Overwhelmed by impressions...

Wow, where do we even begin...? We have collected so many incredible impressions over the past few days. And as Reto said so beautifully: That's where the boss stays...

Let's start with April 13th, 2023. We stayed at an agriturismo near Otranto. In the morning, we set off for a 2-hour Adriatic coast hike along the coast of Sant'Andrea. The colors and the rocky coast completely overwhelmed us. Unbelievable. We took so many photos, but unfortunately we won't be able to upload all of them. After the hike, we visited the town of Otranto. A charming little harbor town with a lot of charm. Of course, Reto had to have a gelato. As you can surely see in the pictures, the weather improved and it finally got a bit warmer.

The next day, we continued to Pulsano. On the way to our destination, we drove along a part of the coast road towards the southernmost point of the heel, Santa Maria de Leuca. During this drive, the Adriatic showed itself from its most beautiful side and the villages along the road looked cozy and well maintained. The landscape was characterized by olive trees and rocky terrain. The parking space for one night was right by the sea, so it was incredibly windy.

April 15th, 2023 became an absolute 'Happy Day' for both of us. We left early (which for us was about 09.30 am) to visit Matera. On the way there, we came across industrial ruins and dilapidated or unfinished houses. The roads weren't getting any better either.
What should we write about Matera? We were incredibly impressed by this beautiful city. Matera is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Among other things, a part of the last James Bond film was shot in this city. Matera is a 'must' when the region is visited. And there are also very good gelatos and the best cookies. We tried both.

The following two nights we spent again at an agriturismo in Pisticci. Aziedna Il Calanco. We felt like we were in a hotel. We had a bathroom all to ourselves with a hot shower (okay, we were also the only guests...).

We visited the city of Pisticci (the white city) on April 16th, 2023. Like so many small villages/towns in Italy, it was built on a hill. You have a wonderful view of the hilly and special area. We have visited many similar places in the past few days, so it didn't knock our socks off. In the afternoon, we continued to the nearby ghost town of Craco. It was evacuated in 1963 due to landslides and has been decaying ever since. Of course, the city was also built on a hill. Since Craco is not completely built on rocks, but on sandstone, only part of it slid down. Craco cannot be explored on its own from the inside, so we booked a guided tour. Which is highly recommended.

Today, on April 17th, 2023, we did not visit any villages, if so, we just drove through. We covered 300 kilometers by car and drove on partly very adventurous roads. But we were rewarded with breathtaking landscapes (the passenger in particular could fully enjoy them). We drove along the southern coast towards Crotone. And arrived in Cropani Marina in the late afternoon. Once again, we are the only guests.

We have Sicily on our program for the next few days. Tomorrow we will take the ferry to the island.

What we don't understand here in Italy, and maybe one of you can help us. How on earth do the Italians wash their dirty and greasy dishes with only cold water...? So far, we have hardly been able to wash our dishes with hot water at any campsite/agriturismo.