Puglia - Brindisi in November Part 3

The weather forecast has been threatening rain all week but except for a short and occasional shower we've managed to avoid it. On our last day in Brindisi it looks like our luck has worn out so we get off to an early start while it's still sunny and take the river bus (because it's just too nice to not take again) 

to Villaggio Pescatori. From there it's a 25 minute walk to the Santa Maria del Casale church not far from the airport.

Santa Maria del Casale is one of the two most interesting churches in Brindisi and is a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic art. The church is usually open from 8 in the morning until 8 in the evening and entry is free. It was built in 1284, on the ruins of a chapel in honour of St. Francis from Assisi because legend has it that he stopped and prayed here when returning from the Holy Land. Its elegant façade is particularly striking due to the combination of the white stone of Carovigno (a small village in the province of Brindisi) with the local tuff to produce a variety of geometric designs. There is also an elegant portal which, as is the case of many out of town churches also used as sanctuaries, would have provided some shelter to those from afar.

Now it is near Brindisi airport but originally it was a quiet place in the countryside where the Bishops of Brindisi spent their summers.

It is also famous as one of the places where the trial of the Knights Templar took place.

The inside of the church is special due to a  series of magnificent 14th century frescoes by Rinaldo from Taranto and others which almost entirely cover the walls and part of the ceiling.The Tree of the Cross is particularly striking, 

as well as the Last Judgement on the wall above the entrance. We stay quite a while and gaze in detail, the frescoes are really beautiful.

Next to church there is also a cloister built around the late 16th century which can be glimpsed from outside but is usually closed.

As we come out the clouds are approaching with intent so we scurry back to the ferry and the protection of the historical centre of Brindisi arriving at our other destination,  the Tempio of San Giovanni al Sepolcro as it starts to drizzle. The Temple is small both inside and out but unusual in its shape - it is modelled on the architectural pattern of the Aedicule of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and is more or less circular and was considered a place of pilgrimage. 

The north entrance, nowadays the main one, has a small porch with two columns on the sides, supported by two lions. 

On the façade, there is a Solomon’s knot, an ancient symbol that represents the complexity of finding oneself. There's a very helpful and knowledgeable custodian who explains about the Temple's history and points out some details we might otherwise have missed.

Inside the temple, there are eight columns arranged in a circle most of which date back to Roman times; many frescoes have survived, including San Biagio who protects against sore throats, Saint Anne who helps women in labour and Saint George who protects the humble and the weak. It has stopped drizzling and so we venture outside the temple and into the back garden, where there is a small herb and vegetable garden.

It's a very enjoyable visit to a very small place but, like Santa Maria del Casale, absolutely worth a visit.

As we come out it starts raining in all seriousness and continues all through lunch and the afternoon. It's been a busy and interesting week and considering the weather forecast before we left we have been more than lucky. Getting wet doesn't appeal so we spend the rest of the day snoozing, reading, relaxing and packing, the next day we have an early flight. We've enjoyed our week in Brindisi.