Highlights – the coastal path, surrounded by flowers, and overlooking the sea. More very colourful buildings.
After passing through the town of Marritima, it is largely a quiet day to ourselves, along country roads, rocky paths, and the scenic stretches along the clifftop. We see very few people, though some locals are out enjoying this beautiful stretch of the pathway.
Today, we are in no rush. We stop for a leisurely lunch break by a pajare with an outstanding view along the coastline, go slightly off track amongst the gum trees to see the crumbling tower, and eventually emerge at the turn off away from the sea and towards Tricase.
This stretch heading inland is a bit busier with cars, and you can tell we are not locals – they just keep on walking, trusting, paying no attention to the cars, whereas we stop and step out of the way of each vehicle.
On reaching the outskirts of Tricase, it is a climb up to arrive at the spectacular Piazza Giuseppe Pisanelli, home to la Chiesa Parrocchiale della Nativita and la Chiesa di San Domenico
From there, it is a bit of a slog through the streets to our home for night, opposite the train station.
Stay and eat – Hotel Adriatico, as recommended in the guidebook. A very comfortable room at a good price at this time of year, with their restaurant just across the road, and a really good breakfast to see us on our way the following morning.
We are feeling pretty well recovered from the symptoms of whatever struck us down, but still keeping it slow today, and breaking up this longer section into two.
12 km’s; about 5 hours.
14 deg, and blue skies.
Highlights – coastal paths and views out of Otranto.
The route today heads through the old town, past the cathedral where we revisit the mosaics, through the gates of the castle, then along the coast.
We have been so slow through the old town, and along the coast past the Serpe tower on a rise above the coast, that by the time we reach the Bauxite lake we are already almost two hours into our day.
The trail continues inland, along quiet roads and easy trails – past the ruins of the Abbey of San Nicola di Casole, large estates and farms, and olive trees.
In general it is a very quiet route, with only the occasional vehicle on the nearby coastal roads. After our break along a tree-lined path I turn into the sunshine to hear the rustle of lizards, scurrying amongst the rocks to safety. We have seen lots of lizards, but none as bright green as these. Several freeze in place, so I take some time to appreciate their colours while waiting for DC to catch up, at which point the last of them disappear into the crevices between the stones.
You rejoin a busier road for the last km into the town, leading us to the main piazza, with it’s church, christmas decorations, and setting up for an evening market.
Stay – Casa Noemi B&B, as recommended in the guide. Very comfortable room, and breakfast included.
Eat – Great pizza nearby at Bingo Bongo pizza, one of the few places we have eaten that starts filling up from opening time; most of the time we are eating alone, almost every night, in almost every town.
Part 2.
A quiet day on the trail, 12 kms in about 4 hours.
14deg, blue skies – overcast.
We retrace our steps back to the piazza Umberto I, home to the church, Santa Maria della Maddalena taking a few minutes to appreciate some more Baroque and Roccoco style.
It is then only a short path through the town before we are back amongst the fields, the olive trees in their varied forms, and the stone lined paths.
Two small towns break this section up into an easy three parts. There are some short sections on busier roads, but largely very peaceful.
My highlight in this section, is the colours of the housing throughout the towns today.
As we enter the town, we pass a Nonna seated outside her home – she wishes us a Buon Natale, Buon Anno, and Buona Salute.
Stay – Affittacamere Oltremare, as listed in the guidebook. here we are also greeted by the Nonnas, while we await to be shown to our room. Another very comfortable stay on the route.
No walking today, as we are still recovering from a virus that leaves us both a bit fatigued. We rug up on this cold, windy, damp day and take the bus to Otranto – well, three buses actually.
Clearly we hadn’t learnt this lesson well enough previously: you cannot trust google maps. We thought there was a direct bus, but it doesn’t run at this time of year. We are waiting at the bus stop, where no bus had arrived – but maybe it was running late – and a local rode past on his bike. He soon circled back to check where we were going – Oh no that bus doesn’t run in winter. He is joined by another man, and between them they let us know that it is in fact three buses to get to Otranto, with the first to depart in another 90 minutes or so.
We head to the bar to stay warm.
First bus arrives precisely on time and gets us to Martano; it is a bit of a wait there, so we head to a nearby park to get out of the drizzle. The next bus also departs on time and is clearly labelled for our next destination – Maglie. Once in Maglie, it is a bit of a wait so we keep out of the wind in the supermarket for a while. It is a busy departure area, with lots of school kids, and buses constantly coming and going from several different companies, to a range of destinations. Many of the buses have no destination to be seen; at the scheduled time, a bus from the correct company stops up the road behind three others and I rush up to ask – yes, Otranto. On our way on the final bus, but the adventure is still not over. The bus takes the route out along the freeway, exits the freeway where it should, but then instead of turning left towards the towns on the route, turns right and gets back on the freeway. The heads of the school kids lift from their phones, like a group of startled meerkats, as they seem as confused as I am. The bus heads all the way back to Maglie, picks up a man at a bus stop, where there is lengthy, loud ‘discussion’, and then we are back on our way again on the freeway, through the towns as intended, then onto Otranto.
We rock up to a waterfront hotel where we get ourselves a bargain, winter-time, water-facing room.
After taking in the view, which includes the distant coast of Albania, we head out to wander within the old town, and to see the star of the region – the Cathedral of Santa Maria Annunziata.
Set within the massive walls of the old town, the showstopper here is the masterpiece mosaic floor. Created in the 12 century, it depicts a majestic Tree of Life.
The sun has set by the time we enter the cathedral, so it is dark inside and not optimal viewing. We took photos, but these samples cannot relay just how extraordinary this is.
Our visit is accompanied by singing from below. We found a stamp for our credentials and picked up our only souvenir to date – a poster of the floor.
Our plan is to split the next two stages, each a touch over 30kms, into three days.
18km, About 5 hours with rests; it is mild and cloudy
Highlights – the grand piazza, castle and gate of the Renaissance village of Acaya.
We leave Lecce past the amphitheatre and out along the walls of the castle.
It is about 6kms through the streets of Lecce, out into the countryside and into the town of Merine, where we stopped for a morning tea break at Bar Soleluna.
Out of the town and past the huge roundabout – roundabouts do tend to make me nervous. As an Aussie, the traffic direction is confusing, so I tend to cross these with my head in a spin – left and right, left and right, and sometimes add in a full twirl to ensure I am taking it all in. Thankfully, the large roundabout has clear pedestrian crossings points, and, yes, the traffic stopped for us at each of the four crossing points.
It is a pretty quiet route along the road towards Acaya, through farmland with Pajari, past abandoned buildings, and crumbling stone walls.
It is a bit over three hours from the start of our day until we are greeted by the castle of Acaya. We stop again for a break here, in the large piazza, where we get a very warm welcome at the lovely bar, The Barbera, including a VF stamp.
It is another 6kms of a predominantly quiet road to Vernole. We see more evidence of diseased olive trees, but also a lot of cause for hope with a lot of new planting underway.
There is one major point of confusion for us regarding some more constructed stone walls – we cannot for the life of us work out why we have often seen them built with plastic bottles inserted into them …
The churches of Vernole certainly continue the Baroque theme, where too much decoration is never enough.
Stay – la Corte di Edoardo. A beautiful place, with a fantastic breakfast, and snacks available, a lovely garden and extremely comfortable room.
Unfortunately, we again came to a halt, as DC that evening started to feel unwell. We had definitely picked up some virus which first had DC in bed for a day feeling really under the weather, then myself just a bit out of sorts the following day. (RAT negative).
Two more days lost. As the news in the lead up to Christmas was warning people that there were a lot of bugs circulating, not just covid, it wasn’t a surprise that something found us eventually. We honestly could not have been in a better place though to pass a couple of lazy days recovering, with an extremely comfortable bed, and home-made meals kindly dropped off for us. Grazie mille.
Highlights – The Pajari, and the old town of Lecce.
It is a short walk out of the town, back past the church and the colourful terrace houses of the town. Today, we become acquainted with Pajari, a similar stone structure to the trulli of the Valle d’Itrea, but with a flat rather than a conical top – they are present in many of the fields, historically used as shelter and storage. Unfortunately, in many of those fields, the olive trees continue to be decimated.
A couple of hours in we arrive at the Abbey of Santa Maria di Cerrate. We take a seat outside to eat our lunch. I enquired about entry; she described an extensive complex, covering the history as a farmhouse and as a monastery, but at €8.50 each to enter we decide not to visit; we would have needed an earlier start to take full advantage of the complex, and it wasn’t possible to just visit the frescoes, nor was there a pilgrim discount. We did however get a stamp!
It is a lovely shady path that leads away from the complex, with more shell fossils to slow our progress.
It is then a long trek on the bitumen, amongst empty fields and windmills.
The last seven kms of the day are through the outskirts and suburbs into Lecce. There is one long stretch of busy road around the shopping centre where we have to keep a close eye on the traffic, a noisy section near the freeway, but overall along footpaths through housing areas.
Finally we arrive at the entry to the old city, via the grand gate, Porta Napoli, with sunset not far away. We take a quick look at some of the buildings, and seek our stamp at the information office before heading to our accommodation.
It is soon nightfall, and we take a walk around the streets of the old city, with the christmas tree and lights up in the city centre. The town is very lively tonight, with a busy passeggiata and outdoor eateries in the piazzas big and small.
We initially planned a rest day to better explore the town, but with all the time we have lost, decide to keep moving and return after finishing our walk at SMdL (and let’s face it, we have had a lot of rest days so far).
Cattedrale Maria Santissima Assunta
Basilica di Santa Croce
Eat – Cafe Alvino, opposite the anfiteatro and the place to go apparently for the Lecce speciality: the Pasticciotto.
Trattoria da Angiulino – recommended for local specialities.
Before the rain starts, we rug up and head to the Ostuni train station – first we buy tickets for the bus, find the bus stop, then realise that it is Sunday, in the off-season, and the next bus is an hour away; we get to the station on foot to catch the next train.
It is a gloomy and cold, but dry, walk out of the town, down the hill, along the kinda busy road (very carefully) and to the station.
When we arrive in Brindisi after a short train ride, it is starting to rain. We can drop our bags and check in at the hotel, but have a few hours until we can use the room. The proprietor gives us a map, some enthusiastic tales, and a recommended tour route.
We spend the next few hours walking around, focusing on the undercover activities – the ruins at the theatre, the museum at the cathedral (recommended) and eventually the column that is the marking point for the arrival in Brindisi (the original is tucked away indoors). By the time we are heading back to our accommodation the streets are virtually deserted.
In the evening, in the piazza below our room, we hear the music turn on, and a couple of the stalls at the market open, including the hiring of the ice-skates for the rink that encircles the fountain in the piazza. The rain has stopped for the moment, but by the time we return from dinner, the music has stopped, and the few stalls that had opened have again closed.
Brindisi to Torchiarolo
25km; we anticipated there would be a bit of water and mud today and we were not wrong. 7.25 hours, with breaks.
Highlights – area leading to and within the Cerano woods.
It takes about 50 minutes through the streets until we arrive at the first of the fields. All the fields today are sodden, with often a lot of surface water to be seen. We are frequently negotiating water on the path; we pass a number of areas where there has been recent, and current work, to improve the drainage. There is not a lot of interest in the first couple of hours, but this trail does pick up from about the 7km mark when we return to the vines and olives. Following a path around the vines we spot shell fossils in the rocks.
In the distance so far today, we have seen the red and white striped chimney of the power station, that we eventually reach, then skirt around, and finally leave behind.
We reach the Cerano woods and our lunch stop after following the canal that is lined first by reeds then by eucalypts. Through the woods we follow a beautiful path under the oak trees, emerging to the masseria (farm house).
It is on the last kms of the route towards Torchiarolo that we first see the impact of the bacteria that is devastating the olive trees of Puglia. The trees that are dead or dying; those chopped down, and signs of burnoff. But also signs of recovery.
We arrive at the town and our accommodation just on dusk.
We obtained a stamp, and had a great chat with the priest at the Parrocchia Maria Santa Aassunta.
Stay – B&B Casa Amelia, recommended in the guidebook.
Eat – Great seafood dinner at ristorante Zona Fao 37.
20kms, on a range of country lanes, quiet roads, and paths. 6.5 hours.
11deg, clear/cloud cover.
Quite a few small ups and downs, then a descent down to the plain from the valley. Well marked; Followed the green arrows and continued to use the Alltrails app as needed.
Highlight – the ancient olive trees.
Another gorgeous day on this trail, except for one issue. But first …
Before describing today, we have noticed a marked difference in Puglia when crossing the road compared to our previous experience in Italy. One episode today exemplified that.
Firstly, most of our experience crossing the road in Italy, including if it is a designated crossing, is that the cars do not stop unless you actually step out onto the road, and they have to stop. Many weeks ago, back in Lazio, at Castel Gandolfo, we watched in amazement as a group of nuns waited at a crossing and not one car stopped for them to cross. Nuns!
Our predominant experience in Puglia is that not only do the cars stop for you at a crossing, but they stop and wave you across even if not an actual pedestrian crossing – again and again this has been our experience, in small towns and the bigger cities.
When arriving at the outskirts of Ostuni today, we had to get across the ring road – busy with traffic in both directions and no designated pedestrian crossing. We didn’t have to wait long though – when the traffic cleared in one direction, a car in the other direction stopped, with other cars behind, and waved us across.
Additionally, when out walking and we step aside on a narrow road for cars to easily pass, most drivers wave an acknowledgement; again a new experience in Italy.
Of course, there are still those that race past.
Once out of Cisternino, the trail again follows quiet county lanes. Past fields and their stone walls, old and renovated trulli, but today the hero is the olive tree – some of the oldest in Puglia.
Eventually we arrive at a section on and off a broad road, but we encounter few cars and it has a wide shoulder. Leaving this road, you start the steep downhill towards the plain, along a road until the church, then paths down through the terraces of olive trees.
Just after the church we stop for a rest and snacks, taking in the view down to the plain and the coast. We can hear the occasional gun shot from hunters echoing around the hills.
As we are about to set off again, two hunters arrive and follow the path we are about to follow. We soon separate as we take the steep descent into the fields, but we waste no time as the hunters’ shots are now closer. It takes us back to those VF north trails where encountering hunters was a new experience for us.
Once we have descended further we take a bit more time to appreciate the route through the olive trees, the flowers, thyme and sage, and other plants.
It is then that we arrive at the fields of probably the oldest olive trees we have come across – they distract us for quite a while before getting back on our way, only to again be distracted and slowed.
We don’t get a glimpse of Ostuni, the white city, until we are not far from it’s outskirts.
Across the ring road and then up and up to our accommodation for the night.
We try the tourist information centre for a stamp, but it is closed despite our arrival well before the scheduled closing time – no stamp for Ostuni. In the piazza and old town of Ostuni the decorations are up, though not to the same degree as the previous towns in the valley.
When we arrive up the hill to the cathedral, it too is closed with a DJ set up on the steps and disco hits from the 70s-80s playing – I am not the only who picks up on the opening notes of Born to be alive.
We have really enjoyed our few days walking in the Valle d’Itrea – some of our favourite days that we have managed this trip. This trail, running from Brindisi to Alberobello then onto Matera, has experienced it’s challenges. I note on the website that they are struggling to find cost-appropriate accommodation for pilgrims through the valley and therefore have chosen to focus on the stages from Martina Franca to Matera. I chose this inland route (and had hoped to complete more of it) due to its beauty, to add to the varied experience of Puglia, and at this time of year there is still an abundance of accommodation – although maybe not so much on the long weekend – compared to the closures along the coast outside of the warmer months. Should we have the opportunity to return again, we would strongly consider this route.
Stay – White room,
Eat – Arco dei Sapori
Tomorrow, the weather turns again – 8deg and rain – we will take the train to Brindisi.
Highlights – everything today on this absolutely gorgeous route. Quiet roads, bike path and country lanes. Trulli, stone walls, fields, olive trees, vines, lavender fields, grand estates and autumn leaves. And more Christmas decorations.
It is pretty cold when we head out on the path descending from Locorotondo.
We need to negotiate a few bigger roads, though there is very little traffic this morning, then the path diverts off to quiet local roads; it remains on roads for the first couple of hours.
Two hours in and we reach the cycling path. We have seen a few bike trails when entering towns, but they have been nothing to write about. This is a different story – a beautiful trail that rivals any country bike path that I have seen before. There are quite a few people out walking, walking dogs, jogging, or cycling.
When we leave the bike path, three hours after setting off today, we then follow country lanes and paths that wind their way across towards Cisternino, passing fields and hamlets, and grand estates.
After crossing the train line, it is a short but steep climb up to the town, reminding us of all those Tuscan hill towns and the climbs at the end of the day.
Cisternino is also busy this long weekend and the streets of the old town are crowded for the evening passeggiata and taking in the decorations. We catch the tourist information open, and receive a beautiful stamp.
Tomorrow we continue on to Ostuni, including some of the oldest olive trees in Puglia.
After catching the bus from Monopoli (a really scenic, circuitous route that climbs up from the coast to the Valle d’Itria) we managed a bit of a tourist visit to Alberobello without the large crowds common to this town. In between the afternoon and evening rain, we hit the streets along with the other few visitors, everyone waiting their turn for photos and in turn moving aside. I can certainly see the appeal of this town, and it’s unique housing. Christmas decorations are still being set up, and some of the shops and eateries are open – with a long weekend ahead it will probably fill up more than today.
I try repeatedly to catch the information office open to seek a stamp, but despite passing by multiple times, and the flag being up, the door remains closed. No stamp for Alberobello.
Stay – Trullo delle sorelle (booking.com); A really lovely room and great host.
Alberobello to Locorotondo
12km, largely on quiet roads; 3.25 hours.
11deg, clear/overcast, a few spits of rain.
Highlights – Trulli amongst the fields and stone walls.
We tossed up whether to take the official 23 km route between the two towns (to the east), or the shorter route via the woods to the west – we decided on the shorter route. (Using the AllTrails app to follow the route).
Heading out of the town towards the Bosco Selvo, the trail follows quiet roads. We see few cars, but are passed by quite a few cyclists out on this public holiday, and long weekend; this area of Puglia is criss-crossed by cycling routes.
The trulli is commonplace in the countryside – It is the star of the day, whether opulent, well-worn or crumbling in an olive field.
As we approach Locorotondo, there are a few spits of rain, and there is a large double rainbow over towards the coast. The rain thankfully remains further to the east of us as we reach the town. There are some great views over the green valley from its hilltop position.
One of the reasons I chose this inland route is the time of year – the towns of the Valle d’Itria love their Christmas decorations, and Locorotondo is well known for their commitment. We can both be a bit bah-humbug about many aspects of Christmas, but we find we are not even annoyed by the piped Christmas carols, and are enchanted by the decorated streets. With the town full of visitors on this long weekend, it is a very crowded evening passeggiata and the restaurants and bars are bursting at the seams (got some lucky quiet moments with the following pics).
The tourist information office is open and we get our stamp.
Tomorrow, we continue on the via Ellenica, onto Cisternino, then Ostuni the following day.
So glad we did not try to do this all in one day as there would have been tears, and so many words spoken in anger, in English and Italian; plus no time to appreciate the many delights of this long, predominantly coastal section.
Part 1 –
19km, 5.25 hours.
13deg, largely clear skies, until some rain in the evening.
Highlights – Coastal views, and the old town of Polignano a mare. A beautiful day.
We head out of Mola di Bari past the piazza, the remains of the castle, and the harbour.
The route then cuts inland, passing under the freeway to return us to the colourful fields of vines, olives, and vegetables – lettuce, parsley, cabbages, and artichokes. It is easy walking.
Back over the freeway and returning to the coast where we had hoped to find something open for a light lunch. Nothing is open – two local older men having a sit in the sun and a chat by the sea tell me that there are no bars, no restaurants open until Polignano a Mare. They are only open in this area in the summer.
The path follows a long stretch adjacent to the coast, with largely easy walking on paths, but with plenty of places to explore. In the parklands behind the beach there are many trulli ruins; though we stick to the beach, we do see a group of people emerge from the area of the ruins.
After a short section on a secondary road beside the freeway, we return to the sea
Past some coves and we arrive at the centre of Polignano a Mare, in the warmer months a hive of activity, but this afternoon, far more quiet, though predominantly with people who are dressed far, far better than we are.
Past the statue for the famous song, over the bridge and into the old town for our accommodation for tonight. We take in the views of the old town and the lookouts as the sun sets.
You know some of the words: Volare, oh oh, Cantare oh oh oh oh
There are some Christmas decorations around, and a small market in the square, but the streets empty when the rain arrives for the evening.
Eat – Osteria dei Mulini, just near the entrance arch to the old town
Stay – La Naca sul Porto, lovely room, rooftop terrace, fantastic breakfast.
Part 2
10 kms, 4.25 hours
11 deg, clear and sunny blue skies.
Highlights – more amazing coastal views, the thousands of birds, and the old castle and port of Monopoli. Another beautiful day, though more challenging than we thought it would be.
Just a short section today we thought; should be easy walking today we thought. However, two hours in, we found ourselves having covered only 4.5kms.
Admittedly, a large part of this route we were very distracted by the rocks, including looking for fossils, the views, and in particular the hundreds of flocking birds. The terrain, though, is not as easy as the preceding day along the coastal sections – the path is at times rough, and rocky, and we need to pick our way along the route. Added to the challenge are the multiple coves that you need to descend into and come out of – some are very easy, with clearly established steps, while others have little visible path with some rock scrambling involved, or steep rock steps. More than once it was hands to pull up, as well as legs to push, to get up the path.
The first cove in particular is a challenge. We leave Polignano a Mare by the scenic promenade, soon arriving at a fence in our way – you cross this with a stile. We follow what we think is the path through the grass and rocks, but find ourselves on the other side having to scramble up loose rocks, amongst the weeds and prickles – and I hate rock scrambling. Maybe we chose the wrong path through the grass; maybe there was an easier route out, but we could not see it.
As we emerge from this cove, flying just overhead is a large flock of birds, maybe starlings, silently massing overhead then moving on. At this stage, I am trying to calm myself and don’t really appreciate them (as I said, I hate rock scrambling). In two other locations we can see the hundreds, or maybe, thousands, of birds, making formations, flying en masse this way, then that way.
At times the path is easy walking adjacent to the fields; other times it amongst the rocks, and rock pools.
After getting through all the coves, we arrive at the outskirts of the town, first following the bike path (I am taking a guess – past the sewerage works?) then making our way to the old town centre.
Check-in, eat, and a wander around the old town of Monopoli at sunset.
Tomorrow, we veer off from the Via Francigena route, and onto the Via Ellenica – we will be on the bus to Alberobello at 11:00.
Stay – B&B Borgo san Martino, as recommended in the guidebook.
Richo and DC 