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The Heel of Italy: Puglia 2025

September 29th to October 13th

Ride Coordinator: Kate Gordon
Report by: Deborah Huntington

Thoughts on the Italy trip

Start with stone. Add water, wind and lots of bread. These were the elements we experienced in this southern Italian region. Puglia, the rockiest area we’d ever seen: omnipresent ancient stone walls lining our rides along narrow farm roads amidst olive groves and vineyards; old polished limestone pavers under our bike tires in the maze of alleys making up the historic districts of the towns; hand-excavated rock sassi caves carved into the hills of Matera, which have sheltered inhabitants for more than 7000 years; the resilient, round Trulli dwellings, constructed of field rock walls and roofs; even the limestone brick ceilings of the old farm houses and restaurants we sat under nightly.

Puglia in mid-fall offers sunny skies with warm days and cool nights. For our first week we also met a lingering weather system of steady 25-30 mph winds, with gusts much higher. We were buffeted about on every ride, but there were great days, as when we rode a 54-mile tailwind to our downwind destination. One day all riding was cancelled due to torrential rain and wind, and we scrambled to move ourselves and our bikes 30 miles to our next destination. Thankfully, our second week brought fairer conditions.

Some of our most beautiful riding was alongside the astonishingly blue Adriatic and Ionian seas. We crisscrossed the “stiletto heel” of the Italian boot, staying in Matera, Locorotonda, and Polignano before arriving at the sumptuous inland agritourism farms of San Martino and Tenuta Moreno; then on to the western coastal town of Gallipoli, around the southern heel to Otranto, and finishing in the bustling old city of Lecce.  Each town offered well-preserved historic areas with intriguing back alleys of specialty stores, small restaurants, and – of course - gelaterias. And at numerous stops, we enjoyed over-the-top group dinners, with bountiful arrays of local vegetable dishes, fresh-caught fish, pasta specialties, semolina and sourdough breads…and too many courses!

The tour organizer (Hike and Bike Italy) and our personable guides Giovanni and Federico built in some special cultural experiences: a lively regional music performance our first night; demonstrations on making mozzarella cheese and focaccia; and discussions of the olive oil industry for which Puglia is known. Ride Director Kate Gordon provided calm, steady leadership which helped limit the unfortunate COVID outbreak to just two related individuals, and she injected fun “prompts” for our Happy Hour discussions.

Everyone agreed it was a terrific trip, and we are grateful for all who made it possible.