D45 through Benevenito

The day started and finished at unspecified rural roadside wild camping spots but focussed around the last major urban centre before Bari. My map finished at Benovenito so I knew I had to find a mapshop at the very least. The route in was circuitous to say the least as the local cycling group has clearly advised a route for eurovel o 5 to steer around what is the hardest road system I have ever encountered! I sniff So grant money in the numerous huge empty roads on the periphery of the town leading nowhere! Anyway I failed to follow the largely unsigned notional EV5 route and ended up getting there by 'direct navigation' - is there's a bloody big town down there and this little road is heading towards it -go for it!
A trattoria lunch and the purchase of a nap at the train station kiosk solved my needs and I felt on schedule enough to enjoy some sight seeing in what has been an important Roman town at the confluence of two rivers on he remain route South East. The two sites of note, a well preserved theatre and a remarkable victory arch of Trajan did not disappoint.

The freeze and plaque above celebrates Trajans victory over the Germans ! Plus ca change c'est la meme chose me thinks!

These rather intriguing mask like heads caught my eye at the theatre - the keepers were unable to add any further information and I'm not carrying a guide book - any  theatrically minded  classicist readers out there are invited to comment?

The afternoon session took me out eastwards up a lovely valley where as usual in the nick of time I found a bar for evening beer, purchase of camping supper (cold pitza) and most importantly a bottle of the excellent local red to toast the arrival of my pension called through by my dear wife (with some relief all round! ) earlier in the day. So I lay in a field under a vine a little way up the valley beside my tent that night (ducking away from the surprisingly industrious local farmer working until 10 that night on a tractor fitted with lights that were more akin to search lights than tractor illumination) reflecting on the marvels of the pension system that means tonight I am no longer a tramp but a pensioner!