Hello from Lecce, Puglia, Italy

Been very busy & having a great time. Internet access is not that great & I do have it on my cell but it is very cumbersome to use. Covered a lot of ground since I last wrote.

5/19/10 - The friend of people I met on the ship who lives in Rome (Michael) invited me to join him for a picnic birthday party for one of his UNESCO friends. It was at a lovely park near the Colosseum. Nice group of people. Most of them work for the UN. Later that evening he invited me to join some other friends for dinner at a pizzeria. All in all it was a very nice day.

5/20/10 - I took a train & bus to small hilltop village called Calcata. I read about it in National Geographic Traveler magazine. It was a great journey & I really enjoyed this small village. They don't get many visitors on weekdays so I practically had the village to myself. Met one of shop owners that filled me in on the town. Had a bit of scare because I wanted to take a 3pm bus back to train station & went early as recommended to stop. There was a bus that pulled up 20 minutes early & didn't get a chance to ask if it was the right bus. Thought I missed my bus & would have to wait for 2 hrs before last bus from the village but luckily the bus I was waiting for arrived 20 minutes later than schedule, whew, was I happy. Turned out to be a great day.

5/22/10 - Today I made an excursion to an area near Rome know as Castelli Romani. This is one of the wine districts near Rome. There are thirteen towns in the area but I decided to only hit one of them due to logistics. Went to Frascati which was a somewhat worn town but still fascinating. There is lovely Villa Aldobrandini which is situated at top of a hill overlooking the main square, Piazza Marconi. The Baroque palazzo was designed by Giacomo della Porta at the turn of the 16th Century. The entrance had a grotto on the other side of it that was decorated with statues set in different scenes. It was really something to see.

5/23/10 - My friend (Michael) from Rome recommended that I visit one of the beach areas near Rome. He said Sperlonga is one of the best. I took a train to Fondi then a bus takes you to Sperlonga. The town is perched on a hilltop & and is another delight. Filled with shops, restaurants, and narrow winding alleyways. There are 2 stairways down to the beach areas. There are several beach clubs/restaurants that separate the long, sand beaches. One of the issues with traveling in Italy is the midday break. Most everything closes at 1-1:30 pm & doesn't open up again til about 4:30pm. This also affects the local (urbano) transportation systems. I got into Sperlonga at 1pm & the first bus out was 4:15pm. I wasn't sure how I was going to pass the time but I did a lot of walking & saw most of the town & beach areas. Michael was right, it is really a beautiful spot.

5/24/10 - Spent my last day in Rome visiting some of the churches, San Giovani in Laturno including the Scala Santa which are the knealing steps. The weather was very nice for several days except at around 5pm lightning, thunder & rain would come through for about 20 - 30 minutes. My 10 nights in Rome really flew by. I still believe it is a great city.

Food has been great throughout. Have had wine every night & ice cream almost every day. I've been spending between $30 - $45 per night for dinner but every meal has been very good to wonderful. Cheapest part of meal has been the wine. Pizza is also really great here.

5/25/10 - Took the train from Rome to Lecce. There is a problem with repair on the tract so we had to take bus for an hour then got on another train before arriving in Lecce. Trip was about 6 hours but wasn't too bad. Eurostar trains are really great. I booked a B & B online that indicated it was near the station which is what I wanted since I planned to do day trips from Lecce. Boy did I make a mistake on this one. It was a 16 euro cab ride to this B&B that was in a remote residential area. Place was a home that was very nice but they didn't provide me with towels & breakfast consisted of coffee from espresso machine with no milk & packaged rolls. It took me 30 minutes to walk into town & 35 minutes to walk from train station back. There was a bus nearby but it stopped running around 8pm. I was suppose to say 4 nights but left after first night. Found original B&B that I wanted to stay at & it is really delightful. Big room great breakfast & only half a block for the train station. Same price as other place, 30 euros per night. A real bargain & the young couple that run it are delightful.

5/26/10 - Yesterday I took the advice from the great young girl at the tourist office & went by urban train (you really have to see this operation like in the movies) to Otranto which is a seaside port town. Very charming & interesting with a Castel & Duomo of course. Met a woman on train from Connecticut & we hanged out together for the day. Also met a couple that bought a home in Lecce 10 years ago & come here every year for few months. They are both professors from Florida State. They gave us some super info on the area. Really nice ancient town. Train ride was a trip.

5/27/10 - Today I planned to stay in Lecce & go to Gallipoli tomorrow but found out there was a strike set for 5/28 so went today. Again on local urbano train. They took us by bus to a station about 25 km. away & then we boarded a train for Nardo. Changed trains there for Gallipoli. This is another lovely port city which was originally a Greek city. The old town was a maze of meandering & twisting street. Had lunch at Il Bastione Restaurant that overlooked the water and was recommended in one of my guide books. Had the gamberi rossi crudi (raw red shrimps & langostine) that this area is famous for. Was expensive but very good. Then took train to another old town, Galatina, which is known for the church of Santa Caterina di Allesandria. This church has stunning 14th century frescoes covering its interior walls & ceilings. Also maze of meandering streets that behold some wonderful examples of Baroque architecture. This was also a wonderful day. Very sunny & warm. I was told they don't get any rain here during this time of year.

Well it is getting very late & the town closes up early so I'm going to sign off for now. Next place is Ostuni which I'll be at on Saturday.