18kms, mostly agricultural paths, until the outskirts of the town; a few spots with mud.
4.25 hours.
4-11deg; sunny, no wind.
Once leaving the town the path leads you straight into the olive fields, and they are a hive of activity. This day is in stark contrast to the previous days – olives and vines had been seen occasionally, but now they accompany us until the outskirts of Cerignola.
The vines are a range of autumn colours as they continue to drop their leaves.
The olive groves are busy with harvesting, the sound of the machines shaking the olives from their branches, and the tractors taking the olives to the trucks. Every now and then someone wants to know where we are from, and what we are doing? One man tells us that we are not going the right way – the road is the direct route and will save us 3-4 kms from the route in the app.
Even though it is a little shorter today, we arrive feeling really tired. The route into the town feels like such a long slog, and a bit of a shock to us after multiple days of quiet small towns, limited traffic, and the peacefulness of the fields. We don’t take a rest when we should, instead trying to just get it over and done with.
We are staying just near the cathedral, one of the largest in southern Italy.
More rain due tomorrow, and we need to make some further decisions about what we are likely to manage going forward, what we want to prioritise, and still get to Santa Maria de Leuca in the time we have available, covering what we can, and still smelling those roses along the way.
My plans included stages along the coast going into Bari, and heading inland after Monopoli to walk stages of the Via Ellenica (the path from Brindisi to Matera) towards Brindisi, through Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino, and Ostuni.
Stay – B&B Piazza Duomo
Eat – Pizzeria Scorpion dal 1980 – excellent pizza at a fantastic price.
Buonasera
Richo and DC 