May 25th: Italy trip update

There were 22 of us who stayed at Villa Cappelli on the Appian Way, just outside Terlizzi. The villa is a working olive grove owned by Paul Cappelli (see: www.villacappelli.com). The villa was a perfect location for our group who were celebrating one of the couple's 20th wedding anniversary. Paul arranged for the church of Santa Maria di Cesano to be opened for a blessing; the church was built in 1055 AD.

We rented a car and took day trips. One day we drove to Alberobello, Locorotondo and Ostuni. We passed many truills, olive groves and vineyards. Another day, we drove along the Adriatic, stopping in several towns.

We found that very few people spoke English which was a lot of fun. Would I go back? Absolutely! The people were lovely, the scenery was great, and we liked the relaxed atmosphere. Some of our group took the local train to Lecce. They said it was a great trip.

After Terlizzi, we spent 5 nights in Sorrento. Since it was early in the tourist season, we enjoyed strolling around the town. The Circumvesuviana was very convenient for traveling to Pompeii, and then to Naples.

For our last 2 nights, we stayed in Rome at the Hotel Pantheon which is a "boutique hotel" right near the Pantheon. With only 13 rooms, we got to know the staff and enjoyed our stay. I did pre-book our Vatican tour and that was wise. The crowds were huge and the tour was a great way to avoid some of the crush.

Bottom line: Consider visiting Apulia. It's a part of Italy that many tourist seem to overlook.

Karen