By the time the second weekend rolled around we had received our rental car so we headed south, towards Puglia. (When the agent heard of our plans he nearly fainted. Apparently one is not supposed to take a Smart on a road trip.)

Some of the places we touched along the way:

• Lucera, with the nearby ruins of a massive Stauffer fortress.
• San Giovanni Rotondo, a rather wacky pilgrims place, worth a visit only because of the modern mega church designed by a star architect.
• Shady Umbra Forest. So lovely that I forgot to take photos.
• The costal town of Vieste, full of summer tourists who come here for food, booze, and vistas.
• Monte Sant'Angelo, another pilgrims place too wacky for pics.
• Castel del Monte, a rather bizzare Stauffer castle. Apparently it was never used and historians are not sure why Frederic II had it built in the first place.
• Matera, with it's lovely old town, historic caves, and Matera gorge for hiking and scenery. One of the highlights of the trip.
• Trulli houses of Alberobello. The other highlight and the biggest surprise for us. Who knew that some Hobbits had settled in Italy.
• Locorotondo. Not far from Alberobello but more greek in style and with fewer Trulli.