Highlights
Welcome to Puglia a region in the southern part of Italy. the heel of Italy’s boot. A bike tour is an extraordinary way to explore the beauties of this region. Offering a magnificent coastline, and small whitewashed hill towns as well a rich archeological history as it was colonized by the Mycenaean Greeks, Romans, Normans and Germans. Ride along the Adriatic coastline, through less discovered villages and inland through ancient olive groves. Puglia is largely flat and arid and it’s agricultural region is known as the table of Italy, as it produces wheat, oats, vegetable, oil, and wine. A welcoming region, the people of Puglia known as Pugliese are friendly, warm and receptive.
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Itinerary - click for more
Day 1: Arrival Bari Airport meet your driver and private transfer to Matera. Check into your hotel relax and late in the day a briefing on your trip and receive your gear and GPS navigators.
Day 2: Matera to Gioia De Colle (35km). After breakfast start making your way towards Alberobello. The first town you come across is Gioia del Colle, known for its mozzarella and its burrata. Definitely worth a stop to sample these, as well as to visit its twelfth-century castle. Overnight
Day 3: From Gioia del colle to Alberobello (35 km). As you leave Gioia del Colle, you will enter the Valle d’Itria, characterized by the unique architecture of the trulli, the peculiar stone buildings with conical roofs. Next stop is Noci, as you travel through the narrow streets of the old town, you can bask in the light of the sun reflected off its lime-white roofs. In the afternoon, you’ll arrive to Alberobello, the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, thanks to its 1,500 trulli, limestone dwellings giving well preserved examples of this architectural form and mostly found in the quarters of Rione Monti and Aja Piccola. Overnight
Day 4: The surroundings of Alberobello (45 km). Today you will spend the day discovering the Valle d’Itria. Leaving Alberobello the first stop is Martina Franca, not to be missed as it is the largest town in the area would not be complete without a visit to Martina Franca, the largest town in the area and the commercial centre of the area. Less touristy than Alberobello, it has retained its own particular charm. The old town is surrounded by stone walls with baroque gateways, leading to the main square. You can visit the Ducal Palace or taste the famous capocollo of Martina Franca, a Slow Food Presidium. Leaving behind Martina Franca you will find yourself back in the gently undulating countryside, heading towards the ‘Pomona’ botanical conservatory: a real biodiversity sanctuary where they have hundreds of fruit trees from all over the Mediterranean (including an amazing collection of more than 400 varieties of figs). Next stop is Locorotondo, which has been nominated one of the ‘most beautiful villages in Italy’, charming for its architecture and famous for its slightly sparkling white wine. Walking through the picturesque old town you can admire the architecture of the ‘cummerse’: the rectangular buildings with sloping roofs made of chiancarelle. Leaving Locorotondo,you will cross vineyards dotted with trulli, as you return back to Alberobello. Overnight
Day 5: From Alberobello to Avetrana (80 km). This segment is the longest section of the trip to reach Avetrana. You will cross the border between the Valle d’Itria and Salento. The change in landscape will quite noticeable. Passing by Martina Franca, you’ll travel along a short section of the ‘Aqueduct Cycleway’, a path along the aqueduct of Puglia (which brings water from Campania all the way down to Salento). You will continue on to Ceglie Messapica, a city known for its bread. You must try this bread found in some of the older bakeries of the city located in the old town. You will reach Francavilla Fontana and we suggest you stop for a quick visit the Basilica Minore of the Holy Rosary and Argentina Palace. Next stop is Oria, ‘city of witches’. Leaving Oria, and yu will pass by Erichie and you will arrive for your overnight in the countryside near Avetrana staying in an Agriturismo (farm) or B&B. Overnight
Day 6: The surroundings of Avetrana (45 km). Today travel around the surroundings of Avetrana. Head towards the sea, the long seaside coast which is borded by the dunes of Torre Colimena, where you will have the chance to visit the Salina dei Monaci. Here ideal spot for birdwatching. Cycling along the coast heading north, you will reach San Pietro in Bevagna, with a crystalline sandy beach (totally deserted in the spring and autumn )where you can sunbathe and swim in the emerald waters of the Ionian Sea. From San Pietro in Bevagna you’ll head to Manduria where you can visit an ancient archaeological site of the Messapica era and the Primitivo Museum (primitivo red wine with high alcohol content). You’ll return to Avetrana in the afternoon. Overnight
Day 7: From Avetrana to Lecce (60 km). On this final day, you’ll head towards the ‘Florence of the South’: the city of Lecce. Along the way, you pass through the fascinating ghost town of Monteruga, founded in the 1920s and completely abandoned in the 1980s. This is the area of ‘Salice Salentino’, whose vineyards produce a DOCG wine very popular around the world. You’ll go through a few small villages where, all year round, you’ll find the squares filled with elderly residents, hats pulled down against the sun, discussing politics and agriculture, and it seems that time has stood still. Later in the afternoon you’ll reach your destination, the City of Lecce. Time to Explore Lecce and return bikes. Overnight
Day 8: After breakfast time to say Arrivederci
Note: Supplement available: Private Transfer from accommodation to Bari or Brindisi Airport.
Availability Every Friday & Saturday March to July and August to October. Other dates on request
Included
Not Included
Dates & Rates On Request
The CAD ($) rate is indicative of Euro price and subject to change.
Price per person in CAD $ Dollars.