Bari, Altamura and Matera

Saturday, October 24, 2015

So as I said before, we are now six: Sheila and Peter Philippsohn, Marcia and Eric Birkin, and Joyce and me along with our guide Ido and our driver Enzo.  Leaving at a relaxed 9:30 AM (unheard of in Haim’s world) we drove through the beautiful Apulian countryside, beginning to see a trullo (pl. trulli) here and there:

These are stone huts with a conical roof, typical of Apulia, originally used as shepherd’s shelters.  Our destination was the Masseria Calcara in Altamura.  A masseria is a farmhouse on a country estate used as a hotel or restaurant, and this one is particularly lovely.  We were to help in the preparation of a multi-course lunch, and then, while it is cooking, we were to walk the estate.  Our hostess, Sig.ra Gionna, was ready for us, having already prepared many of the parts of the lunch:

We quickly got to work:

The eggplant had already been sliced and breaded, now it had to be stuffed with home-made cheese before rolling and cooking:

We grated, chopped, rolled, sliced, stuffed, and shredded many things while sipping on the home-made wine and nibbling on the home-made sheep’s milk cheese.  The only casualty was Marcia’s grated knuckle.  I had never seen this green vegetable before, and I’ve lost its name:

The main course is to be a lamb dish, featuring a freshly butchered animal:

So when everything was being cooked, we went for a walk around the property:

We visited the sheep milking barn:

And spent some time in the cheese-making house:

Finally, back to the farmhouse for a sumptuous meal which lasted more than two hours, with generous servings of the home-made wine.  Wow!  Maybe this trip is really eating our way through Apulia with a little walking?  After lunch and thank yous, we drove to the town of Matera, technically not in Apulia but in the region of Basilicata.  The town is famous for its cave dwellings, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

There is an enormous bread which is a local staple and favorite, aptly named Pane di Matera:

We wandered the town in the late afternoon, and came upon the Church of the Dead with these doors, representing death coming to everyone regardless of who you are (royalty with crowns, etc.):

Above the doors is this figure.  We had him explained to us twice, by two different people.  One said he was praying as he is consumed by flames, the other that he was making a rude Italian gesture at death:

 Finally, as it became dark, we ceased our wandering and found a small trattoria for a light dinner.  More tomorrow.