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SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS                Antonella's recipe

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SPAGHETTI WITH MUSSELS                Antonella's recipe

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1.    Wash the mussels under current water.

2.    Sauté the garlic cloves in a frying pan with the extra virgin olive oil for about a minute, or until just golden.

3.    Add the diced tomatoes and cook them on a medium flame for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the sauce aside.

4.    Put the mussels in a pot, cover with a lid and put on a high flame to open up.

5.    When open, remove them from the liquid and filter the liquid through a sieve (you will need this for your sauce, so do not discard it!).

6.    You can either keep the mussels in their shells or remove them from the shells. I usually remove half of them and keep the rest for decoration.

7.    Add the mussels and the filtered liquid to the warm tomato sauce. Cook on a high flame for 5 minutes.

8.    Add the chopped parsley, mix, season with salt and pepper to taste and put the fire off.

9.    Cook the spaghetti in 2 litres of boiling water.

10. Put the drained pasta in the frying pan with the sauce and mix it well while cooking it on a slow flame for 1 or 2 minutes.

11. Serve immediately with more freshly ground pepper.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL!!!!!!

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Orecchiette, from the Italian words "little ears", is an ear-shaped pasta originating in the beautiful Puglia region.
Mixed  with broccoli, garlic and olive oil  makes a hearty, healthy, and delicious Italian dinner in 30 minutes or less.

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Pizza is a traditional Italian dish consisting of a yeasted flatbread typically topped with tomato sauce and cheese and baked in an oven. It can also be topped with additional vegetables, meats, and condiments, and can be made without cheese.
Modern pizza was invented in Naples and  in 2009, Neapolitan pizza was registered with the European Union as a Traditional Speciality Guaranteed dish.

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world.

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The puccia is a bread format, typical of the Apulian tradition. Walking through the streets of Salento and of the Taranto you can come across a wholly genuine version of fast food: the pucceria. In these small shops you will be able to taste the original puccia. The name of this sandwich derives from the term used to call the bread of the soldiers: "buccellatum", or morsel. For the absence of crumb, it is ideal to fill and ready to accommodate any filling, such as salami, ham and cheeses. Easily transportable, it is one of the most popular street-food: since the past it was used by farmers in the long days of countryside

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This is the most relevant testimonial of the Roman age, it was built in the II century A.D. to entertain the soldiers settled in the surroundings of the city. The monument was completely buried under rubble because of earthquakes, and only after the second world war, thanks to some excavations, it was brought back to the surface. The part of the monument which is visible today it’s just one third of its original size, the rest is probably still under the central St. Oronzo square. The Amphitheatre structure was made with tuff pillars surmounted by arcades. Some statues were found in this structure, a statue of Athena and some marble relieves. The scenes represented on these marble relives are an important document of the spectacles that were represented in the Amphitheatre: hunting and wrestle between hunters and animals.

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Piazza Sant'Oronzo is the big civic heart of the town, a large square with a strange and incomplete atmosphere: ancient and  modern mixed together. Among the varied structures here is the town's excavated Roman Amphitheatre. It has a characteristic paving mosaic on which is represented the city coat of arms. The buildings that look into the square, built between Middle age and XIX century, form an heterogeneous architectural group, with many different styles, that coexist in a harmonious way.

Since 1656 the square is dedicated to the Saint Patron of the city.

The statue of St. Oronzo stands on a big column which rises in the centre of the square representing the Saint in the act of blessing the city. The legend tells that during an epidemic of plague that afflicted all the Reign of Naples, Lecce was spared thanks to the saint intervention. Here is  also  the ancient church of St. Mark which remembers the little Venetian community that lived in the city, and the church of St. Mary of Grace, which was built in 1590 after a mysterious find of a painting representing the Virgin with the baby.

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It is an unusual interpretation of that familiar Italian cathedral square. In Lecce the cathedral sits in one corner of a theatrical enclosed square; a still space in the heart of town. Alongside is the high campanile.

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It  is one of the largest architectural ensembles of the city and is the most significant example of Baroque.The most over-the-top decoration in town can to be seen at this Basilica, which has a fantastical facade in marble ornamented with strange beasts and allegories

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The Holy week may be considered as one of the most touching phases of the liturgical calendar. Also on this occasion the religious celebrations are portrayed as a symbolic representation of what has been narrated in the sacred scripts.

The Holy Week of Taranto starts on Palm Sunday with an exchange of Olive branches to remember the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, ending with the procession on Holy Thursday and re-enacting the Mysteries on Good Friday.

On Holy Thursday the religious celebration commences with the liturgical functions that re-portray the Passion and the Death of Jesus through the various stages. The ceremony begins with the “lavanda dei piedi” a ritual which entails the cleansing of the feet, in memory of the Last Supper, following with the release of the “perduni”, also known as the the main figures of the Holy Week.. Walking barefoot, covering their heads with a hood, and wearing the traditional white coats, the “perduni” bring with them objects, recalling the crucifixion and carrying the 8 statues representing the Passion and the Death of Jesus and the Holy Cross. Advancing at a slow and swinging pace, are the “perduni”, whom follow the procession on the hollow sound of the “troccola”: a musical instrument made out of a wooden board and metal handles. The beauty and authenticity of the procession reaches a climax point when the Holy Statue of Jesus is covered by an ancient veil on which golden stars were embroidered

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The history of these very special buildings is linked to an edict of the Kingdom of Naples in the fifteenth century, imposing a tax on every new settlement.

The Counts of Conversano, owners of the land on which Alberobello now stands, subsequently forced  the farmers to build their homes using dry materials, without using mortar,  so that they would seem like temporary buildings.

The farmers found that the simplest and most solid configuration was in a round shape with a self-supporting dome roof, made of overlapping stone circles. The domed roofs of the trulli were embellished with decorative pinnacles, whose shape was inspired by symbols of mystical and religious significance.

These pinnacles were associated with particular builders, and depending on the quality of the workmanship it could identify not only the individual who had carried out the work, and demonstrate his skills, but also the value of the building, therefore distinguishing the most affluent families from the less wealthy.

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Before leaving the Old City a quick look at the "Marina", where you can see the fishing boats and find typical restaurants to taste traditional dishes based on fish and seafood.

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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Starting in the 8th century, more and more Benedictine and Byzantine communities of monks settled both in the Sassi and on the nearby rocky highland of the Murge, where they used existing caves or carved new ones in order to transform them into churches. These monastic settlements were active throughout the entire Middle Ages until the beginning of the Renaissance, and, in some cases, they attained a high level of iconographic and architectural evolution.

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The city of Taranto was once the largest producer of mussels and oysters in the world with its immense production in Mar Piccolo and Mar Grande. Mussel farming seems to have started around the year one thousand and has been one of the city's major economic resources.
The farming of the tarantina mussel has lived in the last few years vicissitudes due to environmental pollution caused by ILVA, but in reality today is certainly the safest in Italy for the numerous and frequent checks it is subjected to.The reasons that make the mussels bred in the Mar Piccolo particularly tasty, full and fragrant are essentially two. In the Great Sea and the Mar Piccolo, 60 meters deep, there are 34 fresh water springs of karstic origin called "citri" that continuously introduce fresh water.

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The coast along the city of Taranto is one of the most loved and appreciated   from tourists who invade the region of Puglia every year. Characterized by magnificent crystalline waters thanks also to the low salinity, the beaches in the province of Taranto offer a wide choice, divided between free beaches and bathing establishments. The fine golden sand alternates with cliffs and fascinating dunes.

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The Punta Penna  Pizzone bridge, also known as Ponte Aldo Moro, in honour of the famous state man,  connects Punta Penna with Punta Pizzone, where a natural narrowing creates the two breasts of the Mar Piccolo. Inaugurated on 30th  July 1977, it is 1.909 meters long and reaches a height of 45 meters above the  sea level. It was made of prestressed concrete on the project of Ing. Giorgio Belloni, and at the time cost almost 26 billion lire for the realization, plus another 15 billion lire for the execution of secondary road works. The need for this great engineering work arose at the end of the sixties, for the increasing of the  traffic and the urban expansion of Taranto. It represents a determining instrument for the city, as it allows a quick connection between the town  centre and the suburns. The bridge is one of  the longest in Europe.

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San Domenico Maggiore (or San Pietro Imperiale) built by Frederick II in 1223, has been modified more than once and remodeled. The magnificent Gothic portal and the rose window are in the Romanesque style, blended harmoniously with the double baroque staircase. Also the high altar is Baroque. The interior has a Latin cross; the ceiling is made of wood.

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It was built in 1970 designed by the famous architect Gio Ponti, dedicated to the Great Mother of God. In the project realized, the place of worship must have a close relationship with the maritime tradition of the Ionic capital. The facade, in fact, represents a “sail” that reflects the three water tanks placed in the opposite square.

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Museum of old tools - Manduria

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OIL MILL "ACROPOLI DI PUGLIA"-  Martina Franca 

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OIL MILL "ACROPOLI DI PUGLIA"-  Martina Franca 

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-Founded in the late 19 th century, L’Acropoli di Puglia has earned an unparalleled reputation of excellence.  Maintaining the integrity of the family’s four generations of tradition, L’ Acropoli di Puglia preserves the procedure of the harvest, production, and in particular, the technique of conserving the extra virgin olive oil in cisterns hewn from calcified rock.  The success of L’Acropoli di Puglia continues from its founding principles of excellence in production and passion for offering only the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

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THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. MARTINO - Martina franca

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THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. MARTINO - Martina franca

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The baroque basilica of San Martino was built between 1747-1775 in the historical centre of Martina Franca by the archpriest Isidoro Chirulli between 1747 and 1763, over an earlier romanesque church whose only visible remains are the bell tower. It has a single nave with delicate side chapels. The sculpture group “Saint Martin Donates Half his Cloak to the Poor” on the façade is the work of local artists. The church interior is decorated with multi-coloured marble inlay. The high altar contains the statue of Saint Martin - probably the 16th century work of Stefano da Putignano - as well as two marble statues of Abbondanza e Carità (Abundance and Charity), attributed to Giuseppe Sammartino. The inlayed pulpit, done by Domenico Semeraro in 1850, is of exceptional craftsmanship

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Lecce is one of the cities with the largest density of resources and sights of Puglia. It is rich in art works of Roman, Medieval and Renaissance architecture, but it is characterized by its baroque style. This architectural style was widely used in Lecce in the seventeenth century, during the Spanish rule, replacing classical art and creating a style that gave way to fantasy and imagination, thanks to the local stone, a soft and compact limestone with warm, golden colours that are well suited to working with stonemasons.

Sometimes it is described as the 'Florence of the Baroque' or the 'Rome of the South'.

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The City of Martina Franca, the centre of the Apulia region, is situated on the highest part of the hills of the "Murgia" and surrounded by the famous "Itria Valley". This vibrant city is well known for its hospitality, traditions, culture, art, professionalism and agriculture.

The combination of mild climate and fertile mediterranean vegetation are ideal characteristics for the cultivation of olives.

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The work was created in 1974 by the sculptor Vittorio Di Cobertaldo, at the request of Admiral Angelo Iachino, commander of the navy fleet of the Italian Regia Marina in Taranto during the Second World War.
The sculpture was a gift to the city that was the stage for the famously sad “Notte di Taranto” (Night of Taranto), and it is about 7 meters tall standing on a pedestal and it is a depiction of two sailors greeting boats that are about to cross the canal that connects the Big Sea with the Little Sea, by lifting up their typical cap with their right hand.
The work is fully integrated with the ancient railing on corso Due Mari on which a five-pointed star and the coat of arms of the Marina dei Savoia, expresses the indissoluble connection between the city and the sea.

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Alberobello is a small town in the province of Bari, in Puglia, Italy. It has about 11,000 inhabitants and it is famous for its unique “trullo” constructions, made with dry materials, without using mortar,  so that they would seem like temporary buildings.

The trulli of Alberobello have been part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites list since 1996

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The origins of papier-mâché are in the Middle and Far East but, through trade, the technique eventually found its way here. It is a craft that is unique to Lecce.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, both cartapesta and Baroque were embraced and flourished in this region, especially in Lecce. This resulted in requests to provide religious statues for local churches and monuments within a rather short time frame. Not having access to the preferred (and more expensive) materials, e.g., marble and bronze, or the tools to work with them, artisans were compelled to find a new method. Cartapesta was the perfect solution. Working with old rags, straw, paper, etc. they could easily fold, manipulate and sculpt the papier-mâché into exquisite statues of saints and religious figures that looked like marble and bronze but were less expensive, faster to produce, and easier to transport and carry in processions

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THE MUSEUM OF THE PRIMITIVO WINE CULTURE Manduria                                            A special museum, one of those that anthropologist call Demo-Ethno-Anthropologic. DEA museums come about spontaneously, created by will of individuals, groups or associations to preserve collections, objects and testimonials of a local culture. It is located inside the Winery ‘Produttori Vini Manduria’; it has been in existence for over 10 years.  Agriculture as the  identity of a community through the preservation and valorization of local typical eno-gastronomic products. This museum is a bridge between the past and present of agriculture, of winemaking at the rythm and with the gestures of yesterdays and today’s farmers.

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THE MUSEUM OF THE PRIMITIVO WINE CULTURE Manduria                                            A special museum, one of those that anthropologist call Demo-Ethno-Anthropologic. DEA museums come about spontaneously, created by will of individuals, groups or associations to preserve collections, objects and testimonials of a local culture. It is located inside the Winery ‘Produttori Vini Manduria’; it has been in existence for over 10 years.  Agriculture as the  identity of a community through the preservation and valorization of local typical eno-gastronomic products. This museum is a bridge between the past and present of agriculture, of winemaking at the rythm and with the gestures of yesterdays and today’s farmers.

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A fascinating journey through time, into more than thirty settings in ancient underground cisterns of a nineteenth-century cellar, all transformed into original environments depicting life in past years.

The Museum offers to the visiting wine lovers different wine tastings accompanied by food of the authentic rural tradition gastronomy: during these tastings food and wines are described in detail as part of the local history.

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At a short distance from the museum MarTa, there are the the Peripato Gardens, from where you can admire the  military ships at anchor in the Mar Piccolo.

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MASSERIA "MADONNA DELL'ARCO" - Martina Franca

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MASSERIA "MADONNA DELL'ARCO" - Martina Franca

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Madonna dell’Arco farm is the perfect place to provide visitors with an insight into the real life of pasture and farm, allowing visitors the close contact with all the various stages of the animal breeding and the processing of agricultural products. It represents a link between city and country, a way to get in touch farmer and younger generation, in order to allow them knows about the life of animals, the origin of the products we eat, stimulating critical thinking and curiosity . It is a way for young people to discover the social and economic importance of an often overlooked job.

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The park is located in the eastern end of the Basilicata region, near the border with Puglia. In this area, covered with typical Mediterranean vegetation, there is the Gravina of Matera, deep groove limestone at the bottom of which flows the river of the same name.

One of the most important features of the Park is the presence of about 150 rock churches scattered along the Murgia and ravines. Since the early Middle Ages there was throughout the area the presence of Benedictine and Byzantine monastic communities. The large number of places of worship, often embellished with frescoes and carvings, are evidence of the settlement's most spectacular rock art. .

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The Seafront  is an attraction of particular interest. It is without doubt among the longest in Italy and it looks over the Great Sea, where you can  admire the two small islands that face the city, the St. Peter's Island and the Isle of St. Paul, also known as Cheradi Islands.

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Two "Doric Columns" of the temple of Poseidon stand in Piazza Castello, the only evidence offered to visitors of the great ancient monuments owned by the city.

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It is an association of scientific research aimed at studying cetaceans in the Gulf of Taranto in the Ionian Sea North. J.D.C. specializes in the   management of marine projects with a particular focus on the study of the environmental impact; it carries out the design and conduct of Marine Mammals Surveys with visual and acoustic equipment and specialized personnel; it involves tourists and citizens on board the monitoring station Taras, a 40 feet catamaran, designed and equipped specifically for the research activities of cetaceans; it performs, in cooperation with other agencies / institutions, research activities at sea.
In February 2013 J.D.C. it was ranked 1st place in the "scientific and technological

innovation" of the Sea Heritage Best Communication Campaign Award .

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The Arsenal of the Navy is part of the Technical-Industrial  area of Defence (of which it represents, with nearly 2,400 civilian employees, the most important organization) and its mission is primarily to ensure the support and efficiency of Naval Units.

In addition to the institutional tasks, the Arsenal has to perform assistance to the Civil Defense, interventions in natural disasters, support to Naval Units belonging to other Armed Forces and the Merchant Marine.

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The Stones of Matera are ancient cave dwellings in the old town of Matera: the Sasso Caveoso and the later Sasso Barisano.
The Sassi originate from a prehistoric settlement, and are thought to be some of the first human settlements in Italy.

They are houses dug into the calciferous rock itself, which is characteristic of Basilicata and Puglia, locally called "tufo". Many of these "houses" are really only caverns.
Until the late 1980s this was considered an area of poverty, since these houses were, and in most areas still are, mostly uninhabitable.

Only in the last few decades they have become a quite popular destination among travellers and UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage site in 1993.

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The symbol of the city is 60 years old: a metal structure almost 90 meters long and more than 9 meters wide, with two road lanes, which connects the island of the Old Town to the New City.
To celebrate the anniversary, the Italian Navy organized a photographic exhibition and the extraordinary opening of the Ponte Girevole with the transit of the Andrea Doria ship entering and leaving the Mar Piccolo basin. Thousands of people assisted at the passage of the warship, greeted by the shot of some salvos from the Aragonese Castle, decorated with flags and tricolor banners. The event was accompanied by the Navy Fanfare. The bridge actually exists since May 1887, at the time wanted by Admiral Ferdinando Acton. The current structure, however, was inaugurated in 1958. Gabriele D'Annunzio dedicated some verses to the turning bridge of Taranto: "Do not whale on the Great Sea nor thunders. But on the hinged rail, your Bridge spins and iron your Canal will renounce "

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Taranto, il ponte girevole compie 60 anni: festa per l'apertura straordinaria

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The Aragonese Castle, also known as Castel Sant'Angelo, is the main fortification in Taranto and marks the boundary between the old and the new part of the town. The fortress was designed in the late 15th century by Francesco di Giorgio Martini, upon request of the Aragon King Ferdinand I of Naples, who wanted it for defensive purposes. The Castle was used as a prison by the Habsburgs and today houses an Italian Navy base.

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It was built in the 11th Century but the building was modified later. The façade is baroque even if the cupola shows proof of Byzantine influence. The church is divided internally into three naves separated by 16 columns with capitals of different origins. The mosaic floor, similar to the one in Otranto, and the chapel of St. Cataldo where the saint’s relics are preserved, with a superb series of frescoes dating from 1713 painted by Paolo de Matteis are noteworthy features. A small cruciform byzantine-era crypt below the transept holds the tombs of several bishops of Taranto.

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It is tipically furnished with period furniture to get an accurate idea of how it was organized farming life in the houses of the Sassi, described by Carlo Levi in the book  “Christ Stopped at Eboli”.

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THE NATIONAL ARCHAELOGICAL MUSEUM  MarTA - Taranto

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THE NATIONAL ARCHAELOGICAL MUSEUM  MarTA - Taranto

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It is one of the most important in Europe, where vessels and artifacts  are preserved to recall the splendor of the city during the time of Ancient Greece.

There are some rooms full of jars, pottery and masks of exceptional beauty and uniqueness. Significant is the Sala degli Ori, where you can admire tiaras in gold foil, necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings

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It is called the city of two seas, the Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo in the Ionian Sea. Due to its position, the city has always been considered of strategic importance from both a commercial and a military point of view and its two ports have always hosted navy and merchant ships. The origins of the city date back to 706 B.C. when, colonies from Sparta settled in the area. Having destroyed the pre-existing settlement, they planted their colony and quickly integrated with new inhabitants who built little fortresses on what is now the Old City or the Island.

The first transformation of the town took place between the III and I century B.C. with the arrival of the Romans and the creation of a municipality. It was destroyed by the Muslims in 927 and
its reconstruction during the Norman and Suevian periods brought new churches and the subdivision of the city into four districts.
All the imposing fortifications in the Old Town were destroyed by decree of King Victor Emanuel II of Savoy. In 1882 it was decided to locate the Italian Navy Arsenal in Santa Lucia Bay, in the Mar Piccolo, to defend Italy from the dangerous Mediterranean.