Our B&B served up a lovely breakfast on the patio today.

It was actually raining for a couple of hours this morning, so we waited until about noon before venturing out to explore this town. We picked up maps and information from the tourist office and saw the main attractions and historic sites including the 11 century's old churches, the large Imperial Palace, the remnants of its ancient Messapian walls and the Jewish quarter which in the past, the gates were locked in the evening and reopened in the morning, to prevent the spread of their religion at night!!

While we strolled through the streets, they were bustling with cars and pedestrians but by 1330, it became like a ghost town. Riposa time!!

We went back to our B&B and waited until it was time to go to our tour of the Museum of Primitivio wine of Manduria. It is made from the locally grown Primitivo grape and the quality of Primitivo wine has been recognized in Italy for centuries. The winery is 90 years old with grapes originating from only 18 villages, 400 local farms and on 1000 hectares. The wine became quality controlled only in the 1980's. It was a interesting tour. The tastings consisted of 4 different wines and accompanying snacks.

Needless the say, we purchased a bottle to have with our dinner tonight!!

Our Primitivo di Manduria wine tour and tasting