Drove down to Lecce two days ago to see some friends. It took about 6½ hours from Rome with frequent pitstops for coffee and panini (which got bigger and bigger as we went further south!).  The motorway tolls weren’t quite as expensive as I feared: about €35 in total. After Naples, the countryside was lovely, with lots of hills that were much lusher than I expected.

Yesterday we went to see an amazing market by the sea. It was a bit like an Eastern bazaar, causing total chaos as the cars tried to push their way through the stalls. Not a policeman was in sight, but everyone was amazingly tolerant and good-natured under the circumstances.

The photo is of one of the stalls – run by an incredibly friendly woman who apparently has admirers all over the world for her artfully arranged fruit and veg. PS – it’s also very hot down here…