Porto Badisco

After leaving Leuca, we were both very excited to visit Grotta Zinzulusa, a series of coastal caves that apparently offers astounding rock formations. The caves were about a forty-five-minute drive north from Leuca and the entrance was at the bottom of a very narrow and twisting road with numerous switchbacks. When we arrived, the skies had clouded over, and the wind had picked up. We looked around, hemmed and hawed, did some internet research and decided we'd forego visiting the damp, cool caves and perhaps return to explore them some other time, when the weather is warmer.

Brenda generously offered to buy us a spa visit in our next stop, San Cesarea Terme, where hot springs fuel the town's economy and we headed straight for Terme di Santa Cesarea only to find the spa closed. We figured it was likely just shut down for lunch, but a little internet research uncovered that visits at this time of year are by appointment only. Drat, once again foiled by our off-season travels!

As we wandered around the town, we realized that literally NOTHING was open, except for Martinucci Dolci e Gelateria, a cafe and pastry shop that seems to have branches in every place we stop. I had a coffee and a panino for lunch, served to me by one of this restaurant's typically miserable staff. Unlike every other establishment we visit, where service has been friendly and welcoming, at Martinucci belligerence seems to be a prerequisite for working there. At least the panino and coffee were good.

As we traveled North, we were struck by the presence of dry-stone walls everywhere we looked. Surely, tens of millions of stones were used to create these walls that, in Puglia, were built to define landowner's boundaries. Stonemasons must have been very, very busy in those days.

Our last stop on our 'round the heel tour was Otranto, which deserves a blog all to itself. I have nonetheless attached a few pictures here because I have far too many to share and each of these blogs allows me to post only six photos.

Until tomorrow!Read more