2013 finds us traveling to Italy again (#5), this time with our favorite our tour group AHI. This bunch of fellow travelers proved to be especially welcoming and entertaining. We flew in a week earlier, rented a glow-in-the-dark fuchsia Renault Twingo. Comparable to the ever-present Fiat 500 (Cinquecento), it’s a 5-speed, not as cute but with a bit more power. Gas is expensive at about $7 a gallon. We toured by ourselves for about a week and stayed at agriturismos in the Apulia (Italy’s heel) and Calabria (toe) areas. Wonderful experiences but, after a week of dodging big Lancias and Audis and navigating (via GPS – be skeptical) the twists and turns of small towns, it was a welcome relief to turn the keys over to AHI and finish the trip with some great people.
We met the group and Valentina our Italian AHI host at the Bari Airport and were driven by Boris to Polignano a Mare and the Hotel Covo dei Saraceni. After driving myself for a week in Italy, I especially appreciated Boris and his skill at piloting the bus and dealing with the Italian drivers who can be just a bit impatient at times. We were based out of the hotel which was a great experience – clean and updated rooms, good waitstaff, and great food. The hotel is located adjacent to the old (vecchio) town which is about as scenic as Italy gets, with its perch on the rocky outcrop overlooking the Adriatic Sea forming one side of a cove. The other side of the cove is the hotel and in between is a rocky beach where everyone plays lizard and soaks up the sun or splashes in the water.
Memorable excursions were made the next six days to Bari, Lecce, the whitewashed town of Ostuni, Bisceglie and the olive mill, Trani where we encountered a wedding and saw the Jewish Ghetto, Matera and the sassi cave dwellings, Alberobello’s trullis, the imposing Castle del Monte (it’s good to be the king), and lunch at a winery in Corato. Suzanne and I had stayed at an agriturismos near the hotel during the week we traveled around the area and had a wonderful experience. Suzanne proposed having dinner there one night and most of the group joined in. Valentina arranged for Boris and the bus to drive us to the Masseria del Crocifisso 4 km. outside of Polignano a Mare. The owner/host had reserved the evening for just us and had prepared tables outside. Couldn’t have been more perfect with the weather, setting Apulian sun, friendship, food, and service combining to form a real slice of rural Italy.
All in all, a great trip to a less-traveled area of Italy – thanks to our traveling companions and AHI. Arrivederci, until we meet again.