Lecce ~ part 2

Entering the city of Lecce, you know you’re in for something luscious.  Limestone, gorgeous sun-mellowed colors, elegant iron railings, gracious dwellings and many Baroque churches whose facades take Baroque to a whole new level of intensity.  Lecce has been nicknamed “The Florence of the South” and I would agree with that comparison.  It’s v v lovely.

Lecce flourished mostly from the 11^th to the 16^th century.  It made it fortune in trade because of its geographical position and at one point was an important outpost for the Jesuits, the Society of Jesus which initiated in Spain with the work of Ignatius Loyola.  And there is definitely a Spanish aesthetic or pathos to the décor and architecture, at least to my mind. 

The Church of Santa Irene is molto fantastico.  Saint Irene was an early martyr, from the early 4^th century.  She was one of three sisters, Agape and Chionia and Irene, who were martyred in Thessalonica for refusing to eat morsels of food that had been sacrificed to the pagan Roman gods and for owning (and reading) Christian texts.  They were brought before Emperor Diocletian.  They held firm.  They were imprisoned and then the two elder sisters, Agape and Chionia, were burned.  Diocletian sent the youngest, Irene, to a brothel.  In an escape attempt, she was shot in the throat with an arrow and died. Geez.  Martyrdom is no picnic.

Here is the Basilica di Santa Croce.  This is the Jesuit Basilica. Seriously:

And San Giovanni Battista:

Is Lecce all just churches?  No.  It is made up of layers of architectural styles, little alleys and neighborhoods, shops, restaurants, arts, amusements.  Historically interesting and still vibrant.

Sunday morning walk and visit to pharmacy

 

More scenes from my morning walk:

Lecce ~ part 1

 

Yesterday we drove 1.5 hours south to the city of Lecce almost to the tip of the heel of the boot 😊

Miles of vineyards and olives, some industrial sections, lovely villas, all with the Adriatic to our left.  Lecce is a big city and an important one.  It has been for most of its 2000 years. In the 3^rd century BC, the Romans took over this area, which was originally settled by the Messapians (ancient Apulians) and named it Lupiae. And then in the 2^nd century AD, the emperor Hadrian expanded the city and renamed it Licea.  The city really began to thrive because of its access to a nearby port.  There is much proof that the city Licea was a thriving and flourishing city.  One of the most thrilling evidence was discovered by accident during the Fascist period. 

See the building in the background with it horrifying rationalist aesthetic?  Symmetry, simplicity, modernist, no decorative reference to the past or to fantasy or to any kind of human and/or metaphysical fabulousness?  Just a dull, wretched existence of facing only what is tangible?  Italian futurism, what was more horrifying.  Even pasta was in danger….

I digress.

In the late 1920s during the construction of that building they dug into and thus discovered a Roman amphitheater from the 2^nd century.  Fortunately, they were willing to put their fascist ideology aside and decided to uncover what they could and just leave it.  They couldn’t uncover any more because it would mean that a nearby church would have to be destroyed.

Another cool thing is the triumphal arch that was erected in 1548 in honor of Charles V.

 

But the neatest thing is this, one of the two columns that marked the end of the Appian Way, one of the main thoroughfares from the coast of southern Italy to Rome.  The other one rests in its original place, Brindisi, a port town nearby.  Apparently, this one was “gifted” to the city of Lecce.  It’s called the Column of San Oronzo because Saint Oronzo apparently saved the city of Brindisi from the plague.  There is some talk about returning it to its original place though.  I agree.  They should be together.  I mean, really.  The Appian way.  Goodness.  Too fab.

Eating horse... and other culinary adventures

 As is to be expected in Italy, I have been eating very well.  Italy is really into what they call "0km," zero chilometro.  Which means, you eat what the region and season gives.  You don't eat things that have been flown in from 500 or 2000 miles away.  You eat with the season, and you eat regionally, no?  The cuisine of Puglia is largely seafood and vegetables.  As I said before, it is a somewhat hostile climate but some things really thrive, like olives, figs, grapes, tomatoes, artichokes, etc.  

I am always up for trying new things.  "A life lived in fear is a life half lived."  

A couple days ago I tried fried anchovies.  Pretty good.  And calamari, which I honestly can't really enjoy anymore after having seen My Octopus Teacher. 

I loved this little cream filled pastry that is a specialty in Lecce:

And of course, a maritozzo.... buonissimo!  Like a brioche bun filled with slightly sweet whipped cream:

Yesterday in Lecce I tried horse.  Il Cavallo al Sugo.  Horse in sauce.  Horse is still eaten in southern Italy and Sicily.  

Here's my reaction:

Frankly, it tasted just like beef.  There is a lot of connective tissue and some blubbery bits, but really, like beef.

A presto!

Ancient olive trees and Monopoli ~

 

Italian class has been very enjoyable.  Every morning from 9-1.  Very intense but fun.  This is the routine of the course.  Four hours of instruction in the morning, followed by an excursion in the afternoon.  Va bene!

This afternoon we traveled to the Valle degli Ulivi Secolari.  It is a wide valley that is pretty much at sea-level on the way to Monopoli and it has been used for centuries as an olive orchard.  For centuries and by so many civilizations/cultures that have settled here through history.  As I mentioned before, layers of civilizations: Mycenean, Greek, Roman, Phoenician, Saracen, Turk, Spanish, French…..  There is something special about this valley, apparently, because it has everything olives need to thrive.  The trees in this area are anywhere from 50 to 1500 years old. 

Here is a special one dated at 700 years old:

Here is one that is 800 years old:

As the trees grow, they twist.  That is why they almost look like lava.  This is like Jurassic Park stuff.  I’m stunned.  And yes, these trees are still producing and considered a national treasure, as they should be.

Maybe 10 km away is the port of Monopoli.  It is a town of Greek origin and has an important natural harbor (which in the 20^th and 21^st centuries they have worked to enlarge).  This city has flourished from as far back as the Byzantine period.  The city is lovely and has a Romanesque cathedral and of course winding streets and beautiful limestone everywhere. The castle that dominates the port area is 15-16^th century Spanish. 

Look at the beauty of the Adriatic Sea!

Look at how hot I am!

Look at this delicious ‘frozen caffe’!

A presto!

Breakfast of the Gods

 

A day in Martina Franca

 

Into the countryside this afternoon for a visit to Martina Franca, a gorgeous little Baroque time-capsule of charm and beauty.  Through the countryside with its endless stone fences, vines and ancient olive trees.  And of course, sweet trulli everywhere:

A recent article in The Guardian stated that Angelina Jolie has chosen Martina Franca as the location for the shooting of her next film.  Like who cares, but anyway.  She chose well because it is pretty fab.  Martina Franca… hmmm, sounds French.  Well, it is.  And a reminder that much of southern Italy once was under French ‘ownership.’ During the middle ages, the city had a Jewish population that through negotiations with the Aragons, were allowed to live and practice in peace.  During the last part of the 15^th century, that relationship was severed by King Frederick of Aragon, whose cruel mandates basically forced the Jews out of this area.  The streets and alleys have a whimsical medieval groove to them, winding this way and that.  The city is built almost entirely of limestone so it shines bright in the sun.  Even the streets, polished by centuries of foot traffic, have an elegant and rich aesthetic.  What do you think?

Architecturally, Martina Franca displays the glorious Baroque!  Dramatic and theatrical, the main church, the Church of San Martino, looms over the Piazza del Plebescito with such pizzazz and splendor.

Let’s take a look inside:

The patron saint is Saint Martin of Tours, a 4^th century saint whose life is very interesting.  He was born circa 316 AD in Savaria (modern day Hungary).  His father was in the Roman army and when he retired, the family moved to northern Italy.  Quickly, Constantine had ‘legalized’ Christianity in 313 but it had yet to become ‘popularized’ … in a seriously small nutshell.  As a youth, Martin became interested in this faith and, though his parents weren’t so keen, he began to attend church and catechism.  As a young man, he joined the Roman army, most likely because of pressure from dad.  But the ethos of the army strongly contradicted Christian moral imperatives, so it really was not a good fit.  He was eventually released from military service. 

Known as Martin the Merciful, he is the patron saint of the poor, specifically beggars.  His 15 minutes of fame was when he encountered a poor man, clad only in rags, while he in all his majesty was wearing his military uniform and cape.  He takes his cape off, uses his sword to cut it in half, and gives it to the beggar. 

I have halo envy.  Why does Mary always get the good stuff?:

I, at least, got to eat this marvelous focaccia:

Una degustazione ~ Wine-tasting in the Itrian Valley

 

Today I was moved, along with two other students, to the advanced class. It was very intense but fun and interesting.  Onward!  After morning lessons, a couple friends and I went to lunch at a local restaurant.  I had lamb, potatoes, and a glass of wine.  I forgot to take photos!

In the afternoon we all headed out of town toward the Itrian Valley to visit a vineyard and winery.  Puglia is working hard to enter the world stage with their wines and I was very impressed by what we saw and tasted today.  The maker is I Pastini and they have a clear, passionate and traditional approach to growing their grapes and making their wine.  They are huddled in the valley beneath a medieval city called Locorotondo.  I believe we will be visiting this hilltop city in an excursion soon.

The young woman who gave us the tour was knowledgeable, explaining that Puglia has three perfect things for winemaking: heat, rock and wind.  They specialize in white wines, the varietals that thrive in difficult conditions.  The heat, well, I haven’t said anything about it yet but let’s just say, it’s almost skull-splitting… and I LIKE heat.  As I said in a previous post, this region is super rocky with really very little soil so the varietals have to work really hard to survive.  And the wind is essential as well because it keeps insects at bay.  They follow many of the French planting methods:  Vines are planted close together which creates a kind of competition for moisture and it forces the roots downward, into all that lovely limestone; Also, roses are planted at the end of every row because if any type of insect enters the picture, they tend to go for the roses first so it helps they detect if there are any predators of the insect variety.

Then we were taken through the warehouse where they store and then bottle their vini.

And then of course, on to the tasting.  We tasted a prosecco, 2 other whites, and 2 reds.  It was a delightful day.