A few years ago, I was leading a group of American friends traveling through my native region of Puglia, in Italy, an area any of them had ever visited before. Strolling through alleyways of Medieval towns and country towns, we spotted this quaint courtyard with stone buildings, ancient stone floors onto which horses and carriages have gone through at one point and climbing plants providing a bit of cool and pleasant refreshing area.
(click on each picture to view it larger)
I remember it was early afternoon, around 2:00 pm, when only tourists walk around. At that hour in the afternoon, the heat of the summer is very hot, the sunlight reflects on the white walls of the homes turning the walls to golden yellow and everything else seems to be undulating. Have you ever experienced it? We were looking for a place to stop, sit and get refreshed with a cold drink. We found this courtyard, the arched open door was a “cantina” a wine place that at night turns into a pub.
Inside, the walls were made of stones and arched ceilings, the type of construction that keeps the heat out in the summertime and warmth in when it’s cold and raining. The décor was sparse in tune with the Medieval age of the building. The rough wood benches with seats alined under the vaulted ceilings gave the exact sensation of being in a different time, but the lights were modern.
My American friends found their way to Coca Cola and the rest of us had very chilled white wines.
Above, all of us, the only ones in the street under the hot Mediterranean sun at 2:00 pm in the afternoon.
Traveling is very rewarding, it’s one of the many ways to learn about people of the world. Through the Thursday Door Challenge organized by Dan Antion we are also discovering customs, history and ways of living. Ciao.
Valentina
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Valentina Cirasola is an interior-fashion consultant, author of 6 published books, a storyteller, and a blogger of many years. Her books are non-fictional practical ideas to apply in the home, fashion, cooking and travel.
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