• Home
  • About Carol
  • About us

Luxury Travel Magazine

An unpretentious guide to luxury travel, culture and adventure

  • About Luxury travel
  • Destinations
  • Spas
    • The Spa and Spa Travel
    • Hot Springs Spas and Thermal Baths: Why You Should Visit One
    • Spa Towns in Europe – 8 Reasons You Should Visit
  • Popular Articles
    • Things to Do in Canada
    • Top European Destinations
    • Things to Do in the South of France
    • Travel and Art: Artistic Cities, Art Fairs and Painting Holidays
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Luxury travel blog » Places » Europe » Italy » Visiting Puglia, Italy: bathrooms and photography

Visiting Puglia, Italy: bathrooms and photography

November 16, 2010 by Carol Perehudoff 9 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links.

You might call our group visiting Puglia, Italy, a small one if you think travelling with 50 people is small. Compared to say, the population of Mumbai it might be, but for a bus tour of southern Italy it’s pretty major.

Imagine when we have to make a bathroom stop – especially as our group on this trip to Puglia, a lesser-known destination of Italy (the heel on the boot), is 80% women. Nothing against women (obviously, as I happen to be one) but a lot of us have small bladders.

A lot of cafes in the small towns of Bari, Lecci, Molfetta and Otranto will be very happy to never see us again as they’re pretty tired of long bathroom lineups. I’m tired of them, too.

Visiting Puglia, Italy: fishing village of Molfetto

Let’s fish

 

Friendly people in Puglia

Except, and this is the weird thing, everyone in Puglia does seem happy to see us. Unlike in the larger centres of Rome, Venice and Florence, people aren’t sick to death of foreigners and even pose for photos without scowling. Usually.

Visiting Puglia, Italy: fishing village of Molfetto in the harbor

Not bad for November

 

Friendly people with dogs in Puglia

Even a young guy with a dog posed for us at the Castle of Aragon in Taranto, and we all know that young guys with dogs are just too cool to pose for a group of tourists. He did draw the line when Toby, a journalist on the trip, asked him to stick his little dog up on the rampart of the castle behind him. Which was probably a very good thing for the dog as it’s a steep drop off down into the moat below.

Visiting Puglia, Italy: man in Bari

Yes, I know my dog is cute

 

Photo ops in Puglia

It made me realize though, that when it comes to traveling and photography in Puglia, like everywhere else, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. I have missed so many photo ops on this trip to southern Italy because I don’t want to impose – or else I try to be subtle and take it without anyone noticing and then I get a blurry photo of someone’s purse or shoe. That said, it’s always a toss up between experiencing a place and documenting it.

Visiting Puglia, Italy: stone sculpture

Who took my shirt?

 

To shoot a photo while traveling or not to shoot?

The one time I truly regret asking someone for a photo was a couple of years ago when I ended up in a small Bulgarian town in the rain (in the mountains) and went to a tiny bar in the back room of some mom-and-pop grocery store.

When a photograph ruins the moment

There were a bunch of grizzled men in the bar that looked as if they came straight from Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. Then one started playing the guitar. My friend and I pooled our money and had something like 75 cents in Bulgarian money but it proved to be enough for two glasses of wine. It was just one of those perfect moments. And then I asked if I could take a photo and suddenly it wasn’t perfect anymore. It was us versus them – the spell was broken, that wonderful rare spell when you feel connected with strangers in the foreign country you have come to see.

And, by the way, the man said no, so I never got the photo after all.

Visiting Puglia, Italy: man in Molfetta

Take my photo!

 

Let’s talk Puglia

But, hey, I’m supposed to be talking Puglia in Italy. So far I’ve seen a gazillion Romanesque cathedrals, the blue Adriatic Sea, drank some excellent red wine called Primitivo, seen a bunch of little houses called trulli with cone roofs that look like Hobbit houses and – let me just say – the sun is shining gloriously (well, it was until this afternoon and now I think it’s going to rain) and the limestone is gleaming white and the streets are made with worn stone so old and faded that you can just imagine Dante or Giotto or some other famous Italian that was probably never in Puglia walking over them.

More than cathedrals in Puglia

But of course, Puglia is not all cathedrals and piazzas. Or even pizza. I bought a pair of thigh high grey suede boots in Bari. Everyone here wears gorgeous boots. How could I not? At 89 Euros they were practically a steal. So if you don’t want to come to Italy for the sun, the beaches, the cherry tomatoes and weird yet delicious cheese filled with creamy stuff, then come to take photographs, for the bathrooms and for the shoe stores. Trulli, you won’t regret it.

Read more: about the Top Cities to Visit in Italy

For more of the best places in Europe to see: visit Top Destinations in Europe

Filed Under: Europe, Italy, Tours

About Carol Perehudoff

A former freelance travel columnist for the Toronto Star, Carol has won more than 20 writing and blogging awards and honours. A spa and luxury travel expert, she's written for top travel publications around the globe.

Comments

  1. wanderingcarol says

    December 13, 2010 at 2:10 pm

    Jacqui, it’s so true! Men have no hope when faced with a 50-strong small-bladder brigade. Thanks for commenting.

  2. jacqui says

    December 13, 2010 at 1:42 pm

    by the way, you forgot to mention that when we travel on these large agent/operator/media trips, we (80% women) also use the men’s bathrooms… sorry guys, I know you’re not used to it, but get in line!

  3. jacqui says

    December 13, 2010 at 1:41 pm

    i love your ramblings, cracked me up – you really must come and visit me in bobcaygeon where you can shop till you drop at Bigleys (over 30,000 pairs of shoes (and boots).

    your insomniac friend and Puglia travel companion.

  4. wanderingcarol says

    November 17, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    Amy, if it was not 3 a.m. as I wait for a horrible morning flight, I would download a picture of boots. All I need is tea. More tea. But no cheese before 8 a.m.

  5. wanderingcarol says

    November 17, 2010 at 10:40 pm

    Well, the spas are pretty darn amazing. Food, or course, but the art trumps all. Oh, right. The shopping.

  6. My-Tien says

    November 17, 2010 at 6:01 pm

    Looks amazing. What about aspect of Italy would you say that like or prefer more (food, people, culture, or anything that you can think of)?

  7. amy says

    November 17, 2010 at 5:12 pm

    I think I may want the cheese even more than the boots.

  8. Mark says

    November 17, 2010 at 3:18 pm

    Yes, let’s see the boots.

  9. Robin Burgoyne says

    November 17, 2010 at 9:33 am

    heh there.

    Sounds heavenly. Hope your not too tired. I have to see the boots.

Talk to me! Leave a comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Subscribe and you won't miss an article!

About Wandering Carol

circle profileIn my 10+ years as a travel writer and columnist I've seen the best of what the world has to offer and written for some top publications around the globe - and now my goal is to bring this expertise to you. For more blah blah blah, visit my
About page.

Connect with me online

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Carol Perehudoff published in top media, logos for newspapers and magazines

Categories

How to use this adventure and luxury travel site

  • Click on the ‘DESTINATIONS TO TRAVEL TO’ tab on the menu bar to go to my destinations page.
  • The CATEGORIES drop down menu above will point you to locations and travel themes such as hotels, outdoor adventure and tours.
  • SUBSCRIBE to keep up with the latest articles and get tips to make your next journey inspiring.

Recent Posts

  • The Benefits of Travelling
  • Killarney National Park
  • Best Spas in Ireland
  • Best Beach Resorts in South Africa: Top 9 Luxury Stays for 2021
  • A Chocolate Christmas in Switzerland

Recent Comments

  • Eileen Flaherty on 15 best things to do in Nice, France
  • Michele on Best Spas in Ireland
  • Emam on Conwy Castle, North Wales: why you should visit
  • Tee on Bad Kreuznach – the German Spa Town You Probably Never Heard of
  • Carol Perehudoff on A Tropical Island Cocktail Cure at Paradisus Palma Real

Terms of Use

Terms of Use

Copyright @2020 WanderingCarol.com Luxury Travel Blog