You see it from a long way off. That is the first thing about Ostuni and it does not stop being the thing. The road comes across a plain of olive trees, flat and silver and going on much further…
The Complete Guide to Ostuni
You see Ostuni long before you arrive at it. That is the whole point of the place, and it is worth arranging your arrival so that it happens properly. The town sits on a hill above a plain of olive…
Polignano a Mare, and the Hour Before Nine
The cove fills by nine. I was told this twice before I came, and I believed neither of them, because people exaggerate about crowds the way they exaggerate about heat, mostly to make you grateful for the advice afterwards. So…
The Complete Guide to Polignano a Mare
Polignano a Mare is a town built on the edge of a cliff, and the first thing you should know is that the edge is not a figure of speech. The houses stop where the limestone stops. Whitewashed walls run…
Assisi, and the Vault by the Door
The church opens at six. I did not manage six. I managed a little after seven, which in August is still the right side of the day, before the coaches begin coming up from the valley and the stone starts…
Herculaneum, the Town That Kept Its Ceilings
I keep coming back to this bay. Not on purpose, or not entirely. It happens the way certain places arrange to happen, where you notice you are planning a route and the route has already decided something. I came for…
