What does a married couple do on the morning of their anniversary? Visit the laundromat! The Alberobello lavanderia is nothing like the places we frequented in college, NYC or Somerville. This one had free WiFi, a charging station for mobile devices, an exercise bike and treadmill, plus a vending machines for snacks and espresso! We didn’t even need to use our own detergent since the machines came with it already. Super easy!

After walking around Alberobello, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach club we enjoyed earlier in the week: Lido Ottagono. We swam in the water, jumped off the rocks and enjoyed the sun. Miss M learned how to dive off the rocks.

Being Sunday, the beach club was much more crowded than it was in the middle of the week. We ended up sitting in the section reserved for families with dogs, which was fine with us! The dogs, of all sizes, were so cute, resting in the shade under their owner’s loungers. All the dogs had large bowls of water and were well behaved. Some owners cooled down their small dogs in the octagonal outdoor showers (which are used frequently throughout the day since the water is so salty.)

Tonight we drove back to Matera, where we began this leg of the trip almost one week ago. Matera during the day is very different than Matera at night. The day we visited, Miss M and I were so hot, and the only shade is provided by the tunneled passageways or umbrellas at cafes. Tonight Matera was the perfect temperature, beautifully lit to showcase the tiered residences, churches, as well as the restaurants and cafes nestled into the rocks. And there were people everywhere – strolling and eating gelato and having dinner and socializing. It was so lively, I lost count of the number of piazzas filled with people. Paul called it “hauntingly beautiful” like being on a movie set.”

We had buffalo mozzarella, pizza, marinated steak filet with peaches and a wine reduction, and french fries for dinner at “Oi Mari”, because, well, it’s obvious, right?