We arrived in Otronto after dark after spending the day in Lecce (previous post). It was a short, 1 hour drive along 2 lane roads with a 40mph speed limit, but an easy drive overall. The staff from our hotel were very kind and met us at our car at a spot that would be easy to unload. They helped transport our bags while we parked the car a few blocks away. From the parking lot, the fabulous Hotel Palazzo Papaleo was a short 10 minute walk, mostly through a large city plaza that eventually met the entrance to the old town. The hotel felt luxurious, and Shannon gets five gold stars for finding this one! Here is the room:

We were excited and amazed by the incredible balcony, and our view of the Ionian Sea! Also, when we came back from dinner, we found our beds turned down which is high-livin’ as far as we are concerned. Here are a few more photos from our arrival :

We set out to walk and find some dinner. Once again, I was after some pizza. When we were doing trip research, we’d heard that horse meat was a common menu item in Apulia. While this did not appeal to me in the least, Shannon was interested to try it. We found a restaurant that looked promising, Lu Tata N’Zinu, and ordered pizzas, a salad, and a dish called “ Pezzetti di cavallo piccantini’ translated by Google Translate as “ diced horse meat in piccata sauce”

I could tell that some of the comments from people from the area who saw the tiktok video may have taken offense at our astonishment of finding horse meat on the menu. In no way did we intend to offend – it’s just not something we’ve ever seen before. Shannon said it was good and tasted like beef.

The next morning is when we woke up and got dressed and headed to take our wedding photos. That info is in a previous post “we got married in Italy” and I’ve linked it there! Here are a few pictures from the morning view from the Hotel Palazzo Papaleo:

This was October 30th, and Shannon had planned it so that our hotel backed up to the church of the Martyrs of Otronto so we could visit it on Halloween eve. The story of this church is unbelievable. 813 inhabitants of the city of Otronto were massacred by Ottoman troops on August 14, 1480 for refusing to renounce their Christian faith. They were executed after the city fell. Their remains are now preserved in the Otronto cathedral. A year later, the town was taken back by Christians and the remains of the martyrs were recovered and honored.

My personal favorite thing about the Otronto Cathedral, was the famous mosaic floor.

From the link: “ A masterpiece and true artistic gem that continues to make it’s namesake famous the world over, the Otranto Cathedral mosaic is an extraordinary floor mosaic, one of the largest medieval mosaics in Europe and one of the few that has remained almost completely unaltered over the centuries. The Otranto tessellated is unique in Medieval European figurative art, not only for it’s size and the originality of what it depicts, but also for the level of preservation and maintain once the mosaic has retained over the centuries”

The mosaic was commissioned in 1163 during the reign of William I of Sicily the Norman and it was to cover the entire floor of the church.

Also from the site that is linked to the mosaic floor above “ No documentary records have survived about the man behind the Otranto mosaic, but the four Latin inscriptions within it’s tiles do reveal his name; Pantaleone. They go on to say that he is believed to have been a high ranking priest due to the way his name is signed. His name is linked to a monastery in the region, but they are not sure if he was a monk. The floor is an incredible site to behold!

The next morning, was Halloween. We had planned to depart from Otronto, and drive to the town of Alberobello, with lots of things to see in between. Shannon had planned a “Halloween Trek” with a theme to include very old possibly haunted Roman ruins. From the travel book he made “ This will be a 100 mile journey thru the Valley Di Itria” The first stop was literally in the middle of a field, on the side of the road. No markers or signs or anything that would signify the incredible historical significance. On the map, it is called the Terme Di Malvindi Mesagne. From this link (translated to English).

“In the Malvindi district, on the road that leads from Mesagne to San Pancrazio (near the intersection with the Oria – Cellino provincial road) are located the remains of an interesting thermal system dating back to two construction phases, the first attributable to the beginning of the first century AD, the other to the third – 4th centuries AD. Remains of the thermal system in Malvindi. (ph. G. Membola 2008) With the excavation carried out in the early 1980s, a calidarium were identified, the room of hot water baths and steam baths – heated with a heat rise system by a system placed under the floor held from below by the suspensurae, the tepidarium – the room intended for baths in warm water, and the frigidium – a room used for cold water baths – where the remains of a tank were found. “

When Shannon parked the car, I was suspicious. Here’s a video I took of where we parked, and where we were walking to get to it. In the end, it was entirely worth the trouble and very cool to see:

It is amazing to see up close! Something that was built between the 1st and 4th century AD? Again – floored that there were no markers or signs here at all. It was very cool and I personally loved the little wildflowers everywhere as well

Next, we traveled on to the Tiementto Di San Miseriono. From Shannon’s travel book “ These ruins are all that survive of what is likely the first Christian Church in Italy. Remains of a mosaic continue to exist on the floor in places and the ceiling features traces of an ancient fresco. Likely constructed on the ruins of an even older Nyphaeum,( a monument dedicated to Nymphs – minor deities in Greek folklore). It would have sheltered a natural spring that served as a fresh water supply, a sanctuary, and an assembly area for a nearby Roman Villa where weddings were traditionally held.” It too was in a field in the middle of seemingly nowhere. This one happened to have story boards close by and seemed to be under some restoration/construction.

From here, we continued on to the town of Oria. Shannon’s description in the travel book: “ Go on a search for Mummies in the Crypt of Cathedral Santa Maria. Also find the haunted castle of Svevo and look for the ghost of Bianca Guiscardi, a young girl who sought refuge in the castle to avoid a forced marriage to a wealthy nobleman. It is said that she took her own life and her ghost now wanders the castle and looks out from the watchtowers.”

When we got to Oria, the castle was closed and locked up tight. We visited the outside of the castle and walked in the garden:

We also got to visit the Oria Cathedral and it was incredible!

This is a statue in the main cathedral square in Oria. It is a monument dedicated to Frederick II of Swabia, the Holy Roman emperor who famously held court in the town in 1225. It is said to highlight the city’s significant medieval past

This building located just to the left of the entrance to the castle garden, seems to now be converted into some kind of music school or community building. We noticed both statues on either side of the doorway had lost their heads. Shannon mentioned this was not uncommon, and an act of war. Here’s an article I found about it if you’re interested.

As we were walking back to our car, a well dressed, seemingly important woman smiled at us in passing and asked in perfect English if we had seen the gardens at the castle? We talked with her for a few minutes and found it funny that she knew without asking that we were English-speaking visitors. She was very happy that we were visiting! From Oria, we headed on to the town of Locorotundo! I’ll tell you all about that next!!