Gallipoli & surrounds

Our ride today was a short 30 km loop from Gallipoli out to the home of the owner of Salerno Bici - the bike company that organizes the Puglia bike trips.
The huge home of Carlos (owner of Salerno Bici) and his wife, Marina, also has a huge swimming pool, nearly as big as an Olympic pool
Marina gave us an Italian Cooking lesson where we learnt to make Pitta Di Patati (potato mash with a filling of tomatoes, olives, tuna, capers, etc), Tirimasu, and also Orichette (pasta shells). It was so much fun trying to shape the pasta with Marina over your shoulder saying (in broken English, 'no madam do not press so hard with the knife!')
We then sat down to a 3 course lunch outside on long tables just as Italian families do. Once again, authentic, delicious Italian food.
We had a medical emergency just before we got to Carlos home. We had stopped for a 15 min break when Jeri (American lady), super fit, lost her balance while walking on cobblestones and fractured her humerus at the shoulder joint. We called an ambulance and she was taken to the Gallipoli Hospital. It was a big blow to the group having one of us injured and seeing her suffer. However, Jeri is a real trouper and had heaps of support from her American friends.
The logistics of getting Jeri home to America are mind-boggling!
Tomorrow is the last day of our ride. We leave Gallipoli and head back to Lecce.Read more