Writing this in Munich, where it's been raining all day and the temperature is only 55° at 3:30 PM, really brings home how great this vacation was!
On Sunday, June 14th we took leave of Conca Marco; grandmother Palumbo, who runs the place with three of her sons, was very kind. We very much enjoyed the stay at the Villa Conca Marco; the only thing we'd complain about was the mattress, which was hard as granite. We slept OK, but every night had the feeling as we slept (and woke) that our backs were slowly cramping.
Off to Martina Franca!
The drive took about one and a half hours; my Tom-Tom didn't find the best route. Along the way we were rewarded with a spectacular view of Ostuni, which we would visit the following day.
Finding the B & B (Il Gallo felice) was a bit hard; it was located on a local road to the southwest of the town, and there wasn't a sign or anything. But find it we did, and the room was quite nice, if rather small. But our room was actually in a trullo, so it's no wonder it wasn't too spacious. Il Gallo felice (The Happy Rooster) is a small, family-run operation - as far as we could tell, mother and son. It's set among olive groves and gardens. The owners' aged, arthritic golden retriever, Rocco, seemed to take a liking to us.
After unpacking we made a brief jaunt into town to check things out. As expected, all the shops were closed. Martina Franca made a nice impression - the entrance to the old town is through a beautiful baroque gate:
On the other side of the gate is a square with the town hall on the right and a beautiful fountain in a small grove:
Later that evening we found a restaurant on one of the piazzas that was open shortly after 7. We were the only customers. The restaurant was located in a beautiful curved arcade:
There seemed to be a large number of dressed-up people in the streets of the old town; a poster near the basilica revealed that a special Mass was being held at 7 followed by some kind of procession. Shortly after 8 the procession started. There were men wearing liturgical costumes of a sort (looking more like nuns in our eyes), groups of Catholic Boy and Girl Scouts (as far as we could tell), altar boys carrying incense pots, nurses (nuns of course) wheeling people in wheel chairs, priests, singers, and more. Through the magic of modern technology the songs and prayers were transmitted along the route of the parade by wireless microphones and loudspeakers.
The parade only lasted about 15 minutes where we were sitting; afterwards we were finally able to view the interior of the basilica. Yet another stunning example of late Baroque. As we made our way back to our car, we discovered the parade was still going on - a wonderful festive atmosphere.
On Sunday, June 14th we took leave of Conca Marco; grandmother Palumbo, who runs the place with three of her sons, was very kind. We very much enjoyed the stay at the Villa Conca Marco; the only thing we'd complain about was the mattress, which was hard as granite. We slept OK, but every night had the feeling as we slept (and woke) that our backs were slowly cramping.
Off to Martina Franca!
The drive took about one and a half hours; my Tom-Tom didn't find the best route. Along the way we were rewarded with a spectacular view of Ostuni, which we would visit the following day.
Finding the B & B (Il Gallo felice) was a bit hard; it was located on a local road to the southwest of the town, and there wasn't a sign or anything. But find it we did, and the room was quite nice, if rather small. But our room was actually in a trullo, so it's no wonder it wasn't too spacious. Il Gallo felice (The Happy Rooster) is a small, family-run operation - as far as we could tell, mother and son. It's set among olive groves and gardens. The owners' aged, arthritic golden retriever, Rocco, seemed to take a liking to us.
After unpacking we made a brief jaunt into town to check things out. As expected, all the shops were closed. Martina Franca made a nice impression - the entrance to the old town is through a beautiful baroque gate:
On the other side of the gate is a square with the town hall on the right and a beautiful fountain in a small grove:
Later that evening we found a restaurant on one of the piazzas that was open shortly after 7. We were the only customers. The restaurant was located in a beautiful curved arcade:
There seemed to be a large number of dressed-up people in the streets of the old town; a poster near the basilica revealed that a special Mass was being held at 7 followed by some kind of procession. Shortly after 8 the procession started. There were men wearing liturgical costumes of a sort (looking more like nuns in our eyes), groups of Catholic Boy and Girl Scouts (as far as we could tell), altar boys carrying incense pots, nurses (nuns of course) wheeling people in wheel chairs, priests, singers, and more. Through the magic of modern technology the songs and prayers were transmitted along the route of the parade by wireless microphones and loudspeakers.
The parade only lasted about 15 minutes where we were sitting; afterwards we were finally able to view the interior of the basilica. Yet another stunning example of late Baroque. As we made our way back to our car, we discovered the parade was still going on - a wonderful festive atmosphere.
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