Live simply, travel lightly, love passionately & don't forget to breathe

 After Greece it was time for

Roller-coaster Trains, Caveman-like Caves and Orgasmic Olive Oil…

This is Italy ~ Off The Beaten Path…

Trains

If I say that they are terrible, I would be lying… trains in Italy, are both, terrible & incredible!

The scenery is truly breathtaking at times or just plain ugly. Some 2 hour local trains, don’t even have a toilet & they smell. But some 4-6 hour trains, offer you first-class service with a complimentary wine, like the one From Bari to Rome. However the Bari to Rome train, first class, was a crazy non-stop rollercoaster, where you could not even stand. Thought I won’t make it and trust me, complimentary wine, was the last thing on my mind. My favorite trains so far are from Rome to Lecce & from Bari to Alberobello, even though the later is a small local train, that cost me only 4 euro.

Trains in Italy is a great way to meet locals … On a train from Bari to Matera, I met a lovely Italian lady, Pina. She raved about Lecce and said, that Otranto beach near Lecce is absolute best and that it has no tourists. Since I have no fixed plans (don’t you just love that) and will be in Italy for about a month, I should definitely go to Otranto for some beach and fun…

Even though my friend, Luana, warned me…

But you know me…

I’m stubborn!

Idiot!

how we say in Italian, CRETINO!…

Otranto turned out to be THE WORST BEACH…

Otranto is a construction zone! The only real nice thing about it, is the castle and the Cathedral that is set in the Historic center of Otranto – a must see! This gem of a town is full of history, but is being ruined by constant construction, overpriced hotels, bad food and insanitary beaches.

King Arthur Mosaic

Lion mosaic – my last name (Levon) means Lion

I sat near the Castle walls, ate the worst slice of pizza in the world and enjoyed watching local lads play football, while showing off, naturally. When the ball flew in my direction, I masterfully hit it back like a pro with my foot, while still sitting on a chair and trying to finish my pizza..

Needless to say, it was the highlight of their game. They cheered, whistled and made “wooooohoo” sound, only Italian guys can manage. I feel that Otranto is overpriced, over-hyped and dirty. Now, don’t be fooled by google images when you google “Otranto Beaches” or “Otranto Beach” … (this was my mistake) In reality, good beaches are 15, 20 or 30 minutes away, by car from Otranto. Since I don’t have a car, I was screwed, royally. The weather was terrible when I arrived, since I bring rain everywhere I go, couldn’t even tan at Baia dei Turchi, about 5 kilometers north from Otranto (Bay of the Turks) But I wouldn’t call even that, the best! It’s just ok… and it also had trash everywhere…

It was sunny for about 30 minutes. Then, I ran like a mad woman, with a camera under my arm, across an open field, with lightning, thunder and rain. They accompanied me all the way to the nearby car, that I stopped with the help of my scream and crazed look on my face. But a story about how I tried to get to Otranto, which was so hyped up to me by Italians (that woman on a train wasn’t the only one) is even funnier…

As it turned out, the buses from Lecce to Otranto only work in Summer… I found out about that at night, when I got to Lecce from Rome. However I did get to meet an incredible couple Candida and her husband Giovanni Bellisario, who gave me a lift to Otranto. Giovanni is an author of a book, about the actual mosaic in the Cathedral. We talked about Africa and other places I should see in Italy, like Siena, Tuscany. However, they also raved about Otranto… Am I blind or just incredibly spoiled by THE BEST BEACH in the world ?.. which was actually 3 times cheaper and 100 times nicer. Anyway, they dropped me off at my hotel, we exchanged emails and said Ciao. Unfortunately, the “internet connection” was only available via internet cable… that leaves me with no Internet for 5 days, since my macbook air will only work via wifi.

I said my goodbyes to the hotel and went out in search of a new place at night. To top things off, it’s starts to rain. In about 30 minutes and 5 or so overpriced hotels later, with wifi in lobby only, I hear “E-l-e-n-a!!!”. Thought to my self; “only 30 minutes in town and they already screaming my name?!”. It was Candida and her husband, who urged me, as parents usually do; “Do not walk by yourself at night!” … They had dinner and were heading back home, near Lecce. They both insisted I get in the car and we will together find a hotel. We did manage to find a place. It’s outside of the main town right by the road, through which main traffic usually passes… “perfect!” Well I had no choice at this point, it was late and this wonderful couple has already done more than enough for me. I got a room with wifi in a former ancient villa of 1500, to the prince Garcia of Spain.

Not bad, huh? Perfect place to spend rainy days at. (although, I’d rather be spending it in Tuscany) I do have to thank Otranto and weather for being so terrible, because now I have all the time in the world, to sit in my villa (by myself), write this post and listen to thunder…

I have 4 words to say to the officials of Otranto – Clean Up Your Act! If you’re going to charge people insane amount of money for food and longing, make sure your beaches are at the very least, clean! And I would like to make a suggestion to Italians, who LOVE to vacation in Otranto and surrounding areas – Don’t be afraid to go to Africa and discover the best beach of your life in a historic place, for 3 times cheaper than in Italy.

~

Caves

Matera truly is magnificent! It’s full of Unesco World Heritage sites. I was the only one seen with my bags making my way to my cave at Sextantio…

Everyone else comes here by car. Sextantio wasn’t easy to find, but I managed. It is really a unique experience and a wonderful way to get a taste of unique Italy. After a two-hour train ride from Bari and a 20-30 minute walk to this cave, it was incredible to be able to soak in a bathtub at my own cave/castle abode…

I loved walking around this gorgeous little town, taking in mountain air and ancient Unesco Cathedrals. There are not many tourists here. A lot of people come to Matera for weddings and honeymoons. The sounds of bells from cathedrals echoed through the whole universe and then ran back into the arms of the earth…

I loved walking the hills of Matera and meeting locals as I made my way through this gem. A nun, who was visiting Matera, took a few pictures of me and I took a few of her with her camera.

Matera is a home to the crypt of The Original Sin … although it felt like a total tourist-trap. I’ve sinned so much and so colorfully in my life, that this crypt is not that original for me…

What they don’t tell you at hotels is that YOU CAN NOT TAKE PICTURES once you’re inside the crypt… because it’s a “private property”… Yeah, whatever! Everyone who came with cameras was really disappointed! Hotels won’t tell you this, because they don’t want to lose business – 30 euro transfer to and from cave, which is in the middle of nowhere and if you don’t have a car, you don’t have a choice. The guide will say in a meditating voice “Don’t worry my dears, you can go to the crypt’s website and look at the pictures there!”

Fuck you, sir! I didn’t come all this way to look at some website’s pictures! I’m a photographer and I want to capture this rare place, with my own goddamn lens!

This Crypt IS NOT open to public! You MUST be with a guide who has the key to the crypt! Unfortunately for me the whole tour was in Italian, because I was the only English / Russian-speaking person in there. You can NOT just waltz in, pay 8 euros entrance fee, marvel at it IN SILENCE and leave! Oh, no, you MUST be there with a tour group through the whole ” 20 minute from darkness to light fiasco”, with cheesy cathedral music in the background… it feels like you’re in Disneyland! I hate that you can not just be in there without the stupid guided tour, in silence and take your time with it. I refuse to be a sheep, guided by a prerecorded manual in 10 languages. (however if it’s only an Italian tour that day, you have no choice, but to listen to it in Italian.) I left earlier because places like these should be open to public, daily and not made into yet another Disneyland theme ride…

I did stumble into an incredibly delicious restaurant in Matera. I savored their different orgasmic treats with some white vino..

and Olive Oil… this type of food reminded me of Tapas in Barcelona…

~

Olive Oil

I don’t know what it is with Olive Oil in Italy, but I am now an addict. Hello, my name is Elena and I’m an Italian Olive Oil Addict..

Alberobello is really an Italian gem. It is home to Truli’s and I even got to spend the night in one of them…

Some domes of those Truli’s have symbols on them with different meanings. Each symbol, as stated by historical studies, have a Christian root that moves and changes from ancient times following the popular religion moods and assuming therefore a wishing-well to push away the misfortune. These symbols are painted by free hand using lime. Lime is also used for external and internal whitening of the trulli. Alberobello is also a Unesco Site. Walking the streets of this small town gives you a sense of an Italian life that exists only outside of big cities…

You really get a sense of what real Italy is all about. The days are lazy and the nights are quite. If you walk into a local church in the evening, you can hear the practice of a local youth choir.

I just sat on a bench and listened to them in awe. But a true highlight for me was trying the local orgasmic olive oil, wine and cheese at Trullo Del Gusto

This was a heavenly meal with 2 glasses of sparkling wine for only 6 euros… Don’t go into the tourist restaurants with menus in 6 different languages and a 30 euro price tag per dish… eat locally and you will be pleasantly surprised… and sometimes you’ll try mind-blowing food, with even more mind-bending price tag (in a good way).

I have no idea what they put in that Olive Oil in Alberobello and Matera… but I’m guessing it must be all that Italian Amore and then some more of the same…

But I must confess…

THE BEST OLIVE OIL I EVER TRIED…

was in

CORI…

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