Travelogues – Wanderwiles

Seaside Puglia: Bari, Italy, via Monopoli and Polignano a Mare

With our time in our charming trullo in Alberobello at an end, it was time to drive to Bari for a final night before catching a flight back to Paris. We planned to make the most of the day, setting out in the morning to make some highlight stops along the coast en route. I was especially looking forward to Polignano a Mare whose picturesque beach at Lama Monachile features in many enticing photos of Puglia. I’d also read great things about Monopoli, just south of Polignano a Mare, so decided to stop there first. read more

Matera: from Puglia to Basilicata, Italy [Daytrip #2 from Alberobello]

Our second daytrip from Alberobello in the Puglia region of Italy took us to the town of Matera in the adjoining Basilicata region. While Puglia lies in the heel of Italy’s “boot,” Basilicata lies more inland with its much shorter waterfront in the arch or instep of the boot. Matera exceeded expectations and I found myself excited to be there from my first expansive view of the city. I love travel, am eternally curious, and truly enjoy 90+ percent of my travels wholeheartedly. (There’s always some measure of aggravation and things going wrong in any activity.) But, it’s just a fact that after so much travel over so many years, it does get a little harder to impress. It’s not that I’m jaded, at least I hope not, but I do sometimes envy those experiencing the magical firsts of seeing somewhere new and entirely unfamiliar. I felt the touch of that thrill in Matera. read more

First daytrip in the Puglia “heel” of Italy: Martina Franca, Cisternino and Ostuni

So many pretty streets in Martina Franca!

It’s fun daytripping around the Puglia region of Italy from our trullo in Alberobello. There are so many interesting options in easy driving distance. Scanning the map and reading up on some favorites suggested by our host, we decided to make Ostuni the ultimate destination for our first such explore, with stops at Martina Franca and Cisternino along the way.

In just under thirty minutes, we parked in a public lot in Martina Franca then walked a short distance uphill to Piazza Roma, a triangular plaza in front of the 17th Palazzo Ducale. We enjoyed browsing the elaborately-painted public rooms of this former palace of local dukes along with a temporary art exhibit that was in the process of being installed. read more

Staying in a traditional trullo home in Alberobello, Italy

Trulli (singular trullo) are the iconic conical-roofed homes and shelters of the Puglia region located in the southern “heel” of Italy. I’d wanted to stay in a trullo for a while and explore the area, and finally that was happening! I’ve already outlined how this trip came together and how I chose Alberobello in an earlier post, so I’ll just mention again that beautiful Alberobello is home to the largest concentration of trulli in Puglia.

Well, maybe before I get to Alberobello, I should say we arrived in Bari via a Frecciarossa high-speed train from Bologna (booked directly with Trenitalia). The trip takes 5h45m and our first class seats were comfortable and the trip smooth with only a minor delay. The delay may have had something to do with the pouring rain that pelted the train starting only a short distance out of Bologna. It was six days later before we learned we’d left Bologna the day before massive flooding hit the city. Ignorance is bliss! Happily the rain had mostly subsided by the time we arrived at Bari Centrale and collected our fire engine red Locauto rental car. In a little over an hour, we were in the town of Alberobello. read more

B-O-L-O-G-N-A: Bologna, Italy

I couldn’t resist the title of this post since every time I type the name of this venerable Italian city, the Oscar Meyer jingle runs through my head and sticks there long after I put away my laptop. Any American of a certain age should sympathize.

After visiting the tiny republic of San Marino, we spent three nights in Belle Arti Gallery House, an apartment in the university quarter of Bologna. Although I’ve traveled extensively in Italy, I’d never made it to Bologna, the reputed culinary capital of the country. Given the worldwide popularity of Italian cuisine, that’s saying a lot and my food-loving husband was particularly keen to check out the city. read more

Before Italy: San Marino, the oldest and smallest republic in the world

A recent 9-night trip grew from a friend pointing out that the only European country I hadn’t visited was San Marino, a tiny republic surrounded by Italy. On a lark, I started researching San Marino and quickly decided (1) it looked beautiful, intriguing and merited an overnight stay, and (2) it was an easy drive from Bologna, a city I wanted to visit and a short flight from our home in Paris. My plans grew from there. I’ve been to Italy many times, visited lots of towns and cities in many regions, but I’d yet to stay in one of the iconic conical houses known as trulli (singular trullo) in Puglia, a region in the “heel” of Italy. Why not add that to this trip? A little more research revealed a direct high-speed Frecciarossa train from Bologna in the north to Bari in Puglia where we could rent a car. I confirmed there were direct flights from Bari back to Paris and learned that the nearby town of Alberobello was known for its beauty and had the largest concentration of trulli in Puglia. It sounded like the perfect base to explore Puglia. I quickly finalized our trip. read more

A detour into Kosovo

Exploring options around the primary destinations of our most recent Balkans trip, I realized Kosovo was enticingly close. I’d been curious about Kosovo for awhile, but had no specific destination in mind there. A little research turned up a lot of opinions raving about the city of Prizren as one of the prettiest in the country. And Prizren would be an easy drive from Skopje. We needed to get back to Tirana, Albania, to catch a flight home to Paris. It seemed a no-brainer to add a drive through Kosovar mountains and a stop in Prizren. That way, we’d be making a loop (from Tirana to Ohrid to Skopje to Prizren to Tirana) and seeing new places rather than just retracing our steps back through Ohrid to Tirana. And, despite Google recommending the Ohrid route, returning via Prizren actually had the advantage of being about a half hour shorter drive time. A win-win! read more

Skopje, capital of North Macedonia

First impressions of central Skopje were great. And a little surprising. After a mixed bag of buildings on the outskirts of town and a spate of Soviet-era apartments which Alek pointed out as where he lived, the city center seemed grand. Massive white buildings evoking the height of ancient Greece*, wide plazas, huge statues. (*My apologies for using the word “Greece.” I realize this would not please Macedonians who have a troubled relationship with Greece and would prefer “ancient Macedonia,” but “ancient Greek” conveys a familiar image to outsiders.) These structures are the product of “Skopje 2014”, a massive government undertaking that yielded mixed results and much controversy. read more

En route to Skopje, North Macedonia: Tetovo and Matka Canyon

I debated adding Skopje to this Balkan trip, wondering if it was crazy to visit the North Macedonian capital in the middle of July. July is prime time in beautiful lakeside Ohrid, but Skopje sounded like it could be scorching. On the other hand, I hated to miss the capital and there were some stops between Ohrid and Skopje that really appealed. As a native Texan, I know all about heat and I actually kind of like it… so long as there’s air conditioning to be had. I decided I was being a wimp and made plans. read more

Ohrid and Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia

Ohrid, North Macedonia, nestled on gorgeous Lake Ohrid was my primary destination for this Balkans trip. After an enjoyable one-night stay in Tirana, I was excited to get on the road to Ohrid.

Our driver, Edvin, picked us up promptly at noon at our Tirana hotel. I’d arranged an English-speaking driver via Daytrip.com for the 2.5 hour drive to Ohrid. David loves driving pretty much anywhere and I like being his navigator, but I opted against a rental car for a few reasons: notorious Albanian drivers and traffic cops, cross-border and potential one-way drop-off rental charges, and possible hassles crossing borders where we didn’t speak the language and where there have been local disputes. Super cheap buses and mini-vans were options, too, but we liked the idea of more comfort and more control over stops… and I read one report of fellow passengers with problems at the border causing delays for everyone else on a shared ride. No thank you. read more