Alto Salento in October: Maruggio

One more market on Wednesday morning, this time in Maruggio. This is a very small market but we are lucky to find more fish, paranza for frying. After, we go to visit Maruggio, one of the Borghi più belli d’Italia. The historical centre is quite small, but well-kept and the main church Chiesa Matrice della Natività di Santa Maria Vergine has avoided attack by Baroque. 

The stone interior is nice. The best thing about Maruggio is Chiostro degli Osservanti - the cloister in the building which is now the town hall, where some simple but evocative frescoes of the life of San Francesco have survived. 

Apparently, there were more in the adjoining church, remembered by a lady we chat to, who has always lived next to the church, but they disappeared when the church was restored in the 1970s…a pity. We buy bread, a tough puccia, the last pasticiotto left in the shop and a slice of onion and olive focaccia, before heading home to cook. The rest of the day is spent on the beach, I swim, work and we admire the sunset. 

Oh yes, and I have a short and salty shower before rinsing my hair with water we collected from a public water supply on the way back from Maruggio.