Looking for an authentic Italian cycling experience on many roads less travelled? We found a great option in the Apulia region, deep in the heel of Italy’s boot! Read on to discover why we fell in love with this area……
Why and How?
Let’s be very transparent, this portion of our trip was spontaneous…..First note – Paul has a vision of us doing a cycling trip across the entire sole of the Italian boot. For this, however, he’s calculated we’ll need approximately 6 weeks, and much more preparation than just a “whim”. But, what the heck? We were pretty confident we could make this little jaunt work…..at least we were willing to give it our best shot!
In September of 2022 we were travelling in Croatia, our return flights to Canada were booked from Rome in mid October. As the weather in Croatia became cold and rainy, we made a game-time decision to cross the Adriatic on an overnight ferry to the port city of Bari, Italy. There are many ferry options. We selected to book a cabin, which was literally a set up bunk beds in a small closet. At least we had the opportunity to sleep for a while. It was a great experience, simple and fun!
Lecce
We’d read alot about Lecce (“Florence of the south”) and decided to head there. As I researched accommodations in the old town, Paul was earnestly investigating cycling routes and bike rental shops. There are numerous cycling tour companies offering trips in Apulia for all levels of cyclists, guided and self-guided, e-bike and traditional bikes. Paul felt confident that if we found a great rental shop we could follow a rough route set out by the tour companies and create our own adventure. Shockingly, that’s how we rolled!
Using the beautiful city of Lecce as our starting point, we spent a few days touring Lecce and planning our trip. What a city! With many ancient Roman ruins adorning the heart of downtown, the cobblestoned streets and narrow alleyways, it’s magical. A smaller scale Florence but very safe and quiet in comparison. We could have spent much more time roaming the city. A walking tour was perfect to learn much of the history and see ancient structures. A site we found extremely fascinating was the excavated Roman amphitheater directly under the centre of today’s downtown core. What a well preserved treasure!
Our Route
Preparations for the cycling trip
To Sherilyn, we seemed woefully unprepared! With only one pair of biking shorts and one cycling top each, we then purchased a couple more pieces of attire in Lecce. In retrospect, however, it’s amazing how little you actually need when travelling by bike in beautiful Mediterranean weather.
Paul connected with a local bike shop with stellar online reviews, Velo Service Lecce. We spent time with them to ensure they had the rental equipment we needed (suitable touring bikes and panniers to carry our belongings) then returned the next day and began the departure process.
Velo’s mechanic spent loads of time with us sizing and adjusting the bikes to our bodies and our intended loads. We packed our minimal belongings in the rented panniers on our bikes and left all of our luggage in a locked storage room at the bike shop. This was a journey of trust, in so many ways! A few of the fears we faced were that we may or may not ever see our luggage again, Sherilyn might not be able to make it up some of the hills (!), and, quite frankly, the whole idea of a “Paul Walker Italian cycling tour” might be ridiculous!
A few hours later we were ready to hit the road! Our journey lasted one week and covered 411km of beautiful Apulia. Our travels were up close and personal through whitewashed hill towns, centuries-old olive groves, vineyards and stunning coastline. It worked! We loved it! Here are a few details to inspire you:
The Journey
Riding out of the downtown core of Lecce proved to be one of our biggest challenges of the entire journey! Juggling heavily-laden bikes, unknown roads and avoiding Italian drivers was a bit of a feat. Thankfully it’s not a huge city and before we knew it we were on country roads and settling into a comfortable, peaceful rhythm.
Navigation
Our plan was to average 50-65 km of riding per day. We chose our daily destination by finding towns located around that distance and booked lodging accordingly for the next day. Our go-to site is Booking.com. This “last minute” way of travelling worked beautifully for us due to the time of year we visited the area (late September-early October). As we discovered, this southernmost region of the heel is a favourite area for Italians to vacation, it is the road less travelled by tourists and was nearing the end of their summer season. We definitely lucked out!
Accommodation tip: A major consideration while travelling on bikes was always ensuring appropriate, secure bike storage. A quick email to the property via the Booking.com communication channels was a great way to assure us, as well as letting them know we would be arriving and in need of bike storage space.
How the heck did we find our way? Thank goodness for Google Maps! Our routing was mapped via the “bike” route on Google Maps but we often veered off the main roads in search of secondary roads. These were usually current or former agricultural routes which are now seldom used by cars except for locals and farm vehicles. Most of them were spectacular! As we rode up the middle of the heel we travelled through vineyards, olive groves (and more olive groves!), and livestock farms too. We even encountered herds of sheep unwilling to move or share the path with us. Our travels along the coastal areas were on the seafront roads and bike paths, which, due to the low season, were rarely busy with tourist vehicles. It was spectacular!
Navigation Tip: Although we did find our way using Google Maps on our iphones, we feel a Garmin product would have served us better for detailed navigation…..Next trip!
Highlights
Alberobello Trulli houses
Our original intent was to tour the very southern part of Italy’s heel. I (Sherilyn), however, became quite insistent about seeing the trulli village of Alberobello. Reluctantly, after warning me of the elevation difference and corresponding hill climbs required, Paul conceded and agreed we should not miss this beautiful area. Well, it was a challenging uphill couple of days to reach this picturesque area, but it was worth it!
Alberobello and the Itria Valley are home to whitewashed villages full of trulli houses, made of limestone with distinctive conical roofs. The village is a UNESCO protected site. It’s enchanting and unique. We even stayed overnight in a trulli house hotel, of which there are many. We chose the Resort La Corte Dell’Astore – Wild in Style Resort. It was located on the edge of town, but within walking distance to town for dinner. Definitely a peaceful experience in an authentic trulli house.
Dinner in town was absolutely delicious at an award winning restaurant we somehow stumbled upon, and highly recommend. Ristorante Il Poeta Contadino. Situated within the walls of an historic former mill, the atmosphere is lovely and the food and wine delectably Italian. It certainly felt well-deserved after a full day of challenging riding!
Beachfront towns
Following our Alberobello experience, we not only gained an enormous sense of satisfaction (the fact that we actually made it there!), but also loved the exhilaratingly long downhill ride to the seaside town of Taranto. At this time of year, the beach area was quiet and tranquil. Many shops had even closed for the season. For us, it was a perfect location for dinner at a beachfront pizzeria, watching the sunset and a good sleep!
Travelling along the Mediterranean coastline (which is actually the Ionian Sea at that point) in the hot September sun with scarce crowds and calm seas was an amazing journey. It was difficult to make progress at times because of the desire to stop so frequently for photos! This was compounded by the other desire to stop for leisurely Italian expressos, pastries or a glass of wine. The options were plentiful in every village we passed through!
Bottom of the heel – Santa Maria di Leuca
We eventually arrived at the bottom of the heel, in Santa Maria di Leuca, where the Ionian Sea meets the Med. Another beautiful town famous for its iconic lighthouse surrounded by stunningly blue waters and lovely beaches. The waterfront is dotted with cafes which we happily enjoyed for a while while savouring the views and another accomplishment!
Spectacular Day 7
On our seventh and final day of cycling, heading back up to Lecce, we were struggling through the middle of the heel. The roadway was somewhat busy, windy and uphill. On both sides of the roadway, however, were incredible Roman ruins. This stretched on for literally miles and kept our minds off the grind. Oh the sites we saw….really amazing!
Our favourite surprise of all
In trying to find some alternate routes we eventually ended up on very secondary roads and forested trails. Needless to say, one of us (Sherilyn) was not feeling terribly comfortable with this diversion! Suddenly the forest ended at a parking area next to a magical-looking Puglian farmhouse. What the heck was this? The enchanting atmosphere of the exterior patios were brought to life by colourful clusters of tomatoes and chilli peppers hanging from the ceilings and stone walls. We felt as if we’d entered a Disney movie set. It was surreal!
Having no idea where we were and what we’d stumbled upon, we tried to enter (really, we did!). Turns out we were at a destination restaurant called Masseria Le Stanzie. It was still morning, so they weren’t yet open but we were welcomed inside to view the historic interior and then offered delectable expressos and Italian biscuits. What hospitality! Reviews of this restaurant are outstanding, apparently reservations are required weeks in advance. We absolutely hope to return to Apulia one day and Le Stanzie is definitely on our to-do list!
Bike tripping tip: Our biggest lessons learned through this was “don’t add mileage onto your trip without adding more days”! The reality check for us was the hilly detour to Alberobello, followed later by unwanted headwinds. We should have built in a rest day (our bodies really would have enjoyed it), but just didn’t have the time.
Needless to say, we absolutely loved this adventure and can’t wait for another more extensive cycling trip.
Whether you might be considering riding or driving this part of Italy, the Apulia region is remarkable. Take your time and enjoy!
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