Martina Franca

What an amazing coincidence, we arrive in Martina Franca to find yet again, a swarm of motorcyclists! I mean, it's pretty understandable, these roads and this scenery would make for some epic riding. Brad manages to find out this is an annual ride. These are all Triumph owners, and there are 400 of them here!

We have lunch on a restaurant our host Maria has recommended. We'll meet her later on when she's finished work. I finally try a local specialty, orechiette rape, pasta with turnip greens. It's amazing, bright green sprigs of greens with the rounded "ears" that are orechiette, and a sauce with a hint of anchovy to add a boost to flavour. Brad has ordered a mixed grill plate. Ive translated the menu, so I know what hes getting: gnomerelli, which is liver, heart and lung of the lamb, among other things. Brad says don't tell me what it is until I'm done, so he can guess. Good call, I think. Shudder. I'm not a sophisticated enough palate to savour that one!

Martina is particularly lovely, so our 2 towns today have been visually gorgeous, and also have an atmosphere of relaxed enjoyment. We are in the very heart of the Val d'Itria here, the valley of olive groves, vineyards, and trulli. When we meet up with Maria, she says in a week or two, it will be jam packed everywhere.

We're sipping a refreshing and cool local drink, a limonata, and enjoying a visit with our host. She tells us a local legend about a statue we can see from our table. She has many of these stories, as her father was a town doctor when Maria was small. He would take her with him as he walked about on his calls, and tell her local legends about the places they passed by.

The statue we see is atop the St. Stephen gate to the city. It commemorates a miraculous event when the city's patron saint, San Martino, saved the townspeople from a siege. Maria recounts the story to us, describing townspeople huddled in fear in the cathedral. Starving and terrified for their lives when San Martino and his cavalry swoop in to save them. She's a great storyteller. This is how people have such a strong tie to where they live I think, Maria tells the story as if it happened to a near relative not that long ago. It was 1529!

Sounds absolutely idyllic!Read more