alberobello – Trullo Genista

As I write this on February 7th 2022, I can’t believe it is over a month since we spent our first Puglian Christmas. The picture above shows Alberobello on Christmas Day.

Rather than the subdued, pre-eating and drinking atmosphere in England, Christmas morning is bustling over there and all are out in the town. People come out to go to Mass, eat cakes and pastries and meet friends – or all three. We were pleased to see the ladies who ran the cafe we were in open up a bottle of Prosecco just before 1pm when they were due to close. All together a really enjoyable atmosphere.

Add to that the sun came out around lunchtime and were were treated to a glorious day. In fact the weather treated us well for the whole ten days we were there. This was the view from Trullo Genista on our return from Alberobello that morning. All makes for a very different and very enjoyable Christmas.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, for us it’s interesting to spend Christmas in a different country and secondly it makes for better reading than the ongoing building permit saga. If you have followed this blog you now likely have your head in your hands and are thinking you wish you hadn’t bothered.

The good news is that on 28th December I had a meeting in the planning department at the Comune with a lady called Chiara who not only gave me her contact details she said there was no need to make an appointment but to just drop in and ask for her any time I needed an update. The not so good news is that she checked progress and said that the permit was with the department in Taranto and would be with her and approved by 31st January. That, of course, was a week ago. You’ve guessed it. It didn’t happen.

Our friends at Puglia Pools are going back for a further update this week but my guess is the news will not have changed any. This is the way of the world there just now and so we must just get learn to live with it. The frustrating thing is that the other Comunes nearby, Locorotondo and Cisternino are pulling out all the stops to get things moving post-pandemic. The luck of the draw is that ours is Martina Franca who appear to be the most slow.

I think the really sad thing from our point of view is that another summer may go by without us being able to rent out the trullo and that’s what we really want to do. There’s still plenty to buy and to finish but with no guaranteed date, we can’t move to do anything. But there we are. Things could be far worse let’s be honest. Next update will be….who knows?…hopefully next week when we have an approved permit back from the planning department.

Given that we have missed this summer from a rental point of view, deadlines are not now so critical. Consequently, the builder has decided to leave us alone for the two weeks that we are at the house. We have gone around and done a tour with him just to finalise the final requirements so he knows what is to be done when we go back. We have also visited the tile shop with him to finally resolve the issue of the curved shower. Somehow, despite this really being a builder’s oversight and not our own, it has still left us having to dip in to our pockets to pay for mosaic tiles that are fixed on to backing paper so they can easily bend around the curve.

We are convinced that many moons ago we dismissed this idea as being too expensive unless the builder was prepared to put it right – it being his original mistake. But hey ho, these are extraordinary times and it seems we have ended up back there but with us footing the bill. But we’re happy with the end solution.

With all that done, and with the weather mostly set fair, we decided to embark on some sightseeing coupled with some nice food and drink stops.

First stop the home of the trulli, Alberobello which was glorious in 30 degree plus heat and under clear blue skies. We quite like this route into the town centre that takes you up through the less popular side of the town away from all the tourist shops. Although like everywhere at the moment it is a lot quieter than it would usually be at this time of year.

But there here was plenty of time to stop on Largo Martellotta for a quick beer and mix with the other visitors who are mostly Italians right now.

Fidelios Alberobello — The garden at Fidelios

Next stop Fidelios on the edge of town for lunch. This place is a favourite location of ours that can sometimes be a bit quiet. We’re never really sure why because generally we have had good food here and when the weather’s good you can sit in the garden to eat. The staff are really friendly too so if you are ever in Alberobello we would recommend it. And, especially if the weather is nice and you can sit in the garden. The view you see here was taken from our table.

Matera in the rain — Sheltering from torrential rain in Matera

One of our absolute favourite places is Matera. In 2019 it was the European City of Culture which has given it a real boost from an artistic perspective but frankly, it really didn’t need it to attract visitors. Following a familiar theme now, the narrow streets are usually packed with American and Japanese tourists that were not here on this occasion. We also chose to visit on a day when there was rain and thunder in the air which is why you see these good people sheltering under an arch. If you’re going to shelter from the rain somewhere, why not here? We should also add, fair play to the guy selling umbrellas who found his captive audience under here a few minutes later and totally cleaned up!

Once the rain cleared we did what most people do best in Matera. Just wander around the streets and take it all in. Every turn seems to open up yet another staggering view, or amazing piece of architecture. There are plenty of great places to eat and drink here but if you are travelling on a budget, there is enough in Matera to keep you occupied simply walking around. At just one hour 20 minutes drive from Trullo Genista, it’s well worth a visit.

Last but not least home for dinner at the trullo. At this time of year the evenings are so lovely and warm, most of our time is spent outside. Some of the most enjoyable times are spent in the open air cooking and eating some of the amazing ingredients that ‘Italy’s Bread Basket’ has to offer.

Tag: alberobello

Christmas Comes and Goes in Puglia

Taking a Break