July 26, 2024 - Daily Distance: 18 km - Total Distance: 89 km

Finally, a day with a more manageable distance: today, we only have 18 km ahead of us, so we can take it easy and wake up at... 4:15 AM!

It’s still dark, but the dawn light is beginning to appear. We start walking along a dirt road that will take us to the Tratturo Magno—or rather, to the SP45, which runs over it. This time, we can’t cut through the fields, but given the early hour, there’s no traffic, so walking isn’t a problem.

The road gradually ascends, a sign that, after crossing the Fortore River, we’ve finally left the Tavoliere delle Puglie behind. The air is cool, and the sunrise gives us a magical moment.

We resume our games: given a topic, we have to list things in alphabetical order. It sounds easy, but regardless of the subject, we always get stuck at the letter "E." It must be some sort of "walker’s block"!

We happily continue climbing until we reach Montesecco: it’s time to leave the Tratturo Magno and take the one that will lead us to Centurelle.

"Take" is easier said than done! The initial section of the new tratturo is lost, so it takes us a while to find the right path, wandering through the fields. Eventually, we discover the cart track we were looking for, and the walk becomes spectacular: we’re surrounded by sunflower fields.

We descend the hill singing songs. For some mysterious reason, only children’s songs come to mind. This time it seems we’ve triggered the "walker’s mental regression."

Crossing the small Sapestra stream marks our entry into Molise: a milestone reached! Continuing along easy dirt roads, we finally arrive at the entrance to the Centurelle Montesecco. A long row of wind turbines guides us. The sun is now high, and we’re in desperate need of shade, but there’s not a tree in sight. It’s always like this in Puglia. The first tree we find is surrounded by brambles, but determined to rest, we clear a path and reach its shade. Once again, the break is short: San Martino in Pensilis awaits us.

An old sign at the town’s entrance informs us that we are walking the L'Aquila - Foggia Tratturo: that’s not true; the Tratturo Magno passed much further north, but it’ll do.

Four kilometers from the town, we leave the tratturo and tackle the final climb (of course there had to be a final climb): nothing too strenuous, but a downhill arrival would’ve been nice. This time, there’s no doubt about where to stop for a beer: the first bar is practically beneath our B&B!

Track of the day