From Ancient Stones to Trulli and National Parks

Salve from Christina and Giuseppe www.italybestsecrets.com. Matera draws you in so the minute we drop off our baggage, we are out exploring this amazing open plan archeological town. Walking up and down on the old stone lanes of Civita suburb, you need to be fit here! We take the elevator to the top floor of a cafe, overlooking Piazza Sedile and facing the Duomo on the opposite side and enjoy a wonderful view of this piazza. Some time remains for quick shopping, then back to the Residence to change ready for dinner at 10pm at Ristorante il Cantuccio. The food is innovative, and to accompany we select Basilisco 2004 Premium Aglianico grape. Next morning we have a typical Italian breakfast at the local cafe, before heading off to Puglia - San Basilio di Mottola. A full day is planned here so immediately upon arriving at the Masseria Cassiere and a warm welcome from our hostess Maria, our destination is Castellana Grotte, the famous caves, recognised by UNESCO as a Natural Heritage Site. And they are certainly spectacular, very large caverns with 40 metres height. We select the short 1 hour tour, lead by a very competent guide. Next stage is a picturesque drive through the typical Puglia countryside with lots of trulli, ancient conical shape houses, that used to be home to the shepherds and workers of the masserias (large country farming estates). Hunger hits us and we stop at Trattoria La Ruota for delicious Puglia specialities (orecchiette pasta) and entertainment provided by the owner Peppino Ceci.
Next stop is Grottaglie, a town known for its ceramics - many studios line a street and you can just stroll along and visit each one. The styles are varied, some are more traditional, featuring the local rooster emblem, and others are contemporary. After some purchases, we drive back to San Basilio through the rain, where Maria and her husband accompany us to dinner at a local rosticceria, owned by a butcher. The meal is sumptuous with a dozen different antipasti followed by roast meats including lamb and beef tagliata. Including wine and mineral water the bill for 6 is only 140 Euro.
Tomorrow is 25 September and our itinerary takes us to Abruzzo. We drive on the autostrada, and note the immense expansion of olive groves, no wonder Puglia is the largest producer in Italy of olive oil. Along the way we see the Adriatic coast until Pescara, cut towards Rome direction and arrive at 840 metre altitude in the locality of Corvara, a small village hugging the side of the mountain. Just out of Corvara is our accommodation at L'Ape Regina Agriturismo, where our friends Marino and Elide give us an affectionate welcome. It is lovely to see them again. Marino takes us on a tour of their extensive property and introduces us to Martina, their donkey, and Nina the goat. Breathtaking views here and we are surrounded by fruit and walnut trees, fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers. All these wonderful ingredients are used to make delicious jams, marmalades, liqueurs and smallgoods. The liqueurs include Nocino made from walnuts, peppermint and limoncello and taste pure and genuine. There is a treehouse for romantics, or rooms which are well furnished and comfortable. The common sitting room is full of books and interesting pictures, and includes a piano. Dining is communal with wonderful foods and lively conversation. Our friends drive back to Rome while we leave a few hours later, heading north for about 400 kms, along the A14 autostrada, then SS67 to Portico di Romagna, from where we are now writing. We stay in an "albergo diffuso", the first one in Emilia Romagna, called Vecchio Convento. It is a very old residence with wide walls and doors, high ceilings and large windows, seemingly made for giant people. The dining room has wooden beam ceilings, a fireplace and the walls are decorated in old kitchen utensils. The food is extraordinary, for presentation, variety and taste. No wonder they offer cooking classes here. Our hostess is Signora Marisa, who has a wonderfully infectious laugh. Next morning we are faced with more food as their breakfast is more like a brunch, with many savoury dishes, including cheeses, smallgoods, scrambled eggs, as well as fresh and stewed fruits, yoghuts, cakes etc. You can tell this is a gourmet stop as they even have different types of honey for guests. They are fully booked for the next night, we unfortunately we have to leave. We will tell you more about their fantastic Italian language school, that also offers other subjects such as music, watercolours, cinema and more, soon on our website www.italybestsecrets.com
Ciao, arrivederci.