August 9, 2019 - I am aware that the day will be hot and that the route has many uncertainties, so I get up early in the morning to set out in the cooler weather. All in all, the stage is short, so I should finish it with ease... just an illusion!

The start from Pietrabbondante is on a comfortable descent, that soon becomes a convenient cart road. The small road passes alongside the only existing example of a Samnite theater. Needless to say, given the hour, it is not possible to visit the archaeological site, yet I manage to capture a few images through the fence that surrounds it. It is definitely beautiful and well-maintained; I promise myself to return to visit it as a tourist.

I resume the descent that will bring me back to the tratturo. It is a paved road with no traffic at all. After 4 kilometers I am finally on the tratturo, which, although cluttered with weeds, is practicable without too much difficulty: the dreaded brambles are totally absent. I am actually neglecting an important aspect: because of the tall grass, the pace slows down and I soon lose the benefits of walking in the cool. Very high temperatures heve been announced for today. At 8:00 a.m. I reach the only spring of the day and the heat is already so high that I stick my head under the faucet!

A gentleman is nearby, sitting there and taking the morning "cool". He says he is sorry that the tratturo is left in that condition and I can only agree with him.

I get back on the road while the mugginess increases. The tratturo is now really cluttered with vegetation. I still manage to move forward thanks to the shears, but the fatigue is really great despite I am moving downhill. When I finally rejoin the road I am exhausted: I have lost half an hour to cover half a kilometer! I take advantage of a stretch of asphalt that allows me to recover some of the lost time.

Past the SSXX I rejoin the tratturo. There is no track to follow, but a wide meadow with tall grass: the pace slows down again. I reach the end of the descent that it is 10:00 a.m. and I have covered just 8.5 km: I literally collapse under the only tree in the area where I remain for half an hour by knowing that, past the Trigno River and the Vella stream, a rather steep climb awaits me.

The heat has become hellish and the stops under the rare plants become more and more frequent. Note that I mentioned plants, not trees, since most of them are simply bushes. At 3 p.m. I reach the top of the ramp and the odometer reads only 13 km. The track I prepared for the day indicates that I might try some more dirt stretches, but I prefer to stay on the road so as to speed up the pace.

One last tear brings me to Villa Lalli, the lodging for this evening, which is located right close to the tratturo. I find Arturo waiting for me. He informs me that throughout the day the temperatures have been well above 40°. It is 4 p.m. and in almost 12 hours I barely covered 15 km! Nevertheless, I am proud to have victoriously closed the stage despite the absence of trees and by preserving my water supply until the arrival: tired yes, but not thirsty. Or rather... reasonable thirsty, but the supplies of fluids Arturo and Rossella made me find at home are more than enough to get me back in shape.

In the evening, Arturo drives me to the only pizzeria in Salcito, the nearest town. For me it is time to assess the situation. The weather forecast predicts three more days with the same temperatures, and the next stage is definitely harder than today's one, both in length and elevation gains. With great sorrow I decide to end this new transhumance: the Celano - Foggia tratturo refused me for the second time. However, while reflecting on the day, I realize that the only real difficulty I encountered was the heat. With lower temperatures it would have been a pleasant walk: too bad!

I perk up thinking about the days spent on the walk. The alternatives introduced with respect to the stages of the 2013 route proved to be worthwhile and will surely be useful to other hikers. All in all, this new walk also ends on a positive note.

The next day, since Salcito is not well connected by public transportation, Rossella kindly volunteers to accompany me to Isernia to catch a bus. I notice that she is trying to cheer me up: I should have printed on my face the disappointment I am feeling... but this is not the end, I'll be back!