Ostuni

Today we are on an outing from Conversano to Ostuni, the White City of Puglia. We approached from the landward side. Had we gone  round to the seaward side (the sea is only 3 kilometers away) we would have had this more spectacular view.

 

We parked the car in a very quiet car park and found our way into the the not very imposing Porta Nova, which dates from the 15th century.

 

We began a leisurely upward climb along paths between whitewashed houses. Many had very elaborate stone door frames.

We emerged from a series of narrow paths into a square with the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta at its end. The Cathedral was built between 1435 and 1495 in the late Gothic style. The magnificent rose window has 24 finely carved ribs.

Looking back, we realised we had walked under the beautiful loggia of 1750 which links the Palazzo Vescovile and the Palazzo del Seminario.

 

We headed next to the interior of the church is XVIII century and has a level ceiling and Baroque side chapels.

We continued our wandering along more winding streets ...

... and then came on the Baroque church of Santa Maria Maddelena. It is now the Archaeological museum.

We headed down towards the main square ...

... but overall we felt it was too crowded by comparison with the quiet paths we had followed so far. I did rather like these arches however.

Polignano a Mare

We decided to have an excursion from Conversano to the seaside. The first places we tried were not very inspiring, but eventually we happened upon Polignano a Mare. We parked near the centre of the town and headed towards the pretty, small bay. The picture below gives a view looking towards the beach, while the one above, taken from the road bridge gives a more realistic sense of how popular - and crowded - it was.

We continued across the bridge - after having a disastrous encounter with a melting chocolate ice cream  - and were delighted to find this imposing gateway leading into the old town.

Quite soon on the left was this intriguing building with a bell tower, apparently a church but attached to the Osteria dei Mulini. It turns out to be the Chiesa del Purgatorio - the Church of Purgatory!

 

  

 

We carried on to enter the main square, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. Here we found the Clock Tower, the Palazzo dell'Orologio.  It dates from the 19th century and surprisingly is still wound up by means of ropes.

 

 

To the right was the imposing Church of Santa Maria Asunta (the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary). There was a nice bar opposite, so we adjourned for a refreshing Peroni.

 

 

Here is the interior of the church.

 

 

 

 We may well have missed other delights, but this was a very pleasant short exploration..

Conversano

                                                                The Castle of Conversano

We are on a family holiday in Conversano, an interesting town of 26,000 people to the south of Bari in Puglia, Italy. Much of our time will be spent by the swimming pool, but first we will do some exploring.

The Castle was believed to exist during the Gothic War of the sixth century and underwent significant reconstruction by the Normans in the eleventh century. The interior of the castle hosts an art gallery exhibiting work by Neapolitan artist Paolo Domenico Finoglio: a series of dramatic canvasses spread over several rooms. There is also a museum of clothing elsewhere in the complex.

Leaving the main part of the Castle we turn right to go round to the other side of the building. 

It leads into a lively area with bars and restaurants, with one of the town gates: the Toll Gate of 1338.

On the right of the photo is the campanile of the Church and Monastery of San Benedetto. It is somewhat chaotic, but the cloisters are very attractive. This is the main entrance ...

... and here a section of the cloister.

We head through the Toll Gate and into the Piazza 20 Settembre, to be faced by the Town Hall.

We amble downhill and eventually emerge through another gateway, La Porte del Carmine.

It feels as though this is the end of the old town so we go back through the gate and loop back uphill. We emerge in front of the Cathedral: Santa Maria Assunta Basilica Minore. It seems to have had a recent refurbishment as the interior and exterior are in excellent shape.

This marked the end of our impromptu tour, but I will just add the wonderful Calvary of Santa Maria della Misericordia which dates from the 16th century and later alterations. It is on the edge of the town.

Melksham

A walk with my friend Merv around Melksham, a Wiltshire town unknown to either of us. We parked in the centre and walked back to get a better look at this imposing, but disused, red chimney. It was once the home of Holt's Tannery.

We crossed the bridge over the rather strangled River Avon (Wiltshire/Somerset) ...

... and noticed on the right hand side of the road these seemingly unused Victorian buildings with very pleasing stone heads.

We headed further into the town and turned right into the narrow but attractive Church Street to emerge into Canon Square. Canon House, partly 16th century and partly 18th, dominates the end of the square.

At right angles to Canon House is the church of St Michael and All Angels. There was a large church here in Norman times, but the current building was altered and enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries, and restored at different times in the 19th by T E Wyatt and G E Street. This is the view from Canon Square ..

... and this is the view from the other side of the church. It is clear that it sits in a large site.

We continued past the Tourist Information Office and passed this delightful round house, known as the Round House. It was originally built as a wool drying house and later used as an armoury for the local volunteer militia, feed store, business premises, tourist information centre, and museum.

A little further on, on the opposite side of the road was the Masonic Lodge, which looks as though it could withstand a siege.

Close by was this information panel which led us to an unusual step: a leisurely exploration of the numerous housing developments on the east side of the town.

It was curious fascinating to notice the variations in the design of estate houses and of whole estates, some of which were quite pleasing, and others which were rather depressing. We explored the east side of the town quite thoroughly and as we got closer again to the town centre, we started to see a few late Victorian houses.

Soon afterwards were were back in the center of the town and looking at the Town Hall which was designed D Jones of Stratford-on-Avon.

Nearby was the imposing Methodist Chapel (1872). The imposing Corinthian columns were a fine feature.

Finally we had a surreal experience in the nearby pub, the Market Tavern. It looked like a pub, but inside consisted of a bar and a large number of cosy alcoves where people could gather in small groups to eat and drink. We had a nice lunch and left still marveling at the design.

Footnote: Merv and I quite enjoyed exploring Melksham and I was a little shocked by Pevsner's assessment: "Of all the small towns of Wiltshire Melksham has the least character and the least enjoyable buildings ... The church is out of the way to the w(est) of the High Street, and what is attractive as a setting is around it and has little to do with the town." Perhaps he was having an off day?

Minterne House Gardens

This post features an entertaining piece of serendipity. We decided to go to Minterne House, well known for its fine Gardens, for an afternoon excursion. When we got there we realised it wasn't long since our previous visit (we had mixed it up with another house), but we decided to continue anyway. 

The gardens were much the same, but this time there were a considerable number of fairies and strange creatures scattered among the plants and trees. It was all rather lovely. Certainly, the kids who were there were having a great time. I have no idea who was responsible or why, or how long it will last.