Hosted by an acquaintance, explored the white-washed towns in Puglia region, visited the Trulli houses in Alberobello…
Puglia is definitely one of my favourite regions in Italy. It was never really in my itinerary but I was so glad that I did and it is definitely one of the most underrated destinations.
When I left Malaysia, my mom posted a picture of us with a caption saying that I left Malaysia for a long trip. One of her friends saw it and gave her a contact of a friend who moved to Italy from Malaysia.
My mom then forwarded the number to me. It wasn’t until weeks later that I decided to message him and see if we could arrange anything. After all, I was longing for the Malaysian vibe after staying in Italy for more than a month without meeting any single Malaysian at all. (Most Asian tourists travel to the northern part of Italy and I was mostly in the south.)
I addressed him by his last name, Say. Mr Say told me that I could stay over at his house for a night or two and he would love to show me around the region.
I had never seen a picture of him, no idea how he looked like, or what his background was. And I decided to stay over at his place. You girls please don’t be like me.
So I bought a FlixBus ticket to Francavilla Fontana to meet up with him. When I arrived at the bus stop, Mr Say with his family was already there waiting for me. Mr Say, much to my surprise, was in his sixties. His wife, Eliza and his son, Siong were all very warm and welcoming.
Mr Say had been in Europe for many years. He told me that he left Malaysia after completing high school and started working in London. He then worked in Paris for 8 years, where he met his wife and got married there in Paris. His son was born in Paris too. They decided to move to Puglia almost 35 years ago because they enjoy the lifestyle there, much laid back and simpler compared to Paris. Sounds like a dream.
I was proud of myself being able to speak Chinese, Malay and English. But when I met Mr Say, dang he was on a whole new level. He didn’t speak much Chinese and forgot most of the Malay words, but he was able to speak four Chinese dialects, English, French, Italian and even the local Italian dialect.
We had dinner at Ceglie Messapica. Mr Say ordered all kind of appetizers, but the appetizers were all so filling it felt more like a whole set of course. They tasted very different from all the pasta and pizza I usually had in Italian restaurants. I couldn’t recall much since I didn’t talk photos of them, but there were a big plate full of salami, a plate of salad with seafood, a plate of different types of cheese and eggplants and all of the dishes were very delicious indeed.
Ceglie Messapica was a small quiet town, with beautiful white floorings and buildings. There was a square but nobody was there. However, Mr Say told me that the square is always flooded with people on Saturday nights.
We headed back to his house at the countryside. Along the road, we saw many trulli built in the countryside.
Trullo is a typical Apulian type of house built with big giant stones and has a conical rooftop. It is historically significant and hence listed as one of the world heritage by UNESCO. From what I understood, these houses were built in the past to avoid taxes imposed by Kingdom of Naples on new urban constructions as trulli were able to demolished in a hurry when the tax inspectors came to that area. Although that made trulli sound like they are unstable, trulli are very durable in reality. The only problem I heard from Mr Say is that it can get very humid due to its structure and causes moss to grow.
image cropped for privacy concern
You can book a night staying in a trullo in Alberobello and experience the Puglian lifestyle! Search the Google for good prices.
I woke up to a rainy morning on the next day. Eliza made me a cup of hot chocolate. We then head over to her mother’s house which was just next to their house for lunch. Her mother was a French too. She was a very kind and lovely lady and she had a beautiful dog. Siong showed me the garage, where he placed his drums and other musical instruments. Siong was a drummer and he had a band playing in the city of Bari. He studied in a music school and he had been playing drums for more than 10 years. Other than drumming, he also knew guitar and keyboard. He taught me to play the drum and we had a fun time creating new beats together.
We then headed out. Mr Say showed me his tiny lab where he created and made all kinds of sushi. His family always helped him out. I was very impressed how the whole family came together to run this family business.
Siong drove me to Ostuni later. We walked around the white-washed city and headed to the beach later. It was too cold to swim, but we still had some gelato while enjoying the sea view.
That night, Mr Say brought us to a Chinese restaurant to have some Chinese food. It was surprisingly good. It reminded me my mom’s homemade soup. Oh, that was one solid reason to miss home. My mom made the best soup ever on earth.
It was a beautiful starry night. I looked upon the sky and for a moment, I felt truly at peace, without all the lights and noise from the city. (Naples was freaking loud and chaotic, it felt nice to go to the quiet countryside and spend some nights there.)
I slept very well that night, thinking I would miss this place after I left.
My last day with Mr Say and his family was lovely. I took a walk with him and his wife early in the morning around the countryside. There were many poppy flowers blooming in front of yards of the abandoned houses around. Birds chirping on trees, butterflies flying around… I surely miss it a lot. We plucked cherries from the trees on the side of the road and they tasted very, very juicy and sweet!
Mr Say decided to drive me all the way to Bari to catch the bus back to Napoli. We stopped at many towns along the way – Alberobello, Monopoli and Polignamo a Mare. Out of all, Polignamo a Mare was definitely my favourite! It was such a romantic spot for a beach vacation. I can’t thank them enough for bringing me to all the places!
When we got to Bali, Mr Say helped me to get the bus ticket as my phone was not able to get it online. He even paid for it! I was shocked, and I offered to treat him and his family gelato before we said goodbyes. He refused.
“Save your money for the rest of your journey,” he said.
I felt bad. Mr Say and his family never let me spend a cent throughout my three days stay with them. “Please just let me treat you some gelato or at least some coffee,” I said to him.
“No, no. It’s okay. When I go back to Malaysia, ask your dad to treat me Char Kuey Teow!” He laughed.
“No, not my dad, I will personally treat you all the Char Kuey Teow you want or even other Malaysian food! Thank you so much for everything! I will see you again!” I smiled and waved goodbye.
“See you and take care!” He left.
I then spent two hours walking around Bari before I took the bus back to Naples. To my surprise, Bari was incredibly stunning. I mean, forget about Rome, Bari is definitely a must-visit in Italy. It was so underrated! Or maybe it was the best part – not very touristy. I loved it there. The view at the theatre by the port as the sun went down was beyond what I could described. I was very glad to have make it there, even though it was only for two hours.
I then headed back to Napoli, feeling very satisfied with all the things Puglia had offered.
17th – 19th May, 2018.
P/s: Sorry that these are not the best travel pictures… I only carried a phone with me and I prefer to capture the best ones with my eyes. ❤ Thanks for reading. Ciao!
The Dancing Wildfire 