Ah southern Italy, so enchanting, so romantic, so charming, so fascinating. Yet, just like any wonderful place, it is not without it’s fair share of issues, be it racism, infrastructure issues or the mafia.
Basilica di Santa Croce
Last Tuesday was my “day off” so Laura and I went to Lecce. Lecce is known as the Florence of the South, but still relatively off the beaten track. Land is still refreshingly affordable, so buy in while you can (yes, I’ve had an aha moment, but we will get to that later).The walled city of Lecce was built by the Romans back a long time ago, because while it feels like it is out in the middle of nowhere, the city was an important trading center between the Ionian and Adriatic seas. Plus, there was an underground river, so fresh was abundant. The Greeks lived around the area before the Romans but this is the extent of my knowledge of ancient Italian history.
After a heavy Italian lunch and a nap in the park, I dragged Laura to the Jewish museum with me. The museum opened in 2016. Prior to that, it was an Italian restaurant. Prior to that, up until the 15th century, it was a synagogue, which was razed in a pogrom at the behest of Charles V. He then had the imposing Basilica di Santa Croce built on top of the Jewish neighborhood to erase any evidence that there was once a thriving Jewish population in Lecce. Par for the course, really.
During our 25 minute guided tour through the museum, we were shown the ancient mikvahs where Jewish women bathed, in a cool underground room. The water in these baths came from the subterranean springs, which sounded delightful for a dip. We learned that the stairs down into the baths had been torn out by the Italian restaurant owner because he used the ancient mikvahs as a wine cellar, and they got in his way. I couldn’t think of anything possibly more Italian than that.
After a fascinating (in my opinion) and slightly depressing visit to the Jewish museum, Laura and I decided we needed a cold beer. We landed at a spot that was open at the ungodly hour of 5pm (still siesta time) and had a beer. Then Laura’s friend who lives in Lecce joined us, so we had another beer. Then Giulia and her friend joined us, so we had another beer. And then another just for good measure.
I’ve gotten into a nice rhythm at Casa Giulia, although things change pretty quickly, so who longs how long it will last. I’m responsible for serving breakfasts in the morning, so I wake up around 7am and have a coffee before the mayhem. Then I make coffees for the guests, cut fruit and bread, and put frozen cornetti (croissants) in the oven. Then I set the tables and serve people as they get up.
After
After everyone is fed, I eat breakfast while Laura clears the tables and cleans up. Then I head out to the olive trees. I’ve worked up to the point where I can do about 12 trees in about an hour and a half. When I’m tired or over it or whatever (the lack of oversight is delightful), I have the afternoon to do whatever I want. One day Laura and I rode bikes to Nardò, but my tire went flat so we had to walk our bikes home. Other days, if someone has a car, we go to the beach and explore the coastline of the Ionian Sea. Some days I hang by the pool and read or write these silly little blog posts. If there is a dinner, I help serve dinner (which also includes eating what Giacomo makes and drinking wine, so it’s all pretty fun).
Yesterday, Laura’s friend from Lecce and her husband Francesco, who was born and raised in the heel of the boot, took us to Porto Selvaggio. I wasn’t thrilled for another beach day (I mean, how much time can you spend at the beach?), but I wanted to get away from Casa Giulia and grateful for a ride. When we arrived at Porto Selvaggio, I realized that it wasn’t just another beach. Porto Selvaggio is one of those stunning little nooks with limestone rock that creates a pool-like effect for swimming in the turquoise aqua blue water. Not only that, but above the beach is a 14th century lookout tower. Stunningly beautiful natural history and geology AND cool human history? Damn.
Francesco, our friend and local tour guide, took us for a swim. “You want to see a cave?” He asked. “Hell yeah, let’s go,” I said enthusiastically. We swam along the rocky shoreline to a place where people were jumping off a rock maybe 10’ high. It was fairly windy so there was a bit of chop, but Francesco swam into the rocks and disappeared under where people were jumping. He didn’t appear to bash his head, so I followed.
There was much more headspace than appeared, and as I followed him I entered a limestone cave with neon blue water illuminated by shafts of sunlight coming in from above. Pirates of the Caribbean could have been filmed here. In fact, I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised to some Ancient Greek gold coins in there. Although the water was warm, the place gave me goosebumps. It’s a good thing I don’t have Instagram, because it is exactly the kind of place that would get blown up real quick on social media.
I was so grateful at being shown such a wonderful place that I bought a round of beers for our crew, although the beers were €2 each, so it didn’t break the bank. In the evening, we all hiked up to the tower and got beautiful panoramic views of the coastline. On the way, I noticed a plaque for a woman, Renata Fonte, and asked Francesco what it said.
Francesco proceeded to tell me Renata’s story. She was on the Nardò city council, and back in the 80’s was staunchly opposed to a planned subdivision and urbanization of Porto Selvaggio. She loved the area and fought against the development of land and subsequent environmental crimes. At 33, while on a hike, she was murdered. Soon after, the people who killed her, as well as the SOB who ordered her murder — the guy next in line for her seat on the city council (a mafioso) — were all arrested. Ironically and tragically, it was her murder that brought awareness to the fight against the development, and the land was protected in perpetuity. Renata gave the ultimate sacrifice for the protection of this incredible place, and today people come from all over the world to appreciate and enjoy it.
Whew ok that got dark. Although it may seem like it outwardly, Italy isn’t all blue skies and delicious pizza. A few days ago, the water stopped working at Casa Giulia. Apparently, the pump inside the well broke, so we’ve been jumping in the pool for showers and using pool water to flush the toilets. Fortunately, there is plenty of bottled water for drinking, but the pile of dirty dishes in the sink is piling up, and sooner or later a dip in the pool won’t cut it anymore. I hope it’s fixed soon - as do our guests who have had a good sense of humor about it, but probably won’t tomorrow.
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