Puglia, the Heart of the Mediterranean

This self-guided hotel-to-hotel tour explores Puglia, the south-eastern tip of Italy, riding through the unique countryside between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. As well as the scenery, riders experience the warmth and hospitality of southern Italy in a region rich in culture, where Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Normans, Habsburgs and Bourbons have all left their mark. Travelling outside the main season means the mostly flat, sealed roads are largely free of traffic.

The tour starts in Alberobello, famous for its UNESCO-listed trulli stone houses, then crosses the Valle d'Itria, one of the south's prettiest cultural landscapes, with a wine-tasting stop in Locorotondo before reaching Ostuni, the "white town" with sweeping sea views. Olive groves, vineyards and orchards lead to Avetrana on the ancient Via Appia, before the route heads for the Ionian coast past old defence towers and Porto Cesareo to Gallipoli, whose old town sits on a rocky island jutting into the sea. From there riders reach Santa Maria di Leuca, the southernmost point of Salento, known for its pilgrimage church and eccentric turn-of-the-century villas.

The final stages follow the Adriatic coast past the Zinzulusa Cave and the spa town of Santa Cesarea Terme to walled Otranto, with its Habsburg castle, before continuing via the limestone cliffs of Torre dell'Orso to Lecce, the baroque capital of the south, with around 30 churches and a Roman amphitheatre. Nights are in 3 and 4-star hotels or agriturismo farms, with luggage transferred daily.

Highlights:

• Alberobello's UNESCO-listed trulli stone houses
• Valle d'Itria, wine tasting in Locorotondo and the white town of Ostuni
• Gallipoli's island old town on the Ionian coast
• Santa Maria di Leuca, the southernmost point of Salento
• Otranto's Romanesque cathedral mosaic and castle, with the Zinzulusa Cave en route
• Baroque Lecce, with its Roman amphitheatre and theatr

Surface and terrain:
Mostly flat, sealed roads with a few gentle ascents and descents. Traffic is light outside the main season. Daily ascent is 100 to 265 m, except Day 6 along the Adriatic coast (approx. 600 m). A longer Day 2 option via Martina Franca is available.

Weather: Expect typically mild to warm Mediterranean spring and autumn conditions.

Suitable for:
Leisure riders comfortable with 35 to 60 km days on mostly flat roads. Rated Easy by the operator; minimum age 14.