The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Puglia (Italy) Land of History, Scenery, Beaches - Sec 1

October 4th to October 17th

Ride Coordinator: Alma Worthington
Report by: Ernie Coose

Our tour crisscrossed the very historic but lesser-known heel of the Italian boot.

We started in the UNESCO city of Matera. Its highlight is a warren of cave dwellings thought to be the third-oldest city in the world. Its caves have been occupied from cave-man times, literally, up until the 1950’s. On our guided walking tour, we were very surprised to see what civilized residents could do with caves over a few thousand years.

As we moved through Puglia, we saw evidence of many ancient and medieval settlements. Some of the most unique artifacts were the stone, cone-shaped ‘trulli’ houses that are only found in northern Puglia. This part of Italy has a long history of attacks and occupation by Greeks, Romans, Saracens, and pretty much everyone else moving about in the ancient world. Conflict and defense were evidenced by many imposing forts of various types. We spent two days in Lecce, the second biggest city in southern Italy, which gave us time for guided and ad hoc walking tours of its many churches and baroque-era architecture.

We cycled through miles of farm country, with ancient twisted olive trees, groves of almond trees, and fields of healthy-looking green stuff (I’m no farmer.) We also skirted miles of sandy beaches. Some riders took swim breaks along the way, as the water is warm enough even in October.

The cycling was relaxed, as there are no mountains in this part of Italy. The most scenic ride was down the east coast, from Otranto to Santa Maria de Leuca, at the very tip of the heel. There were many postcard-worthy views from the cliff-top road onto the rocky Adriatic shoreline below. That was the longest and hilliest ride of the tour, and an optional one, so future riders don’t skip it. We also rode the west coast road up to Gallipoli, with views of Ionian Sea beaches all the way.

Roads were mostly quiet and well-paved with slight grades. Some roads had patched sections that were not the most comfortable for hard and skinny road tires. Routes pass through or end in various towns and small cities. Narrow streets and traffic tested our cycling skills a bit, but these were short stretches.

Our tour was led by Giovanni Rammacioni of Hike & Bike Italy, with assist from Tony Boyd and our BAC coordinator Alma Worthington. Tour organization was great. Giovanni shared his deep local knowledge on everything from history to olive oil production in a prepared talk every evening. He and Tony were always available and glad to help in every way that was asked of them. The GPS routes were flawless. The hotels were well-chosen, in the best locations and each with local color. Our luggage was there when we arrived. Thanks to the team for a wonderful tour.