Saturday, December 31, 2022

Will You be My Trullo?

 

Puglia is famous for the conical roofed houses called Trullo or Trulli (if there are more than one)  Our next accommodation for 7 days was a 400-year-old Trullo that had been meticulously restored.  2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, pool, air conditioning, and a jacuzzi off the master bath.  High up on a hill it was a beautiful place to call home for the week.  We'd arranged a driver and some tours to help us get to know the culture, food, and wines here.  



A neighbor's cat came with the property





Our first night here, our landlord suggested we head to the local machelleria, where we could pick out the meat we wanted to eat, and they would cook it over an open flame.  Always up for an adventure, and trust me, GPS in Italy always delivers, we set out--the machelleria was only .5 miles away but took us the long way and we got there in a half an hour.  
Since we are Americans, we always end up arriving for dinner really early---at 7 p.m. the butchers were just putting on their aprons but were so happy to have us, we thought we were probably their only customers that night....not a chance!   Forno Masseria Lisi Anna is a great place to get a taste of Puglian hospitality.  
After picking out our meats, we headed for the dining room which had a great view of the open kitchen


A bit different from the Bari foccacia, this one was a little less crunchy

Potatoes in the embers

Pork with potatoes and grilled veg



I opted for steak

Breaded pork cutlets

The butchers are also the cooks--what could be better?



And, cannoli for dessert! 

So, more food than we could possibly eat, great service, 2 bottles of local wine, and the bill was 68 Euros.  Our first night in Fasano closed, with the restaurant bursting at the seams with lots of customers, some seeming to be part of a sports syndicate.  We'd found a gem in the middle of nowhere...that happens a lot in Italy.  Ciao for now.







 

Bari Street Food Tour


 

Our first two days in Puglia, we were based at Don Ferrante, a beautiful hotel on the water.  If you look across you might be able to see Albania, 50 miles away.  Monopoli is a glorious town on the Adriatic and we enjoyed wandering the streets, since it's mostly a pedestrian-only city.  
On our way out of town, we decided to do a street food tour before traveling to our trullo airbnb in Fasano.  Bari is an interesting city, we were told that many years ago, it was quite rough, but has experienced a renaissance just as the entire region of Puglia has.  
We began our tour with some foccacia Puglese---quite different from the Ligurian foccacia.  This one is crunchy, usually has tomatoes on top and is delicious.  




This is the line for the Focaccia
Bari is a warren of twisty streets, and around every corner you will see something new.  This was a vendor selling his wares from his garden.  

Wandering through the narrow streets, dodging scooters, and other pedestrians, we arrive at a sandwich shop.  Their specialty is an octopus sandwich, but I was really focused on the other sandwiches, each one a little jewel of color, taste, and aroma.  

Another Barese specialty is Panzarotti---basically a fried pizza, it's got the requisite cheese and tomato inside, and the crust on the outside that is deep fried.  

Many of these foods are foods of the poor, or cucina povera.  Simple dishes that cost a few cents to make with readily available ingredients.  






One of our final stops was the street where the ladies of Bari make their famous pasta, orecchiette. They sit and make and sell their wares here, and probably have been doing it for hundreds of years.   Bari is worth a stop and especially to sample the street foods here.  





After a gelato stop, we were off to find our Trullo in Selva da Fasano.  Ciao for now.