The Long and Winding Roads!!

I've gathered waaaayy too many pictures to post and we're setting off for new adventures again tomorrow, so I figured I'd better get something written about the last week!! After leaving Split, I endured a wild bus ride on a VERY "long and winding road" from Split to Dubrovnik (looking out over the mountainous edges into the sea for most of the journey!!), then I got settled and waited for my travel partner to arrive after her 24-hour journey (ugh!!)!! 

After reconnecting at the Dubrovnik airport, we headed back to the apartment to wait for our ferry departure Wednesday night. I had rented the room for an extra day so Pam could shower after her long flight, but JUST as she was ready to shower, the water went off due to a broken pipe....yikes!! Fortunately, they were quick to fix it and she was able to get freshened up before our overnight ferry from Dubrovnik to Italy! On my previous ferry ride, I had been a bit disappointed by how smooth the ride was (no rockin' and rollin' on the seas to put me to sleep)!  On THIS ride, however, I was not disappointed and slept like a baby (although I might have trouble getting Pam on the ferry BACK to Croatia because she's not a fan of the wild seas)!! 

We've seen so many things since our arrival that I can barely remember....let's see....

We decided to do a bit of sight-seeing near our ferry's arrival port in Bari before heading north to our house-sitting location and ended up in Alberobello (UNESCO World Heritage town known for the trulli houses)! According to a bit of research I did, the origins of Alberobello date back to the second half of the 16th century, when the peasants were ordered by the Counts to build stone houses without mortar (so they could be easily dismantled in case of a royal inspection so the Counts wouldn't have to not pay the duty to the Bourbons). The cone on top of the base was built by placing the stones one on top of another in a series of concentric rings that became increasingly smaller. The stones were arranged in a fish-scale pattern and tilted slightly downward to keep the water from getting inside the trullo....fascinating construction and architectural design!!

The pinnacle on the top part of the cone usually had a decorative purpose and was carved in stone in different shapes. It is believed that the first forms of the pinnacle originated from the ancient worship of sacred stones known as beatyli. There are several pinnacle shapes that refer to this ancient worship practice such as the ball-shaped and disc pinnacle (representing a sphere and a solar disk). Later in history, the pinnacles took different forms to suit the symbols of new religions such as the cross-shaped pinnacle - a clear reference to the Christian religion. The pinnacle also differed in quality and detail-work. This showed not only the skill of the craftsman, but also the value of the building because a fancier pinnacle identified a richer family.

The symbols on the cones of the trulli are signs, symbolic figures, monograms or initials drawn with the use of lime. These symbols have different meanings such as protecting the family or worshipping a deity and are classified as primitive, magic, pagan, Christian, or ornamental. We saw a variety of very interesting symbols on the tops/roofs of the trulli we passed along the road, as well as in the town of Alberobello!! We met this wonderful lady in one of the shops who let us sample all her biscuits (little round rings bread rings with a variety of flavors that are specialties from this area) and a LOT of little sips of different-flavored liquors!! She also let us go upstairs to her "viewing terrace" where we could look out at the sea of cone-shaped trulli roofs all over the city!! It was AMAZING!! 

We had a lovely 3-story home to enjoy while here (and a sweet dog) with not one, but TWO terraces on which we enjoyed the view of the Adriatic Sea and the all-white village of Mattinata!! It reminds me so much of pictures of Greece I've seen with the mountains meeting the gorgeous emerald-colored Sea!! The lovely couple took us to a wonderful dinner....ordered all the best, freshest seafood and pasta.... and a bit of Lemoncello at the end of dinner to finish us off!!

On our first full day here in Mattinata, we went up the VERY long and winding road straight UPHILL to the town of Monte Sant'Angelo - less than 15 miles from here, but an arduous journey for sure (well - arduous for Pam who was driving and doesn't like to look out over the edge of the cliff, but kinda fun for me because I got to take lots of pictures and enjoy the view)!! It was a warm, sunny day....except for the BITTER COLD wind that was blowing hard on the mountain top!! 

We wandered around the town a bit and saw the castle walls, some little shops, and our favorite - the Celestial Basilica that houses a cave believed to be a pre-Christian sacred site (later consecrated in the 5th Century as a The Sanctuary of St. Michael the Archangel (Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo) which has been a popular Catholic shrine for many pilgrimages for over a thousand years!! Archangel Michael is said to have appeared in 490 and 492, consecrating the cave-shrine himself and speaking to the Bishop in visions (after which the Bishop ordered a Christian chapel to be built on top of the sacred cave). Supposedly, Archangel Michael appeared three different times....twice to the Bishop asking the place to be made into a church, and a third time in 1656 to save the whole village from a plague)!! 

In addition to a bit of sight-seeing and driving up and down the coast of the Adriatic, we've enjoyed lovely lunches and gelato by the sea with some GORGEOUS views!! The seafoam green color of the Adriatic is definitely something to behold.... really incredible and breathtaking from every angle (and the food is pretty divine)!! We're taking off tomorrow to do a bit more sight-seeing....heading back to Jesi to have dinner with "my family" - then onto Assissi to check out the sights before enjoying the ferry back to Croatia! We're hoping for calm seas on the return for Pam (although I must say....I really DID sleep much better when it was rockin' and rollin')!! Much love to all of you, and I'll post again when I get a spare minute!!