Day 24 - Last day in Puglia

There were no solid plans for today because the weather forecast was for stormy weather all day. But looking again at the weather apps over breakfast, the report was for fine weather for most of the region (and by just looking out the window, it seemed that the day wasn’t going to be that bad). Barb did some online research to find a recommended beach nearby, and since we had food left from our visit to the supermarket a few days before, we thought a picnic would be a good idea. After making sure our ferry tickets were booked for our trip across to Capri tomorrow, we gathered everything up and set off to find a sunny spot with a bit of sand and some surf. Mission accomplished - we spent a few hours at a beach just south of Monopoli enjoying the sun, having a swim, and eating alfresco. The perfect way to end our time in Puglia - although it is another reminder of how lucky we are in NZ with our number and quality of sandy beaches. After drying off, we all piled back into car to take a trip through to another nearby hill town - Ceglie Messapica. Since it was early afternoon and the town is not a typical tourist spot, most places were closed (Italians take their long lunch seriously) but we did find one bar in the main piazza where we could sit outside, have an aperitif, and enjoy the Italian pastime of people watching. Ostuni was on our way home, so we stopped in there for a light dinner to complete our Puglia adventure. Back to our accommodation for some packing and an early night - tomorrow will be another big day of travel as we make our way to Naples and then out to Capri. Like the different regions of Croatia we visited, Puglia has been extraordinary and it feels a bit sad to be leaving, but we’ve got some new places to explore so on we go!

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