Yesterday I wasn’t sure I was going to do this loop to Ostuni as it is the hilliest ride with the longest distance – about 50km – because my back has been bothering me.
I have learned to think in km because it makes you feel you’ve gone further!
However I am very glad we did as we had wonderful views.
And we found some road dogs
Back on the Appia Traiana we found a notice showing the Roman map of the ancient main roads of southern Italy – you can also see the Dalmatian coast at the top and Sicily and North Africa at the bottom.
On the way up the hill to Ostuni I obviously had to stop a bit to take photos.
We walked around the old white medieval town – a bit touristy but nothing like Alberobello – apparently it’s very popular with English ex-pats.
We went in a church-cum-museum which had millenia of pottery shards and stone tools dating back to Greco – Roman times and to the Neolithic first farmers from 10-12000 BC. Some were from 40,000 BC.
Their most significant exhibit was the tomb and lovingly laid out remains of a Neolithic young pregnant woman with a beaded headdress and shell-necklace that had been carbon dated to 28000 BC.
The cathedral is very pretty on the outside but has had a baroque make over inside. Unlike Monopoli they can’t have had the cash for real marble and everything you see is painted – pretty convincing.
We found olives that I liked!
Ostuni’s city wall date from Norman times
And on the way back we went up a lot more hills but had a wonderful view over the olive groves and to the Adriatic.
We stopped with a balcony view over the fields so I could do a sketch and we saw more wonderful flowers
We also met a very pretty and friendly donkey (the only one we saw- tractors have replaced donkeys here)
Back by 5 and a very welcome swim in the pool! And another chat to the amazing mini goats. I am their friend because i rescued one when we arrived yesterday who had got his leg stuck in a bucket.
Very old town but still in great condition and beautiful to see.