9th May - To Lecce

Off to Lecce today - the weather is warm but overcast - the Taxi ordered by the B&B arrives precisely on time and we are at the airport to pick up our hire car in a flash. 

We breakfast at McDonald's not on a big Mac but on a rather nice panini.

We front a small queue at Nogolaire and go through the rig-maroille that all rental car companies put  their customers through - I have private rental car insurance but that doesn't stop the upsell! - eventually the message gets through - I don't want extra insurance! 

I pay the full free upfront and agree to them taking a further 800 euro as security. 

We find the car - a new Renault eSpace - our first task? - getting it to talk English! - after some discussions with ChatGtp we are successful.

Bernie drives - Mike navigates - soon we are on the freeways of Puglia past Brindisi towards Lecce.

As we progress towards Lecce, while the countryside screams out for a lawn mower to attend to the road verges, the behavior of the Italian motorists is exemplary. 

We pass vineyards heavily draped in plastic coverings - we pass vineyards exposed to nature - we pass olive trees - old - old - old olive trees - acre after acre of them - then more old olives mixed with plastic shielded rows of vegetable crops - where the ground had been tilled for the next crops, it exposes rich brown soils.

We pass Brindisi - the old town is shielded by lots of multistory apartments buildings.

We reach Lecce - the freeway suddenly ends - we reach the carpark at the edge of the old town.

 

Google Translate is called into action - our experience is that competent English is not a skill possessed by many in Puglia so "best to be prepared" thinks I - a good decision as the parking supervisor is not amongst the most accomplished of English speakers. I hand her my phone:

Palazzo Personè Dimora Storica mi ha riservato un posto auto. il mio nome è Mike Rebbechi

Nods - nods and more nods - her diary is opened and her paperwork is started - she points at her card machine - she scribbles a note - 4x10 = 40 euros - the card transaction is completed - she jumps up and leads us to the parking spot reserved for us.

The cases are unloaded and we trudge on towards our accommodations in the old town - it is a struggle for Bernie - we resolve to find a way to get to and from the carpark with a little less walking. Our first venture into the old city shows use the way this might be achieved - Bernie is just a little relieved.

We nap and then step out from our 500 year old accommodations - rain threatens and then delivers - into a wine bar - the waiter displays better English.

We sit and we order - plates, knives and forks and serviettes are deposited - a brown paper bag is dropped on the table - the Pulgian way of serving table bread?

We order - bruschetta - a Sav Blanc - Chardonnay blend 70-30 - very good!!!!

Nap time! 

Out to dinner - it is still raining - not 100m and we are at Miro.

 

The Pakistani waiter greets us like long lost friends - it turns out that the same people run restaurants on opposite sides of the lane -if the waiter hadn't been so forthcoming we would have taken him for  Italian - "I'm only here for work" says he. " Things are not good at home" says he - "Trump and Modi and Netanyahu are the problem" says he.

We dine on primi plates of Orecchetti alla Lecese and Linguine and Chardonnay.

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Ah! - Sam Royal will laugh at this -  the waiter comes - "il menù dolche"  says Mike. We finish  with Spumone and coffee. 

We sit - we chat - the check is summons - the Pakistani waiter arrives with the card machine - he waves the card - looks at me with a serious glare - " declined" days he - I am stunned and look it! - he breaks into a huge grin!

We head home looking  forward to a day in Lecce tomorrow.