Being quite lucky with living in Belgium from where I have loads of flights all over Italy I am visiting a different spot in Italy every year and I always come back happy from my trip. And so this year was finally time to visit Puglia, this super amazing end of the heel of our lovely boot looking country. But to cut a long story short, let's see what I got to do, eat and see ;)

Getting There & Moving around

You have 2 main airports which are Bari and Brindisi to which you have flights from some airports across Europe. An other alternative would be flying to Naples/Rome and catching a train but this might be quite long.
Once in Italy, best and most flexible option is to rent a car. The smaller the better, but we had a Fiat L and had no issues. Ensure to adjust to the Italian driving style if you want to enjoy the ride.
There is public transport to move around, but it will more difficult to reach more remote places.

In short where we've been

I'll break down the trip in several ways to make sure everyone finds their info collection style.
Below you'll find a short overview of the stops we've done, here will be separate posts more in details of the different locations, another post on food and in the itinerary you can of course find a view on our exact route. So taking it step bu step.

Polignano a Mare

This is a must stop, although you should not really expect the chance to find a spot on the tiny beach on a sunny day. But the place is GORGEOUS

Read More

Lecce

if you fancy architecture then you'll love it. Lecce is a a wonderful city filled with Baroque architecture. they call it Florence of the South, but to be fair I clearly like it more than Florence.

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Gallipoli

Perfect place to enjoy a wonderful sunset in the sea

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Santa Maria di Leuca

The place for the Adriatic and Ionic sea meet

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Beach spots next to Otranto

Baia dei Turchi

Go there early, you'll thank me for it

Torre Sant'Andrea

Not a place to swim (unless you are in search for snorkeling) but the views are super spectacular

Grota de la Poesia

That's a special place, jump in if you have the guts ;) .... can get extreme crowded

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Ostuni

I loves this cute little white city, but what I enjoyed most is the road there and the city lifts up in front of you...awesome

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Locorotondo

They call it one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, well...I have not seen all of them but i for sure can say it is PRETTY!!!!

Alberlobello

I mean this is a fairy tale village where everything happens in a Trulli type of house. Expect loads of tourists but I do consider it worth it to top by.

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Matera

This is an amazing place and not to wonder it's Capital of Culture in 2019. Make sure to book your spot early and remember 2nd of July the city is celebrating Festa della Bruna.

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Montescaglioso

We've visiting as one special Italian fried is from here ;)

Bari

i won't have a post about Bari as i did not really get to see it properly. From what I did see, i would not lose a lot of time here....but I do leave you with a beautiful sunset

This all has been done in 6 days, we landed in Bari on Thursday AM and left back to Belgium next Wednesday AM, just to give you an idea of the travel time needed. It was a total of just under 1000 km.

]]><![CDATA[Matera: Festa della Bruna]]>Tue, 02 Apr 2019 22:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/matera-festa-della-bruna

When we announced our friend from Matera that we are planing to visit his town early June he said...nooooooo, please come in July you need to be there on the 2nd of July to take part in Festa della Bruna... so now I can share with you what it is all about.

We arrived in Matera close to midnight the day before the celebration. The city center was packed with people and everywhere you had a lot of decoration. At a point everyone stopped to admire the lights dancing on famous Italian music

"The Festa della Bruna (Festa di Maria Santissima della Bruna, Festa della Madonna della Bruna) is the principal festival of the town of Matera, in Italy's southern Basilicata region. Although the festival is in honour of the town's sacred protectress, the Madonna della Bruna, it is far from being a purely religious event. Tens of thousands of local people turn out onto the streets for a week of celebrations with coloured lights, market stalls, town bands and grand processions. Events climax with a pagan-style rite of destruction, before a valedictory firework display." (Source)

If you are from the region the day itself could have more meaning, but as a tourist I must say that I could not figure out a lot what was happening. It was so so so full of people. If you are interested in all the details you can check out the event's page.

If you are into fireworks, the show is spectacular so make sure to get a good spot to see them. These are fired up from the Belvedere.

Keep in mind t: if you stay in the center there will be canon shooting as of the early morning...just not to get scared :). It's an interesting event which is worth experiencing if you are in/around Matera in that period.

]]><![CDATA[Basilicata: Matera]]>Tue, 26 Mar 2019 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/basilicata-matera

If you start researching about Matera you'll for sure stumble upon the fact that the city changed from being considered the shame of Italy to UNESCO capital of culture in 2019. Have a look at my experience in this amazingly beautiful city.

Matera, Basilicata's jewel, may be the third-longest continuously inhabited human settlement in the world. (Source)

Accomodation

I love staying as in the center as affordable possible and so in Matera I found a very nice apartment in the center center. That in the center that you can't reach it by car. Which has it's downsides, but i absolutely loved the place and our hosts. We found the place on booking, "I Sassi Di Teopista". You can get to it via this link.

The city by night

We arrived late in the evening somewhere around 11 PM after we dropped our luggage at the apartment, I went out through the city to get a look around. It's hard to say if during the day is more beautiful than during the night, as I loved both versions.

Sassi di Matera

The city center of Matera is flanked by the hillside Sassi, a peasant neighborhood that boasts an incredible assemblage of cave houses. They are considered the longest-occupied cave dwellings in the Earth's history, inhabited since prehistoric times right up until today. (Source)

Belvedere

"For a great photograph of the sassi, take the Taranto-Laterza road (SS7) and follow signs for the chiese rupestri. This road takes you to the Belvedere" (Source) . There are not that many people coming up here so we stayed for a while photo shooting :P

We also had to eat

The city by day

And after lunch it was a must to walk a bit around to lose some of the calories ;)

Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso

And at the end of the tour right after Chiesa di San Pietro Caveoso a view over the Gravina river which's canyon we saw also from the Belvedere.

Montescaglioso

From Matera on the way to Bari we stopped in Montescaglioso (we had some friends there :) ) and so we took advantage to see the Abbazia benedettina di San Michele Arcangelo.

As we were already there I also took the chance to get some pictures from around the square. It's quite nice so if you are in the area it will be a nice detour.

]]><![CDATA[Discovering Puglia: Locorotondo & Alberobello]]>Tue, 12 Mar 2019 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/discovering-puglia-locorotondo-alberobello

The idea behind going to Puglia came after I saw some years ago a picture from Alberobello and in that very instant I fell in Love :))) .. I knew from the beginning that this place will probably be packed with tourists as at least more recently it's listed in all the tops of beautiful villages, but I really wanted to see it. And yes it is packed with tourists, but who cares when you get to see these super ultra cute Trulli houses.

We woke up in Bari and first we stopped at the beach. I won't share pictures, but I will tell you this: it is small and packed and not very pretty, so unless you really are in the mood for lying in the sun for a while, better skip this part. From here we left to our first stop of the day where we aimed to have something to eat.

Locorotondo

"The city is known for its wines and for its circular structure which is now a historical center, from which derives its name, which means "Round place". It is located in south-east Murgia, deep in the Itria Valley, dotted with white prehistoric roundhouses called trulli." (Source)

The View

Before you enter the old center and the little streets pass by the Martina Franca Park. It offers a nice view over the Itria Vally.

Chiesa Madre San Giorgio

"Built in 1790, the Mother Church of St. George is the most important worship place in the city. The building has a neoclassical facade and the gable presents a depiction in relief of the saint with a dragon and, at the two corners, the statues of Saints Peter and Paul. Alongside stands the majestic bell tower with four stone statues representing the three Marys and Veronica. The interior, on a Latin cross plan, has a 35-metre-high central dome, and a large chapel of the Blessed Sacrament holding 42 panels with scenes from the Old and the New Testaments." (Source)

The little streets

The Restaurants & The Food

Alberobello

"Is a small town and comune of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10 735 inhabitants and is famous for its unique trullo buildings. The trulli of Alberobello have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996." (Source)

The View @Piazza del Popolo

The Symbols

The Trulli Houses

I find it very cute how Lonely Planet puts it "tourists pile into trullo homes, drink in trullo bars and shop in trullo shops" (Source)

The History of the Trulli
"The history of these very particular buildings is linked to the Prammatica De Baronibus, an edict of the 15th-century Kingdom of Naples that subjected every new urban settlement to a tribute. The Counts of Conversano D'Acquaviva D'Aragona from 1481, owners of the territory on which Alberobello stands today with the summer "domus" that was called Difesa De Le Noci on the border with the territory of the duchy of Martina Franca, then imposed on the peasants sent in these lands they built their dwellings dry, without using mortar, so that they could be configured as precarious buildings, easily demolished. Therefore, having to use only stones, the peasants found in the round form with self-supporting domed roof, composed of overlapping stone circles, the simplest and most solid configuration. The domed roofs or half cone for straw called the false dome of the trulli are embellished with decorative pinnacles that represented as many say the pinnacle was the signature of the master trullaro who did it or that restored and represented the pose of the pinnacle an exciting moment, the whose form is inspired by profane symbolic, mystical and religious elements that appear above all in the Fascist period." (Source)

Parrocchia Sant'Antonio aka Trulli Church

"The church was built in the space of 14 months and was opened to the public on 13th June 1927. Such a fast operation was achieved thanks to the clergyman Antonio Lippolis (1886-1972) who entrusted the project to an engineer called Signorile Bianchi and to master De Leonardis. According to tradition the priest, outraged by the spreading of Protestantism, decided to erect a new religious site as a symbol against the heresies and this would explain such speediness." (Source)

Trulli sweets :)

And so at the end of the day, we had a sort of a Trulli overdose :P

]]><![CDATA[Discovering Puglia: Ostuni]]>Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/discovering-puglia-ostuni

Exiting the highway you start going up hill on little roads, between olive trees, and then after a wile you see it .... the wonderful while city of Ostuni. Check out what can you do in a few hours.

I don't know if it's fair to list touristic attractions as the city seems to be more an attraction on its own, but I'll try to group it a bit :)

A bit of history first

" The region around Ostuni has been inhabited since the Stone age. The town is reputed to have been originally established by the Messapii, a pre-classic tribe, and destroyed by Hannibal during the Punic Wars. It was then re-built by the Greeks, the name Ostuni deriving from the Greek Astu neon ("new town")" (Source)

Before you arrive

Your road will be gorgeous through olive trees

and this view

1. The Little Streets

2. Little Street Elements

3. Ostuni Cathedral

"The Cathedral is the best known landmark of Ostuni. Built between 1435 and 1495 in the late Gothic style, it has a tripartite facade, divided by two pilaster-strips. Above the central portal there is a magnificent rose window with 24 finely carved ribs." (Source)

4. Palazzo Vescovile and La Loggia

"Inside the piazza on either sides of the cathedral one can see the Palazzo Vescovile and Palazzo del Seminario joined by an elegant arched loggia (1750) where there is a winged putto (originally two) on the fastigium. In the palazzo Vescovile lie the remains of the castle built in 1148 and destroyed in 1559." (Source)

5. View over the sea

6. Take a break

While walking around we spotted a little cute bistro and so after we got tired we came back for a cocktail and a bit of local cheese

7. Go to the Beach

There is no better way to end your day then on the beach and so we checked out the closest beach to Ostuni and continued our relaxed afternoon till sunset

Magic, right?

]]><![CDATA[Discovering Puglia: Beaches of Otranto]]>Tue, 29 Jan 2019 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/discovering-puglia-beaches-of-otranto

We did not get to visit the city as we slept somewhere right outside it, but this was setting us 5 min ride from Baia de Turchi.

I am not a fan of crowded beaches as spectacular as they might be. I need to have my space on the sand and in the sea, so when I woke up in the morning and it was not even 7, i said to myself, i need to take advantage of this and so off I went for an early swim in the sea.

Baia dei Tuchi @7AM

Follow the sign roads and you'll end up in a huge improvised parking. As it was very early there was no other car in the parking so we nicely asked the parking guards to let us park the car as we just wanted to stay a little bit. After your park follow the signs to the sea......

And you end up to this

continue your trip on the already made paths (make sure you pay attention at the spider webs)

and you'll get to a wide sandy beach with the sea only for you alone.

Here some more pictures...i highly recommend waking up early

"A heavenly white beach, nestled in the cliff, embellished with the scented Mediterranean scrub and in the shade of the pine forest. In the area of Otranto, the Baia dei Turchi (the Bay of the Turks) is part of the protected Oasis of Alimini Lakes and boasts the Blue Flag and 5 Sails of Legambiente." If curious about the name "According to the legend, this was the bay where, at the end of the 15th century, landed the Turks who were sailing to Otranto for the terrible massacre of the inhabitants." (Source)

Torre di Sant'Andrea

"The Adriatic Sea boasts many highly touted beaches featuring clear water, white sand, and gorgeously rugged landscapes. However, the looming rocky towers of Torre Sant'Andrea make the waterfront of this small Italian fishing community stand out even within that generally picturesque context." (Source)

"Visitors can lounge on the beach, swim through weathered arches, and even cliff dive (if they know what they're doing)." (Source)

Grota de la Poesia

"Is a Romantic and delightful natural pool to the shores of the Adriatic sea, south east Italy coast right next to the little town of Roca vecchia (also known as Roca). The pool is accessed by diving or walking down the artificial steps which were cut into the rocks (can get a bit slippery sometimes). The water is crystal clear and great for snorkeling due to the many fish that swim around joyfully, just make sure no one is about to dive and hit you while snorkeling. Near by there is also an archaeological site, which features many Greek and Latin engravings." (Source)

The earlier you go the less people there are.

Would you jump?

And from here, we took the roads to the white city

]]><![CDATA[Discovering Puglia: Gallipoli & Leuca]]>Tue, 22 Jan 2019 23:00:00 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/italy/discovering-puglia-gallipoli-leuca

Leaving Lecce and heading towards the Ionian Sea for the day, we have on our agenda, Santa Maria di Leuca where the Adriatic sea meets the â€‹Ionian Sea and continuing our trip to Gallipoli where you get to enjoy a spectacular sunset.

Beach of Gallipoli

Santa Maria Di Leuca

Iconic lighthouse being the 2nd most important in Italy after the one in Genoa

"Sanctuary, or Basilica, De Finibus Terrae ("End of the Land", 1720-1755), built to commemorate the passage of St. Peter here during his travel to Italy. It is devoted to Saint Mary (from whom the town gets the name Santa Maria di Leuca). It lies on the former site of a Roman temple dedicated to Minerva." (Source)

Traditionally considered the lowest point of the geographical "heel" of Italian peninsula, as well as the meeting point of the waters from the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea.

And I absolutely need to add another picture with the view

Road from Leuca to Gallipoli

First a picture of our car, to fit in the landscape :P

make sure you take the little roads, we only managed by adding small villages along the road. There are a lot of turns through winding roads with olive trees on both sides when inland

and the sea when driving right along the coast.

And everywhere on the road we saw these little stone houses which I can't remember the name of, I did see the name when driving from Bari.

Gallipoli

"The town is located by the Ionian Sea, on the west coast of the Salentina Peninsula. The town of Gallipoli is divided into two parts, the modern and the old city. The new town includes all the newest buildings including a skyscraper. The old town is located on a limestone island, linked to the mainland by a bridge built in the 16th century." (Source)
Obviously we have only visited the old town :)

Walk the little streets

Buy a natural sponge as a souvenir

And let's face it yet another picture of an old fiat did not harm anyone, look how cute it is.

Stay for the sunset

It is so relaxing to watch this show as my friend @thefishstagram calls the sunset

Don't forget to check out the night view of the city you leave behind...quite amazing

Side note

They say that the road from Leuca to Otranto is extremely spectacular, so you might consider going Lecce - Gallipoli - Leuca - Otranto but you'll miss the sunset in the sea

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