Playing Monopoli
After a bit of a restless sleep, wrestling with a bedsheet that was too small for the bed and a psychopathic clock that tick-tocked, not only at a higher than average decibel level but also at a ridiculous speed, we woke a little worse for wear. We traipsed down to the old town just as it started to sprinkle, and grabbed some breakfast at a cute cafe overlooking the beach. Molly ordered a hot chocolate that was so thick, she could eat it with a spoon. Deliziosa!
Brightly outfitted bridesmaids cheered up the rainy square and surrounded their beautiful bride at the big church in the old town as the bells rang out loudly to mark the occasion this morning. Before coming to Italy, I was under the impression that church bells operated like cuckoo clocks, chiming once for one o’clock, twice for two o’clock, three times for three o’clock… but that doesn’t seem to be the case here in Polignano A Mare. Yesterday we counted 31 chimes , feeling sorry for the poor bell-ringer (and it was the random time of ten past eight). No wonder Quasimodo had a hunchback.
Polignano A Mare is known as ‘the pearl of the Adriatic’, sitting atop dramatic limestone cliffs with the clearest blue sea below. Having seen the caves and jagged coastline last night in the dark, we wanted to appreciate the vistas in broad daylight as well, so walked the entire length of the town, stopping at all the little balcony lookouts down every street. We spied the famous and incredible Grotta Palazzese restaurant that’s actually set right inside a natural cave. Diners can hear the waves splashing up against the rocks below as they chow down on their delectable fare and stare out at the crystal blue Adriatic Sea. As beautiful as it was, It was just a smidge over our holiday budget so we had to admire it from afar.
As we ventured along the coast, nature called but there didn’t seem to be a public toilet in sight. I asked a guy in a cafe whether he could point me in the direction of a loo. Not knowing the Italian word for “busting”, I crossed my legs and did a little dance on the spot to show him time wasn’t on my side, hoping he’d offer to let me relieve myself in his establishment. He told me there were no toilets for miles, not getting the hint, so I asked him flat out if I could please use his. He said I’d have to buy a drink for the privilege, so I forked out a couple of euros for a lemonade and made a beeline for the toilet. He shrugged and said “occupata”. Now my on-the-spot dance was for real and all eyes in the cafe were trained on me, wondering if my dam would burst. Thankfully, the door swung open and I made it with seconds to spare.
The historic old town centre of Polignano is a car-free zone and at night, lots of other streets are closed to cars, making it a very pedestrian friendly place; a postcard-perfect maze of cobbled streets and stairways lined with cafes, restaurants, bars and boutiques. The Nonnas were out on their kerbside plastic chairs again today, waving at friends in cars and striking up chats with passing foot traffic. Mr Ed-style, split barn doors are all the rage here, with friendly faces peeping out through the top door to have a sticky-beak at the street.
Antonio had told us about Polignano’s widely acclaimed “special coffee”, the beverage putting Polignano A Mare on the map. He insisted we give one a try before we left town. Available in only one location - Il Super Mago Del Gello - this highly sought after milky caffeine concoction brought all the boys to the yard, so to speak, with crowds flocking to get their hands on one. As is usually the case in Italy, the rules for queueing and ordering were pretty fast and loose. There was a system of paying first and then moving to another part of the counter to present your receipt so someone could then make your (special) coffee. The only problem was, no one was aware of the system and chaos reigned supreme. A guy tried to shove in front of me in the line for payment but I stood my ground. As I approached the counter, before I could say “ hit me up with a special coffee”, he held his money out, over the top of my head, handing it to the cashier and barking his order. The cashier happily took the money and then proceeded to offer the man his change right back over my head. Crazy. The special coffee’s not-so-secret recipe consists of a shot of espresso, a touch of Amaretto and lemon cream, mixed and served in a long-stemmed glass. I had mine to-go and can confirm, it was pretty special.
Molly had her final uni assessment due this afternoon so we chilled out in our accommodation until she’d hit ‘submit’ and then went on a driving adventure to the nearby town of Monopoli. We got there just on dusk and took a quick stroll around the square. A little train was offering a spin around town for €5 so I talked Molly into climbing aboard. The host offered a comprehensive commentary in Italian as we passed all the must-see sights and I opened up my Google Translate conversation mode to see if we could catch the drift of what he was pointing out. We got the occasional random word like “focaccia”, “kilometre” and “Monopoli” but other than that, had NO idea what he was showing us. It’s fair to say the train ride didn’t really show Monopoli in its best light (not just because it was dark!) - showing us the port and other not so pretty parts of town. It was when we disembarked and strolled through the big gates leading to the old town that we really fell in love with Monopoli, its marble tiled streets, cute little shops and variety of cool places to eat. Sans umbrella, we’d initially welcomed the cooling rain but by now it was verging on torrential and as we ran for shelter under little balconies we were reminded of the merit of buildings with eaves. The roads ingeniously fall to the centre, one row of tiles acting as a channel to catch all the water. There was a healthy flow gushing down the streets, making it hard to cross and avoid getting soggy socks. Looking bedraggled and feeling like something the cat had dragged in, as Mum would say, we made it to a little bar that served food and seated our saturated selves on some bar stools. Molly had some local handmade orecchiette pasta in a rich tomato sauce with pesto on top. Bellissimo!
The drive back to Polignano was stressful to say the least, the windscreen refusing to unfog and visibility quite challenging in the rain. Once again, God answered our prayers and got us home safely, with a free parking spot right in front of our room, normally unheard of! We’ve got an early start tomorrow morning so we’d better get packing!
Arrivederci!
