We were blessed to be able to make our second trip to Italy in 15 months. The focus once again was to make contact with some cousins in Taranto and visit my maternal grandparents home town Toritto.

On the drive from Naples to visit our friends Antonio and Sabrina in Roseto Capo Spulico we made a quick stop in Pagani in Campania to take some photos of the birth place of my paternal grandfather. On the drive from Naples to visit our friends Antonio and Sabrina in Roseto Capo Spulico we made a quick stop in Pagani in Campania to take some photos of the birth place of my paternal grandfather.

It took about three hours from Pagani to Roseto Capo Spulico. There is an old town up on the mountain and another area by the Ionian Sea in the instep of the boot.

We stayed at Open B & B, which is owned by Sabrina Franco which she runs with her sister. Currently they have four apartments, and are planning an expansion.

Just a short walk to the beach, Open B & B was a great place to unwind after a long trip. Our apartment slept 5, with a queen bed and bunkbeds in the bedroom and a sofa bed in the large living area. There was an superb kitchen and even a washing machine in the bathroom.

Very reasonably priced, with breakfast included, I highly recommend Open B & B. For those looking to buy a home in Italy Sabrina also runs an all inclusive Real Estate business that helps you purchase, renovate and rent your property any where in Italy.

Be sure to mention Italian Roots and Genealogy.

Our next stop was Taranto. We decided to use car service from Roseto, although there is a train station. As it turned out it wise a good decision as I don’t think we would have found our hotel on foot.

We stayed in the old city, just a short walk across the bridge to the modern city. We stayed there for four nights, and probably could have done two, as there is not that much to see in Taranto. But our reason was to meet the family.

We did the free tour of the Castello just a few steps from our B & B, and visited MAATA with the ancient greek exhibits.

And of course ate some great food.

We took the train from Taranto to Bari, which was very inexpensive and quite comfortable. It was about a 20 minute walk from the hotel to the station and even with luggage not to bad. The train took about 90 minutes and we probably could have walked to the B & B but as it was also in the old city, I was glad that we took a taxi. By the way, no cars are allowed to enter unless you live in the old city.

Bari is a very nice city, in fact nicer than we thought. We felt very safe and although we stayed in the old city, it was only a short walk to Via Sparano, which is the 5th Ave of Bari. Via Sparano is about a mile long pedestrian street lined with shops, cafes and gelato. There is also restaurant piazza with at least 2 dozen quality restaurants huddled together. And of course there is a fort there too!

Bari is a great staging place for day trips. It was only about 30 minutes to my maternal grandparents home town Toritto and 60 minutes to Matera.

By the way for or Puglia trips, we used VIPSERVICE all the drivers were excellent and the cars were top notch and very clean.

After one day in Bari, we made the trip to Toritto with my cousin’s cousin who was born there and lived not to far away. We were met by the mayor, Don Nicola the parish priest and several other local residents that welcomed us with open arms at the town hall. First stop was a great place Cube Cafe for Coffee and Pastry.

Back at the town hall, I signed the visitor’s book and was made mayor for the day. On our way to the church, we met signore Mauro Nicoletti, 96 years old, who moved into my grandparents home in 1956 after my uncle’s family left. As me grandparent’s were Nicoletti’s, we are in the process of determining if he is a relation.

The Church is magnificent and we met Nebi, a famous mosaic artist, who now lives in Toritto. It was amazing to see statues still wearing clothes mades hundreds of years ago.

After a tour of the olive oil and almond coop, we were back at Cube Cafe for lunch, where I was able to order the chivaleta sausage that we would have in Corona Queens growing up.

A special thanks to my good friend Letizia Sinisi the founder of ItalyRooting for helping put this all together. If you want a tour like this see her ad below.

Our final day trip was to Matera. We had a super personal guide, Pasquale, who explained everything in great detail. We did a two hour tour and quite frankly, if you are younger and in good shape, there are several paths that take you down to the river. But we were happy with our tour.

Matera is one of the oldest cities in the world, and a UNESCO world heritage site. I think what was most shocking to hear, was that as late as 1958, people were living in two room caves without heat, water or electricity.

If you are ever in Puglia or Basilicata, Matera is a must see! On the way back our driver from VIP took us to a few other towns, including Acquaviva Delle Fonte the home of some of my great great grandparents.

Remember, if you visit Italy, you must visit your home town(s)