After about 5 days of dragging my bike on and off trains through southern Italy and then a gruelling 10km mountain climb, I arrived in San Marco in Lamis - home of the Villani family. Carolyn's grandparents, Luigi and Carolina, were from this town before migrating to Australia. I was welcomed with open arms by the family, despite my lack of Italian and their lack of English. I stayed in Luigi's brother Michelino's house in the centre of town. The Villani girls took me on a drive throughout the Gargano Promontory, a beautiful part of Apulia where the forests meet the Adriatic sea. And there is actual sand on the beaches, rather than the rocks that dominate the western Mediterranean coast. I also visited many churches and the monastery of Padre Pio. I was spoilt for 3 days and although it was difficult to converse, I probably learnt more Italian in those 3 days than I had for the previous 10 weeks.
