Italy – Puglia Bike Tour

This tour explores Puglia, a spectacular region in the south of Italy. Here the Ionian and Adriatic seas give us warm weather, blue-green crystal clear waters, and endless white sand beaches, while inland our easy cycling takes us past vast groves of gnarled olive trees, green pastures with sheep and goats, yellow fields of wheat, and Italy’s largest and most beautiful vineyards. There is a wonderful variety of towns and villages with their grand medieval houses, ancient cathedrals and fortresses, and wonderful small parks and narrow streets where around every corner you might find bits of Renaissance sculpture, tumbling flowers, and splashing fountains. And then there is the food! Pugliese food is delightfully simple, local, and often enjoyed with superb local wines. Enjoy freshly caught fish, the trademark orecchiette pasta, and local lamb, the centerpiece of many meals. And in Puglia the vegetables and cheeses have an almost cult status, so that even the simplest brushetta with arugula, homemade mozzarella and fresh tomatoes makes for a perfect Italian midday meal.

Our tour is a leisurely highlight reel of all these things that make Puglia so special. Each day combines perfect cycling (and daily additional options) with wonderful feasts, the very best accommodations, and visits to such places as Matera with its haunting sassi district; Alberobello with its comical trulli; Ostuni the iconic “white city”; the island “old town “ in Gallipoli; serene and beautiful Santa Maria di Leuca; historic Otranto overlooking the Adriatic; and Baroque and beautiful Lecce, the “Florence of the south.” You will not want this tour to ever end!

Days 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 are rated 'Easier to Intermediate'. Day 5 is rated 'Easier'.