Labor Day Weekend in Lecce and Puglia

I've said it before, and I'll say it many times again, I'd never make it as a travel agent. I love taking trips, but planning trips is not something I enjoy. It's partly being in a new country and not knowing the language or how things work. But it is mostly that I hate the responsibility of making the right choices for the whole family, even in the most familiar surroundings. But even though we planned this weekend trip at the last minute, it turned out so well that--uh oh--it sort of reinforced the idea of waiting till the last minute to plan the next trip we take! I guess if it's meant to be, it will be!

We knew we wanted to make use of our Labor Day 3-day weekend. So, we decided to head down to the Puglia region in the "heel" of Italy, which was about a 4-hour drive from Napoli. We'd heard Lecce was a beautiful city about 20 minutes from the Adriatic Sea, but we decided to stay closer to the water and the beach, which was the first place we went as soon as we arrived. (The girls will forever have the dark, volcanic sand from the Adriatic sea in their bathing suits...good thing it's the end of the season.)

This trip, we wanted to try an agriturismo, which is a working farm along with a bed and breakfast that is meant to attract tourists

looking for an authentic, relaxing and rural experience. The agriturismo we chose was on an organic olive farm.

The price for two nights also included dinner (which was delicious and made with organic olive oil, of course), a horseback riding lesson (or ride around the ring for our little kids), a pool, and access to the private beach-front property within a 3-km drive, along with chairs and an umbrella. It was just the right balance of activity and relaxation.

On Sunday we drove into Lecce to see the sights. First, we saw the Roman amphitheater built in the 2nd century with seating for 25,000 people; it was buried by other monuments over the years and today remains half buried.

Then we visited Piazza del Duomo to visit Lecce's cathedral, which is said to be one of Italy's

most significant. It was built in 1144, rebuilt in 1230, and restored between 1659-1670. Then we meandered around looking at the beautiful, Baroque-style architecture of many of the churches in Lecce.

Finally, we rewarded ourselves with some local fare for lunch: rustico (a type of fried pasta), a fried calzone, and of course gelato on the way back to the car.

Our favorite part of the trip began when Sydney and Miranda met their first Italian friends, Gaia and Luigi, at the agriturismo pool Sunday afternoon. All four kids swam and played for hours and didn't seem to notice/mind that they weren't speaking the same language! That evening at dinner, our families dined together and we were able to understand each other well enough to have a very enjoyable time! It still amazes me, since we know so little Italian and they knew very little English! But once we figured out we could use a little French to bridge the gap, we managed even better and had a great time!

We even met up for breakfast on Monday, and then spent the day at the beach together before having to head home to Napoli. But not before exchanging addresses; we may be able to meet up again if we find ourselves in Bari--a comforting thought! Making a personal connection despite still feeling so out of my element turned out to be just what I needed from this spontaneous weekend get-away. Couldn't have planned that if I tried!