Briefly, here is a gallery of shots from a trek I took Monday starting and ending in Castro, described by some as a little Taormina. Castro is indeed one of the lovelier spots in the Salento (on the Adriatic coast). I hiked through some delightful countryside, looped through Marittima (including an amusing monument to the riccio (sea urchin) and then scrambled along the coast). At Acquaviva I took a refreshing dip along with two local women who told me they had taken their first swim on Feb. 25 and expected to continue with daily plunges till Oct. or Nov. The older one reminded me of my mother. A group of local male youth, including a son of the younger woman (grandson perhaps of the other) said they would swim later on when the water warmed up. I then made my way back up to the charming center of Castro and a welcome spritz. I guess this is what tourism studies are about.