Caverns, Ruins, and Trullies

This morning we got up and had breakfast at the Borgo Ritella, the place where I was staying with my aunt and uncle.  At breakfast we planned to visit the caverns and the ruins nearby.  We weren't planning on driving nearly as far as we did yesterday.  Once we finished are sight-seeing for the day, the plan was to spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the pool.

Our first stop was Castellano, where we saw the caverns at Grotte di Castellana.  The caverns were discovered in the 1930s, and tourists began trekking through the caverns during the 1950s and 60s.  We couldn't take pictures after we passed the main entrance of the Grotte, but it was absolutely amazing.  We walked 1.5 km to the white cave, and then we walked 1.5km back to the entrance.  The caverns were about 15 degrees celsius which means they were about 50 degrees fahrenheit.  It was absolutely amazing to see all the formations.  You could sometimes see figures in the caves.

After the caves we grabbed lunch at a restaurant near the Grotte.  From there we drove to la mare (the sea).  Along the beach road, we found the Ruins of Egnazia.  There was a museum that we were able to walk through to see some archeological findings.  We then walked the grounds of the ruins.

After the ruins, we headed back to the hotel where we spent the afternoon at the pool.  We decided that for dinner we would head to Alberobello.  Alberobello is a Trulli town.  It is filled with white buildings that have roofs that look like teepees or cones.  The rocks are just perfectly placed to form the roof.  The entire town of Alberobello was filled with Trullies.  We had dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria il Pinnacolo, and the food was absolutely delicious.  I had prosciutto cotto pizza, and it was perfect!  After dinner, we walked through the town and was able to see many Trullies and some neat shops.

Trullie Church

Puglia was a wonderful place to visit.  It was definitely hot and humid, but we were able to see so much in so little time.  Tomorrow my aunt and uncle are taking me back to the Boccaccini's.  I will be with them for another two weeks before it is time to return home.  I can't believe I have been here for almost 2 weeks already!  The time has flown by!