Galloping towards Gallipoli

Leaving Lecce

When we last spoke, I was sharing our love for Lecce. The “Florence of the South”, located in Italy’s Puglia region. And in common with all our travels, when we fall in love, we move on. Who knows what the open road will offer up to us? Over the crest of the hill. Around the next corner. The anticipation pulls us forward, exploring the world, one town at a time. Today, with our bags slung in the back of the Fiat 500, we were headed to Gallipoli. Right now, just a name on a map, (to me, Mrs C had done extensive research), but soon to be another destination that grabs a piece of our heart.

A better grasp of Italian wine than the language

With the sea in sight, and less than 10 minutes outside of Gallipoli we had a planned stop. We were in Italy. How could we visit and not taste some of the wine that the region is famous for? You know the answer to that one. We simply couldn’t, and we found ourselves driving down a dusty road, turning right through imposing gates, signalling the home of Cantina Coppola 1489. Whether they are related to the very famous Francis Ford Coppola we will never know. Duolingo can only take you so far. It is little help when talking to a local.

Thankfully, when it comes to wine tasting, this was not our first rodeo. And, with the wonders of the internet, we had pre-booked the tasting that we wanted. What also helped was the fact that the place was deserted, so the English speaking tourists, with only a rudimentary grasp of the Italian language must be the ones these two wine glasses were laid out for.

Cantina Coppola 1489 – A bit of Apulian history

Cantina Coppola has been in the family since 1489 and has been passed down through 15 generations. The vineyard and cellar door that you see today was built in 2004, built as a “cellar door with a village around it”. The cellar door has a small museum attached and we were fascinated to see the family tree painted on a large canvas, tracing the lineage of the various family members over the long and storied history of Cantina Coppola. We left that day better understanding the role that wine has played, and continues to play, in Italy over a vast stretch of time.

Gallipoli

Our instruction from the bed and breakfast host was to head into the large paid parking lot, and take your chances. We had seen people in these car parks driving around in interminable circles trying to find a free slot. As with our arrival in Monopoli a few days earlier, the car park gods must have been smiling down on us. Driving in the general direction of the paid car park, we slowly approached a car park that was completely free. Twenty four hours a day. And would you believe it, at that very moment, a car reversed out ahead of us, leaving Victoria to simply swing the car in. We gave each other a slight look of disbelief. Did we manifest it?

It is all Greek to me

Gallipoli is a very small town, located on a limestone island and connected to the mainland by a narrow bridge dating from the 16th century. Believe me when I tell you that Gallipoli is beautiful. Located on the west coast of Salento, the sunsets over the Ionian sea are stunning. If it looks a little Greek you won’t be surprised to learn that it was once a town in Greater Greece, and in 265BC it suffered defeat in a war with the Romans, leaving Gallipoli to be relegated as a Roman colony.

Accommodation in Gallipoli

It was in this old Roman colony that we were staying. And our accommodation was a gem. A short walk from the car park (did I mention it was free?), and we were at Cortepatitari B&B. As beautiful as these bed and breakfast places are, they are old. Which means they weren’t built for travellers in mind. Unsurprisingly, our bedroom was up three flights of stairs. With no elevator. Gasping in the heat, on reaching the third floor we were met with a beautiful room and immediately I breathed a sigh of relief. The air conditioning was strong. The heat in Puglia continued to be oppressive.

The room was very compact, as most of them are, and maintained beautifully. Seeing us with our purchases from Cantina Coppola the host called back up to our room, dropping off a corkscrew and two wine glasses. Giving us a smile. Priorities are important in Italy. Exploring the accommodation we discovered that breakfast would be served on the rooftop. Each morning we would start with a leisurely Italian breakfast and listen as the local fruit and veg man plied his wares.

Find me a better pasta dish

The way to combat the Southern Italian heat is obviously a cold drink. Am I right? Not long after leaving our bags at the B&B we strolled through Gallipoli. Being only a small place this didn’t take us long. Ergo, it didn’t take us long to find that cold drink. What is an acceptable time to have an Aperol Spritz? I am just asking for a friend.

Whilst waiting for my second Spritz to arrive, my lunch was served. Not sure what to order, having had a lot of the orecchiette that the region is famous for, I chose a dish that I had never heard of before. This is not an uncommon approach of mine. But, this decision rarely pays off quite as spectacular as that day.

The description just does not do it justice. It was a pasta dish. With a rich cheese sauce. But not too much sauce, of course, this being Italy. And in the dish were large, plump, fresh from the sea, mussels. Mamma mia! Some moments, if life were to end at that very second, you know that you will leave this mortal coil happy. That was one such moment. If you find yourself in Gallipoli, head to Buena Vista and order their scrigini cacio e pepe con cozze. Thank me later. 

Beach Days in Gallipoli

Our days in Gallipoli included time at the beach. Our travel schedule had us moving around quite frequently, so we loved the opportunity to stick a parasol in the sand, throw down our towels, and join the holidaying Italian masses on a beach day. Italians do beach days well. Often making a whole day of it. And with all the family. There is an energy and a buzz that you don’t see on many beaches in other countries. As I was laid there, something kept catching my attention, in the corner of my eye. What was that moving up and down against the sea wall?

It turns out that it was a delivery system. With people on the beach, at the foot of the very high wall, shouting up to a drinks and gelato vendor on the street above. Once the order had been shouted up, the vendor would lower a bucket attached to a long rope, to the waiting customer on the beach. The thirsty beach goer would put money in the bucket and it would make its return journey up the wall. Ingenious.

The Sunset in Gallipoli

Also ingenious, is the way that the bars of Gallipoli utilise the walls around the small town. Facing west, each evening gives you one of nature’s most amazing shows. Unrestricted views of one of the best sunsets you are ever to see. Grab yourself an aperitivo, and wait. Our first evening saw us at Cafe del Mar, Aperol Spritz in hand, nibbling local olives, and enjoying the “show”. It was a very popular way to spend the evening, and being one of the towns that is very popular with Italian tourists, Gallipoli was busy.

The Unglamourous Side of Travel

Travel is not all about beach days and Aperol Spritz. If only. Travelling for any length of time, and relatively light, we have to incorporate one of our favourite days. Laundry day. For those that followed our travels around the world, you will know how much fun we have carting our dirty smalls high and low trying to find a laundrette. Then, trying to find enough actual cash to feed the machines. And then, trying to decipher in the local language how to use the hulking machines. When we finally do, it is a thumbs up all around.

With clean clothes once again we had a final night in Gallipoli. We were back on the road tomorrow, heading out of Puglia to a very special place. One that I had seen many times on TV and was very much looking foward to exploring. BUt, that is for tomorrow. For tonight, we would be a lot closer. We headed across the small bridge, into the new town. I had my eyes on a pizza joint.

Grateful for Gallipoli

A very popular pizza joint it turns out. As someone who is normally in bed for 9pm, sitting down at the table at 9.30pm felt very strange. It was worth it. The pizza was delicious. Sat on the open rooftop of the bustling restaurant we raised our beers and spoke our gratitude for another amazing day on this wonderful planet. Not even a power cut could dampen our spirits. For what seemed an eternity, but was probably only 15 minutes or so, the restaurant lost all power. People resorted to eating by the lights of their mobile phones. We thought it all very romantic. Not the phones, but eating under nothing but the stars.

With the power back on, and thinking the restaurant would be wanting to close, what with it being so late, we didn’t hang around when paying our bill. Imagine my surprise when leaving, seeing a massive queue of people waiting to still enter the restaurant. This is bed time people, what are you doing? We strolled back across the bridge, to the old town, and I closed out another day with my usual whisky nightcap.

Gallipoli had been wonderful, somwehere we would definitly return to. Once we have been everywhere else in the world.

Ciao!