Puglia

We arrived by plane in Brindisi which is directly across the Adriatic from Albania. It is, we heard, a jumping off point for ferries and cruises for Greece and the Balkans. The Ford/Knapp clan was reuniting at a "masseria" or fortified farmhouse at the very tip of the heel of the boot of Italy, so we had to drive about 100km South from Brindisi. Apparently, through history that area was constantly being invaded by pillaging Saracens, Normans, and Greeks so they enclosed their farmhouses and courtyards with meter-thick limestone walls.

Day 7- Many of the Ford/Knapp relatives decided to drive up to Lecce for the day. We had stopped off in Lecce for dinner on our drive down to the masseria the night before so we decided to explore the tip of the heel. We drove over to the Adriatic coast where the waves crashed against the white limestone cliffs and had lunch at a little seaside restaurant. We followed the coast road down to the very tip, to Capo Santa Maria di Leuca where there is a lighthouse and the church of Santa Maria de Finibus Terrae ("St Mary of the Ends of the Earth"). From that spot you can see the sun rise over the Ionian Sea and set over the Adriatic. We continued along the coast road on the western side (Ionian) of the heel to Gallipoli (Italy, not Greece).

The highlight of the drive was when Dad decided that he wanted to take a dip. No suit? No towel? No problem! He swam in his boxers and "drip dried" in the front seat of the car. No one else was brave/crazy enough to go swimming, but to put this in context, we passed surfers and every single one of them was in a full wetsuit...it was not warm water!

We returned to the masseria for a special dinner planned by the owner of the masseria, Luciana. Her parents came, too. We were amazed by their flawless accents until we discovered that her mom is from Kansas City! Luciana invited some friends who play traditional Pugliese music. The dinner started at 8:00 and was still doing strong when we took Oliver to bed at midnight. The food was delicious, much of it grown right there at the masseria. My favorite was this sausage and cabbage dish, which is surprising because I'm not a huge fan of cabbage normally, but this was something else.

The dinner was definitely the highlight of our trip to Puglia. It was so much fun to reconnect with cousins and aunts and uncles. I know my dad had a really great time talking and joking with his brother Trow, especially. Trow lives in Sweden, so they don't see each other that often, but it was so nice to see them laughing and telling old stories.

Day 8- We spent more time with the family, including another very long, very filling Pugliese meal (whew! I thought I would never be hungry again!) and then that evening we said our good-byes and flew back to Rome. The following morning we flew back to the States. Oliver did very well on all legs of the trip, but we were all very happy to be home. Ollie is such a trooper. I know we are really blessed to have such an easy, mellow, adaptable baby.