To begin to describe the Bisceglie to live, let’s start from the sea, or rather from the port, considered among the most beautiful in Italy. And one can only confirm by admiring it both from land and sea, where the remains of the eighteenth-century piers with powerful stone bollards rise like an island.
A ride in the city
Bisceglie is a city where fishing has always been of fundamental importance since the Bourbon period. Although today the number of fishermen is decreasing despite the glorious tradition of the families of Bisceglies shipowners. Since 1950, a fish market has been operating in the port where the fish of the three fishermen’s cooperatives are sold, as well as the product, mostly sea bream and sea bass, of the offshore mariculture plant located one mile from the coast.
To continue to tell the Bisceglie to live, you have to walk in the ancient village where you can not resist the scents of traditional cuisine that penetrating the nostrils impose stops at all times of the day to bite a piece of focaccia or to be tempted by a dish of orecchiette flavored with that ragù that captivates the senses through squares and narrow alleys.
So we find ourselves in front of Il Cerriglio (Via Cardinale Dell’Olio, 70 – 080 3957683), an ancient trattoria where wine was already poured in 1864 and which was the seat of the local and provincial Carboneria. Entering and sitting at the table conquered by the homemade pasta from Mrs. Angela is a moment!
For coffee and much more, the stop is at MakeArt, a real cultural container for music and art lovers (Via Cardinale Dell’Olio, 18) where all the furnishings are the result of the Creative Recovery that does not it was bought but recovered and destined for new uses.
Satisfied the cravings of gluttony, it is nice to resume the walk in the village, between the imposing buildings and the narrow alleys that go down to the sea, admiring the picturesque views and the brushstrokes of real and daily life like the clothes hanging to dry in front of the doors of the churches like that of San Matteo from the 11th century.
Large and welcoming is Piazza Margherita di Savoia, which acts as a hinge between the ancient and the modern Bisceglie. Here one of the protagonists is the Garibaldi Theater with a beautiful neoclassical facade, built in the late 1800s and inaugurated in 1872 on the notes of Verdi’s “Rigoletto”, which has always been a cultural reference point for the city.
The sweetest symbol, however, is the sospiro of Bisceglie, Slow Food presidium since 2014. According to a local legend, it was created by the Poor Clares of the Monastery of San Luigi on the occasion of the wedding of Lucrezia Borgia, countess of Bisceglie, with Alfonso of Aragon. Other sources indicate in the sospiro the invention of a pastry chef who was inspired by the breasts of his beloved. In fact, the shape is precisely that of a small breast based on a very light sponge cake flavored with lemon zest, stuffed with cream and covered with a thin sugar glaze. Special those we tasted at the San Pietro pastry shop (Via Giuseppe di Vittorio, 138/140 – 080 3967234).
Returning to the sea, on the coast road between Bisceglie and Molfetta there is the Village Lido Nettuno which overlooks the Natural Oasis of Torre Calderina, a very important site for the migratory routes of many species of avifauna, thanks to the presence of wetlands such as the neighboring Cala Pantano. Inside the Trattoria sul Mare – Buen Vivir (Village Lido Nettuno SS 16 Km 771,500 – 080 3384569) to have lunch, dinner and eat a pizza on the water both in winter and in summer.
After deepening the Bisceglie to live, for a good sleep our choices, comfortable for those who like us travel with a four-legged, are in the immediate surroundings of the center. The closest to the city is Cortile Fondo Noce, a refined bed and breakfast in which the atmosphere is suspended over time, which takes its name from the area in which it stands, which has always been called Fondo Noce.
The centerpiece is its courtyard, overlooked by the three rooms, each one different from the other but with the same slightly retro style that refers to a house from another era.
In the open countryside, among centuries-old olive trees, cherry trees and endless expanses of prickly pears, there is the Masseria Posta Santa Croce which separates the Dolmen della Chianca, a perfectly preserved megalithic construction, about ten minutes on foot.
The masseria, once a “post” station, that is a place where shepherds and flocks used to live and pasture, today welcomes its guests in three comfortable apartments and a large double bedroom, all with bathroom and kitchenette. Large spaces also common ones where you can read brochures and books on Puglia or simply relax.
Through a road that runs alongside expanses of olive trees you reach the Le Vedute farmhouse which houses the Hippos Horse Club. Available to those who stay there are twenty rooms overlooking a porch limited by a lush garden and the swimming pool set among the greenery.
Here is our Bisceglie to live … for now! Together with our Otto we are ready to update our list.
