A sunny Sunday in masseria

On Sunday the weather in Brindisi was just so beautiful: sunny and warm.

The day before, I had got an invitation from Ryan to go for lunch in one of the masseria disseminated in the Apulian countryside.

“Lucia and I will come for sure” I replied by sms.

We catch up on Sunday at 12.30 in a bar by Porta Mesagne.

We are nine of us.

Elis has booked a table in Masseria Parco di Castro.

Frankly, I begin to feel hunger, like, I reckon, all the others.

So, after a quick chat, we decide to make a move. The masseria is not that close, indeed.

We drive along the SS16. 

The masseria is located in Speziale di Fasano between Cisternino and Fasano.

I am an easy driver.

It’s my habit to drive slow. 

The reason is because I just get distracted by the landscape.

Or alternatively, because I have just seen too many times Easy Rider. 

Who knows?!

I have in my car Lucia, my companion, and Franco, a very good friend of mine.

Ryan and I call him Frankie boy because despite of his age, 49, he looks younger.

Finally, we arrive at the masseria.

We sit down on. The others order some food.

I ask for some red local wine.

The food is gorgeous.

We have some antipasti.

Then, for main course we have pasta, or alternatively, meat.

The company is great. We have some good laugh.

Laughing is therapeutic. I laugh as much as I can.  (My laugh is roaring, though. What can I do?)

According to the ancient Romans, laughing was sign of silliness: risus abundat in oram stultorum.

From this perspective, I guess the ancient Romans were just eager to conquer the world instead of enjoying their short life.

After lunch, I get out to sit down and get inebriated by the sunshine.

Masseria is a place where till 40 years ago, the landowners used to host peasants hired to work the land or just to pasture the animals.

In other words, masserie are the symbols of the peasant civilisation.

Nowadays, most of them have been converted to restaurants and B&B.

It is time to leave.

We pay our bill, 25 euros each, and get off.

I take a quick look at the chapel.

It is 5 pm.

We gotta go.

Some donkeys seem to cheer us up.

Eventually, we decide to move to Torre Santa Sabina for a quick walk by the sea.

We won’t be returning to Brindisi before 7 pm.

Today we celebrated the “art of conviviality”.

And we, in Apulia, are master of it.