Alas, all of (olive?!) the olive trees were weeded and the puzzle was completed, the hikes hiked and caves explored; it was time to move on. I’m not saying I saw and did everything there is to do in Puglia, but I saw and did a lot, and the time felt right to continue on this little adventure. I booked a ferry to Greece for 10/1, and planned to kick back my last few days.
Taking full advantage of the one hour we had to use the E bikes
But nothing at Casa Giulia is without its twists and turns, and Giulia, who had been talking about picking up the E bikes she bought since before I arrived, finally procured a van and asked me to drive it to Masafra, 2 hours away, to pick them up with her on my last day in Italy. Was it how I wanted to spend my last day? No. Was I happy to help her get the damn bikes? Yes. Was I annoyed that they were finally showing up the last day I was there. 100%. Did Laura and I smash down to the beach on them after I got home after a full day of driving a big ass van around the small roads of Italy? You bet.
Going off the trail at Port Selvaggio
However, at least Giulia gave me a few days heads up, so on Thursday Laura and I went for one last hike and swim at my favorite place: Porto Selvaggio. Naturally, we ended up scrambling up and down rocky ledges (because who needs a path) and Laura was woefully unprepared because after a month of me dragging her places she still insisted on wearing Birkenstocks and didn’t bring water (eyeroll, girl), but we eventually made it to the beach and had a lovely last dip. Unfortunately it was too rough to go back in the beloved cave, but that will remain a very special place in my heart forever.
To celebrate successfully completing our Workaways, Laura and I decided to go out in the big city (small town) of Nardò for our second to last night. Nardò is somewhat unremarkable as far as Italian towns go, and we had an as expected unremarkable pasta dinner. After dinner we went for a drink in the piazza, where a band was setting up. As they started to play, with a fiddle, an accordion, an electric guitar and a bunch of tambourines, we realized that they absolutely rocked, as did everyone who stopped to watch. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen in the States, most people who were watching actually started to dance. And I’m not talking about a little wiggle, but like, spinning and trading partners and skipping and clapping joyously, without any sort of hesitation or self consciousness. After finishing our beers and finding the bartender in the crowd of dancers to pay her, we joined in with the rest of them and danced in the piazza until the party shut down around midnight.
The next day, after serving our last two guests breakfast, Giulia picked me up and we went and got the van. I realized that more than anything, she needed someone with an active drivers license to rent the van, and wasn’t just using me for my excellent truck driving skills. Aha. Whatever. We had a nice enough drive up to Masafra, picked up 5 really bitchin, brand new E bikes, took two for a spin to get lunch, and returned to Casa Giulia.
The last night at Casa Giulia was quiet but nice, with just Laura, Willow and me holding down the fort. We’ve both become very attached to Willow, and were sad the leave the very sweet and affectionate pup. We made dinner, had one last nice bottle of wine, sampled all the digestivos of the house, played music and reflected on our time. “It was kind of a shit show,” I concluded, eloquently. “Hah, you should have been here in August,” was Laura’s reply. Ummmm, no thanks, I’m happy with the September vibes, and now that it’s October, it is time to go.
The next morning, Laura and I packed up and headed to Lecce, where I met Giulia for a ride to the ferry. Neither of us had much to say to each other, except thanks, it’s been real. Real what, I have yet to determine. It is going to take me a while to process this time. Giulia had a beer with me at the ferry terminal, we hugged goodbye, and basta. Ciao for now.
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