Around the World : Gallipoli and Gelato

    Mi dispiace! that I have not posted in two days. I have been very busy, and I have been socializing more, therefore I have less free time to post. I hope everyone is having a great week! I miss everyone :) and I love the emails and messages people send me about reading my blog, and their response to my posts. It makes me feel connected to you so keep reading and sending.
    This morning was like every other morning: I had class. I woke up, got ready, ate breakfast and went to class. We reviewed the future tense of the verb and talked about poems. In Italian poetry, you only use the future tense. During class I think I wrote three poems and read three different poems. It was a very productive class and I enjoyed it a lot. After class I went to the fruttivendola to buy peaches, and to the bread store so my friend could buy bread. I then went home and made another delicious lunch with fresh fruits and vegetables.
    I took a nap during the siesta, and then got ready to go to Gallipoli. Gallipoli is a beautiful town, south of Lecce that is known for their fresh fish and nightlife. We left Lecce at 16:30 and drove an hour south to the town of Gallipoli. The first two hours, we spent touring the city with our tour guide, Maria Neve and walked around the city. The tour is only in Italian so I have to pay attention or I get lost in the conversation.
    Gallipoli is a gorgeous seaside town, with fishing boats, and colorful houses surrounding the city. There are many great restaurants spread across town, fish markets near the ports, and people walking down every street. The sun was still out during our tour, so everyone was dripping from sweat while the water glistered in the distant. We toured the harbor, the old city, and a little cavern. The harbor was covered with fishing boats, and the beach was covered with umbrellas and people. We also went into a church called the Cathedrale di Sant'Agata. I am not of fan of churches, but this church was beautiful on the inside and the outside. We finally made our way into this tiny door in the wall. (I had to duck to get inside). The hole lead to a lamp oil factory with machines for pressing olives and storage rooms for the oils. It was very interesting to see how people could work in such a small space and sometimes live down there.
    We walked around Gallipoli for another hour. I saw many people riding vespas. I hope I can ride a vespa before I leave Europe (bucket list). The group also saw old men weaving baskets in the streets. They were very friendly and one of them sang Italian songs in front of the group.
    After the tour, we had free time for three hours. One of the teachers recommended a great gelato place downtown. We asked where the place was (Martinucci) and we walked in that direction. I was starving, and decided I was going to have gelato for dinner with maybe a piece of pizza or bread so I got a medium gelato in a cup. My three flavors were (pistachio, pistachiolata and mandorla) This was the best gelato I ever had. I was in heaven. After the filling gelato (I decided not to get anything else) my roommates and I walked around Gallipoli. They also had a rustico, which is a pastry stuffed with cheese and tomato sauce. It looked very good too, (the South of Italy is known for rusticos) but I was too full to have anything else.
    We walked to a rocky beach to take pictures near the ocean and enjoy the beautiful sunset. The view was gorgeous and the water looked very refreshing. As a group we decided not to go into the water because we did not want to walk around in a wet bathing suit for the rest of the night and we were going to the beach the next day. When I was taking pictures near the beach I felt like a model.
    After enjoying the view, and walking around town some more, we realized we needed to sit and recharge so we found a bar. I ordered my favorite coffee drink (espresso in ghiaccio con latte di mandorla) and drank it while taking a break from walking. Now here is something embarrassing: because I only had one gelato, I was still hungry for dinner (especially since I just walked some more). My friends were also starving after having a rustico and gelato. What were we going to do? Of course get the best gelato in the world again! Yes I am not lying, I had gelato twice in one day for dinner. This time I only got a small in a cup with riso (vanilla without milk) and pistachio (my favorite flavor). The gelato was still the best gelato in the world. I don't know how I can ever have gelato again, knowing this gelato will always be my favorite (besides Vivoly in Firenze).
    My friends and I walked some more, after feeling ashamed of having more gelato and saw there was a concert going on in the middle of town. It was a woman singing a mixture of Italian and English electric pop songs. The concert was fun and not too loud, and there was an added bonus of shirtless Italian men in the window near the concert to stare at. All the girls were drooling (just kidding). We only had a half hour left, and we walked back to our meeting area and then walked over a mile to meet the pullman. By the time we got home it was past midnight and everyone was exhausted. I quickly changed for bed, and fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. It was a long day in Italy today.
Con tanto amore,
Samantha