Lecce (continued)

After a few weeks travelling it is really nice to kick back in one spot for a fortnight. We can take our time to look at Lecce; no need to rush around trying to tick everything off in 2 days.
In Tony’s first class the homework was to look up Francesca Leo Esco on YouTube. Francesca is our teacher. This is the link https://youtu.be/tqCpiuZmEck?si=-wgGQpKPetUk8wiT . She asked us to give the song a “Like”. She’s very fond of George Clooney. He is mentioned many times each lesson.
The trendy bar was upstairs at Caffè Cittadino with a lovely view over Piazza Sant Oronzo. Comfortable chairs and a great place for a chat… only … the drinks took 1 hour to arrive. Thoroughly enjoyable experience with good food and the drinks were worth the wait. Also very congenial company.
The Pizzica experience was a blast. Our young teacher explained the dance. Her musician arrived and with only tambourine and haunting vocals we saw a demonstration. Then, horrors, it was our turn. Messy, but fun. To recover we had vino and small eats then workshopped the tambourine with mixed and noisy results.
The weather has changed. Now much colder with inconvenient showers of rain from time to time. The shorts remain in the suitcases for a few days. On several days we get rained on a bit then debate whether to buy umbrellas. Never quite wet enough.
On Saturday 4th October we did a bus tour to Otranto and Santa Maria di Leuca. You may not know that when Tony’s family emigrated from the old country for £10 their ship was a P&O vessel named Otranto. In 2018, sailing across from near Albania to Italy with Earl and Diane, we aimed for Otranto but missed to the south due to unfavourable winds. Nice to be able to tick the box. Big harbour with scenic stone-walled town on the heights. The walls were reconstructed by the Spanish in the 15th century. The town is compact and of course trendy with a stunning Cathedral which was dedicated to Saint Mary of the Anunciation in 1088. Of course lots of shiny shops. The standout from the tour was the tale about 800 Christian martyrs who were beheaded by the Muslims for refusing to change to the Islam faith. They were all sainted. Their broken and mixed skeletons are on display in the crypt. Grisly.
It was a relief to have a settling coffee in town then board the bus for the scenic coastal drive to Santa Maria di Leuca. It is the very bottom back corner of Italy’s ‘heel’ and is where the Adriatic and Ionian Seas meet. Elena found a highly recommended seafood restaurant, Lido Azzuro, where we all enjoyed a really delicious lunch. The drive home was peaceful and quite fast along the direct inland road.
Today, Sunday 5th October, we met up with Alice, another of Tony’s cousins. She lives in Carovigno. We caught the train then she drove us to her lovely house set among olive trees outside the village. Later we lunched at Masseria Santo Scalone. A masseria is “a fortified farmhouse found primarily in the Puglia region of Italy” (thanks, DuckDuckGo). This masseria provides accommodation and meals. The lunch was absolutely lovely in a gorgeous restaurant where we were the only guests.
No drinks nor dinner out tonight. We have some serious learning to do tomorrow (and a cooking class).Read more