While Puglia has been a feast for the senses, there’s definitely been a lot that’s made our ears perk up this leg of the trip:

If there’s one word Miss M and I have heard a lot on this trip, it’s “allora” which means “and then” or “so then.” (Pronounced ah-LORE-ah.) Whether it’s the event hosts at the various evening festivals, a child playing at the beach, or our B&B hit, it is used ALL the time. It’s not unique to Puglia, but it is a very lyrical sounding word. Miss M and I chuckle every time we hear it.

We hear seccadas in this part of Italy. Paul said they were almost deafening in Pico. And then there’s the rustling in the bushes from the geckos. Occasionally we see them running up or down the stone walls.

We’ve seen Fabrizio’s parents a few times at the B&B. His mother always comments (in Italian) how beautifully bronze our children are. Miss M and Big D were already very tan after being at sleep away camp for two weeks before this trip. After almost three weeks in Italy they are even darker. Their dark skin even sticks out on the Italian beaches, which says a lot. Fabrizio’s mother also greets us with “Salve!” (Hello) which makes Miss M smile since she knows the greeting from Latin class.

At the beach, there is the distinct sound of people blowing up inflatable air mattresses and floatation devices. And in the towns at dusk we hear birds chirping and flying about, similar to the hundreds of birds I remember from our trip to Siena years ago.

Whether it’s the radio or at the beach club, we’ve heard a lot of 80s and 90s tunes redone in English, with a voice that reminds me of Suzanne Vega or slow jazz renditions. There was an interesting remake of Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. And we’ve heard a lot of Lenny Kravitz’s Low.

The music at the beach club is eclectic too. This morning the DJ played Depeche Mode’s Can’t Get Enough (pronounced Can’t Get A-no”), an Italian pop song in English, then AC/DC’s Thunderstruck (pronounced Ah-C-D), then Led Zepplin. Then calisthenics in the water led by some of the beach club crew to more Italian pop. I’ve been Shazaming a lot. After 5pm the music turned to American classics from the 1950s.