Puglia : Experience Italian South Cycling Tour

Welcome to the city of the Trulli.

We will meet at your first hotel among the Trulli of Alberobello, or we will welcome you at the airport if you have requested the transfer.

In front of a good glass of fresh Locorotondo DOC wine, we present to you in detail the tour that awaits you. After helping you with the assembly of the bike, we leave you to discover this unique village.

Alberobello is known all over the world for its Trulli, characteristic cone-shaped rural houses, built without cement mortar with the tholos technique, plastered with very white lime. Born for practical and economic needs, today they represent a symbol and a wealth for the territory, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. And it will be an ancient Trullo to host you for the night.

Overnight stay: Alberobello

Today a beautiful route awaits you among gentle slopes, vineyards, and fields, dotted with Trulli that rise towards the blue sky. Once in Ostuni, we leave the Valle d’Itria and the Murge behind us, to enter the Salento plain, the southernmost area of Puglia.

You will cross the villages of Locorotondo and Cisternino, ending the day in Ostuni. All three of these villages are known for their whitewashed houses, which make them glow blindingly in the sun.

Locorotondo is one of the jewels of the Itria Valley, perched on a small hill, it can be seen from afar for its characteristic circular shape and for the houses with the typical pitched roofs covered in stone, called “cummerse”. Here you can taste a refined white wine, which holds one of the first DOC of Puglia, the Locorotondo DOC wine, characterized by freshness and liveliness, which stands out in the panorama of Puglia wines, a region dominated by red wines with a rustic character.

In Cisternino you will not find the monumental churches of Ostuni or the perfect Trulli of Alberobello and not even the elegant “cummerse” of Locorotondo. Yet it will seduce you for its simplicity of an authentic rural village, where you can get lost in the alleys and squares.

Ostuni is a wonderful village, which shines in pure white, perched on three hills, which dominate the valley. At the top of the town stands the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria dell’Assumption, a splendid example of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, which deserves a brief stop in front of the majestic facade, characterized by three portals, surmounted by three rose windows, of which the central one is a beautiful example of medieval symbolism.

Overnight stay: Ostuni

In the realm of Primitivo di Manduria wine.

Today a beautiful route awaits you among gentle slopes, vineyards, and fields, dotted with Trulli that rise towards the blue sky. Once in Ostuni, we leave the Valle d’Itria and the Murge behind us, to enter the Salento plain, the southernmost area of Puglia.

Ostuni (known as the White City) is a wonderful village, which shines in pure white, perched on three hills, which dominate the valley. At the top of the town stands the Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria dell’Assumption, a splendid example of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, which deserves a brief stop in front of the majestic facade, characterized by three portals, surmounted by three rose windows, of which the central one is a beautiful example of medieval symbolism.

Today’s stage ends in Manduria, among the vineyards of Primitivo Salentino, the older brother of the Californian Zinfandel. Here you cannot fail to visit the museum housed in the “Produttori di Manduria” cellar and to taste a good glass of Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale DOCG.

Overnight stay: Manduria

Along the beautiful Ionian coast.

Today we go to the sea, to the beautiful sea of Salento. After leaving the Manduria vineyards you head towards the coast of Porto Cesareo, which is home to long beaches and a Marine Protected Area of over 16,000 hectares (41,000 acres). The coast has some cliffs, lagoons, and many beaches, among which the Lido Degli Angeli stands out, characterized by a lush dune system. The stage continues along a never demanding path, until you reach the seaside village of Gallipoli, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful in all of Salento.

Gallipoli is an ancient settlement of Greek origin (Kali Polis), which later became an important Roman military centre, subsequently the main hub in the Mediterranean for the oil trade for lamps. Today it’s a renowned tourist destination, but its historic centre retains the fascinating urban layout of the Bourbon era, with high bastions overlooking the sea that enclose elegant palaces, narrow houses, and richly finished churches. Here you will find excellent restaurants where you can delight yourself with a dinner based on freshly caught fish.

Overnight stay: Gallipoli

Puglia’s Southernmost point.

We leave the ramparts on the sea of Gallipoli and continue further south, along the Ionian coast of Salento, until we reach Punta Ristola, in Santa Maria di Leuca, the southernmost point of the heel of the Italian boot. From here you can enjoy a wonderful view of the port of Santa Maria di Leuca and Punta Melisso, where stands the Sanctuary of S.M. de Finibus Terrae.

The name “Finibus terrae” was given to this place by the Romans, precisely to symbolize the meaning of the last strip of land. It seems that it has always been a sacred place, on which stood a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva, who according to legend gave the olive tree to Salento.

Legend also has it that the apostle Peter, who landed on the coasts of Leuca, began his preaching throughout the Western world from here. The appearance of the apostle shattered the pagan temple, and in his place, he planted a cross. Exactly there the sanctuary was built, which underwent various attacks and reconstructions. The last was that of the eighteenth century, which endowed it with defensive walls and the large square overlooking the sea that we see today.

But Leuca is also, and above all, a famous seaside destination, so save a part of the afternoon to put on your bathing suit and dive into the crystal clear waters of one of its beautiful beaches.

Overnight stay: Santa Maria di Leuca

A wonderful coastal road overlooking the Balkans.

Your route from the far south turns north, along a stunning stretch of road that follows the sinuous coast, which takes us through suggestive places, such as the Ciolo canyon, the hidden bay of Acquaviva, the village of Castro, and Santa Cesarea Terme, the perfect place for a lunch stop. As soon as you leave Santa Cesarea Terme, the road still continues along the coast, and faces its best stretch proceeds, going gently up and down for about 30km. You pass by the suggestive Palascìa lighthouse, which is the easternmost point of Italy, from where on clear days the gaze reaches the Balkan mountains. At this point, a few kilometres separate you from the beautiful Otranto, the ancient Greek Ydrous, the arrival point of today’s stage.

Otranto is a small seaside town historically considered a bridge between the east and the west of the Mediterranean, whose ancient village is enclosed by the defensive walls. The geographical position has always represented both an opportunity and a threat to the city, in fact, it has often been the scene of invasions and clashes due to its being a strategic commercial centre. In addition to a stop on the promenade, we suggest you visit the Norman Cathedral, which preserves the largest and most complex paved mosaic in southern Italy, and which tells in images all the knowledge of that time.

Overnight stay: Otranto

The way to the Salento capital.

Leaving the easternmost city of Italy, the itinerary continues along the coast to the north. Just before the village of Roca Vecchia is the complex of underground caves, known as La Grotta del Poeta. Here there is a beautiful natural swimming pool that we suggest you visit with a short detour.

Then we meet the WWF oasis “Le Cesine”: the last piece of coastal marsh that once extended over Brindisi. Once considered unhealthy and dangerous, today it is an area of high naturalistic value, where the complex biodiversity typical of the Mediterranean habitat develops.

Now it’s time to reach Lecce, the capital of Baroque architecture, for which we ask you to reserve at least a few hours. Leave your bike and lose yourself in its historic centre, which will surprise you with a harmonious Baroque style. Many of the most famous stonecutters between 1600 and 1700 came here to work it and decorate the facades of buildings and churches that are still intact today.

Overnight stay: Lecce

Ciao Ciao Puglia!

After breakfast, our services end if you have booked a transfer out with us, our driver will pick it up for you at your hotel. Depending on your departure timing, we suggest you visit more of this beautiful town, the archaeological Museum Faggiano is a really nice one.

Now it’s time to say goodbye, we really hope to host you again in our Mediterranean. Arrivederci!