Puglia Dream/ Sogni Puglia

A talented French Bulldog who loves a scooter ride in Bari!

   We engaged in what looked to be one of our last trips here in Italy. It was a fun family excursion to the bottom of the boot to a region known as Puglia. We set our sights on a particular location: Alberobello! The home of the "beehive" dome-roofed homes that accent this enchanting city. Our visit was inspired by an architecture course Bill once took...yes, another story to be told later. Bill was so enamored with the beauty of this style of home that he dreamed to visit. The day of dreaming was no more as we planned a flight out of Pisa airport into Bari, a sweet maritime city with lovely history and architecture all it's own compared to Alberobello.

   Armed with some information about Bari and beyond, we deplaned from our 90-minute flight and headed straight into Bari. Instead of heading to an architectural site or driving another 45 minutes to our BnB, we decided to visit a holy (wholly) interesting site- yep you guessed it, Eataly. It is holy because, well, it is the one place you can stop and shop for all things food related in Italy. I was in culinary heaven and our kids were exclaiming comments like whoa! Yes! Please! Nice! MMMmmmm! We stocked up our bags to prepare for our stay in the quaint little city of our dreams. (definatley visiting the new one in Manhatan when I have the chance).  Now, onto some history....

Santa Nicola usually portrayed holding three balls ... they represent gold balls or gifts/dowry for daughters to go on to marry and have happy lives rather than one of poverty and slavery: his gift to those in need.

   Amazingly enough, Bari is home to the basilica of Santa Nicola- yes, that is right, the final resting place of some of the bones/remains of Santa Claus (the other bones enshrined in Venice). I loved the basilica but descending into the lower level to see the shrine was something to behold. Arched colonades all in a row with columns of various colors adorned with ornate carvings. I loved how intimate it felt... very comfortable. It was filled with people whom I perceived to be Greek Orthodox Catholics making a pilgrimage to visit Santa Nicola. Saint Nick was born in Turkey but travelled quite a bit to bring solace and help to those who were in need: The desperate and destitute. His sainthood worthy acts included the saving of children and the bringing of gifts when poverty was harsh, thus the beginnings of the legendary story we all have come to know and love about Santa Claus. I happened upon a woman kneeling before me with her arm outstretched and reaching into the secured metal gates to touch the base of the altar/sarcophagus which held his remains. She was weeping. I was shaken. I could only guess why and what brought her there to visit her nativeland's patron saint. It could have been sheer love, it could have been a loss of a child, it could have been.... I felt her pain for a short while. I did come to peace before leaving, that was important.

 

Santa Nicola's shrine!

ornate tops of columns

    We headed out to Alberobello- the dream destination on what would be a rainy weekend...but that was quite alright because when it was a little sunny we had the opportunity to visit the church and the largest, two-story trullo. and when it was rainy, we cooked together and made ragu, our family favorite lately. But, the most fortunate experience the rain brought us was undercover and inside a local cafe/bar where we had the wild experience of meeting three striking people whom we have come to call good friends. We met Lee, Monica, & Maria. We were slow to catch on to their awesome vibe as the rain had drowned out our energy but, once Maria started dancing to the music playing in the cafe it was on! Liam got up and started "doing his thing" dancing in his most outrageously fun manner, then, Lee and Maria came over and started asking us where we were from and we exchanged stories! Later, Maria invited us to her family ancestral home, a Trullo house, for coffee in the morning. It was gorgeous. The coffee turned into prosecco and our conversations began rolling. We understood one another. The most adorable yet striking thing I felt from them is a quote they would chant in unison by Ru Paul: "If you can't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else? don't &*$% it up!" These words ring so true and wholly for me that our family has adopted it as a part of our day to day living. A reminder to honor the self, to be self-confident and be true to yourself and your beliefs! Then, love will flow in strength to those around us.

                                      Now, Alberobello is a UNESCO world heritage

site so this meant that any existing trulli houses must be restored to historic standards and no new ones can be contructed going forward.  To think that when we first arrived to Italy that I ventured to visit all 40+ UNESCO world heritage sites before departing, now I am a bit more down to earth and realize doing that would cost me family, health, wealth or all the above.... Trulli houses are of true masonry structure originally built without framing or mortar- strait up: stones, arches and gravity capped with a gorgoeus domed, stone-shaked roof (almost like slate). They were homes for peasant families with the intention of making their homes portable. Yes, to be taken apart stone by stone and moved elsewhere where work and opportunity proved to be plentiful and also a way to avoid paying taxes in the earlier locations.

The roof symbols written in lime freehand are markers that represent virtues of christianity.

     This in mind, Maria explained her home to us and that her Grandfather decided that they were in Alberobello to stay. He loved it and wanted his family to make the best of their permanence there. They even had a trullo building for their barbershop business in days long since gone.

Front entry to double residences: left Maria's mother's home, right:  Maria's inherited home from her aunt.

Site of the family barber shop nearby

It was refreshing to learn of Maria's pride in her heritage and we were honored to be invited to see her lovely abode.
   




         In all, the region of  Puglia has so much to offer in it's landscape, urban settlements and country residences! We loved the experience and have grown from our journey.

Our trullo BnB house we stayed in!

Siena with a "sound of music" pose truly enjoying having climbed onto the roof of the trullo house where we stayed!