Puglia in May: Valle d'Itria - Cisternino and Martina Franca

On Saturday another panoramic drive through olive groves interspersed with fields of grains, poppies and yellow flowers, a spectacle, 

takes us to Cisternino. The village is less perfect than Locorotondo, not so many flowers either, but is still makes for a very pleasant stroll, full of interesting corners and architecture which is perfectly harmonious in its haphazardness. 

We stop for a while to look at the view in the cool shade. The sun in the mornings is hot despite the breeze. We consider the menu of one of the typical restaurants which specialise in grilled meat but in the end opt for two different types of focaccia and a slice of pizza from a baker's, each carefully cut in half, as we requested, but totally unequally. Was it a comment on life, I wonder? We picnic in a park and then drive on between fields of colour, olive groves and trulli

to Martina Franca where it's easy to park on the main road below the town and just a five minute walk up to the historical centre. Which is much more beautiful than I expect. 

Grand palazzi with elaborately carved portals and window frames and decorations, the colour of the local stone work in Baroque extravagance and of course more white-washed houses contrasted with bright pink, purple and red flowers. We wander, go to the Villa Comunale for a nap in the shade, have coffe, wander some more and then sit a while on an elegant bench in the main oval square to watch the world go by. At about five, after a last look at some streets we fear we may have missed, it's time to drive back through the beautiful countryside for supper.