In June I embarked on a solo two week adventure in the Puglia region of Italy, an area I had never visited before, despite many visits to Italy over the past forty years. I am so glad I did.
Alberobello is a small city, located in the heart of Puglia, famous for its Trulli architecture. and orecchiette pasta.
I chose it because of the Trulli Italian Language School and the opportunity both to refresh my Italian and to get to know and explore a new part of Italy.
I thoroughly enjoyed my two week stay, the school and opportunity to see a lot of the Puglia region. The weather during the first two weeks of June was great–some very warm and sunny days, interspersed with some more temperate, blue sky days.
The Trulli Language School offered a two week Italian course. Twenty-five of us showed up on the first days of class when we were divided up into three groups, based on our level of Italian proficiency.
Classes, consisting of five to seven students, were taught every morning from 9:00 to 1:00 by talented and friendly faculty.
Afternoons were devoted to excursions to nearby towns as well as wine tasting, an olive oil tasting, a cooking lesson and excursions to several nearby towns.
Most of the towns were just an hour or so away; many of them on the Adriatic; all of them beautiful and fun to explore. There was always an opportunity to shopped/or sample the local wines or cuisine. My favorite town was Polignano a Mare where our tour included a boat ride that took us into some of the caves that honeycomb the cliffs under the city.
And, of course, there was always gelato–why is always so much better when combined with a ramble through an Italian village or town?
I was surprised to learn that I was the only man in the summer program, along with some 23 woman who came from all over the world–the US, Egypt, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Argentina and throughout Europe and the Americas.
The teachers and the owner/director, Andrea, were friendly and helpful. My classmates and I really enjoyed our teacher, Angelica, who had a degree in teaching, could speak French, Spanish, and Arabic and was a very intuitive and creative instructor (pictured above on the far right).
Two of my classmates, Chris & Holly, were great dinner companions. Over a bottle or two of Negroamaro wine, we enjoyed talking about our different backgrounds and experiences–Holly is from New Zealand and a mountain hiking guide, Chris is from Australian and a retired teacher; sharing family stories; and laughing at our mutual struggles with mastering Italian.
I really hope to return soon to Alberobello and to get Sue to accompany me!
