Gallipolli and Gelato

Today after class, a homemade lunch of sauteed zucchini with parmesan and prosciutto, and a little nap, we all clambered back on the magic school bus (air-conditioned coach) and headed for the nearby town of Gallipolli.

Gallipolli is a gorgeous little seaside town famous for its fishing and nightlife. We got off the bus directly onto the wharf and were greeted with the pungent smell of fishy goodness. We met up with our Lecce guide from the first day, Maria Neve, and started with a brief history of the city. Gallipolli is a historic center of trade, as with many seaside towns, and was almost completely destroyed twice so has a strange mix of architectural styles.

We arrived in the late afternoon and the sun was that perfect golden color that gilds everything. The boats in the harbor looked like something off of a postcard- in fact one of the girls commented that she saw a picture of them as the Bing background one day! We were torn away from the harbor to trek up through the centro storico (the old city). We started our mini-tour with the Cathedrale di Sant’Agata. The giant church seems to come out of nowhere, and is crammed so close between the surrounding buildings that it’s a shame you have to see the incredible façade from an angle. Inside was gorgeous, filled with light, and covered in Mannerist paintings.

After the church we made our way down a little side street to a tiny door in the wall. We filed through one-by-one down three flights of stairs into a dark and humid cavern. It was an lamp oil factory! Inside was a giant machine for pressing olives, operated by a little donkey that also had a stall there. There were little stone vats built into the floor for refining the oil, and little cells for storage. Apparently the workers would come from out of town and live there for a few months, smoking marijuana and opium, probably to forget that they were trapped in that tiny room!

After the oil factory we walked through more of the town, emerging on the other side of the buildings to a wonderful view of the sea, and a beach built into the crescent of the town. The beach was absolutely filled with people. Gallipolli is a popular tourist destination for actual Italians, who flock down to the south this time of the year.

Maria Neve made friends with this old basket maker. He ended up serenading her in front of all of use, but made us promise not to tell his wife!

The cutest dog I've ever seen! Aside from mine of course

Three sweet old men

We heard about a gelateria from one of our teachers, who is a local and claims Martinucci makes the best gelato she’s had in her life. Trust an Italian to know what she’s talking about. It was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. I got melone (cantaloupe), baci bianchi (white chocolate hazelnut), and paradiso (some kind of coconut pineapple cake). I kept whimpering and exclaiming- it was pretty embarrassing. We bought a local food, rustico, from the cafe next door. I didn’t think I could ever taste anything as satisfying as the gelato, but holy mother that rustico. A rustico is a little pasty like a round croissant that is absolutely stuffed with melted cheese and tomato sauce. I was almost angry it was so good. How could I have gone 20 years without eating this!

Walking to a little rocky beach on the other side of town, we took pictures and watched the sun set. Now comes the embarrassment: we went back to the gelateria. Yes I know I’m disgusting but when am I going to be in Gallipolli again? Luckily Sabrina and Samantha were in the same exact boat. I got a cone of nutella and Amalfi (lemon cake) and tried to avoid eye contact with the clerk.

Shirt from Zara, sold out but similar one here, shorts from American Eagle, sandals from The Limited, similar bag from Fossil here, sunglasses from ASOS.

Yes I drink espresso at 10pm. Recharge!

We lapped at our cones and wove our way through the nighttime crowds back to the harbor, where we came upon an outdoor concert. The singer was so peppy and sparkly and the music was a fantastic mix of Italian electro-pop. It was another wonderful day!