Pope to Puglia Day 28 Andria to Ruvo di Puglia – 29km

A long day on the Via Traiana, the old Roman road that connected Benevento to Brindisi, as straight a road as the Romans knew how to build.   We walk through olive groves of century-old trees serenely splayed like reclining royalty on manicured fields.  After a while, the monotony of tree after tree becomes soothing, a visual mantra, and the intermittent shade refreshes even under the hot sun. 

We stopped in Corato, a hub of olive oil production, for our usual lunch – a sandwich and orange, in Corato’s lovely center square.  This was supposed to be our stop for the day, at km 14, but our intrepid navigator, yours truly, decided to combine 2 phases.  So, after our brief respite, we soldiered on for another 15 kms.  The time went by quickly, urged on by gathering storm clouds that unleashed wind and rain just as we reached our destination.  We tucked into a trattoria for a simple dinner before retiring for the night.