Italy: Puglia Biking & E-Biking Adventure

DAY 1

Welcome to the “heel” of Italy’s “boot”! Our adventure starts after lunch, allowing you to arrive in Puglia this morning or the day before (which we highly recommend). We meet you in the town of Conversano near Bari, the main transit center of Puglia.  You can choose to arrive the night before and stay in the same hotel where we’ll be the first night of the tour, take the train from Rome to Bari that morning, or take a connecting flight to Bari from your overseas flight.  From Bari, you’ll need to arrange a quick and inexpensive transfer or train to Conversano.  After introductions to each other and our bikes and an explanation of the week that lies ahead, you can choose to do one or two introductory loop rides in the Conversano countryside. One visits six small lakes and an old abandoned masseria while the other winds through nearby olive groves. Dinner is at our hotel in the center of this medieval town; you’ll get your first real taste of Puglian cuisine and wine.
Biking Distance: 24 or 39 kilometers

DAY 2

We depart on our bikes this morning for the heart of the Itria Valley, famous for its extensive olive groves and vineyards.  En route, we stop at the Grotte di Castellana, one of the largest and most impressive limestone caves in Italy. We’ll then arrive in time for lunch in the town of Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its thousands of whitewashed stone trulli serving as homes and shops.  Trulli are made of the local stones in conical formations, possibly created years ago to avoid taxation on permanent structures, but also certainly to give a purpose to the many stones removed from nearby fields.  Our lodging for the night will be at a four-star luxury resort in a small village made from original trulli structures, where you can relax at the pool or play a game of bocce before dinner.
Biking Distance: 35, 45, or 48 kilometers

DAY 3

We bike to another famous town in the area, Locorotondo, known for its circular shape. The ancient streets wind with no apparent order and on the edge of town you’ll be rewarded with beautiful views of the entire valley. The short route then heads down from the plateau we have been on since the beginning, across the flat olive tree-filled plains, to our converted farmhouse (yet luxurious) lodging. The medium route adds an extension to the hilltop town of Cisternino, a beautiful old town with whitewashed buildings and incredible views.  The long route adds an extra loop to the town of Martina Franca, with its classy boulevards and pedestrian streets. For lunch, we’ll suggest an out-of-the-way restaurant that looks innocuous on the outside but is filled with dozens of locals dining on the inside. All the routes are excellent, and you’ll be rewarded with an outdoor swimming pool and a home-cooked Italian meal by our host Concetta tonight.
Biking Distance: 30, 44, or 54 kilometers

DAY 4

You don’t have to pack up this morning, as we’ll do a loop ride today and return for a second night at our masseria. This will be some of the best riding of the week, as we’ll cycle through groves of mammoth olive trees on the Via Traiana bike path. The Via Traiana was the Roman road connecting Rome with Brindisi, and it is now a series of connected small roads signposted for biking.  After the Via Traiana, we’ll continue on to Ostuni, an architectural gem known as the “white town” because of its whitewashed walls.  Established by the Messapii, hundreds of years BC, the town was later conquered by the Greeks and, consequently, seems more Greek than Italian. It’s a perfect place for lunch!  In the afternoon, the medium route continues back to our countryside abode; the long route includes an extra loop out to a seaside town.  This evening you can choose to participate in a cooking class at a nearby restaurant run by three brothers and /or simply delight in the results of your fellow cooks!
Biking Distance: 27, 40, and 69 kilometers

DAY 5

After a morning visit to a sheep farm for a tasting of fresh cheese, we begin our biking. Unless you do the long route on this day, the biking is almost entirely flat. We’ll head to the coast and cycle through the small fishing village of Savelletri, where you’ll see a harbor full of colorful boats in the aquamarine sea.  We’ll then head along the coastal road to the Roman ruins in the town of Egnazia, which has an impressive wall and an underground cellar among the widespread remains.  After a visit, we continue along the coast to the busy port of Monòpoli, an ancient Greek city that has a walled fortress overlooking the water.  Monòpoli achieved its pinnacle of fame during the Crusades as the launching point for boats to the Promised Land.  The short route ends here while the medium and long routes continue to our hotel in Polignano a Mare, another ancient Greek town that is impressively built on a small cliff overlooking the ocean. Tonight’s dinner is a feast – we actually had to tell the restaurant to cut down on the food on past tours!
Biking Distance: 29, 39, or 55 kilometers

DAY 6

Our final morning has us continuing up the coast to the small village of San Vito, which boasts an old fortress and a quiet seaside location, and — if you like — further to the village of Cozze.  Finally, we’ll return to our hotel to shower, before packing up and heading our separate ways. You will then be free to catch the train to Bari (only 30 minutes away) and from there to your destinations beyond.
Biking Distance: 19 or 30 kilometers