Sept. 27 Thursday return (home) to Villanova

It's been a whirlwind of 4 days traveling through some amazingly enjoyable cities and towns.  But today I left Gallipoli with plans to drive up the Western coast of the heel and across the heel back to Villanova (Ostuni).  I drove along the coast as far as the signs would show which wasn't as far as I had wanted but I am always open to a change of plans if needed.  I have seen many amazing sites more by accident than ones being planned.  And today I got to drive on some one-lane gravel roads through farms growing olives, apples (golden), grapes and fields of something I couldn't distinguish.  So I took a close up picture and will ask someone.  It almost looks like artichokes.  I also got to pick some figs off of some trees where they were just right to eat.  Some were a little past ripe and were exuding drops of juice from bursting open.  S. Mario a Bagno was a lovely coastal town and S. Caterina.  Then I drove inland through Copertino, Leverano, Veglie and Avetrana where I sat at the roadside and watched a herd of sheep with their herder and what looked like a German Shephard as the herds' dog.  Shortly after seeing this I saw another, very similar size herd and same kind of herding dog.  I can't say enough from watching how attentive these dogs were to their master.  So submissive.  The first dog laid right down next to his man and laid on his back with all 4 feet up in the air I think just waiting for his man to tell him what to do.  Allura.
Then it was on to Oria, the city at the base of Francavilla.  I am getting very good at this driving into the cities and navigating around on one-way streets so narrow they are scary.  Then on to Ostuni where I could see the ocean again as I approached Villanova.  It is good to be back in my familiar setting.  I left Gallipoli at 8:30, stopped once just for gas and I arrived in Villanova at 1pm.  The wind here is as strong right now as it was in Gallipoli.  The waves are big outside and not one person is out there.  It is very beautiful.  The wind is howling so loud and my doors are rattling back and forth.  The sky is a beautiful blue with not a single cloud.  I locked the doors in my bedroom so the wind wouldn't keep banging them.  When I pulled the door shut in the kitchen, with the key on the table, I pulled it so hard, it locked.  I was locked out.  So I went to Giusseppe, because I know he knows Filamina and told him my story of woe.  He did not have Filamina's phone number but as I was rifling through my purse, I found where I had written the phone numbers of Claudio and Marco.  Giusseppe called Claudio--no answer.  He called Marco and he said he would be right over.  All this 15 minutes before Giusseppe would be closing until 5pm for afternoon siesta.  Again luck or something was on my side.  
So now I am sitting having a few beers, watching the waves and listening to the wind. 
I've loved everything about these 4 days.