Exploring Puglia - Ceglie Messappica

This Sunday we went to a Christmas dinner with some of our friends. The restorant was near the small town Ceglie Messappica far 40 km from Brindisi, half way between Brindisi and Taranto. This town is not so particular and beautiful as Locorotondo or Alberobello, but it is attractive small town in the countryside with long history. It’s one of the most ancient centres in Puglia. Ceglie Messapica’s history goes back to at least 15 centuries before Christ.

According to legend, the foundation of Ceglie was due to the great people of the Pelasgians, who arrived in Puglia from the East. Following the arrival of Greek colonists in the area, around 700 BC, the city took the name of Kaila. Between IX - VII centuries BC proud and honest people, Messapi built numerous residential centers, fortified with giant walls. It was their military capital It had four lines of walls, the inner one having a perimeter of 5 km. During the Messapi dominion the city prospered and extended remarkably, achieving a population of about 40.000 inhabitants.

When we arrived was a celebration of Carabinieri. This is their this festive form. Beautiful, Is not it?

The center of Ceglie.
Narrow streets.

The city and the country-side is full of restaurant, known and appreciated even outside the borders of Regione Puglia. In one of this we are going now…

Exploring Puglia - Valle D'Itria

With this post I'm starting a series of articles about cities and places in Puglia - wonderful region with many traditions and long history.
Yesterday after lunch we decided to make a trip in one fairy place. It called Valle D’Itria. This is a small valley between hills far 50 km from Brindisi. It’s a green stretch of countryside dotted with the famous whitewashed cone-roofed trulli houses. It is officially one of the Borghi piu belli d'Italia, the most beautiful small villages in Italy.


The roof of trulli is made up of stones without a single drop of cement or binder solution. Only last stones and decorative stone on the top attached with cement.
Also in all the south of Puglia you can see such fences of stones:

They also built without a cement but are still in good condition after so long time. The secret is that the stones are carefully selected. And on the top they put the bigger stones which their weight give solidity.
In the center of Valle D’Itria placed Alberobello. Its historic center is under UNESCO protection. But today we had not gone there, I'll tell about this town another time. Today we visited Locorotondo, another beautiful small town in the Valle D’Itria.
Valle D’Itria is famous not only with trulli but also with it’s wine and cheese “Cacciocavallo”. After traveling between vineyards, fields and olives, we arrived there in the evening.
Look, what a beautiful sunset in the midst of the valley:


Christmas is coming and the city started to be decorated with holiday lights:



The valley is located in the hills, so there are always a few degrees colder then in Brindisi and in winter is often snow. Today the temperature is +5 C, but feels colder. You can see the snow:


The historic part of town - the centro storico - is circular and perched on top of a hill. It's a whitewashed maze of little lanes lined with historic buldings, some humble and faded, others retaining rather grand baroque archways and architectural details.


Called, at the origin, "Casal S. Giorgio", its name was changed before in "Casal Rotondo", then in "Luogo Rotondo" and at the end in "Locorotondo". In dialect they call it "U’Curdum"
Locorotondo is in the Guinness because it is the unique town in the world with a name with 5 letters O.

Are you waiting the story about Alberobello?