Hands all Around

Very happy that my 2 entries to Hands all Around have been accepted for the international touring exhibition which will premier in Houston in October and then travel to the other IQA shows. Above Flood #1- river rising and below Shake the Tree.

Coffee/ lunch

Sometimes we stop for coffee, sometimes we make it in the apartment. On Corso Roma we drove past the popular Facula café/bread shop and decided to try them out the next day. We tend to drink cappuccino rather than espresso and love how good they always are.

Sometimes we pack a picnic Panini and have lunch out. Here on the coast south of Gallipoli the holiday season hasn't started so the many beachside residences are completely empty and apart from a cyclist we were alone at this spot.

And if we are out driving we will stop at a bar for a coffee had standing at the counter- lovely and cheap too at 1.10 euro generally. For espresso only 80-90 cents. 

Seafood lunch

With all that bounty from the sea it made us hungry for a seafood lunch. The trattoria near the shellfish stalls looked good and didn't disappoint us. This is a our mixed hot and cold antipasti plates, including mussels, stuffed mussels, octopus, seafood salad, swordfish carpaccio and anchovies.

All totally delicious and followed by more seafood for the secondo.

A bit blurry, perhaps the vino to blame?

 

Fresh fish

Gallipoli is an active port and safe harbour for the fishing fleet. The action centres around the dock in the morning when the fresh catch is sold straight off the boats.

The tuna and other fish, octopus, eels etc are lined up and each seller has his own scales, plastic bags and Styrofoam boxes if you buy a lot.

This guy gets an extra fish [in his hand] as he had just bought a box of tuna.

The cutting block with a tuna being cut into steaks, blue bag at the ready.

Mussels, sea urchins, oysters, clams sold in another set of permanent stalls near the boats.

 

Hand made

Have fallen in love with these handmade baskets and then found the old fisherman sitting making the 'nasse' or fish traps for octopus and blue fish, which will be caught in July and August.

Using the car to display these beautiful forms.

Quick, skilled hands at work.

His mate invited us in to look at more, hanging in the back room. These crusty old sea dogs have had interesting lives, captaining ships, living on the sea and now in retirement continue to make beautiful fishing baskets.

The fishermen use cane to make the baskets and trim them to size as needed. The red thread in 2 of my photos are from another maker. Hope this helps understanding them, Jan.
 

Hatari Effect

The Viewpoints 9 latest challenge results are being revealed on the blog. The detail above is from Hatari Effect, my response to the challenge. Please check out the work of the talented members of this group.

Important ingredients

Important kitchen ingredients include L-R Salento red wine, Primitivo bought by the litre in a plastic bottle. Have noticed the Negromaro red wine in a  5 l flagon on the back of a scooter too. You can fill your own bottles, if needed in the enotecas. Local pressed olive oil in a glass bottle and Panini bread in the paper bag. Add some cheese, sun ripened tomatoes and salami or prosciutto and you have a feast.

Palazzo Zacheo

Our apartment is Scirocco, named after a wind, as are all the apartments here in Palazzo Zacheo. The big wooden front, double door has a small people door to go through.

Entry area, leading to the lift.

Or you can take the stairs 

It's hard to photograph the Gothic ceilings with an i-pad but we have them in our apartment too in the kitchen room and the dining, mezzanine bedroom.

Just brought in the shopping.

Nice details.

And the important view to the street and the action below. We are on the first floor and could almost reach across to the apartment in the building opposite. Our washing line also hangs out of this window.

 

Gallipoli

We have been living on an island for the last week. It is the old 'centro storico' of Gallipoli, Italy on the Ionian Sea and is reached by car along the narrow bridge which gets jammed with traffic. There is a crazy right turn over the rail track, followed by immediate left turn to get to the free parking area and the oncoming traffic does it all in reverse with only inches to spare. The alleyway/ streets are very narrow and we braved them to find our palazzo accommodation. I felt sure we were going to be firmly wedged in between the ancient walls, but helpful locals helped us inch forward, not scraping the black Fiat 500 hire car.

The restored castle is the first viewpoint on approach; centuries of habitation and fortification make for a very interesting place which is packed on holiday weekends with Italian and European tourists.

It's not a big island, so easy to walk around and popular with the evening passagiata. The breakwater is a good spot for sunset photos.

This is looking towards the white sand public beach. The sea varies it's blue hues depending on the time of day and weather conditions.

 

Spring blooms

Glorious flowers everywhere in clusters or spread through the wheat fields.

 

Sweet

Yummy almond based biscuits from this region. If you love marzipan like I do, these would be a hit! My Pirelli spare tire is in good shape with all of these delicacies.

Cherry sunset

A glorious sunset through the cherry tree blossoms on our last night in the trulli.

The cherries should be available from mid May, I was told. This tree has been caught in the expansion plans for Trulli il Castagno but has survived.

We've had a marvellous time here and the family who own and run the 4 trulli complex have been very generous with their hospitality and the lemoncello.

 

 

Lest we forget

Thinking of Anzac Day in Australia while here in Gallipoli, Puglia Italy. Poppies pop up everywhere in the fields and on fence tops.

Thanks for all the comments about my posts from Italy. It is lovely to have you travelling with us.

Matera texture

The geology expert tells me this is 'subaqueous  poorly welded tuff' with marine fossils in it. I loved the weathered texture and further down the street, the antique quality of this gate.

Matera

An intriguing town of Sassi buildings in a ravine, dating back centuries- wow!

A view into the rough living conditions of the cave rooms with bits and pieces from past lives, set up for the tourists, but how else to get an idea of the life? It is very damp inside so green mould grows well.

Wash boards.

Near the cathedral we got great views into this garden and across the homes, many doing a roaring trade as B & B's or hotels.