August 28, 2022 - Eventually a very easy stage, mostly downhill, which shouldn't present any particular problems. However, I still wake up early and have breakfast in the B&B with the food Pasquale left me. Given the location of Santa Croce di Magliano, I could shorten the stage, but considering the short day ahead, I decide to pick up the tratturo exactly where I left it. Even in its new stage, it maintains the width of 111 meters: the presence of the road in the center of the tratturo partially ruins the landscape, but the scenery is still suggestive. Fortunately, next to the road, there is always a convenient dirt road used by agricultural vehicles.

I arrive shortly at the Abbey of Sant'Elena, founded around the year 1000 by the Lombards. It belonged to a Benedictine monastery located along the tratturo and has recently been renovated after the earthquake of 2002. Given the time, I find it closed, so I can only admire its exterior and, like many other times, make a note: I will have to come back to these parts.

As I start walking again, after a few meters, I am attacked by the dogs of the nearby farm. They are quite aggressive, but fortunately their owner is already up for going to work, so he calls them back:

"Don't worry, they won't do anything, you should only stand still for a while and they'll stop."

So, if I move, will they tear me apart? He didn't reassure me at all!

As I have some time, I stop to talk. I ask for information about the "tratturo", emphasizing that sometimes it is kept in excellent condition while other times it is in a pitiful state. I am given a lot of useful information. It seems that about ten years ago, a ban on using the "tratturo" for cultivation was imposed and controls have become stricter. Since then, the "tratturo" has often been left abandoned and no one takes care of it anymore. I point out that the policy adopted for preserving the "tratturo" seems absurd: on the one hand, private individuals are prevented from exploiting it, while on the other hand, nothing is done to take care of it. The response to my observation is interesting. Actually, private individuals can use the "tratturo" for haymaking, against payment of a fee, only other cultivations are prohibited. It also seems that incentives are provided to reimburse farmers for the amounts paid. The only reason for the state of abandonment is probably related to the low income that can be derived from such management: in the sections where farmers or livestock breeders have found it convenient to exploit the opportunity, the "tratturo" is in perfect condition, elsewhere it is a disaster.

We say goodbye and as the owner leaves on his vehicle, the dogs start barking at me again: couldn't I just stay still? It's better to move away.

I don't even walk 400 meters when I come across another farmhouse, also with dogs. Predicting this, I moved away from the "tratturo" and went into the middle of the road, but it didn't help at all. There are four of them, of large size and much more aggressive than the others. One is an Abruzzese shepherd dog and is the one growling. But above all, all four do not keep their distance and tend to come towards me. I use my sticks to prevent them from approaching, but as I try to turn away, they come back towards me. This time I am really worried, especially because they try to surround me, taking away my chance to move away. I am quite far from the farmhouse when they finally decide to go back. I am quite shaken, as I have been walking and dealing with dogs all my life, but this time it went far beyond what is tolerable. I wonder what the owners have in mind..

I continue the slow descent. Every passing near a farmhouse is a heart-stopping moment, but fortunately nothing else happens, so I go back to enjoying the scenery. I come across a fountain, but I am not able to tell if the water is drinkable, so I pass it by. Besides, my water supplies are still almost intact.

Soon the path turns right, towards the Fortore river. This is the only unknown of the day: I do not know if it has water or if it is dry. If it has water, my itinerary would have to be greatly extended.

At the end of the descent, I pass by the ruins of what must have been a mill. The silo and perimeter walls are still standing.

When I reach the Fortore River, I discover that it is not dry, but the water is low, so crossing it is not a problem except for getting my feet wet. Once I pass the river, I am officially in Puglia, and my destination is close!

I continue along the tratturo to tackle the only short climb of the day, at the end of which I will take a right turn that will take me to Contrada Purgatorio where I have booked my accommodation for tonight. The right turn also marks my farewell to the tratturo which would continue straight ahead. From that point on, there are about thirty-five kilometers to Lucera with no possibility of accommodation. The distance is definitely doable in a day, but the bad thing is that all those kilometers are largely paved, and for the first time there are no dirt roads on the sides: the prospect of covering so much distance on asphalt with the summer heat does not attract me. Alternatively, I have decided to deviate towards the hilly villages of Daunia and split the journey into two comfortable stages.

Waiting for me at the B&B is Rosanna. Since the accommodation is almost 5 kilometers far from the town of Castelnuovo Monterotaro, she came to my rescue with infinite courtesy and brought me everything I needed to prepare dinner on my own. Tonight, I will again have a generous plate of pasta, and I am beginning to wonder what the other foods will taste like!

In the evening, I meet Diego, the "doormat" dog. No, I don't mean that in a derogatory sense, but he has the habit of constantly standing in front of the apartment door, like a doormat. Being a big dog, he covers the entire opening of the door. If you want to go out, there is a fee to pay: he sticks to you until you come back, and then he resumes his position... as a doormat!