The Heel is Strong

In Puglia, Bari was the best place from which to get to Matera and then Lecce and Otranto further south, in the heel of Italy's boot - a region called Salento. Olive groves I'd seen elsewhere were nothing compared to the size of the orchards and age of the trees in Salento - ancient twisted trunks supporting voluminous foliage. Over the centuries, people have cleared fist-to-butt-sized rocks from the fields and built fences and field shelters with them.  

Matera: 2019 Cultural Capital of Europe

From time immemorial, Italy’s rocky, cave-riddled mountainous terrain has  provided shelter for animals of many kinds, including two-legged humans. People lived in the prehistoric caves of Matera up until the late 1950s. By edict in 1952, the last peasant occupants were forcefully moved from their cave dwellings into “modern” structures and the government took possession of the land. A complete way of life ended.
 

Caves of Matera

Example of cave dwelling in the 1950s when spinning and
weaving were part of a peasant family's daily life. 

Work animals and their fodder shared the space.
Note the fishing net and trap. 

Many early Christian churches were in caves.
Here you can see remnants of frescoes.

One way Europe has turned its vast historical sites into an economic resource is by annually selecting a particular site as “Cultural Capital of Europe.” Recently Matera was selected for 2019. Scaffolding throughout the area represents the beginning stages of a five-year journey to get ready for a burst of tourism in 2019.

Lecce: Vibrant Florence of the South

When I told my Palermo B & B hostess I would be going to Lecce in the southern province of Puglia, she said, “Why? No one goes to Lecce.” I replied, “I was intrigued by pictures shown by my Italian teacher." Her pictures did not lie.

A poster for the show Gilgamesh alerted me to the existence of
the contemporary art museum.

In Lecce I found a vibrant community that maintains a thread of continuity with its past while continuing to move into the future. Perhaps the university, one of the oldest in Italy, plays a key role in keeping young people in Lecce and giving them encouragement to take risks and make changes. I saw more young people here than anywhere else that I traveled. Places I visited in Lecce, such as the contemporary art museum called MUST, had spaces for children to experience themselves as art makers and welcomed parents with baby carriages. If one were looking for a “total” Italian experience in one site, that might well be Lecce.

• Ruins of both Roman amphitheater and theatre
• Contemporary art museum – MUST
• Active contemporary practitioners of all the arts
• Amazing archeological museum
• Beautiful baroque sculptures on churches and public buildings
• Part of Slow Food movement of southern Italy
• Small, safe and sunny

The gates into Lecce's ancient Roman amphitheater are still standing
 in the midst of Lecce's Old Town center.

Seating and gladiator entrance.

Down the street is the ancient Roman theater.

The theater was one fourth the size of the amphitheater.
It seems that violence has always trumped story.  

Floor mosaic of the theater.

Costumes were the clothing of the day, however colors were used to
distinguish different characters.

MUST, a contemporary art museum, is adjacent to the Roman theater.

MUST retains original architecture of the former convent.

I was attracted to the work of Carlucci, based on body fragments
and using gold for the interiors and an olive tree texture for the exteriors.

This is the most well-organized and accessible archeological
museum of the many I visited. Awesome.

Wall plaques in English guide you through the human journey
as it was experienced in Salento.

The Mediterranean Sea was the meeting place of Europe, Africa, and Asia.

On one of my "lost" adventures I found the Tonda art workshop.

What appears to be two sticks on the left is a desk lamp.

These lamps allow you to take rose windows home with you. 

Otranto: The Fate of Mediterranean Ports

In ancient times Otranto was a busy port of southern Italy, the closest to Albania. It was often the target of other people wanting either to possess it or to scuttle its segment of Mediterranean trade. Sacked by the Turks in 1480, 800 Catholics were slaughtered for refusing to convert to Islam. In WW II, its port played a role in the allied occupation of Italy as they pushed back and defeated the Nazis. In my very brief visit, I saw a lot of recent construction (by whom I could not tell) and EU money helping to restore heritage sites.
 

Otranto beach has a high ranking as environmentally well cared for. 

Castle - the well to do have always vacationed by the beach.

After repeated attacks, fortifications were built.

The lacework of the church's rose window was damaged in an earthquake.
There is an amazing floor mosaic that I missed due to timing of my visit.