Walking the Via Francigena del sud (or rather, how not to!)

Easter saw us heading to the beautiful southern Italian region of Puglia (via intoxicating Naples), to walk another section of the Via Francigena del sud (south).

There were highs and lows aplenty. Lessons learned (!) and vows about future endeavours made....

Things felt a little different, as for the first time we didn’t plan our route sections rigidly. We also decided not to book our accommodation in advance this time to allow for flexibility and “living in the moment" a bit more....

Surely we were seasoned walkers by now? We knew the direction (keep the sea on the left), some of the place names along the way and we had our trusty Cicerone guide, so what could go wrong.....

Day 1

Bari to Mola di Bari 23.6km (officially). Actual route from accommodation to accommodation more like 28kms.

We started our walk from the atmospheric old town of Bari; (the first of many Puglian treasures and not to be missed).

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The sun was shining when we eventually managed to tear ourselves away and head down to the sea. Colourful bobbing boats were our first view that morning as we set off along the lungomare (seafront) – a good omen for things to come....

Or not, as it would soon turn out. Extensive street works were underway along the seafront

obscuring the very views we were after, for quite a long stretch (first note to self – perhaps the pre season is not the best time for visiting as this is likely when most works get done...).

We had been looking forward to seeing the curiously named “pane e pomodoro” beach (bread and tomato – if my Duolingo Italian is correct) , but it was difficult to see much of any interest for the first 10kms or so.

Still, it was Day 1 and team morale was good; improving rapidly when we came across the

picturesque seaside hamlet of San Giorgio; a collection of houses, a couple of impressive

fishmongers on the rocky shore and then a most welcome stop at a super popular seaside bakery.

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Here we feasted outdoors, along with many other folk, on unfeasibly delicious tomato focaccia; rich with delicious puglian olive oil (an emblematic dish of this region) and a wholesome caramelised onion pie. So good. Further fortified by a quick espresso at the bar across the road, we felt more optimistic about the road ahead.

Shortly afterwards we came through the sizeable village of Torre a Mare. Here we took a wrong turn (or rather failed to take the correct turn away from the sea). The weather was heating up by this stage and we could have done without the diversion of several kms...

(lesson 2; Don’t get beguiled by the quest to always follow the sea; the route often takes an

unexpected turn and signage is patchy, at best. We need to either pay closer attention to the directions or get an app that shouts when we go the wrong way!)

Back on the road, the remainder of the walk was fairly uneventful. The route felt long; dead flat, hard underfoot and the sun was also high in the sky.

All was soon forgotten on arriving to Mola di Bari with its rounded town “square". We fell into what appeared to be a post office/toy shop, where the old fella minding the shop told us he didn't make the advertised sandwiches (that was his son’s job). But he kindly rustled up a slice or two of tomato foccacia and an ice cold beer with a kind of faint amusement – we got a feeling this was not to be a touristy spot....

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Fortified once more, we headed into the town through a network of gleaming streets to find our accommodation. Initially there were some issues getting in to it; however a charming family across the street interrupted their lunch to assist us – again with pure friendliness. The son phoned the owner who let us into the cool and beautiful room. It is fair to say we both loved this stylish, unfussy place.

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We found Mola to be both unassuming and authentic. Perhaps not picture card perfect Puglia like other towns we would encounter en route, Mola has a web of handsome streets with some curious looking shops and bars, but mainly so much heart - we really felt the warmth of the people here. Our kind of place.

The bustling evening fish market was an enthralling sight to behold, as was evening apertivo time on the buzzing piazza. We got to taste an award winning spaghetti assessina (where the pasta is cooked from raw in its spicy tomato sauce) at charming restaurant, Hostaria. This iconic dish was worthy of its title and the lovely waiter made for a joyful dinner.

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There was only one nagging issue – my feet were not feeling “right”... My waterproof Adidas trail runners were clearly not breathable, resulting in feet and nails that looked like they had been underwater for a long time with decidedly sore parts....I resolved that a shower and a good night's sleep would sort them out....

Day 2

Feeling decidedly unconfident about the feet, I opted not to mention the issue in hand. Today would be a short day's walking (c 18kms to Polignano del Mare).

We headed to an old school, stylish bar across the way for the breakfast that was included in our room rate. Several espressos and buns later we were ready to head off around the curve of the seafront.

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Pretty soon we came to church of Loreto where the route veered inland. Rather than heading inland, we opted to take a shortcut, referred to as the “seaside alternate" (my thinking was that not only did this sound like we would be on the coast but as the name would suggest, it was shorter – thus less taxing on the poorly feet).

As it turned out there was very little to recommend as we ended up walking along a busy road. However we did meet a trio of bemused workmen who downed tools for a convo about pasta & vino!

After a few (long) kilometres we came to a rocky beachfront called Cozze with a sparkling blue and white beach bar (unfortunately not yet open for the season). We wandered around looking for signs of life before heading back to the road where we came across a shop.

We stopped for coffee and I admitted to the seriousness of my feet problems. Given the now painful situation, the only sensible option was to seek transport to our hotel (c 11kms distant). Although there was bus stop outside the shop, no one (including Google) seemed to know if/when there might be a bus. After some conversation with the shop owner and son a taxi was called. I was required to speak with the driver to arrange a price (in Italian).

The shop owner's son told us repeatedly this driver was a “good boy taxi", “ no bad boy" so much so that we started to become suspicious....no more so than when a silent black people carrier with smoky windows arrived and 2 guys with mirrored glasses (also dressed in black) jumped out and ushered us into the back....

After a few tense minutes (on our part), when we realised we were headed in the right direction, we relaxed and made chit chat with the guys (as much as is possible when you don’t speak each other's language) and they dropped us to our door for the sum agreed and we bade each other a fond (relieved) farewell.

After a quick freshen up (& change of shoes) we took the short walk into the beautiful town of Polignano del Mare, birthplace of Domenico Modugno.- writer of much loved anthem “Volare". The first view of the town on the approach is quite breath taking; a cluster of precipitous looking whitewashed houses against the azure sea. A short walk through the town across an old Roman bridge, your senses “assaulted “by the sheer beauty of the rocky bay, all before heading into the medieval maze of streets that lie ahead – what a place!

My first mission, however was to buy a pair of flip flops....

Second part of the mission was to celebrate B’s birthday, which we did in a typical offbeat fashion.

Spying an obscure, old school looking place that I took to be a sports bar - “Braceria dello Sport", this seemed a good starting point. Turned out it was a tiny butcher shop with a couple of tables, a charming host and a guy with a big woodfired oven. The premise was simple; choose whatever you want from the meat counter and the guy grills it. The only slight spanner in the works was me being a non meat eater, but the patient host asked if i liked cheese, potatoes, salad. Seeing it as a personal challenge she then proceeded to bring me out whatever she could find. All of this accompanied by a jug of good wine (just enough to make the painful feet a distant memory!). A truly memorable spot, perfect for fellow adventurers!

Day 3

So there had been some wine fuelled discussion the night before; B thought we should continue walking onwards to Monopoli, whereas for the sake of “completeness" I felt we should walk back to the shop to complete the previous day's section.

So, I apologise for the totally confusing nature of this walk, but this is what we did. In fact, we

walked all the way back to Mola (including the road section c. 18/20km).

We also decided to book another night in the hotel in Polignano as we knew it would be easy to get the train back and therefore be in the right place to start tomorrow's walk.

This walk back to Cozze (with more comfy feet; wearing my “tiger shoes" a pair of leopardskin Clarkes casual shoes/trainers)) was a lovely thing and I'm so glad we did it.

A primitive, rocky coastline walk peppered with sandy inlets and frothy waves. Mediterranean shrubs such as juniper, fig and wild olive trees lining the route. On arriving back at the shop from the previous day, we were greeted with some bemused looks.

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Perhaps we were back to take issue over the good boy/bad boy taxi???? A brief team meeting over coffee to discuss the same transport issue that we had faced the previous day. Unwilling to pay 40 euros for another taxi, we opted to walk back the road to Mola di Bari.

The chance to revisit Mola was also a joy, especially when we came across the super low key

restaurant La Lampara, for a fantastic lunch. A silent, but friendly host seemed to quietly understand exactly what we wanted/needed. A simple, yet glorious seafood lunch ensued before we weaved through town to the train station for a quick hop back to Polignano and a restful afternoon.

That evening we headed out into town and found tiny but brilliant Bar Peppino where the

effervescent host pours himself a scoop of Dreher beer at the same time he pours yours (from your bottle) for endless rounds of toasting. Great chap. We didn't stay long enough to try his famous potato ice cream, but surely a reason to return....Somehow we managed to find room for a great Spaghetti Assessina (with nduja) at an upstairs restaurant on the main street. Double dinner day – gotta love walking!

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Day 4

A short morning's walk to Monopoli. Perhaps 11/12kms. Far from record breaking, but totally

necessary, in the hope that the feet could continue to recover. The stony walk was peppered with some beautiful coastal scenery and spring flowers.

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Particularly memorable was the scene of bobbing green boats in an azure sea and fisherman repairing their nets, with the backdrop of a stunning old stone building (an abbey, perhaps?).

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Monopoli had featured highly on our Puglian bucket list, we were rewarded with a first

heart winning view of the town; the scene of bobbing blue boats in the old harbour. Ancient sun bleached buildings the colour of bone surrounded the harbour, hiding a bewildering maze of alleys and stone piazzas. The blinding midday sun giving everything a high resolution feel and a dream like quality.

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We stayed in a great Air BnB in the atmospheric old town with views of the neighbouring basilica from the roof. Also in the old town we found a friendly bar “The King" and the best ever low key seafood joint La Baia (just outside the walls ) . Here the chargrilled tuna “roll", fritto misto and octopus were some of the best things we ate on our whole trip (so good we returned several times during our stay and definitely not to be missed).

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Day 5

We opted for a rest day to fully explore lovely Monopoli. Unfortunately our Air BnB was not

available for a second night. Online we came across the remarkably low cost Fanfulla hotel, just outside the walls of the old town. This place turned out to be a real find.

The hosts were really helpful, permitting us to access way earlier than the allotted time. We loved the simple, pared back 80s styling. Think black and white walls and furniture with chrome fixtures. Retro chic at its finest.

Also handy was the nearby launderette where the kindly lady insisted on doing a service wash for us. Embarrassed to handover our grubby rucksacks, she smiled sympathetically and we knew, once again, we were being looked after.

Another great find was the 24 hour vending machine located super close by; here you could buy an espresso with sambucca for 70 cents!

After some thought and false starts (basically walking around in circles a lot), I managed to buy a pair of trainers and decided to ditch my walking shoes.

We walked down to the seafront to find the start of the walk for the next day. Only to find it closed due to construction of some sort. Yet we came across a great bar shaped like a Nissan hut with a certain kind of local/good vibes. The friendly owner told us the works had been going on for over a year. His only trade was from the construction workers and ourselves (by the looks of it).

That evening, back in Kings bar, enjoying a pizza, it started to rain. A lot.

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Day 6

The day started so very well. We were up with the larks! Full of energy. New trainers on. Yes, we had seen the weather forecast. Yes, we knew there would be rain later on. Foolishly we believed we could “outrun” it...

So we Googled early opening bars and found a smashing one near our start point. Several espressos and croissants later off we headed. Fully expecting to get to our destination of Savelletri before any weather hit.

We took the lungomare at the end of the city wall onto the street we had located the previous day.

Crossing a boardwalk past a sandy cove towards a clifftop walk. The guidebook informed us there would be nine coves in total. So consumed with walking and counting were we, that we failed to see the ominous clouds gathering until it was too late.

Somewhere, in the middle of nowhere, with absolutely zero shelter we became unwitting victims of an unbelievable downpour.

We ploughed on some way past a wooded campsite, lack of signage led to a wrong turn, down a dangerously muddy/slippy slope towards the sea. Realising we had come off course, we had to navigate our way gingerly, back to the campsite, down the flooded road/path, clinging onto hedgerows to avoid falling into the deep puddles.

Deciding that our most sensible option was to find a road and look for transport either onwards to Savelletri or back to Monopoli, we found a road, but no transport. As we had come perhaps only 8/10kms, it was quickly decided to be more sensible to walk back the way than continue forwards (blindly). So this is what we did.

Falling back into the nissan hut bar on the front from the previous day. The owner said to us sagely “there will be no walking for you today". We smiled too embarrassed to try and explain what we had done.....

What happened next?

We could see little option other than to get transport onto Savelletri where we had accommodation booked. This was not straightforward. Back in Monopoli we took a train to nearby Fasano.

Fasano train station had a great bar and shop where you had to buy a bus ticket into town (we had asked if we could walk into town – to aghast looks). A 15 minute bus ride down dusty roads ensued before arriving at a gleaming inland town.

Surely a good place to get our gear dried and have a spot of lunch. No, this was not to be.

Wandering around albeit lovely streets we were slightly perturbed by the effigies of ancient ladies hanging off telephone poles and wires. Quite bizarre... Eventually we located a launderette and (possibly illegally) dried everything including trainers. After scouring the place, several times, we admitted defeat – not an open restaurant anywhere to be seen. We then looked everywhere for a bus station, but this was not to be either.

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We fell into a tiny bar where the young daughter could sense our desperation, bringing us assorted luminous maize based snacks to accompany our beers. There was no other course of action other than to order an uber onto Savelletri, our seaside destination for the night.

Happily, Savelletri turned out to be a charming, palm tree lined cluster of seaside villas with several bars and restaurants. There was an upmarket looking hotel which I should imagine would be popular with a certain set. We were not staying there.

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Getting into our room was a comedy sketch; misconstrued phone calls , misunderstood instructions, general miscommunication. All overheard by a lady on her balcony, who eventually asked us if we had an appointment, etc. Turned out she was the owner's mum. She then got a neighbour involved – I think because she could speak slower and louder Italian. There was some haggling over the price, none of which we understood – but we sensed the mum was trying to help us. Whatever happened, we ended up paying less than expected and all parties left satisfied.

Happily we found an excellent restaurant La Taverna di Umberto, a stones throw from the sea. We dined heartily and walked by the surf, forgetting all about the twists and turns of the day.

Day 7

Reality strikes/bites. The weather forecast over coming days is bad; very bad. An unprecedented front of wet weather will bring 5-6 bad days. Here endeth the walk.

We decide to cut our losses and hop on a train to Lecce, the “Florence of the South" to enjoy the good day of weather before coming up with a new plan.....

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Turned out Lecce was lovely, but not lovely enough for us to want to spend 5/6 rainy days there. We opted to take a train back to Bari, followed by a Flixbus to Rome, then another train onto Livorno, Tuscany. 900kms in one day, for the next stage of our Italian adventure...

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What went well

25l rucksacks work well for us. Small enough to fit under the seat when flying, yet large enough to carry all that we needed.

Carrying a second pair of shoes I would argue is essential in case of feet mishaps.

Not booking accommodation in advance gave us total flexibility (which we really needed on this occasion). Accommodation was of a very good standard and prices were very fair (Hotel Fanfulla was the notable exception – in a good way, with the price being exceptionally low and standard/care very good).

Opting not to start walking super early each morning (other than on one occasion), gave us more time to relax, eat breakfast and more importantly take several coffees. This cuts down some of the caffeine panic we have experienced on several previous walks (Googling “coffee near me" can really cut down on wandering around too).

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We found food and wine to be universally excellent and local people to be exceptionally kind and helpful wherever we went.

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Duolingo Italian (though incredibly basic) came in useful. Some hospitality/retail workers in more touristy Monopoli and Polignano may have some English, but generally people we met, did not.

Learning points

Signage on this route was sadly lacking. Using an app would be highly sensible....

Launderettes not as readily available as in Tuscany on previous route.

Renovation work was aplenty, interrupting views, etc. However, it was just outside the tourist

season so perfectly reasonable to expect this.

Public transport (trains) generally good. However several sections were poorly served. Bus schedules pretty impossible to locate. Taxis pretty pricey.

Accommodation was booked either via Booking or Airbnb (neither of these are our natural

bedfellows). However, it was more a case of convenience, as it was quite last minute. On at least 3 or 4 occasions we thought we had booked into a small B&B, but it turned out to be a room with a self entry code. Some of the personal touch was lost here (as were the self service espresso machines that we found in Tuscany) which was a real shame.

The weather (late March) was good at the beginning, with temps around 20 degrees. However, it became unusually wet and stormy. We had not packed for this eventuality (other than semi successful pack covers & flimsy rain jackets). Neither the warming base layer leggings nor the shorts packed were needed.

Waterproof (non breathable) shoes are now my nemesis (4 months later & 5 toenails down).

Do not underestimate the power of poorly feet to ruin days at a time.

Don't underestimate (or believe you can out run) the weather. You may live to regret your

misplaced optimism.