The sun is blazing hot and temperatures have been approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It's humid on this spit of land between the seas. Unless we're at a beach dipping into the Adriatic or Ionian Seas, the stony dry interior towns and cities of summertime Puglia (or Apulia)
can be oppressive, even into mid-September. We did, however, happen upon this rare working fountain on a short excursion to Corigliano d'Otranto.
Imagining
Three Coins in a Fountain, I flirted with the idea of stepping in and tossing my head back beneath the steady drip of water. Then I imagined myself coughing up the hefty fine and losing my ride home. I resisted. I decided to focus my mind on saner things like what to do the next time a donkey tries to get into the back seat of the car.
Sondra with new friend:
Corigliano is not accessible by train--and the "tourist buses" that carry people to various towns during the high season ceased operating on September 5th. Again, we were fortunate that enthusiastic Chaira offered to drive us there in her car.
About the town: Corigliano d'Otranto is situated in Grecia Salenta, Italian for Salentinian: Greek-speaking land. Inhabited by the Griko people, it is an ethnic Greek minority in the southern peninsula of Italy consisting of eleven towns that formed a union in 1966 to preserve and promote the language and culture. The dialect is a variant of Greek that has not been spoken for two centuries but is being revived through research and language instruction at the local schools, and through the publication of books and poetry in the endangered language.
(photo at left: Karla, Sondra & Chiara
in arid Griko land).
(photo above right: pretty blue-green doors [reminded me of the Adriatic Sea] . . . water . . . water . water).
CORIGLIANO D’OTRANTO: "According to the opinions of different
scholars it probably had Greek or Roman
origins or even proto-historic ones,
as the finds seem to suggest. It was a
Greek colony since the 10th century
and the community was deeply influenced
by their presence. The Basilian
coenobium of San Giorgio, that housed
a Greek speaking school for the
propagation of Byzantine culture, inspired
local cultural life as Greek codes
testify. The school fell into decline after
the destruction of the Abbey of Casole
in Otranto, of which it was a grange.
It was owned by different families, until
it passed to De Monti family. Giovan
Battista De Monti decided to build the
defensive works of the town and the
imposing castle. Corigliano has a fascinating
city centre and remarkable
monuments such as the Parish Church
dedicated to San Nicola. The building,
with traces of Renaissance architecture,
was substantially restored in the
Eighteenth century. Worth a visit is the
Castello de Monti, the fortress that in
1480 put up fierce resistance to the
Turkish invasion." (excerpt from online, since we could not find guides who could translate to English--nor could we find English written history sources). Castle entry photo above right. Very old courtyard we passed while exploring the town (below left).
And now back to Lecce
for Saturday night. We prepared a very fine Eggplant Parmesan with a side of salad, a dish of local olives and white wine before stepping out into the festive streets at 10pm, We strolled past the now familiar Gate of Napoli
, one of the three remaining gates into the historic city near where we are staying.
The modest gate was built in the 16th century to honor the expected arrival of Carlo V of Spain's visit, but he did not make it a point to ever arrive) --
Pictured below left.
We divas continue to marvel at the exceptional physical beauty of the people of this region. Sophisticated Milan fashion sense has not escaped the attention of southern Italian women, although it is also not unusual to notice a more relaxed stylish dress during the heat of day. Children generally appear to be pampered with the most loving attentions. It is always pleasurable to wander, people watch, absorbing the sounds and scents.
Since watering holes have been on our minds, I should mention that we three have discovered a wonderful cocktail bar,
Quanto Basto Lecce on Via Paladini, where the owner, Diego, and his partner, Andrea, painstakingly prepare amazing drinks with a nice selection of alcohol, passion fruit, citrus, herbs, home-made tinctures and bitters. I have never seen anything like it. Each surprising creation is treated with utmost care. The artist-mixologist's finale often includes a soft spray of mist into the glass canopy from mysterious bottles. Each glass edge is carefully rubbed with fresh lime, mint, salt or other complimentary touches. We go there often. Oh, did I mention that many of the drinks we order are poured over ice and shaken vigorously for what seems a prescribed amount of time by Diego and Andrea in a manner reminiscent of Charo (remember her wild shaking?),
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KBiXurSxg8. Spirits fly high with theatrical flourish.
Recently while ordering drinks at "Basto" one evening Sondra and Karla chatted with another customer who turned out to be a graduate of Luther College in Decorah. Small world, indeed.
After the buzz of the the bar we meandered past the palazzos to sample sounds from a street event featuring seasoned jazzy young musicians, playing accordion, bass, guitars, sax and trumpet. Bellisimo!! Finally, we three, grinning like hyenas, padded home to a well deserved sleep.
Musicians and streets pictured below:
Caio for now!!
