Gargano in September 1 Lesina Foce di Varano

We set off for 8.30. There isn't a lot of traffic from Urbino towards the motorway nor afterwards heading to Ancona. Also, it's a beautiful morning, fresh but sunny. After Porto San Giorgio the motorway becomes of just two lanes and there are lots of roadworks which means the two lanes intermittently become one. Not much traffic across three lines is quite a lot on one, so the drive is more tiring than we expected.

We get off the motorway at Lesina at about 1, after a couple of stops to change driver and stretch our legs. I have the brilliant idea of asking the man who takes our motorway toll money advice for a good place to eat without spending too much. He looks disconcerted and says that Lesina has some fish restaurants, yes, well, I had gathered that.

When we arrive in the town I understand better, Lesina doesn't offer much, it seems one of those places that posters on TripAdvisor refer to when the say "Is (name of town) open in October?" as if the town were a tourist attraction instead of a place where people live and work. After seeing Lesina on 10th September I'm inclined to be more lenient with said posters.

We do manage to find a tiny supermarket for a delicious ricotta and some water to add to our trusty tomatoes and schiaciattine.

Lesina is situated on Lake Lesina so we find a bench on the breezy lakeside to picnic and relax. It's very pleasant, the ideal temperature. After, we walk out into the lake along the boardwalk as far as the Isolotto di San Clemente. 

To be fair to Lesina we also find a very pretty little café right on the lakeside where we have two hot (and not lukewarm as is so often the case) capuccinos for €2.40 served by the friendly owner.

The last leg of our journey is through the countryside to Foce Varano where we have booked our apartment, through booking.com this time. It has a very high rating on booking, justly so, it is perfectly clean, well-equipped, 3 minutes walk to the beach, with a pleasant patio area at the back with a view of the hills behind.

After settling in, because this time we will be staying for 5 nights, we go to explore the beach. The sun is warm, the breeze is fresh, the sea a little choppy, the sand firm and ideal for walking, very pleasant indeed. There are just a few people around. We walk for a while, quite fast, appreciating the feel of mild temperatures on bare skin, then get a couple of things to supplement a simple pastasciutta for supper on the terrace. Very nice.