After saying our goodbyes to Jon and Jo the night before, we left the apartment just before 7 a.m. the following morning and wheeled our one heavy case the one kilometre through the thankfully empty streets. The day before had been a public holiday, with many of the roads closed to traffic.
We arrived at the bus station 15 minutes early, which turned out to be a stroke of luck, as our bus to Napoli was preparing to leave. We were already feeling a bit nervous, as our travel agent had been somewhat blasé with her instructions. Unfortunately, our fears were confirmed when we arrived in Napoli.
With less than 30 minutes to make our connecting bus, we discovered that the first bus had dropped us off more than 3 km in the wrong direction. Traffic appeared to be completely gridlocked in every direction. (I really should have double-checked the drop-off point beforehand.)
As the realisation began to set in that we had likely missed our bus for the day, and with only about 15 minutes left to get across the city, our unlikely saviour appeared. At first glance, he looked like a taxi driver, but after we jumped into his heavily bruised cab, it quickly became clear he was more of an aspiring rally driver. He drove the chaotic streets with reckless abandon, surfed along tram tracks, and somehow managed to get us to the entrance of the bus station with just a couple of minutes to spare.
Rachel tore off to hold the bus while I paid our driver and wrestled the bags across the street. Phew.
The bus itself was relatively comfortable, with reclining seats, and after four and a half hours of crossing the country from west to east, we were dropped off at a bus stop just outside the main town of Monopoli.
Monopoli is laid out like a giant chessboard, just in front of a charming old town that dates back some 2,500 years, when it was a fortified outpost for the Messapians. That said, it’s fair to say the beautiful architecture you see today is largely the work of the Venetians in the 1500s. The town sits within the historic Puglia region.
Our apartment also dates back to Venetian times, with high ceilings and thick stone walls that are perfect for the long, hot summers. Beyond the old-town charm, we also have the Adriatic coastline on our doorstep. After exercising each morning on the rooftop terrace, serenaded by birdsong and the three competing sets of church bells, we’ve swum every day so far.
The Italian mainland coastline here is mostly rocky, dotted with small sandy coves carved into the headlands. There’s a big coffee culture too, with different social groups meeting every morning. Even though we’re tourists, we always try to interact and find out what’s going on, which is always good fun.
Like much of southern Europe, daily life here starts early and winds down around 1:30 p.m. as businesses close and the streets empty for the afternoon rest. Things begin to stir again around 5 p.m., when the town slowly comes back to life.
We’re really enjoying the laid-back feel of the place and have decided to do our exploring of the wider region over the following week.
Dream Chasers 