Taranto

I can’t say the city is a beautiful one. It even felt dangerous for the very first time we crossed it, but as we slowly got to know the city more, it really showed its charm. The old town and the new part of the city are connected by the bridge which leaves a feeling that the old town with the beautiful Aragonese castle is built on the island.  The first settlement was done sometime 800 BC by the Greek Spartans and throughout the time has changed the owner. Now it is a naval base, a huge commercial port city which is well known as one of the most polluted cities in Western Europe. However, it has its own beauty. The old town at night has its magic even though it looks like a dead place the narrow streets full of various street art bring a spooky beauty to it.

 And once crossed the bridge to the new part of the city, commercial streets, bars, restaurants, and a wide pedestrian promenade are always full of people. There we found local pizzerias with extremely cheap and tasty food, a small fruit shop run by the same family members for around 70 years, and not to mention all local people were super friendly and kind.

Funny fact, you can park your car for free in the old town area, however, in the new city part, it was really hard to find free and safe parking. Safe in a sense that it won’t be scratched by passing cars.

Also, it is one of the few places in Italy from where you can take a catamaran to go on to see dolphins.

Matera

A city that until recently still had people living in the caves. Eventually, people got kicked out of their caves because of the rampant number of diseases that plagued the region because of unsanitary living. This place is the second longest inhabited place in the word after Petra. A truly magnificent place and if you go in a morning you can have it all to yourself. Every street and every corner is full of history. One thing to be aware off… It is not a friendly place for the people with an injury nor to the lazy ones. The city streets are built across on hills and as many hills, there are there will be more stairs to follow.

Our advice is to take time at least half a day to just walk and explore the city on foot. Have a coffee break in one of the local beautiful cafe places, visit the artisan stores, and enjoy the heat from the sun :).

For those who love historical art, there are ancient frescas around the city on the walls that are disappearing slowly. And if you are coming by car I suggest visiting the valley on the other side of the small river from which you can see a very beautiful view of the city.

Polignano A Mare

 A magnificent white city on the cliffs of the Adriatic sea. With a mystical beach carved between the cliffs with clear sky blue waters. The streets of the city old town even tho has quite a few tourists reminded me of stories from Romeo and Juliet.

Certain streets tagged with quotes from famous people and every color near snow-white houses made the city look more magical story-like.

And the food is just as great.

Takes time to look for but with the help of an app and reviews of people, we found a truly fantastic place to eat seafood :).

The beach is probably in the center of the town and definitely worth to stay a little longer to enjoy the swim. But keep in mind that it is full of stones and you might struggle even to get into the water, however it looks really funny to watch… That’s why lots of people are using swimming footwear to avoid looking like a zombie.

One advice, do not go by car into the old town. It is a nightmare to get out. The streets are very narrow that you can leave the paint on the houses of the city.

Alberobello

 The city famous for its ingenious way of avoiding taxes. In the 1500’s, the Acquaviva family, the local rulers within the feudal system, wanted to avoid paying property taxes to the King. They ordered local peasants to build their houses and dwellings without mortar so that, in the event of a royal inspection, the structures could quickly and easily be taken down, and the tax bill would remain low. Using local limestone and some ingenious building techniques, the local population created the Trulli, many of which remain standing today.

Is Alberobello worth a visit?

Well, I won’t lie. It is a very touristic city. However, should it be avoided? Of course no. It is a historical site with a hidden beauty. If lucky and with a bit of planning the masses can be avoided and the site can be all to yourself. But if you cannot time it right it is still a city to see and explore. So definitely a must see. You can even find Trulli for accommodation.

This is only a small part of historical places in Puglia that are worth a visit there are many more like Lecce, Bari – worth a stop just for handmade pasta, Brindisi, Monopoli, Lucera, Vieste and many more places with historical settings and beauty!

Authors

Simonas R.
Arune M.

P.s. Pictures are all originals. If you would like to copy or use them you have to get a permission from the authors.

P.s.s. The previous post in the Italian story – The Italian Beauty The Italian Shame

This is a slightly different story about the charming country of Italy. In this first installment out of three, we will cover the dark side that really upset us… It upset us sooo much that we simply had to write about it in the first post about Italy. This post will focus mainly on Taranto and the surrounding areas but the problem we noticed here repeated across the whole Puglia region.

But before that a short prelude

Vilnius – Bari flight with Wizzair. Sitting near the emergency exit with extra leg space. So good! In addition, our neighbor is super friendly. So friendly that while we chitchatted about Italy I decided to check our flight backdate… We by accident the ticket back on the same day…

With a bit of an adrenaline once we landed we rushed towards the lounge to get some wifi and buy tickets before they went sky high. We managed to buy them at a fairly low price. Went to Bari got a ticket to Taranto. Saw some palm trees and got happy with the 37 degrees and finally the hot weather. However, shortly after we were shocked that the so-called European country that prides in clean energy and landscapes, progressive mindset and a leading shining star in the world is full of trash and little respect for nature.

The shame of Italy

Now let me tell you the story of the Italian shame. We would say it was one of those rare moments when you are personally ashamed but not because of something you did but because of other people actions.
We will share it with you through the pictures taken in Taranto and areas surrounding it. However, as I mentioned earlier we saw this problem everywhere. Just for simplicity, it is much easier to demonstrate through the scope of one place.
Taranto has a hidden beauty but beauty nonetheless. The old town even if most of it is run down and half-abandoned and if you would be in South America you would not set foot there, has its charms. It has historical buildings to explore at night and frescos hiding in alleys just waiting to be found. Quiet streets with one or two picturestic cafes and restaurants. A different world from the commercial street where the majority of Italians spend their time at night.

Nevertheless, there is foulness in the air. Repulsiveness that is created by the habitats.

We do not claim to be garbage saints. Our country doesn’t have the system to recycle but we are moving towards it. However, we do not leave the trash nor we pollute the environment that surrounds us.

It is very hard to understand the cultures that enjoy living in a place filled and surrounded by trash. Especially in a developed country with all the necessities to keep it clean. It is sad because I do not want to see the nature to be further incapacitated by the things that can be easily changed on a personal note.

But the Italians seem to like it. They have beaches that the rest of the world can be envious of. However, most private beaches are being kept clean. The rest is treated as a massive public ashtray. Leaving plastic bags and cigaret stubs right on the beach.

And if you walk 10 meters towards the wild beach. You can even find washing machines, car parts and etc being thrown out in heaps. And the best part of all people sunbath surrounded by all the trash.

The country has beauty, unimaginable history, and friendly people. But skewed mindset towards the environment and the land they live on. We truly hope this post will reach some of them and will open their eyes to start the change. Even if it is only one person we will be happy.

Authors

Simonas R.
Arune M.

P.s. Pictures are all originals. If you would like to copy or use them you have to get a permission from the authors.

P.s.s. Part 2 of the trip can be found here – Puglia – The hidden Wonder Of Italy