Matera, Molfetta, Bari & Alberobello (Basilicata & Apulia, Italy): 5 trains and 12 hours, it better be worth it
We wake up very early (thanks Giovanni for the great coffee and coffee machine) and make our way to the train station. We are not sure if we need to buy tickets as it's just one stop to Central station so I suggest we ask the security guys. They say no need for tickets, gotta love this country. We catch a (free) train to Reggio Centrale, another from Reggio to Taranto (6.5 hours), another one from Taranto to Bari (1.40 hours) and finally another one from Bari to Matera (1.40 hours). After 5 trains and 12 hours, we arrive in Matera, Basilicata, the place we picked to spend our 29th wedding anniversary. We check in at a small, grubby place, (Short Stay Matera, 40 euros) just to sleep as our main apartment is fully booked for the first night. Next morning, we get up and our check-in is only at 2pm. We go for a wander, have a lovely cappuccino with a little glass of cold water and ring the owner of the apartment who says we can come and check in at 11. The place (Testa O Croce Casa Vacanza) is very nice, well located, bright and well maintained. The owner is very friendly, there are 4 apartments on the same floor, with a well equipped communal kitchen. Breakfast is provided but everything is so seriously sweet, you can get high sugar levels just by looking at it. The coffee machine is wonderful though. Then we go out to celebrate our anniversary. We start by having a big lunch at a very local restaurant Alimenti DOC, recommended by our host. It’s a simple place but the food is good and generous, and no other tourist in sight. Then we go to explore Matera, allegedly one of the 3 oldest cities in the world, together with Aleppo (which we also loved) and Jericho (still on the list). We walk around and take in the sights and the history of this majestic city. Then we make our way back to our apartment and to a very nice bottle of Italian red. Next morning we make our way back to the amazing old city, visit the caves and churches, have panzerotto for lunch, just a quick grab and go, so we can continue marvelling at this amazing city. Just a tip if you’re planning to visit Matera, avoid weekends as the price of accommodation jumps sharply and you won’t be able to enjoy the peace and quiet or take a photo without someone photobombing it. Also, try to explore it in the morning for better photo opportunities as the sunlight is perfect. We really have to say that the weather has been absolutely incredible for this time of the year. 2 months away from Xmas and we’ve been walking around in shorts and t-shirts with temperatures around 27 to 22 degrees. We pick up a take away pizza and a nice Italian red and make our way back to the apartment.
Our obvious itinerary would be going back to Bari, from where our flight back to Portugal leaves in a couple of days. But we’ve been to Bari before and if you follow us, you know there’s nothing obvious in the way we travel. So we start researching places of interest around Bari and on the train line and we have a winner, Molfetta. We were looking for a small, pretty, affordable, non touristy seaside town, where we can just walk around and soak up the vibe. Molfetta, it sounds like it ticks all the boxes. Yes, apparently you can still find non touristy seaside places in Italy. We catch a 1.5 hour train back to Bari and another train to Molfetta. We get there and check in at the Lilla B&B. The room is very nice and (very) cosy, like a small stone cave. It has all the mod cons and it’s very pleasant. Breakfast (included) is a cappuccino and a cornetto (croissant in Italian, filled with Nutella, cream or custard) at the neighbourhood cafe, how much more Italian can this place get? We walk around the small but historic seaside town, very quaint and chilled, exactly what we needed to end (or almost end) our Italian journey. We pick up yet another take out pizza, a bottle of red and chill, more to explore tomorrow. We get up early and go for a lovely walk around the town. We check out the observation tower, the many churches and chapels (mostly from the 1500’s and all open as today is Sunday), walk along the port and the waterfront and go back to the room as we want to relax before yet another very long day ahead tomorrow.
OK, not kidding here, it’s a seriously long day. We wake up early, catch a train back to Bari (30 minutes), store our bags (Stow your bags, self check in 10 Euros for 2 bags, near the train station) and catch a 1 hour bus to Alberobello, Apulia. Alberobelo is famous for it’s unique trullo buildings. The trulli of Alberobello have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. This village has been on our list for ages and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s so pretty and authentic and much bigger than we anticipated. We’ve read horror stories about hordes of tourists in the summer but as it’s almost November, despite the sunny and warm weather, it’s nice and lively, mostly with Italian tourists. What a great enchanting place to end our Italian journey. We walk around and take loads of pics of this very peculiar settlement. Then we catch the bus back to Bari, the metro to the airport and a 3 hour flight to Porto. It’s absolutely freezing, wet and very hazy and we need all the warm clothes we’ve been carrying and not wearing for the last 7 weeks. Welcome back to Portugal. From Porto airport we catch a metro to town and then at 1am, a train from Porto to Alfarelos, where our local taxi driver picks us up at 3am. So, we get home at 4 am. See, I told you it was going to be a freaking long day. Anyway, it was an absolutely perfect trip, so grateful to my personal GPS (Great Paul System), many thanks for following us and till the next one.
