Apúlia

Apulia has a long tradition of harvesting seaweed from the shore, a practice called apanha do sargaco that sustained coastal communities for centuries. The seaweed was dried and used as fertilizer on inland farms. The tradition has mostly died out, but you can still see espigueiros -- the narrow, elevated stone granaries -- standing near the beach, a reminder of the agricultural economy that depended on these coastal resources.

An alternate route follows the coast from Apulia, and the seaside bars along that stretch are a welcome temptation.