Pope to Puglia Day 35 and 36 Torre Santa Sabina to Brindisi – 31 km Brindisi to Torchiarolo – 26 km

Even though our legs are strong, and we are accustomed to walking for 7 hours, 31 kms is taxing, but we made it to Brindisi with energy to spare for a fine fish dinner by the water.  Brindisi, an old port city, is where the Via Traiana and the Via Appia end and is the jumping off point for innumerable invasions and excursions, throughout most of European existence.  It was the capital of Italy for a brief period in 1945 under the Badoglio government, a distinction that merits little attention. 

More interesting is the Church of San Giovanni Battista, a precise replica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, which was built by our friend Bohemond when he returned form the first crusade.  Maria, the docent, explained that Pilgrims enter for free.  She was kind enough to deliver a history of the 12^th structure which was neglected for 200 years after an earthquake in 1743 collapsed the roof. After WW2 there were plans to tear down the rest of the ruins to build high rise apartments but through the efforts of one individual the structure was saved, restored and now is one of the most important attractions.  Brindisi is also where Frederick II took his second wife, Isabella Queen of Jerusalem, when she was 14. They had 2 children before she died 3 years later.

The walk from Brindisi to Torchiarolo took us through olive groves that have been devastated by the Xylella bacterium creating a post-apocalyptic landscape whose depressing effect is mitigated by resilient farmers who uproot the trees and plant new groves that are now flourishing.  A controversy has emerged about how the bacterium was introduced, one theme being that it came from California when scientists at the University of Bari brough it over for research.  The Chinese have not been implicated, yet.