Everyday is a different adventure. Today was an exercise in endurance and patience!!

We decided to leave the coast and head inland, with a destination of Materas, a city known for its cave dwellings. We started our day heading back to Monopoli so that we could get on the right route. Not long into our ride we started to climb. We made it to a certain point where we had to decide which route to take without knowing which route had the steepest hills. Decision made, we slowly continued. The route we took had quite a long steep hill. Needless to say, we pushed our bikes uphill for about one hour. We were ever so glad to see the other side of that hill. The route continued to have rolling hills but nothing like that first one!

Beaten by the 30+ degree temperature and the 500+ metres of elevation gain, we decided to stop and find a place to stay for the night.

We made it to Putignano, a small but quaint village of 27,000 people which, around the year 1000, the Benedictine monks settled into the Abbey of Santo Stefano di Monopoli.  Then, small peasant families moved into the area and the agricultural industry began. Like other small villages, Putignano has a tumultuous history and a very strong religious influence with 27 churches!!

We found a B&B in the old town. Hot showers and dinner on the town were a welcome treat!!

It seems that they are famous for their paper mache giants and a annual carnival