City Break - Gallipoli

Gallipoli, Puglia, Italy. Friday/Sunday 09/11-October-2026.

It used to be that Salento parkrun was the remotest in the world as the next nearest were Etna or Rome both 400km away. No more as a new one started up at Gallipoli. Sirenhello parkrun is only 62km away from Cisternino. So we had to fit in a visit before our return to the U.K.

Friday 09-October-2026.

Heading to Gallipoli, we stopped off in Manduria for a quick wine tasting and lunch.

For the wine tasting we went to the Museo Della Civiltà del Vino Primitivo where we could do a free tasting. Of course, like most people, we bought some bottles so I’m sure they don’t lose out by giving the tasting for free.

They had a huge range on offer so we focussed our selection. First we tried two method champenoise sparkling. We had a white and a rosé, one each so we could compare-and-contrast. Then we tried three primitivo from the same producer but different quality and price levels. We both preferred the middle of the three.

Lunch was trickier as many places were closed and we ended up a local café with a limited selection of panini. We chose Italy's answer to a ham and cheese toasty and very tasty it was too!

The imposing Palazzo Imperiali - Filotico build by the Imperial princes of Francavilla starting in 1717. From the signs outside it now includes a bank and a restaurant.

However, thanks to the time we spent wandering around the town, we caught a procession of amazing Ferrari as they passed through the town centre. 

This was part of the Rossocorsa Classiche Puglia 2026 featuring:

• Vintage Racers: The Ferrari 340 MM (winner of the 1953 Mille Miglia), a 340 America (which raced at Le Mans in 1951), and two 750 Monza models.
• The Hypercar Trinity: A rare sequential display of technical evolution featuring the F40, F50, and the Enzo.
• Icons: The 250 California Spider, Daytona, and Testarossa.

Driving the rest to the route to Gallipoli we passed vineyard after vineyard of what we assumed were mostly Primitivo.

Our accommodation was an about half an hours walk from the centre so on a recommendation from our host we dined locally at La Lampara. I had a very tasty vongole sauté basically the clam version of moules marinière and Mary had polpo arrosto, Italy’s version of the The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.

Saturday 10-October-2026.

Sirenhello 10/10/26 32:00 [5/7].

Italy’s second newest parkrun, it was only at week seven. It is a convoluted, labyrinthine course, Italy’s answer to the Curly Wurly (Somerdale Pavilion parkrun)! Daniele the RD very proudly explained that he designed it himself.

An unusually wet day with no locals at all apart from the volunteers. 100% tourists, with six from the UK including a couple we met the week before at Salento and one person originally from Poland. By the time Mary reached the finish line she was soaked.

After lunch we went drove as close as we could get to the centre before the ZTL kicked in. We had been to Gallipoli years ago but neither of use have any memory of it other than a seafood restaurant wouldn’t serve us coffee with milk in it - an Italian belief that mixing milk and seafood is bad for you. So it was good to revisit, taking a stroll around the outside of the peninsula. Not so scenic were the narrow streets of the centre full of restaurants, BnBs and tat shops.

The castlello hold a commanding position over the port.

A curious bird-like sculpture in the water next to the castello.

Late afternoon we had a wine tasting at Cantina Coppola. First a bit history on the cantina and a tour of the facilities with wine pumps and a barrel weighing device.

The Coppola family tree of winemakers extends back an impressive five centuries to 1489!

As part of the tour we could see into the cellars through glass floor tiles. The small barrels hold Primitivo, the large barrel at the back is Negroamaro. They also make sparkling wine by the metodo classico (as used in Champagne) and the racks (pupitre) hold the bottles with the yeast being riddled (shaken down).

Then on to the tasting. We had booked for Negroamaro four ways: sparkling, white, rosé and red. At the end they offered us a bonus glass each so Mary had another Negroamaro and I had a Primitivo:

• Coppola Dosaggio Zero
• Rocci Puglia Bianco IGT 
• Licuti Alezio Rosato DOC
• Licuti Alezio Rosso DOC
• Doxi Alezio Rosso DOC Negroamaro 80%, Malvasia 20%
• Patitari Salento Rosso IGT Primitivo 100%

Fascinating to see the different styles from one grape variety. We enjoyed their wines and bought some sparkling and red.

A lot of restaurants around us were closed as it is the end of the season so, rather than dine at the same restaurant as Friday night, we walked 25 minutes to another fishy restaurant Vista Mare "Lu Spariolu". While we were in there the heavens opened and we walked back through torrents of water and flash floods in the streets. We were were sodden by the time we got back to the apartment.

Sunday 11-October-2026.

We decided on a gentle drive back across country to avoid the boring SS16 which we drive up and down every Saturday when we go to Salento parkrun. We broke our journey for a coffee at a lively café in Torre Santa Susanna and were back to Cisternino in time for a very tasty and appealing lunch at Chirico.

 

Finally a quiet evening in to round off the weekend.

City Break - Lecce #03

Lecce, Puglia, Italy. Friday/Sunday 02/04-October-2026.  

Friday 02-October-2026. 

We volunteered at Salento parkrun so that some of the regular volunteers could participate. We decided to treat ourselves to a weekend in Lecce, the nearest town, so that we a) didn't have to get up so early and b) were less concerned about drinking the evening before that might affect our parkrun "performance".

Accommodation duly booked in the centre not far from Porta Napoli, we pootled off from Cisternino after lunch. The evening was supposed to start with a music jam as part of a small festival. The venue turned out to be a local music shop with nowhere to sit down so we went for a beer at the nearest cafe instead. Next we went for pre-dinner cocktails at Frivolo, a great little place we discovered on our last visit to Lecce. 

Supper was at La Scarpetta literally two doors down from our accommodation. It specialised in seafood, the food was great and the staff achieved a lovely balance between friendly banter and professionalism. Finally a beer at Büro further along the same street accompanied by a great soundtrack from the '70s and '80s.

Saturday 03-October-2026. 

At parkrun Mary took the roles of Run Director and photographer, I did first timers briefing (English version) and timekeeping. That meant that Saverio and Valerio were able to participate in the run itself for the first time in ages. 

It was parkrun's 22nd birthday so HQ declared it to be tutu day rather like when it is the 22nd of the month. Those in the know sported their tutus.

At Salento there are a regularly a number of visitors on holiday in the region. On this Saturday the visitors outnumbered the locals - of the 27 finishers 15 were first timers i.e. tourists.

On the way to parkrun we spotted this sign. Cinghiali = wild boar. They obviously didn't have a cinghali sign so improvised with a leaping deer. We've seen pictures of wild boar and we know they don't look or leap like that!

We had booked for lunch at Crianza which we discovered several visits back and is now a regular haunt for us. They do a great range of tasty salads, perfect for lunchtime.

After lunch we went for a stroll around Belloluogo Park formerly the site of Puglia’s second parkrun. We went to event number 3 back in 2019, now defunct as it never recovered from Covid. 

Google tells me that "The park and its 14th-century cylindrical tower are named after the historic suburban residence of Queen Maria d'Enghien (Countess of Lecce and Queen of Naples), who spent her final years there. An ancient moat remains visible directly in front of the tower."

We passed a lovely silk floss tree (Ceiba speciosa) in flower.

Early evening, we went for a wine tasting in a 14th century monastery building adjacent to the fascinating Faggiano museum and part of the same complex.We were joined by a couple from Canada and a couple from Sweden. With only six attendees it made for a relaxed tasting with time to chat.

• Torrantica Chardonnay 2024, 12%. Lecce typical grape 2024. We are sceptical of an imported French grape variety introduced in the late 1980s and 1990s. It is widely planted and major regional appellations, such as Salice Salentino DOC, explicitly permit up to 30% of Chardonnay in their white wine blends. Unoaked, the flavours of the grape came through nicely and made for a lovely drink (sorry France!)
• Torrantica Negroamaro Rosato 2024, 12%. Very pink! Sweet strawberry flavour.
• Notte Rossa Primitivo 2025,13%. Deep purple. Not as sweet and jammy as some Primitivo which meant Mary didn't disapprove of it so much nor I like it as much - so well balanced, then!
  Primitivo is genetically identical to an ancient Croatian grape called Tribidrag. Brought over to Italy in the 18th century despite the folkloric claims that the Roman were responsible. 
• Li Tamarici Negroamaro 2025, 13.5%. Sweeter than usual but still with the typical Negroamaro flavours and grip. The favourite of the tasting. Many tastings present the Negroamaro followed by the bigger, jammier, usually higher alcohol Primitivo. This pair bucked the trend.

Our host was explaining that the devastation of the olive trees caused by xylella impacted the wind shelter the trees normally provided for the vines.

Then supper at Pezzetto another recent discovery and an addition to our favourites list. They do dishes that are just a little bit different. We shared a starter of aubergine three-ways followed by one of the specials of the day crostone con paté di fegato (bread with liver pâté) and it was delicious. and night cap at Büro. 

Sunday 04-October-2026. 

Rather than go straight home we went along the coast road for lunch at Fronte Mare in Savelletri. We had a couple of starters, only, including our favourite - zucchini carpaccio (thinly sliced courgette) with smoked salmon and toasted almonds. Super!

Footnote:

Writing this blog I realised that I hadn't written up our last Lecce weekend so I did a retrospective post here: City Break - Lecce #02.

Cosmo and Damian 2026

Cisternino / Alberobello, Puglia, Italy. Saturday / Monday 26/28-September-2026. 

A double celebration of twin saints. I can’t believe I have not blogged this spectacle before as it happens every year and we are usually here for the procession.

 Saturday 26-September-2026. 

The town of Cisternino celebrates Saints Cosmo and Damien, patron saints of doctors, surgeons, pharmacists, dentists, nurses and veterinarians, and unsurprisingly, twins. The banner is followed by a parade of the faithful then the Confraternities in their white robes. Next come Cosmo and Damien, not sure which one is which. Finally the great and the good heading up the band.

I have noticed that the devout following the flag walk in twos down either side of the road. Google tells me that the middle of the street is deliberately kept clear because it is reserved for the most sacred elements of the procession including the clergy and the priest or bishop and the sacred image or statue of the patron saint or the Madonna. The walking in pairs have a variety of significations.

The Confraternities are official brotherhoods of laypeople organised for religious and social purposes dating back to the Middle Ages (around the 12th and 13th centuries). Members often wear traditional hooded robes (cappe or sacco) and capes. I am glad to say that our local fraternity haven’t gone for the pointed hoods with eye holes that make them look like the KKK!

For this procession, they have gone old school carrying the effigy on their shoulders. Unlike the Blessed Virgin Mary on her electric milk float.

Apparently, it is usual for Saint Damian to be in pole position (see what I did there!) followed by Saint Cosmo. 

Finally, the priests followed by the great and good in their best dress uniform and insignia bring up the rear followed by the band.

Monday 28-September-2026. 

Alberobello celebrates Saints Cosmo and Damian as they are the patron saints of the town. Our friends who live just outside Alberobello invited us over for lunch after which we walked into town to observe the festivities followed by a concert

We arrived just as the leading standard bearer turned off the main street up into the street leading to the church.

Again, the faithful walked two by two keeping the centre of the street clear. Many of them were carrying lighted candles.

Saint Damian supported on the shoulders of the Alberobello Confraternity in their green cloaks. They were constantly swapping places so that everyone got a turn at shouldering the saint. Once relieved of their position they went to the back of the queue to continue the rotation.

Saint Cosmo in second place. Apparently, the more prestigious position because he is closer to the priests right behind him.

And next in the parade are the religious type's.

Once the statues and the priests have passed the whole width of the road is available for walking. Representatives of various towns in the region join in the procession: Conversano, Fasano, Locorontondo, Martina Franca, Noci, Putignano. Presumably, Cisternino is not represented as they have already done their religious rites. 

As always the band, Don Giovanni Cipriani from Turi, is tail-end Charlie belting out some lively marching tunes.

Up in the main Piazza del Popolo they had set up a bandstand for the concert from Premiato Concerto Musicale "Paolo Falcicchio" from Gioia del Colle conducted under the baton of Maestra Susanna Assunta Pescetti.

We managed to snag ourselves some seats with good views.

Here they are playing the Triumphal March from Verdi’s Aida giving it some welly on the trumpets. They played for just under an hour and then took a break at which point we decided to bail and went home for a last glass of wine.

Southbound 2026 - Rome

Rome, Italy. Wednesday/Saturday 16/19-September-2026.

All posts

• London, England. Thursday/Tuesday 27-August/01-September-2026.
• Frankfurt, Germany. Wednesday/Thursday 02/03-September-2026.
• Nuremberg, Germany. Thursday/Saturday 03/05-September-2026.
• Milan, Italy. Sunday/Tuesday 06/08-September-2026.
• Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany. Wednesday/Thursday 09/10-September-2026. 
• San Vincenti, Tuscany. Friday/Tuesday 11/15-September-2026. 
• Roma, Italy. Wednesday/Saturday 16/19-September-2026.

Introduction.

The final stop on our grand tour: Rome for three nights including a parkrun, as part of our mission to tick off all the Italian parkruns. 

Wednesday 16-September-2026.

A horribly early start with a 5:30 am alarm driven by the taxi sharing logistics. We went with the people bound for morning flights from Pisa. They were able to make a slight detour en-route and drop us at Sienna railway station. The flexibility of the Interrail pass meant we could catch a train just about to leave for Florence and amend our seat reservations on the Florence to Rome leg rather than hang around for hours at Sienna.

We got to the apartment early so went for lunch at the local pizza joint, 6zero1, for a very tasty salad.

That evening we decided to eat locally at Osteria Romana dal 1949 which had reasonable ratings. We went for a set menu with starter, pasta and main. The local Lazio speciality pasta cacio e pepe was supposed to be a tasting portion, but it was more like a full sized dish, too much! I thought I’d go out of my comfort zone and try the oxtail stew for the main. I figured it would be something like rabbit where you have to pick the meat off the bones. In this case the meat was chewy and full of gristly bits and so I left the majority of it. I won’t make that mistake again!

Thursday 17-September-2026.

The morning was a fascinating visit to Ostia Antica - the ancient port of Rome during the period of the Roman Empire.

It was very extensive, took hours and hours to explore and is still being excavated.  It was so interesting we didn’t want to miss any of it. We had lunch in the café on-site and then a quick visit round the museum. On the way in we saw a team working on new excavation; on the way out we got a good view of some of what they had uncovered that day. Amazing to see amphorae in such good condition emerging from the sand.

We saw green parakeets. My bird app identified them as Monk Parakeets unlike London which has Ring-Necked Parakeets. 

It was something something like 4 o’clock before we got back to the apartment for a late afternoon rest.

The evening meal was at Beva Vineria, a restaurant with a wide selection of over 1000 wines, many of which were offered by the glass to accompany your chosen dishes.

The starter was a selection of salami from the Cinta Senese: an ancient native Italian breed of pig from Tuscany that is black with a single white belt.

We cannot remember what we had for main courses but they were delicious as well.

Friday 18-September-2026.

The morning’s activity was a walk up to the Vatican City from Roma St. Pietro station following a disused papal railway line, the Passeggiata del Gelsomino. It was advertised as a hidden gem, in my view it was neither hidden nor a gem. It was a short walk, only half a kilometre. It did have a lovely view of Saint Peter’s but other than that was very disappointing.

It is also a triumph of poorly executed civil engineering. The path has neither camber nor slope and inadequate drainage so when the rains came down, we had to walk through puddles that stretched the entire width of the pathway at several points.

Here the tracks disappear under Vatican City.

We continue to walk around the Vatican City and then away from touristy areas to find ourselves a nice restaurant for lunch.

After lunch we went to see a major retrospective of Kandinsky.  

En route we passed this stunning column. From Wikipedia: 

“The Column of Marcus Aurelius is a Roman victory column located in Piazza Colonna, Rome, Italy. A Doric column adorned with a detailed spiral relief, it was built in honor of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and modeled after Trajan's Column. Dedicated to the emperor and his military campaigns during the Barbarian Wars, the monument stands as a testament to his reign from 161 to 180 AD. The column's frieze, approximately 367 feet (112 meters) long, spirals upward 21 times, depicting the emperor’s campaigns against the Germanic and Sarmatian tribes.”

The Kandinsky exhibition was in the Palazzo Bonaparte and the majority of the pieces were on loan from the Pompidou Centre in France. We downloaded an audio guide to the 20 most important pieces in the exhibition which took about a hour and a half. Without that we might have been there for hours and hours.

The pictures were amazing and the exhibition showcased his stylistic evolution. Also fascinating to learn about his links to the Bauhaus and the various avant-garde movements of the time.

Back for a late afternoon rest and that evening a pinsa* back at 6zero1, the local pizza joint.

* Pinsa, also known as pinsa romana, is a flatbread generally marketed as an oval-shaped style of, or healthier alternative to, pizza. The name originated partly as a marketing strategy, coined by a Rome-based baking family as late as 2001. [Wikipedia]

Saturday 19-September-2026.

Roma Pineto 19/09/26 32:02 [39/75]

A lovely two lapper through varied scenery with not too many slopes and a view of St Peter’s.

Tourists made up more than half of the attendees with visitors from the Uk, Poland, Czech, Australia and New Zealand.

After a shower we headed off to the main train station for the final leg south to home in Cisternino.

Next stop: The End.

Southbound 2026 - San Vincenti

San Vincenti, Tuscany. Friday/Tuesday 11/15-September-2026.

All posts

• London, England. Thursday/Tuesday 27-August/01-September-2026.
• Frankfurt, Germany. Wednesday/Thursday 02/03-September-2026.
• Nuremberg, Germany. Thursday/Saturday 03/05-September-2026.
• Milan, Italy. Sunday/Tuesday 06/08-September-2026.
• Castelnuovo Berardenga, Tuscany. Wednesday/Thursday 09/10-September-2026. 
• San Vincenti, Tuscany. Friday/Tuesday 11/15-September-2026. 
• Roma, Italy. Wednesday/Saturday 16/19-September-2026.

Introduction.

Our home for five days and the raison d'etre of this rail trip. A Yoga and Pilates retreat in Tuscany, booked about a year ago. As we had to get there from Penrith and then from there to Cisternino, we decided to travel by train, stopping off at other places on the way. 

Friday 11-September-2026.

Castelnuovo Berardenga: Mary had leapt out of bed early to buy lunch ingredients from the local supermarket as we were being picked up bright and early by Martyn, one of the organisers. We were the first attendees to arrive; others were due to arrive at various points during the day.

Lunch at Borgo San Vincenti: a group of rooms and apartments set in a small village in a remote location. Sarah Newby, one of the instructors, with us in the background. We ate our lunch as the others trickled in from various directions.

Our main hosts and organisers were Martyn and Amram from Healing Together (Instagram @martynblacklockhealing) assisted by Sarah Newby of Beyond Fitness with Sarah and Em from North Star Holistic. 

Plus I should include our cook, Pat (Cibo A Casa Crisci), who night after night produced the most amazing and very authentic Italian food like nothing you would get in a normal restaurant.

After introductions the assembled company dined together for the first time. The dining area:

Any concerns that it might be an ascetic event were laid to rest by seeing the amount of wine consumed and hilarity that ensued.

Saturday 12-September-2026.

Sunrise from the complex.

08:00 Martyn - Breathwork, Mantra and Opening Circle. Starting the retreat with our first session to welcome us all. Followed by breakfast.

09:00 No parkrun! It is an odd Saturday that doesn’t involve a trip to a nearby park for our regular fix.

10:30 Sarah - Pilates. I had never done Pilates so a couple of weeks ago I got Sarah to give me an introductory session so I had some idea of what to expect. Pretty straightforward, there only so much you can do with the human body, but it was quite hard work as I am not as fit as I have been.

17:00 Em - Slow Flow Yoga. I have done yoga for many years and I can definitely do “slow” so this was a good session to end the first day.

Another boozy supper with more glasses of wine than was strictly necessary!

Sunday 13-September-2026.

08:00 Sarah - Body Wake-Up. This was a very energetic way to start the day. I needed to go back for my second shower of the day.

10:30 Em - Kundalini. Another first. The breath of fire is certainly one way to make yourself giddy thanks to the hyperventilating. I do not sing, ever, so making noises (other than talking) felt weird. Maybe this practice could help unblock my inhibitions regards singing! File under “Interesting”.

14:00 Cooking experience with Pat. Here Mary helps to prepare the tiramisu. 

The finished product. Not to be eaten straightaway, it has to mature overnight in the fridge and would be served the next day.

Next we made gnocchi. Pat made the dough of potato, egg and flour and did most of the rolling and cutting. The assembled team did the forming of the gnocchi using forks and a variety of other implements. Those we did eat that night.

Another fine evening.

Monday 14-September-2026.

08:00 Amram - Tibetan Series. This was a bit too energetic for my liking with everything done 21 times. The first exercise was whirling Dervishes. I’ve got up to about 10 or 12 when my gyro stabiliser went completely berserk and I wobbled all over the place. Note to self: start off slowly! The rest of the exercises were less hazardous.

10:00 Martyn and Amram - Shine. I do not dance (a couple of well structured Scottish dances excepted). So this was uncomfortable for me. It started of well enough but as the session progressed my inhibitions made it very hard for me to loosen up. I see people on the dance floor or in the mosh pit, apparently I have to believe they enjoy dancing but that is beyond my comprehension; for me having to dance in public would be a punishment. A practice based around disco dancing just isn't going to fly with me. Sorry, Martyn!

Trip to Siena No 5pm class. A number of the attendees took an afternoon excursion into Sienna. We have been before so sat this one out, relaxing by the pool.

The evening was more eating and drinking, including yesterday's tiramisu for dessert.

Tuesday 15-September-2026.

08:00 Em - Breathwork and Mantra. We skipped this session because we had to discovered there was a Big Bench nearby and Martyn very kindly agreed to drive us over to it before breakfast.

Big Bench #136.

The view from the bench across the Tuscan Hills.

The bench is the grounds of Castello Di Meleto.

This makes our fourth big bench, for previous benches see: Big Benches in Puglia.

Then a return to San Vincenti in time for Sarah’s relaxing stretch.

10:30 Sarah - Relaxing Stretch. It was lovely to do an exercise, mostly lying on your back without lots of energetic jumping about.

16:00 Winery Trip. A number of us walked to a nearby wine producer for a fascinating wine tasting.

We were joined by the wine maker who gave us an insight into how he used biodynamic practices to take care of the vineyard. 

Read more: Wine tasting at Tenuta San Vincenti. 

18:00 Martyn and Amram - Shine Session and Closing Circle. One last wind down stretch and a chance to share our experiences. Mine was that I was apprehensive about being the only male practitioner (not counting the instructors and one other half who was not taking part in the classes). I need not have worried. It was also fascinating to see how supportive of each other the sisterhood were, lots of  “I do like your outfit / dress / top”. Wouldn’t really happen with a bunch of blokes. 

I highly recommend “You Just Don’t Understand” by Dr Deborah Tannen. Her thesis is that women generally use language to build connections and intimacy, while men tend to use communication to exchange information, assert status, and solve problems. This was a fine example of the former.

The last supper and so to bed.

Next stop: Rome.