A tour of Puglia

Day 1: Monopoli coastal loop to Egnathia archeological site.

Monopoli loop. 40km.
I arrived in Bari last night and after a leisurely breakfast this morning I took the train from Bari to Monopoli - just over a 20 minute trip - and then set off in the heat to ride a 40km loop, mostly along the Adriatic coast.

If it wasn't along the coast with its crystal clear waters, it was olive groves that were my cycling route. Old, gnarled trees, frequently with their trunks split in two, so that the pairs can dance together to the tune of the sea breeze drifting inland.

The Egnathia (or Egnazia) archeological site was truly extraordinary. A complete Roman town with living quarters, amphitheatre, a civil basilica, a porticoed square, Roman baths, a Roman road (Via Traiana) and a rather haunting cryptoportico.

Although parts of the archeological site dated back to the bronze age and the iron age, it was the Roman town that was the most preserved. The map indicates the layout of the town. The lower left hand side extension is the housing area. The top left is a porticoed square - used for communal activities. To the right of the square is the amphitheatre and then the basilica. The dark horizontal line cutting through the middle is the Roman Road Via Traiana which indeed did ultimately lead, like all roads, to Rome. The cryptoportico at the bottom right of the map.

 

The living area.

 

Poppies growing beside the living quarters.

 The porticoed square.

The amphitheatre.

 A segment of the wall of the civil basilica.

Below are the beautiful mosaics from the civil basilica - seen in the museum afterwards.

The three graces - its position can be seen in the above graphic.

The Via Traiana and a map showing it as a branch of the Via Appia.

 One branch of the cryptoportico.


The Egnathia Museum had some beautiful objects retrieved from the archeolgical site and its surrounds - some dating back to the 5th century BC.

 

After cycling back to Monopoli, it was time for a short stroll around the village before an evening meal.

 

Day 2: Uphill all the way from Monopoli to Locorotondo.

Monopoli to Locorotondo 45km.
Halfway up the hill to Locorotondo, I stopped to take a photo with my iphone only to find that I had obviously dropped it at the bottom of the hill when I stopped to take a picture of a flower... I had no choice but to ride down again to find it and then back up. Curses.

 The first trulli that I came across... this one cycling from Monopoli to Alberobello... most of the rest are in Alberobello itself... although there are many, many beautiful trulli in the surrouding countryside.

 Helicopter people at the church in Alberobello.

This is not my photo but it shows well the trulli style of the Chiesa di San Antonio in Alberobello. I think it is beautiful and it reminds me of some artwork that Gabrielle and I bought in Tuscany several years ago...

Now, cycling out of Alberobello on my way to Locorotondo...