VF del sud day 22: Corato to Bitonto, 26km

Another double day with a self-directed path in the morning. However, the start of the day had a twist. Leaving Corato a woman stopped in the middle of the road to take our photo. Then ten minutes later a man stopped us and insisted on taking a selfie with us, then his buddy drove by, so more selfies were required. We got the gist that he was lobbying for the official route to be changed to this road – which makes way more sense than the big loop through the olive groves that the official route currently takes. Not long after another man came out from his driveway to talk to us. Same thing – wanting to change the route. He took our photo but no selfies required. Our unofficial route is 6km shorter, meaning we got to the next town in time for a second breakfast.

Ruvo di Puglia, our second breakfast stop, is the nicest town since Benevento, eight days ago. Too bad we just passed through. Lots of nicely maintained stone buildings, clean streets and a good vibe overall.

The downside was today we saw the worst roadside garbage yet. The towns are pristine, with orange clad workers driving street sweepers and guys with brooms getting the little bits. And houses have great garbage and recycling programs (our hosts give very specific instructions as to what material goes in which bin). So the roadside garbage is puzzling. Sam reckons that if we both picked up one item for every step we take each day, no one would notice….. and we take about 30,000 steps a day!

One of the more amusing (?) garbage moments was last Saturday when we were enjoying our second breakfast at a cafe at 0930. The garbage truck was doing the rounds and stopped at the cafe. The crew all wandered in…. for a beer!

Tonight we are in Bitonto. This place is old: they’ve found traces of a city wall dating back the the fifth century BC. We are staying in the old town, and it’s like a rabbit warren. Don’t leave the house without Google maps!