Otranto

Sometimes when we arrive at a place, Barbara will appear astounded and somewhat shocked at how nice a place it is. A reaction similar to when she finds a fiver in the street. Maybe she forgets the amount of research I put into our trips. Otranto was always going to be an astounding place to visit, I'd read about it and asked others about it and how glad was I when it lived up to my expectations. Initially I'd planned a 2 night stay but if the weather holds up, it will be a bit longer.

Alberobello.

Although we'd heard a lot about the whitewashed Trulli houses of Alberobello I didn't think it justi

fied an overnight stay. So we set our sites for otranto in the heel of Italy but with a short stop to see Alberobello. As we approached alberobello we saw loads of Trulli houses, many of which are lived in and worth looking at. The actual Trulli zone is somewhat commercialised with most of the houses occupied by shops selling tourist tat. You really have to imagine what this community looked like in its authentic past. Having said that I did wander outside of the zone and managed to find myself in one or two cul de sacs full of habitated Trulli houses. A little disappointed but worth the visit.

Final goodbye to Matera.

The tombs that you see are actually on the camper stop. They are false ones used in the James Bond movie. We were up early and took the 5 minute walk to the cliff top that looks down the valley towards Matera. Just another alternative viewing point of this fabulous city.

Second day in Matera.

We liked Matera that much that we went back to continue the tourist walk.

The beauty of Matera.

We arrived at our chosen camper stop in the hills overlooking Matera. Quite by accident we'd watched the most recent James Bond movie the night before

, and in the opening scenes we suddenly realised that it was filmed in Matera. Bit of a coincidence but it certainly wet our appetite. The site is on farmland and unlike the other camper stops in this area you can sprall out, relax and listen to the lovely music coming from the reception building. A bit quirky this place with basic toilet and shower facilities. The manager is so enthusiastic about his city that he spends a bit of time explaining where to go. He gives you a map and marks out the best route to take through the city. Then for 3 euros per couple he drives you to Matera.

Coast road to mattinata

Heading to Mattinata

We definitely saw the potential in Vieste but think the eatern beach area might be better for us if we return. After 2 nights we headed to Mattinata a little town about 25miles away. Narrow deserted winding roads meant that the journey took about 1 and a half hours. A beautiful piece of coastline. We found the Sosta that was open but it was deserted with just one German couple on it. Most bars etc were shut so we moved on to the ACSI site south of Manfredonia. In contrast this was very busy with an Italian camping club rally. Off to Matera today.