Puglia: Cycle The Heel Of Italy - Self Guided Cycling Holiday

Cycle from the white-coned trulli of Alberobello along an idyllic coastline to Lecce

In the heart of the Mediterranean lies Puglia, a unique landscape sandwiched between the Adriatic and Ionian seas.

New to 2012 our amended itinerary explores the very best of this captivating region and begins by cycling through two towns that both possess UNESCO world heritage sites. Matera’s fascinating ‘Sassi’ houses hewn out of the rock and the 'Trulli di Alberobello', still standing after 5,000 years, set the scene for the journey to come. After passing through the stunning 'white city' of Ostuni, a charming example of Mediterranean architecture, the route veers towards the idyllic Ionian coastline. Known as the 'Ionian Pearl', we will pass through the town of Gallipoli, with its 16th Century castle perched on a limestone island.

The remainder of the journey takes us to the meeting point of the Adriatic and Ionian seas at the most southerly point of the region, Santa Maria di Leuca, and continues through a charming coastal landscape to the Messapian town of Otranto. The route then passes through olive orchards and limestone cliffs to Lecce, the capital of Salento, known for its impressive amphitheatre and countless churches and palaces.

Itinerary

[detailed itinerary...]

Countries visited: Italy

Day 1

Start Matera. Make your own way from Bari or Brindisi to Matera by train.

Day 2

Ride through the historic 'Sassi' houses of Matera before heading to the town and commune of Alberobello.

Day 3

Cycle through the lush Valle d'Itria and one of the prettiest cultural landscapes of the south, past the picturesque fairy-tale trulli houses to Ostuni - offering breathtaking coastal views.

Day 4

A train transfer takes you to Lecce; cycling through the 'salentinian countryside' the route then heads to beautiful Gallipoli on the Ionian coast with its old town situated on a rocky island.

Day 5

Today you reach the most southerly point of Salento at Santa Maria di Leuca, home to one of the most important lighthouses in Italy and the architecural delights of numerous villas built at the turn of the century.

Day 6

Follow the south coast of the Adriatic Sea through charming landscape to the ancient town of Otranto.

Day 7

Continue along the shoreline through innumerable olive groves to the Baroque metropolis of Lecce.

Day 8

End Lecce.

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Images from PUGLIA: CYCLE THE HEEL OF ITALY

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Andy Buswell cycling past trulli, Alberobello

Cyclist by Trulli