Immediately you notice how quiet Brindisi is! Then you’ll feel a breeze, nice. Wind flows onto this coastal town and at times it is gusting. I’ve given up wearing a hat because of the wind! Plenty of statues, monuments, churches and places to eat. I like the pedestrian-only areas and there are many benches for people-watching time. I tried sketching there too, but the wind makes it difficult.

Photos from my wandering:

Cooked pasta then swirled around in a cheese bowl is definitely a tourist trap, but why not see it done! Meal was so-so.

Pasta-making class: My habit is to arrive early to activities. What I discovered in Italy is to arrive on time. I fear I have flustered my hosts when arriving early! I happen to be the only one at this pasta-making class. The chef’s family grows all the vegetables. The female chef’s goal is to not only teach pasta-making but also to incorporate vegetables. She had a photographic area showing the generations this family had lived and started a winery right here in their home! I also discovered she works with Down’s syndrome young people so they learn appropriate cleaning, cooking and/or farming skills. So besides her classes, the front area is a vegetable shop and other rooms are her restaurant all in the space that was her grandfather’s winery.

Now to make pasta! Very nice table set-up with all my supplies; we add water to the semolina and when ready, this took me a bit of time, begin to knead the dough! Long story short, we made different shaped pastas. I was excited to learn how to make orecchiette! It’ll be decades before I could ever make that pasta as fast as the women in Trieste! Here are my final products:

The meal was delicious as were the white and rosé sparkling wines! Time for a walk, then to prepare for tomorrow’s day trip to 3 local towns. See you there!