25-30th May 2018
Our time away went a little like this:
Thursday 24 - Up to Petersfield to meet Dave after his exam. Had a pizza out.
Friday 25 - Early start to drive to Gatwick. Our 9:05 flight to Bari is delayed by 2 hours. We eventually take off and arrive around 3pm. Train to Bari Central, then train to Pelagnano a Mare. Meet Francesco at train station around 3:45 and we go to our wonderful apartment. Lovely situation in old town. It’s sunny and very warm... Check in, unpack and off out to explore. We get a drink out along old walls that look out over the sunset, later we eat a back at our apartment.
Saturday 26 - We take s trip to the super market to get bits for breakfast. Dave has a well deserved lay-in. Breakfast is done in the sun up on our terrace. Then off out to explore the town. Next up a trip to Bari on the train. We explore for a few hours, take a coffee and head back to our apartment to rest. Later in the eve, we take a trip into the old town and manage to get a table at Mint Cucina Fresca. A truly wonderful experience, the avocado chocolate mousse is spectacular.
Sunday 27 - We take and early breakfast to allow for train trip down coat to Monopoli. A pretty and busy town by the sea. We enjoy a swim and a bite to eat before heading back to Polignano. Quick nap up on balcony before a walk to the Fondazione Museo PinoPascali. This excellent gallery is certainly worth the walk through the town, a great collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. Our dinner is home cooked pasta back at the apartment.
Monday 28 - Another early’ish start to allow for a walk around Polignano and a chance to try one of the local delicacies!... the panzerotti from La Rotellina are delicious, if not a little messy to eat! We catch a train the Ostuni, the white City. This distinctive town is a shiny white frosting to the local hills, well worth a visit. We explore for a few hours then head back to Polignano to enjoy a late afternoon swim in the bay. After a cool drink in the old town, we enjoy crispy pizza at ‘pizza and figs’.
Tuesday 29 - An early start so we can get the train to Lecce. This baroque gem of a destination is certainly worth the 1 hour and 20 min train trip south from Polignano. Spectacular and a great place to enjoy a bowl of homemade pasta and a glass or two of local rose wine! We also visit MUST, a contemporary art gallery with an interesting selection of work by local artists. A collection of vintage movie posters also catches our eye. We head back on the 3pm train to enjoy anther cooling dip in the bay! It’s our last eve in Polignano, we take a stroll and pick up provisions from the local supermarket for our final dinner up on the terrace.
Wednesday 30th - Up early to maximise our final moments by the sea! A quick clean and we are soon on our way to the airport aboard the 8:42 train. Today we fly at 12:05 local time. We have adored this part of the world, we will return!!
10 out of 10
