Early to rise, early to hike. After a homemade breakfast, we’re off to Otranto for a day of walking in a large circle along the coast. Karine found a trail that allowed us to walk to Cava di Bauxite, a bauxite mine that flooded, then to Punta Palascia, with its lighthouse and back to Otranto along the coast.
Otranto is very much a daytime town. Parking locations surround it. I would not be surprised to learn that there are more parking spaces unoccupied at night than inhabitants in the town. Arriving early gives us our pick of parking spots and avoids the whole circling to find a spot.
Our hike doesn’t begin on a trail. We have about two kilometres of road to reach the access road to the Cava di Bauxite. One thing is for sure: sidewalks and shoulders are not popular in the region. The drivers make up for this lack of basic pedestrian infrastructure by being courteous and leaving plenty of space between us and the car. Despite their bad reputation, Italian drivers respect pedestrians as they would their mothers.
Cava di Bauxite turns out to be a small man-made lake. What else would you expect from a small flooded quarry? What makes it worth the sight is the colour contrast of the deep blue of the summer sky, the rich red of the soil and the green of the surrounding plants and trees. This paints a beautiful picture. That’s why we and a dozen other couples found at least. I cannot imagine how busy this place must be at peak season.
Leaving the bauxite mine, we make our way on top of the cliffs toward Punta Facì’s lighthouse, with half of the way done on trails atop cliffs with majestic views of the Adriatic Sea and the other half along the side of the road. The trail itself is sparsely marked. We saw more blazes along the road than on the trail. If you plan on doing this hike, make sure you have the GPS map of the trails.
The lighthouse is about mid-cliff, right under a military naval radar installation. Nevertheless, it offers an element of scale in the rocky cliffs and the sea's infinity. The rock formations along the coast look like ice-cream scoops of different sizes, pitted by the sea. Being much above sea level, I have a hard time thinking the rock was pitted by seawater. I didn’t pay enough attention in my earth science class to tell. It makes for gorgeous cliffsides—all texture and contrast between vegetation and the mostly white rocks.
The four kilometres from the lighthouse to the end of the cliffs is beautiful and devoid of all but the most resolute hikers. The view is gorgeous, the sea inviting, the cool breeze refreshing. It would be perfect, if not for the trail being so narrow and the vegetation so prickly. While my eyes orgasmed on the beauty, my shins were getting flailed by it. Skin heals, pictures are forever, I guess.
The remaining distance back to Otranto was uneventful; a flat, red or bleached-white trail along the sea brought us back to our car.
Apéro at Altrove confirmed that Apéro in Lecce is easy. We stopped there at random after being chased away from our previous spot by a busload of French tourists, settling for coffee and complaining that it’s not like back home. The ambiance of Altrove was just upbeat enough without feeling like you’re in a spinning or CrossFit class. They had a sparkling rosé from the region that was dry but fruity. Most enjoyable.
Dinner at La Bocca Bistrot was one of the top meals of the trip. La Bocca might not offer traditional Southern Italian cuisine, but it makes up for it with the quality of the ingredients. I had gnocchi with sausage and chlorophyll (that’s what we’ve started calling the vast amounts of turnip leaf that’s used like parsley in Southern Italy). The beautifully done, pillowy gnocchi, the sausage that kept its distinct flavour from the sauce and a little bit of texture from the greens made it just perfect. Karine had the Cacio e Pepe pasta, likely 40% cheese (the hot pasta was mixed with a massive wheel of cheese at the table). Even though our waiter confessed to the mortal sin of not liking local wine, he nonetheless selected a beautiful, dry, floral white wine that paired well with our meal—a perfect conclusion to a great day.
