Bike Basilicata

You first will climb Montescaglioso (with its XII century Benedictine Abbey) then reach the medieval hamlet of Miglionico.

Here you can visit the magnificent Castello del Malconsiglio and the “Mother Church”.

Continue to Grottole and Grassano then back to Matera cycling along the San Giuliano lake, nature reserve and wildlife oasis.

This is one of the many solutions we offer for road bikers.

Highlights

• Abbey Of Montescaglioso
• Miglionico And The Malconsiglio Castle
• Grottole, The Mother Church And The Castle
• Grassano, Palazzo Materi
• Lake Of San Giuliano

This Apulian city is famous for its magnificent Cathedral and its bread.

Do not miss a ride in the alleys of the historical center, under the bell tower of the Cathedral, and taste the delicious Altamura focaccia, freshly baked by an old wood-burning oven.

Back to Matera crossing gorgeous pastures and landscapes.

Highlights

• The Cathedral Of Altamura
• The Focaccia Bread
• The Ice Cream Drowned

An easy ride to the coast. Following the Bradano river, you can go up to Montescaglioso and visit the Benedictine Abbey or continue pedaling downstream until you reach the Greek ruins with the Temple of Hera, known as Tavole Palatine.

Arrival at the beach for an aperitif and a swim in the waters of the Ionian Sea.

Do not miss the very rich Archaeological Museum.

Highlights

• The Abbey Of Montescaglioso
• The Hera Temple
• The Metaponto Beach

You will visit Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino and Martina Franca.

A picnic under an oak tree, an aperitif with a view of the valley, a wine tasting in a cellar, will make your ride a perfect experience.

Highlights

• The Trulloes Of Alberobello
• Locorotondo
• The Alleys Of Cisternino
• The Baroque Of Martina Franca

This guided tour will take you amongst the rolling hills around Matera.

You will cycle quiet roads around the San Giuliano Lake, a peaceful natural oasis, the main destination of many migratory birds from Africa.

You can also extend the tour booking a visit to the amazing Crypt of the Original Sin, a rock church with frescoes dated IX century.

For its beauty and historical importance, this crypt is also known as “the Sistine Chapel of rupestrian art”. We offer this tour in MTB or hybrid bikes.

After staying in the “Sassi”, the old district of Matera completely carved out into the rock, you will reach the Itria Valley, a karstic land also called the Valley of the Trulloes, typical and unique conical drywall houses still in use in Apulia/Puglia.

Back to Basilicata in the Bradano valley, you will cycle rolling hills through an explosion of colours, olive groves and ancient farmhouses.

Local culture, traditions and genuine food will fascinate you and give you an unforgettable atmosphere of this corner of Southern Italy.

Highlights

• The Sassi of Matera
• The Trulloes and the Itria Valley
• The Land of Ravines
• The Bradano Valley

Castles and Wines is a self-guided hotel-to-hotel tour from Trani on the Adriatic coast to Matera, crossing imperial Puglia and eastern Basilicata. It is an off-the-beaten-track route of medieval castles, vineyards and local wines, with five riding days of 40 to 73 km and a free day with an optional loop.

From Trani's Romanesque cathedral, the route crosses olive groves to Castel del Monte, Frederick II's octagonal castle, then enters Basilicata at Venosa, birthplace of the Latin poet Horace. Two nights here allow a loop through the Vulture to Melfi's Norman castle, chestnut woods and the Aglianico wine cellars of Barile and Ginestra.

The route then follows the quiet Bradano Valley through hilltop villages, skirts Lake San Giuliano and arrives in the Sassi of Matera, finishing with a loop to Montescaglioso's 11th-century Benedictine abbey. Nights are in 3 and 4-star hotels and a farmhouse.

Highlights

• Trani cathedral and Castel del Monte
• Roman ruins in Venosa and the unfinished "Incompiuta" church
• Melfi's Norman castle and museum
• Hills and vineyards around Venosa
• Castel del Monte, Aglianico and Primitivo wines
• The Sassi of Matera

Surface and Terrain
Sealed country roads through olive groves, vineyards and river valleys, on rolling hills with short slopes. Stages of 40 to 73 km; the optional 45 km Vulture loop is moderate to challenging, with a lighter 30 km loop also offered.

Weather
Mediterranean climate with warm, dry days in spring and autumn. Summers are hot, while the inland Vulture hills can be cooler and occasionally wet early and late in the season.

Suitable for
Riders comfortable with 40 to 73 km days on rolling hills, plus an optional harder loop. Rated Moderate by the operator. Ideal for wine lovers and history enthusiasts seeking quieter routes.

This 7-day hotel-to-hotel tour crosses Basilicata from the Sassi of Matera to Maratea, linking the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. Self-guided, or guided on set dates, it has five riding days of 48 to 85 km that build from easy stages to long climbs, and suits road bikes, gravel bikes and e-bikes.

Leaving the Murgia plateau, the route enters the Lucanian countryside and the Calanchi, vast clay badlands with lunar-like ridges, before a night in a masseria. It then descends to the Ionian coast at Policoro, the ancient Greek colony of Heraclea, for a night by the sea.

From the coast the route climbs into Pollino National Park, Italy's largest, with a strenuous 10 km climb to Terranova, then threads woods and small villages to San Severino Lucano and Viggianello. The last day follows a former railway cycle path from Rotonda to Lago Sirino and the Noce Valley down to Maratea's rocky coast.

Highlights

• The Sassi of Matera
• The Calanchi badlands
• The sandy Ionian beaches and Policoro's archaeological museum
• The woods and silence of Pollino National Park
• The cycle path from Rotonda to Lago Sirino
• The rocky coast of Maratea

Surface and Terrain
Sealed hilly and mountainous roads of increasing difficulty, including a strenuous 10 km climb on day 4 and a challenging stage on day 5. A short section follows a cycle path on a former railway. Stages of 48 to 85 km take 4 to 8 hours.

Weather
Mediterranean on the coasts, cooler and more changeable in the Pollino mountains, where early-season mornings can be fresh. Late spring and early autumn are best; mid-summer is hot on the lower stages.

Suitable for
Fit, experienced riders comfortable with 48 to 85 km days and long climbs over five consecutive days. Rated Moderate to Challenging by the operator. E-bikes suit those wanting help on the climbs.

Grande Puglia is a 13-day cycling tour, self-guided or guided, that crosses the length of Puglia, starting in the seaside town of Trani and finishing in Lecce, the Baroque gem of the south. Along the way you ride through olive groves, the grasslands of the Alta Murgia and quiet back roads where time seems to stand still, slowly learning the region's history and tasting its celebrated food.

Early stages take in Castel del Monte, Gravina in Puglia and Altamura before reaching the Sassi of Matera, where a rest day allows a guided walk or one of two optional loop rides. The route then heads to the trulli of Alberobello, white-washed Ostuni and the masserie of the interior, before following the Ionian coast via Gallipoli to Santa Maria di Leuca, the heel of the boot, and the rugged eastern coast at Otranto. Accommodation is in 4-star hotels and farm stays.

Highlights

• Castel del Monte, Frederick II's UNESCO-listed medieval castle
• The Sassi of Matera, with a rest day to explore the cave town
• Altamura's famous bread and the trulli of Alberobello
• Ostuni "the White Town" and Oria's 13th-century castle
• The Ionian coast from Gallipoli to Santa Maria di Leuca, the heel of the boot
• Otranto's Romanesque mosaic and Baroque Lecce

Surface and Terrain
Mostly quiet sealed country roads and lanes through olive groves, Murgia grasslands and coastal stretches. Easy rolling hills with short climbs, a few moderate climbs around Matera and Otranto, flattening out through Salento.

Weather
Mediterranean climate. Ideal in spring and pleasant in autumn, with mild to warm days and little rain. Not recommended in mid-summer, when heat can be intense.

Suitable for
Riders of reasonable fitness comfortable with 40-69 km days over consecutive days, with time to explore. Suits those interested in history, UNESCO sites and regional food. E-bikes available for extra help on the hills.

This is Bike Basilicata's classic, easiest and best-selling tour: a self-guided hotel-to-hotel ride from the Sassi of Matera in Basilicata to the Baroque city of Lecce in Puglia. Over six riding days of 45 to 70 km on easy, rolling terrain, it crosses the Murgia plateau, the Itria Valley and both coasts of the Salento peninsula.

After a briefing and bike delivery in Matera, the route heads via Gioia del Colle and Noci to Alberobello for a night in a trullo or restored farmhouse, then through Locorotondo and Cisternino to Ostuni, the White Town. Quiet country lanes lead south to Francavilla Fontana, Oria's 13th-century castle and a night in a masseria.

The final stages skirt the Ionian coast past Porto Selvaggio to Gallipoli, cross to the cliffs and small bays of Otranto, and finish in Lecce with its puccia and pasticciotto. A guided version also runs on set dates.

Highlights

• The Sassi of Matera
• The trulli of Alberobello
• Ostuni, the White Town
• Gallipoli, the "Beautiful City"
• Otranto, the gate to the East
• Lecce, the Baroque gem

Surface and Terrain
Quiet country lanes and secondary roads on easy, rolling hills, with coastal stretches through Salento. Stages of 45 to 70 km take 3 to 6 hours.

Weather
Mediterranean climate. Ideal in spring and pleasant in autumn, with mild to warm days. Not recommended in August, when heat can be intense.

Suitable for
Riders comfortable with 45 to 70 km days on easy, rolling terrain over six riding days. Rated Easy to Moderate by the operator; a good first multi-day tour.