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Sea: Calm
Weather: Hot and Sunny … although not as hot as the previous two weeks!
We got chatting to the Hotel Manager at the Drinks reception and she recommended doing an excursion in Taranto as there wasn’t too much to see.
We found out later this was a little bit of an exaggeration as those that wandered into town said it was pretty cool with a crumbling old town sitting alongside a very modern district.
Regardless, we were really pleased we did this excursion as the village of Alberobello was incredibly picturesque and unlike anywhere we’ve been. The houses are called Trulli’s – round buildings with tiled roofs. They were originally built this way to avoid taxes – they could easily be dismantled into piles of stones.
Alberobello was an hour or so drive away from the port. The coaches park on the outskirts of town and it’s a 15 minute walk in.
When we arrived we walked up the hill and saw a couple of Trulli’s up close and also from a view point overlooking most of the town.
While at first glance they may all look the same, subtle differences allow you to differentiate whose house is whose. The little white finials at the very top may vary and some have symbols painted onto the roof tiles.
After going to the view point, we walked down the hill and up the other side towards the town’s church – Parrocchia Sant’Antonio di Padova. This was also built in the style of a trulli.
There wasn’t enough time to wander into Taranto when we returned from the excursion so just had to be content with looking at the town from afar – our balcony was on the right side of the ship. As we headed away from Taranto, we had to pass quite a few tankers that were moored just off the coast.
Well, that wraps up the ports for this cruise. A sea day tomorrow before arriving back in Valletta on Thursday.
