As Rodney Dangerfield has said, "it's like deja vu all over again". I'm back in my one-woman trullo, here in Martina Franca, just where I was almost exactly one year ago. This time, we're here as invited guests of the lovely family that owns what is one of the loveliest Air BnB's in this glorious region of Puglia. It's quiet, peaceful and it even smells wonderful. When Mimma invited us, we could not resist and so, here we are and here I am, alone in my trullo, experiencing yet another bit of Heaven on Earth.
But, we didn't tweak our noses and arrive here from Assisi. Not for one minute should that be thought.
We left our Assisi apartment on Sunday morning, just catching the bus to the train station on time. A few minutes later, we were on the train, headed for Florence, two hours away.
Florence, on the lovely Sunday afternoon, was overrun by tourists. Thousands of them. Lots of Americans and lots of everyone else, including Italians. It was yet another holiday weekend in Italy, yesterday was Labor Day. We were at the tail-end of what they refer to as "the bridge" or the week in between holidays. Two three-day weekends in a row resulted in everyone and their brothers and sisters taking what is now known as "revenge vacations". There are so few vestiges of the Pandemic and all that pent-up feeling of I need a get-away, is evident. So, lines everywhere and sidewalks that were difficult to navigate. We've been to Florence a number of times and therefore did not need to join the lines so we found a nice quiet little wine bar for lunch. The waitress even set up a makeshift table for us and we sat at a fold-down table on a side street. Perfect.
My husband has a lot of trust in my ability to find my way around almost anywhere and to come up with a place to spend a night. But, I think his trust truly was put to test when we took the tiny elevator up to the third floor of an unmarked former palazzo on a quiet side street and rang the bell at the Artemente Florence B&B. Small and charming, especially to a person, like myself, who finds joy in off-the-track accommodation. Artemente is owned by a lovely woman named Anna Maria who is an art restorer. She's a perfect host and she and I wear glasses that could have been twins. She explained that her B&B has brought her a tremendous amount of pleasure and was the result of a need to find an income because her work in places like the Uffizzi and the Pitti Palace brought payments (by the government) a year and a half after completion. A small, comfortable room, an encounter with an elevator door that refused to open, and an amazing breakfast, served in time for our early departure yesterday morning.
Our next stop.....Santa Maria Novella Train Station again. This time for departure on the Frecciarosa, Trenitalia's crown jewel railway system that is also known as the "high speed" train, to our next destination, Bari. A comfortable ride, thank God, because it is almost six hours from Florence to Bari. And yet, another adventure....a cab ride to our next quirky spot for the night, one that stumped the cab driver and left Joe with an even bigger question mark. "Now where are we going?????" The driver asked another driver and at least he got an idea of where we should be headed. I'm not a fluent speaker of the Italian language but I do fairly well so we worked it out. We were to stay in the old center of Bari where cars aren't actually allowed, so he would bring us as close as he could without getting his license pulled. After that, we were on our own. God help us. We knew not one thing about Bari, except that we had a reservation at another B&B, this one called "The Sisters" and oh, it was pouring rain. We came across a little trattoria that was bustling with activity, adjacent to a bar (cafe) that was really bustling. A small sign told visitors that the "hotel" registration was in the cafe. Okay, so we asked. Nobody seemed to know. So, we walked, in the rain, until I found a little lady who appeared to live in the neighborhood. When I say "neighborhood", understand that I mean, on the same very, very tiny street. Yes, she knew where the "Sisters" was and knew how to get to the registration. And, she told me to follow her. The three of us scooted down the little street, she dumped her trash on the way, straightened out some flower pots that were positioned under downspouts (too much water!) and she brought us right to the cafe where the owner, one of the "Sisters" actually had our names and our keys. Back out into the rain, we headed next door, through the trattoria, and then through a door that led to our door. A tiny, clean, room with, thank you God, a bathroom and hot water.
But, we had not yet gotten to our final destination, Alberobello. Google it. It's scrumptious.
I will leave off here. There's oh, so much more to the story but I will use my time wisely today. The weather is changing again. There is sunshine and it's sublime so I am going to focus on all that is surrounding me for now. Tonight, we're having dinner with the family and I think I need to rest up for that. And to brush up on my Italian. Only one of them speaks English......
Ci vediamo.
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