More Christmas news from Puglia

Last year, I was here to sign the papers to buy our new place just days before Christmas and felt strangely homesick, listening nostalgically to Fairytale of New York and Driving Home for Christmas whenever on my own!  But this year, I'm really appreciating the atmosphere.

I bumped into a cute little market the other day.

There were lots of stalls with everything from the region's celebrated ceramics...

Look at the little piggy bank faces!

...to hats and scarves and, rather randomly, sofas and sideboards!

Bright blue skies but deceptively nippy!

And standing room only as the Christmas congregation spilled out into the street outside the church.

The town has that delicious combination of cold but bright weather and cosy indoors, plus there are lights up everywhere.

This last photo above is of our neighbours' balcony.  We have often admired it but even more so now it is wrapped in fairy lights!  They asked Mr RR if we'd be putting lights up on our balcony but while I love Christmas and in the UK usually go for a big tree that takes hours to decorate, we're leaving here in a few days so sadly our new Monopoli home will remain un-Christmassified!

Something different here due to the number of balconies is the number of climbing Santas!
Check out these daredevils!

P.S. Yes, it is not just in old films that Italians use their balconies to hang laundry to dry!
P.P.S. Bonus points to the perfect Italian balcony complete with tomatoes!