The wind has gone this morning and the temperature rises quickly. We are ready to go quite early but the ride through town is a series of stop-starts because at every zebra crossing one lane is coned off while half the stripes are being painted. On the outskirts of Manfredonia we find a shopping park and stop at the supermarket. It is enormous and takes Ali ages to find things but we're moving again just after 11:00 Today we are driving around the Gargano pro...

Well if that wasn't a good night's sleep nothing is. Gradually the animals [and humans] stir and make their early morning noises. The bell clanging sheep are driven back out and the guinea fowl have an argument while donkeys bray in the next field. Ali goes to say goodbye and is given a quick tour of the villa and animal pens. Having read about these masserinas only a few days ago it has been a real treat to stay on one. Carovigno is fairly quiet as we drive...

Yesterday when we returned to the sosta another GB van had parked alongside. Its owners told us they were heading to Sicily, so this morning they come over and we swap information as they came down part of our route back. Soon it's like we've know Bob and Hazel much longer than this morning's chat. We have things in common like a shared outlook on the way we like to travel, shared interests in rugby and scrapbooking. At the service point Ali is fascinated by t...

Apart from a few late night 'back seat spring testers' driving along the track for nookie there was nothing to disturb us all night. There's a beautiful sunrise and it's already 23C before we get up. We have an easy motorway journey towards Taranto then turn north on quieter roads towards Alberobello. There are lots of olive farms with sandstone walls. Ali has read that these are 'masserias'; farms modelled on classical Roman villas complete with farmhouse, o...

Another slightly grey morning but the swallows are swooping and chirping long before we are up. We leave Palmi, a perfect 'last and first' stop between the mainland and Sicily, and join the A3 north with the haze making the journey far less spectacular than our south bound trip four weeks ago. It's an uneventful 114 miles, with a short lunch stop, until we leave the A3 and turn towards Taranto. The 38 miles to our camperstop is a bit delayed with roadworks and...