
One of the major differences we've found in this part of Italy and the regions we've explored to the north is the density of Puglia. There aren't the vast plains and rolling hills void of industry or houses you find in Tuscany or Umbria. Here you'll have vast olive grove or a winery, but you'll find small industry right next door. Here the old villages have continued to grow so they're surrounded by apartments and business that butt right up to the old town. The architecture outside the old parts of the villages is very stark - sharp edges, flat roofs, and little ornamentation. Yet, beyond the newer buildings surrounding the old towns, there is an amazing amount of Romanesque architecture. There are influences of the Normans, Arabs, Lombards, and Byzantines which all coalesce to produce a magnificent hybrid knows as Puglian-Romanesque.

Something we never can figure out is the hours of shops and restaurants. It seems everywhere we travel there are different customs. Plus, Sunday is always confusing. We expected to have lunch in Ostuni at a restaurant highly recommended by a customer at the store. The town was deserted. Every shop and restaurant was closed. Fortunately we had had a big breakfast so we weren't really hungry. We drove a little more through the town then headed down the hill and towards the coast. Coming down the hill was a beautiful panorama of the Adriatic spread out in front of us and Ostuni capping the hill behind. Again, we really had nowhere to go, just wanted to see what was out there. We drove a little along the coast, but in this area, you can't really get near the ocean. It's all private property taken up by beach clubs and beach developments. We decided to head back to the house to have a snack and plan dinner.
Instead of risking not finding a restaurant open on Sunday we decided to cook at home. We had the fresh tomatoes, sausage that Frank didn't finish from last night's dinner, plu

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