# Campari & Soda: 0, # Gelati: 1
Actual Distance Walked: 7.2km, Actual Time Taken: 1h 43m
Planned Distance: 6.0km, Estimated Time Taken: 1h 48m
The title of this entry is a little misleading. We actual got driven to the Masseria Brancati from Alberobello and then just walked from there. Our actual distance was a little longer than planned as we mistook the unpaved road leading to the Masseria as their driveway.
The Masseria is a fortified farmhouse surrounded by olive groves. The Brancati family built the farmhouse in the 15th century but there has been a olive plantation here since before the Romans. We were given a tour of the plantations and original mill(s) - pre-Roman, Roman and 19th century - and tasted their olive oils. I had been a little dubious about how interesting this would be and how much of a hard sell it might entail, but it was very interesting. The oldest olive tree on their farm is almost 4,000 years old. I haven't mistyped that and added an extra zero, it really is that old. It's been carbon dated. It even has a name - the Elephant. It is still producing olives.
Apparently there are more olive trees in Italy than there are Italian citizens. Each tree is numbered and the very old trees are specially registered. These are called Immortals and it is illegal to cut them down. At least, there used to be that many olive trees in Italy. In around 2013 an ornamental plant was imported from Costa Rica with a disease that is killing olive trees. They've lost millions and still haven't got an effective treatment for it yet, but are hoping that grafting a new variety of olive tree onto the existing plants might be a solution.
After our tour, which took about an hour, we headed off for Ostuni. Ostuni is a very pretty white city perched on a hilltop near the sea. It was fortified but only 8 of the original towers remain and just two of the gates.
We didn't have far to go today, even with the unplanned detour at the start, so we arrived in Ostuni at around 1:30pm. Kim&Keith went to the hotel to try to see if they could check in early. I parked myself down in a pizzeria in the main piazza and had some lunch. I drank the best part of a litre of water and practically inhaled an entire pizza (Mi sono mangiato una pizza intera). By sitting in the main square and eating in a restaurant with an english menu I broke all the rules, but I didn't care. The pizza was OK, if overpriced, and the view was great. Most of all I got to sit down. Why we walked in the middle of the day I don't know. We should have had a picnic lunch at the Masseria and then walked later in the day.
After lunch I was able to successfully check in. After a wash and brush up I headed out to the gelateria recommended by the hotel receptionist. It should have been good. Just check out the name. Sadly their gelati was rather tasteless.
I wandered around, first along the road at the base of the city walls and then in the maze of tiny streets within the walls. Eventually my feet gave out and I went back to the hotel. I had a very pleasant afternoon. It made me wish we hadn't left Martina Franca so quickly yesterday.
I met up with Keith&Kim for dinner and we went to one of the places recommended in our route guide, the Osteria Monacelle. We shared a plate of local burrata (smoked which was odd) and capocollo. We then skipped the primi course and just had mains. I had a slow cook lamb shank with caponata. It was tasty and very tender. However, this is the first day I've been in Italy where I haven't had pasta. I don't feel right.
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