Today’s journey was along the Valley of Istria, which is one of the most fertile areas of Southern Italy. As we drove from Alberobello along the valley we were surrounded by endless olive groves, interspersed the ubiquitous trullis, often with the ground covered is a sea of wild flowers. Spring is definitely in full swing here.

Istria Valley

Our first stop was Locorotondo, whose name derives from the fact that the old town is set on top of a hill with the streets ringing the peak in a circular formation. It is said to be one of the prettiest towns in Italy. We wandered the quiet little streets, getting lost in the endless tangle of alleyways.

Locorotondo

The cathedral at the centre of the old town is constructed of a lovely golden limestone on the outside, but the interior demonstrates my view of many churches and cathedrals in Italy. The original form of the inside space has been spoilt by modern attempts to decorate it. The result is a bland uniform appearance which contrasts with the great simplicity of the unadorned interior of Trani’s cathedral we visited two days ago.

How to spoil a lovely old cathedral

On our way back to Basil we came across a local wine merchant. Puglia, which is the area of Italy we are in, is getting an increasing reputation for its wines. This merchant, as well as selling wine by the bottle, was also selling wine, as the French say, en vrac. I don’t know the Italian phrase, but it essentially means selling directly from the vat into the customer’s own bottles. There were many locals coming and going with their mineral water bottles filled with local wine.

The owner spoke some English and let Sarah and I taste the various offerings. The wines are held in large temperature controlled vats. All of the wines we tasted were really very good and I would not have been disappointed if I had payed £6 or more a bottle for them in the UK. These were for sale at between €1.30 and €1.60 per litre!! The smallest containers available in the shop were 3 litres, so we bought 3 litres of one of the whites and 3 litres of red. It would have been rude not to!

The connoisseur at work

We pushed on to Ostuni, known as the white city, for lunch. After lunch we meandered around the beautiful old town. Another warren of impossibly picturesque alleys and small squares, set on a hill top. There was nothing specific to see, just a town, hundreds of years old, largely unspoilt by modernity. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon.

Ostuni – The white city

Ostuni

Sarah and I have commented on this journey on the improved standard of Italian driving. When we first visited Southern Italy more than 20 years ago the driving was so outrageously bad that it often had us in stitches. This trip there have been very few instances of jumped red lights or overtaking on blind bends. However, walking around Ostuni we noticed that nearly all the cars were covered in dents and scrapes, which began to make me fear for Basil, given the impossibly narrow streets around which I sometimes have to navigate him.

Just as we were discussing Italian driving we saw a car trying to get round a corner in a alley which was clearly too narrow. The driver appeared used this route on a regular basis because instead of backing up, as I would have done, he rammed his car forwards bumping his tyres against the high curbs in such a way that the car twisted on its axis and in its realigned position it was able to proceed through the gap. It’s nice to see some of the Italian spirit is still apparent.

Basil is staying put for the night on a car park in Ostuni specially designated for motorhomes (40.732415, 17.581206). €3.75 for the night.

Locorotondo

Locorotondo

Ostuni

Ostuni Cathedral