Last lazy morning of the trip today. We did have five towns we wanted to visit on the peninsula, but relaxing is of higher priority. One of the beauties of visiting towns that are hundreds and, sometimes, thousands of years old, is that it’s pretty clear they are not going anywhere. If we run out of daylight and miss some, we can always come back.
We managed to drag ourselves out of bed a little before 11:00. A visit to the local pizzicotto (pizza by weight), and we’re off. The first stop is Peschici, a small town on the peninsula's northern side. The city itself is OK, but nothing special. It has, however, a castle. The Castello di Peschici, which, according to TripAdvisor (as much as I loathe to use them as a reference, it’s the only one I could find), offers majestic views from its terrace and a surprisingly interesting exhibition of medieval torture devices. We cannot tell you about either, as it was closed when we showed up. Still, walking through the small town with almost nobody in it really highlighted the benefits of travelling on what we hope is the tail end of a pandemic.
Next up is Monte San Angelo. Known for its churches, it’s also a Christian pèlerinage site (and a UNESCO world heritage site). Located in the mountains of the Gargano park, it offers majestic views all the way to the sea. It may be due to the frigid temperatures (17°C and very windy), but we do get a cold feeling from the place. The views are good, but nothing we haven't seen on our drives through the park. The churches might be spectacular for Christian devotees, but to me, they look no different from the regular thing. The castle is another story. Nobody is really sure who built it or why. The rooms are empty, but I assume they were once used to defend the surrounding inhabitants (it had a drawbridge and a moat); it has unobstructed views all around. Walking through the corridors within its walls also made it clear to us that these people were probably not very tall. Karine, at 1,60m (five feet three inches), had to bend down repeatedly. I was unable to stand upright anywhere within the fortifications. I’m guessing not many tall soldiers in their ranks.
Overall, the day was not so much about the two cities we’ve visited but about the beauty of driving through fields of olive trees, dark woods and cliffs. All of which afforded us fantastic views and made the whole journey fun.