24/08/2025 – Daily distance: 18.2 km – Total distance: 117.3 km

I could shorten today’s route by taking the road, but yesterday’s memory is still too vivid. I therefore decide to retrace the last kilometres of asphalt to pick up the tratturo where I left it.

With the colours of dawn, the view is even more striking. In the distance I can already see San Martino in Pensilis, today’s destination: it seems within reach.

The tratturo descends gently toward the Biferno (yes, him again!), which I cross without difficulty on a bridge. The road is usually quite busy, but at that hour no one is passing.

As Antonio had reminded me, now I have to cross the Cigno. Easier said than done… The alternative routes I had planned turn out to be impassable. I wander for a while looking for a passage until I find one that leads me toward a railway.

Before crossing it, I examine the tracks and signals carefully: they are new, just laid, without a blade of grass on the ballast. Yet the rails are rusted. No train passes here: I can cross safely. I will later discover that this is a disused section… but then why the maintenance? A mystery.

For safety, I do not recommend following this exact route: it’s better to use the one I suggest in the track gallery. If you want to avoid the railway crossing altogether (in case the line is ever reactivated), just continue a little along the SS87 to find a railway underpass, adding less than a kilometre to the route.

Beyond the railway, the tratturo resumes. All that remains is to follow it until the point where I have to leave it to climb toward San Martino in Pensilis. As usual, the last kilometres are asphalted and uphill.

In the late afternoon, I sit on a bench and take out my phone to see if Antonio will really come here. I lift my head and find him sitting next to me: I begin to think he is some kind of local spirit.

We talk for a long time. I discover that he has had a life full of experiences: truck driver, bricklayer, metalworker. Later, he discovered an artistic vein, and today he passionately devotes himself to murals created with his son, stone carving, and painting. But above all, he conveys an authentic love for his land, which he would like to see more fully valued.

He tells me about local traditions. The “Carrese di San Pardo” in Larino, for example: a parade of family carts decorated with paper flowers prepared over months, sometimes a whole year of work. Those who cannot build their own cart turn to artisans, spending considerable sums. It is a festival that strengthens the community and attracts many tourists.

He also talks about the ox-cart race held every 30th of April in San Martino in Pensilis. Three carts, accompanied by men on horseback, compete across the fields to reach here, under the arch of the old town. The finish, of course, is uphill, with the animals exhausted after the long race.

Before taking his leave, he suggests a shortcut for tomorrow’s stage. I thank him, but I reaffirm that I want to follow the tratturo as much as possible: I want to see it and understand its condition.

Track of the day