Thanks, everyone. Here's some more:
After dinner, Im thinking that Ill go back to the same place for limoncello, which was Antos Square S.U. Its a large outdoor section shared with a small café next door. The previous night, there was only one other table with people eating. However, I hear the music and noise as Im approaching it. There is a big 50th birthday party going on for somebody. They have a live band, every seat is taken plus people standing. Guess I wont have my limoncello there, and there arent a lot of other possibilities around. I go into the small café to see if they have limoncello. It was a little odd, the young man said he had to check with his father. I certainly dont look underage! His father says OK, so he pours it into a plastic cup. Id rather have glass, but no big deal.
The next morning at breakfast, the couple from DC on the trail of the Appian Way are talking about a golf cart tour they took in Rome to the Appian Way and Catacombs, which they highly recommended. I had thought about going there this trip, since its something in Rome that I havent done. I take buses all over Rome and had checked out how to get there. Its not difficult, but Im a little leery about catching the bus back. Anyway, I hadnt thought about a golf cart tour and will check it out.
I head up to Palazzo Granafel-Nervagna and Column Hall ((16th C), which had looked interesting when I passed yesterday on the way to the Duomo. It has a small area of excavation, but the neat thing is the column head that has been put here to save it from salt and sea air. There were originally two on the top of the Virgil staircase in front of the harbor entrance. I go upstairs to find the restroom, and there is some sort of political meeting going on. I dont seem to have written anything in my notes and dont remember exactly what it was. A guy is giving a presentation on some sort of new surgical technique.
I wander back down, looking for someplace for lunch, and when looking down Via Ferrante Fornari, see a restaurant, so Ill try it. I rarely make a reservation for lunch, because Im not sure exactly where Ill be when Im ready to eat. The restaurant is Molo 33 Ristorante & Pizzeria. As soon as I enter, the woman says they dont serve pizza at lunch. This happens several times in Puglia, pizzerias that dont serve pizza at lunch. Not sure why. She takes me out the rear to outdoor seating. Right across the street is Piazza Mercato, and the people are taking their stands down. Im thinking this is a lot of work to have to do every day! Actually, I dont know if the market is open every day. I order Frito Misto with calamari, sardines & shrimp. Its quite good, I wouldnt say fabulous. I have to say that I understand cooking the whole shrimp with head attached for flavor, but I hate having to peel the shrimp. Such a pain!
I continue wandering without paying attention to my map. I know if I keep heading left and down, Ill reach the sea. This thinking actually works! I know Ive already said this, but the water is so beautiful! Not turquoise blue like the Caribbean, more of a cobalt blue or what is not surprisingly called marine blue. There is certainly more to see in the way of churches, but its so hot. I head back to the B&B to put my feet up for a while. I check out the golf cart tour. The company is Biga. I think the DC couple booked it through Viator, but you can book directly with the company, better for them. The tour does look interesting. Of course, the description talks about many uneven stairs, which is not surprising. Im just afraid there are no railings. I read more, and the catacomb visited is under St. Sebastians, and Im surprised to find out they have Berninis final sculpture. I love Bernini! Had no idea there was one of his sculptures out there. Now I really want to go. Have to find out about railings on the stairs.
For dinner, I go to the café where they helped me the first day with their WiFi, Antica Focacceria Boscaini, about ½ block from the B&B on Corso Garibaldi, a small family-owned place. A little odd, there is no focaccia on the menu! I dont care when I taste the pizza. I order La Daniele, pizza with tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto & mushrooms. Wow, yum! Im surprised to be saying that its as good as the pizza I had in Naples, which I didnt think could be matched. So good! Most places want you to go inside if youre paying by credit card, so I talk to the owner when I pay. I tell him his pizza is as good as that in Naples. He says, well, Naples is a little different, and proceeds to tell me all about their methods, including that they make their own mozzarella. The wall separating the front from the kitchen doesnt go all the way to the ceiling, and he tells the chef to hold up a ball of mozzarella for me to see. Fun! Im still dreaming about that pizza!
Brindisi hasnt been that busy til now, but Corso Garibaldi is definitely the place to see and be seen on a Saturday night! Lots of people out and about. Lots of bare midriffs, some of which look great, others not so much. The young ladies at the next table are fixing their lipstick after eating. I wonder where theyre going and who theyre trying to impress.
The place for limoncello is full again, this time with the crowd watching soccer, so I go back to the little café next door. The young man apologizes for giving me a plastic cup the night before, says it was due to the crowd, and this time gives me a small glass. Its different from any Ive seen, so I ask if I can buy the glass (Ive done this in the past, sometimes with success, sometimes not). He says hell have to ask his father, who just then comes in. Upon being asked, he says Impossible! I say really, impossible? He explains that he only has six of them. OK, I understand. The young man tells me to wait and goes off into a back room. He comes back out and shakes his head, then goes behind the counter and offers me an espresso cup, says its a gift! So nice!
The next morning at breakfast, were talking about a bunch of things and I forget to ask about the stairs/railings in the catacombs. The couple checks out, because even though they have extended their stay in Brindisi by a day, the B&B is full, so theyre going somewhere else. Ill have to see if I can email the company to find out.
Im off to the Temple of San Giovanni al Sepolcro, hoping theyre not closed due to it being Remembrance Day. Its 11th C, at one time run by the Knights Templar and was a place Crusaders stopped to pray for success on the way to the Crusades and on the way back to give thanks for surviving. Entry is 3 Euro, and its well worth it. Beautiful frescoes, most of them not complete but lovely just the same. Beautiful arches (the building is round). Theres a door on one side leading out into the garden. Its quite rough and uneven, with a board sticking out the front of the bottom step, so I pause to decide the best place to step without tripping. All of a sudden, the lady selling the tickets is next to me offering her arm (she had seen me pausing). So nice, even though I could have done it myself. She doesnt speak much English but manages to communicate that I should get her attention when coming back in and shell gladly help. The garden is nice, some roses still in bloom, there might be more in bloom at a different time. When going back in, Im fine, so I smile and tell the lady its easier coming back in.
Time for some lunch, so I go a couple of doors down from the church on Via Sepolcro to Il Tempio dei Sapori. The Eggplant Parmigiana is delicious.
Its very hot, so I head back down by the water, where there might be a little breeze. I sit down at one of the cafes and decide to have another Negroni. I would be happy to just sit here enjoying the view and the drink, so thats what I do. A short time later, the couple from DC comes by, so Im able to ask about the catacombs. She assures me there are railings on all the stairs. They continue on to the big staircase, which is close by, and come back to have a drink, so I invite them to join me. We have a lovely conversation, mostly about our various travels and are probably there over an hour. They actually came over on the Queen Mary. He wanted to, she didnt, but he talked her into it. They both loved it and will be taking it back to the US at the end of their trip. He suggests we all go over to the stairs and take a couple of pictures, so we do that. Very nice bumping into them again.
Back at the B&B, I finish packing and later go back for more pizza. Yum again! There is a parade for Remembrance Day, lots of people watching.
Im glad I changed my original itinerary to include Brindisi. I enjoyed it, and surprise, the best meals werent seafood. They were that fabulous pizza!