Day 18, Monday, Alberobello and Lecce

Today was a day of mostly travel, making our way from Matera to Lecce with stops in Alberobello and a walled farm (Masseria Fortificata) for lunch.  First stop was in Alberobello where the houses have special roofs in cone shapes made from thousands of pieces of limestones. These houses are designed after the ancient "trulli" stone huts that farmers used when they were working in the field.   It is a unique place - almost a fairy tale village, except for the modern antennas, electric wires, and dozens of touristy trinket shops.  The weather is partly cloudy with perfect temperatures in the high 60's and it is a most pleasant hour or so walk through "Trulli-land." 

    An original Trullo next to a olive grove. 

Next we stop at the Masseria for lunch - a very, very strange place.  We are served a typical, heavy, 5-6 course lunch in a room where the ancient olive presses are kept.  The farm is strange, the room is strange, and the people are fairly strange, too.  The farm is about 400 years old and was carefully restored by an former wealthy family.  Here's where the story gets lost in translation.  I believe the wealthy man doing the restoration ran out of money, the B & B was never finished, the government took over the place (maybe - I never quite understood this part), and now it houses refugees from Africa, Syria, and other lands for 3 months at a time.  The refugees are all men who loll around the property with nothing to do.  It is unnerving and weird.  The guys all go for a walk in the ancient olive tree orchards where some of the trees are over 100 years old.  The women stay inside and talk about art and creativity.  

Finally we complete the drive to Lecce where we check into our lovely hotel in the old city and rest up before going out for a light bite before retiring.  Lecce is called the "Florence of the South," so we look forward to exploring it tomorrow.