Tiny towns, big personalities

This morning after breakfast, we headed to Altamura - 'the city of bread'. It is quite simply, famous for its' very specific bread that has been made there for hundreds of years. After our sampling of focaccia in Bitonto the other day, we were more than ready to eat some more delicious bread. We were not disappointed. We came across the oldest bakery in town, in operation since 1423. The baker and operators of the shop were clearly proud of their business. What was more impressive is that they were quite young and quite clearly working hard to maintain their family business. The room was tiny and hot and there were loaves baking in the oven. We decided to go with a slice of focaccia each and were not disappointed. One was topped simply with potatoes, rosemary and olive oil and the other with sundried tomatoes - delicious. 

Altamura itself was another quaint town, with winding narrow streets, tiny coffee bars and then bigger boutique stores. Shannon and I met a rather interesting character today as we stopped for coffee. One of my favourite past times is people watching. Italy is the perfect place for this hobby. So as we sat outside and sipped our cappucinos a very elegant lady caught my eye. I thought to myself, she is very done up for this time of day. A soft pink wrap-around dress with gold beading, matching hat and shoes. Everyone else seemed to be taken with her too as they craned their necks to get another look. It wasn't until she got closer, I realised she was a he. He was the most friendly character and was clearly known by all the locals in town, who stopped to say hello or call 'Ciao Bella!' Shannon and I both said 'Buongiorno' and he must have recognised a non-Italian accent as he stopped to ask us where we were from. When I told him we were from Australia, he seemed more interested. I wasn't sure at first why he was keenly staring at the top of my head, I started to feel uncomfortable...did I have knits? Then he revealed a tattoo on his hand of a pair of scissors and a comb and proudly said, 'I am a famous stylist and have a salon across the piazza - come with me and I'll fix your hair.' Well I tell you I was very tempted, but we had only planned a short stay in town, otherwise, I would have jumped at the chance and I have no doubt it would have been the best hairdo of my life! I realised the staring earlier was at the greys that are appearing - clearly due for a colour and cut when I get home! He then tottered across the piazza waving at all the adoring fans.

We spent a little longer in Altamura, walking the streets and stopping to admire the beautiful cathedral.

The next stop of our day was to be Polignano al mare, a seaside town not far from Bari, where we would meet up with Tony and Norma, who got the train there earlier in the day. It is famous for its annual cliff jumping competition. Apparently, an Australian won it last year. It was a lovely town, tucked tightly on the rocky edge of the sea. We racked up some steps walking around the old town and into the new.

 

 

We spent time resting with cold drink, before heading to Bari. Tonight is our last night in Palo del Colle. Tomorrow we head to the final destination of our trip, a tiny hill town about 30 minutes from Pescara.

Happy Travels