GS had a cunning and devious plan hatched from his recent membership of Lovehomeswap.com (not homeloveswap). This meant that we could swop a sojourn chez nous for points which we could then cash in at someone else’s des res. And so it was that we found ourselves at the 1700’s masseria Scianne, our hosts the simply wonderful Flavianna and her daughter Sara.
They treated us like returning prodigal children and we acted they part arriving with huge bags of washing to be done and flaking out exhausted on their lovely beds. They had put us in one of the suites – two enormous bedrooms with star vaults and chandeliers. And, to ensure canonisation in GS’s eyes, they rolled in a portable fridge to keep his beers and our increasing collection of the wonderful negroamaro Rose’ cool.
We were back on the western coast so thought we’d go and have summer watching sunset. We’d scouted out a restaurant and had an aperitif there, when it came to paying they just waived us away saying at it to the bill later. Then home to get ready. It was going to get a bit dressed up in my new purchases but my ribs, which had been complaining following the earlier fall kicked off- no bra for me then! GS looked at my back and said there was a bruise bigger than the size of my hand from yesterdays fall with todays yet to come through (or I’d gone a bit mouldy and probably needed throwing out)
We went to a supermarket for bits and pieces and some pain killer but they didn’t have any. So what did the owner do? Sent her husband home to raid the domestic first aid kit of course! We are continually astonished at how kind the Puglians are.
Then it was relaxing dinner in front of the sunset, losing track of days and time now.
After a delicious and hugely generous breakfast we headed off to Nardo for a bit of baroque architecture, trying to get ahead of the daily thunderstorm.
As usual the people couldn’t do enough for us-advising on parking permits, and then cycling past with ‘Buongiornos’ when they saw us milling around so you feel as if you have lived there forever.
We went home for a fabulous dinner with lots of homemade produce, sloshed down with the local rose that we are becoming partial to, followed by some absolutely scorching fire water. It turns out that the fields are not full of “wild flowers” but hooch ingredients. Then we tried to see the start through the palm tree fans and eventually stumbled home to our lovely cool stone star vaulted room.
Then we went to Lecce where there was lots of baroque architeture and churches and when it wasn’t baking hot it was thunder and lighting.
Ditti Oria.
Ditto Grottaglia where we went to look at the pottery shops -but arrived just as they were closing.
By then we were churched/ architectures out, I had a blister and we didn’t want to go around anymore picturesque streets looking for a Gelateria.
After driving home through another thunderstorm – at least one a day- we went out to dinner back at Santa Isodoro. Since both GS and I love seafood and are partial to a bit of Japanese sashimi we thought we would try the local speciality : raw seafood. What we didn’t expect was that it wasn’t so much raw as alive,
I picked up the lemon which was resting on a vongole verace- a large clam. To my utter horror it started waving at me with its snorkel. At least I think it was its snorkel. It could have been its middle finger -or worst. I almost leapt out of the restaurant and did a runner. Not another morsel crossed my lips, not least as instantly I found myself giving them names. I begged GS to eat Henry to put him out of his misery but he was a fighter. GS did his best but it was the stuff of nightmares.
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It’s not a clam (truthful or otherwise.) it’s a tartufo di mare… and the lion looks like it’s whistling!! 😗