Within seconds of opening the car door, the intense heat of southern Italy had neutralised the air conditioning. Pop music drifted around the deserted car park, and the large shopping centre looked incredibly out of place amongst the rolling green hills and fields.
We had left the rugged coastline life of Spritz in the oceans breeze, and Buratta in white-washed restaurants behind us earlier in the day. Climbing slowly up hills and through verdant farming lands, we had arrived in the province of Foggia, and it was this shopping centre that greeted us as we checked our sat nav and fuelled up with espressos.
Our first stop in Foggia was Bovino, resting in the Apennines and with a view across Puglia and the neighbouring regions. Climbing higher in our trusty rental car, eventually, the Norman Castle came into view.
We slowly strolled into the castle, admiring the panoramic views from the top.
Rolling hills of farmland, broken by the wooded areas of the Daunian Mountains greeted us, while the red rooftops of Bovino seemed stacked and suspended on the mountainside.
We quickly learnt in Italy there is an official society for the ‘Most beautiful villages of Italy’ and Bovino is proudly on that list. As we walked the tiny streets, some cobbled, I started to appreciate why.
Even in the late weeks of June, this town was quiet and felt very different from Bari where we had spent the night before. There was an air of peace here, inviting you to check-in and switch off. To enjoy leisurely breakfasts and afternoon strolls.
To simply be happy at life’s little pleasures.
With rumbling stomachs and a now continual craving for Puligan cuisine, we took a short drive to an old water mill, very much still in use.
Today we would finally learn how to make the ear-shaped pasta the region is famous for, Orecchiette.
Spoiler alert: I wasn’t very good at it.
The cuisine of Puglia is rooted in simple, usually cheap ingredients, that are turned into mouthwatering treats. And it was in these old waters mills that flour and grain were ground to make such delicious meals.
Arriving at the watermill, which dates back to the 1600’s we were greeted with warm smiles and refreshing drinks; Olga and Massimo approached us like old friends, as they toured us around their watermill home.
Underneath the old structure, we saw the power of nature, as the streams of water plunged into the wheel, and then ground the flour above, a fine grain for the pasta making falling into a bucket.
Well-fed, we carried ourselves back to the car, handshakes, waves and beaming smiles shared on both sides. We punched in the next stop on the sat nav and drove around an hour further into Foggia; the land time seemed to have forgotten.
‘It can’t be up there?’ Janet questioned, as the road went from modern highway to crumbling concrete. I nodded, and Janet navigated her way around the potholes. As with usual, we certainly weren’t taking the route we should have, Google Maps hadn’t proved less than reliable in Puglia.
Sant’Agata di Puglia is one of those towns which takes you back in time. Perched on a hill, with seemingly nothing else around it, you’ll feel that you have been transported to land from years gone by.
I’ve read about the many ‘ghost villages’ across Italy, that now sit abandoned and deserted waiting for the return of residents to shower them with love. While Sant’Agata di Puglia isn’t one of those, the empty windows and many For Sale signs tell the story of how these remote communities, with the youth moving to the cities for jobs, are slowly becoming less and less populated.
We follow a lazy cat up to one of the many staircases in the town, heading in the general direction of the castle. This region of Foggia is famous for slow-travel and agritourism, and this cat seemed like the number one ambassador for it as it wearily collapsed in the main square.
Suddenly there was a sprinkling of life, as locals sat in plastic chairs enjoying wine in the late afternoon sunshine, and others sat on a bench outside a coffee shop sipping expresso. Kids sang and danced in the square, and I felt suddenly as much of the community as our lazy feline friend.
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