Puglia - Daunia in September - Rione Fossi, Accadia and Sant'Agata di Puglia and Deliceto

The next morning we head in the opposite direction, towards Accadia and in particular the Rione Fossi, a small hamlet which was abandoned after the 1930 earthquake.

Except it's not that simple. Because part of the hamlet seems to have been rebuilt and modernised, probably in the 1980s by the look of the buildings, which then seem to have been ransacked and vandalised. It all seems very sad and desolate, close up, but with a lot of potential from certain angles.

We are wondering about it all when I spy two men with a map and measuring equipment and ask them what happened. Apparently the town council of the time rebuilt the property and made the houses available to local people but nobody wanted them. It now looks like they will finally be rebuilt yet again, hopefully with better results.

Our next stop is Sant'Agata di Puglia, totally different, a well-kept and bustling town unexpectedly noisy due to the local elections for which both sides have decided to seek publicity by driving around the narrow streets by Smart car belting out music and slogans so loud they penetrate my deaf ears with both hearing aids in but turned off.... which is saying something. So the usual quiet of the small towns and villages of Daunia is ruined. Nevertheless we walk the narrow streets trying to avoid the bedlam and have a look at the main church, nicer out than in, and go to the very top of the town to see the castle which of course is closed, although the view of the town below is worth the hike.

Maybe the noise has made me cantankerous, and I'm hungry, which doesn't help, and am nearly tempted to call it a day or rather a morning, and go to Deliceto. Fortunately, Andrea resists, and at the third attempt, just before one o'clock, we sit down at a table of La Cantina della Canonica. The owner turns out to be very friendly.

We decide on Antipasti della casa. One between the two of us. Excellent: various fried tasties from a small panzerotto to arancino, mozzarella, ricotta, raw ham and then, best of all, 4 small dishes with a sample of the "piatti poveri" typical of the cucina Pugliese - broccoli with polenta, acqua cotta with lots of oil, fave e cicoria, sformato di patate.

We are almost full but have already ordered the first dish: the ravioli dolci typical of Sant'Agata. Andrea likes them more than me but they are definitely worth trying. With half a litre caraffa of Nero di Troia, water and coffee we spend 37 euros. Very good, there was even a menu with prices and we got a receipt too. Highly recommended.

The drive up and down through the countryside to Deliceto is pleasant. We go through the oak trees of Bosco Macchione and stop on the way for a few photos. From the square near where we park we can see that, unusually, the doors to the castle are open so we make our way there, through the historical centre. The castle is open, free to visit and seems to have been well restored although the custodian who starts chatting to us doesn't quite agree. He shows us some more of the interesting details of the castle, and as often seems the case in this part of Puglia is happy to chat on past and present.

The street out of Deliceto is alarmingly vertical but we manage it. Back in the castle after a little work and a light snack we go out for a last stroll around Bovino by night. We liked Bovino, and the stay in the castle....