On the way out of Bari this morning, we passed by the harbor where some fishermen were slamming octopus against the rock. We learned from our tour guide yesterday that this is a traditional method of preparing the octopus in this region. Also called "curling", the purpose is to kill the nerve endings and relax and soften the tentacles so that the octopus can be eaten and eaten raw!! Interesting tradition!

We rode along the coast travelling on excellent secondary roads. The seaside views were spectacular as usual. The coast here has changed from the large white sandy beaches from earlier in our trip to beautiful rocky ruggedness. We saw a number of fish markets selling their catch of the day.

We went into Polignano a Mare, a real touristy city, and walked around the downtown. The coast line is beautiful with turquoise waters crashing against the grottos beneath the city. Then, we moved on to Monopoli, a charming town settled in 500 BC. The whitewashed house and the blue fishermen boats, known as "gozzi" provided nice contrasting colours for photos. 

We settled into our campground with nice flat terrain and pine trees over head. However, overall, we find that there are less services in the campgrounds as we move south and they are not as well maintained.

Blue boats of Monopoli