Italy 2022, part 2

A group tour through Puglia – the Adriatic side of Italy – was the reason we were there. As I mentioned, the trip had been on the books since before the pandemic. We met up with the touring crowd in Bari and proceeded to make the rounds.

Puglia isn’t like the other and somewhat better known parts of Italy. It can be industrial in parts. And, a horrible blight on the centuries old olive trees in that region has left it struggling. Still, there are familiar hill towns and plenty of seaside. We were hopping in and out of an expertly driven Mercedes 15-passenger bus. Two days into the trip, the guy in front of me started coughing. He did not respect the travel protocol the tour company had put in place. By the time he finally tested and started to wear a mask, he had it. His wife had it. I was two days behind. Tom was a day behind me. As far as I know, it only the four of us out of about ten who added COVID to our Italian vacation. Obviously, it changed the trip a bit.

I’d also twisted my knee managing all those hillside cobblestone steps. It was already tough. Then it got worse. I had packed an arsenal of medications from home to get us through “just in case.” I am glad for that planning. I travel like that everywhere we go now. Nothing beats having the just-right antihistamine without having to find a pharmacist who speaks English well enough to guide you. I’d even packed Arnica gel which helped the knee feel better, too.

Unfortunately, not being able to participate fully in the tour left me pouting a bit. There were mosaics I missed. I wasn’t able to attend the mozzarella making class. There were dinners sitting on the bed eating out of a box. But the worst of it seemed to pass in about three days. By the time the tour ended and we headed to Rome, we felt like we were going to survive.

One of the other things that surprised us about this region was how unimaginative the food options were. I joked when we made it home to the states that we’d be at least a month without pasta. (Indeed. We were.) But there was a surprising lack of fresh fruits and vegetables on this trip. The hotel breakfasts were plentiful, but lacking in berries or any of the harvest-season vegetables that we’d be enjoying at home. I never quite figured out if that’s just the region or if it was mostly a miss on the tour company’s part.

We did leave the group proclaiming never again. I’d toured off and on with this provider – highlighting photography – for a decade. The two of us just didn’t do it that well together. Tom kept busy and even made it out a couple of days without me. The group was certainly pleasant. But the lack of flexibility reminded us that we’d prefer to be on our own instead.

Remember I told you about Tom and the selfies? While he was on the tour – cough – unsupervised – cough – he took a couple of keepers with some mummies. Apparently he started a bit of thing as others took a few as well. (Yes, he gave me permission for this.)

Later that evening we enjoyed the sunset with the group. Tom was already exposed, so we weren’t careful side by side, but of course we were good to mask and stay separate in the van. The fresh air felt wonderful after a day of being confined.

There are plenty more photos to share, and someday I’ll get around to that, but for now it’s enough to start remembering the trip a little at a time.