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Porto Cesare Radfahrer Apulien

Apulia

Olive groves and azure sea

8 Days / 7 Nights
Medium
Porto Cesare Radfahrer Apulien

Apulia is a region in south-eastern Italy that includes the heel part of Italy’s boot, suspended between the Ionian and Adriatic Sea. The region is characterised by endless olive groves, long fields of grain and vineyards. You will start cycling in Alberobello, UNESCO world heritage site with its “trulli”, and arrive in Lecce, also known as “Florence of the South” because of its magnificent baroque architecture. This bike tour will lead you into a region of scenic beauty, which is, by today’s standards, still unspoiled by the unattractive aspects of tourism and still retains testimony of its great and ancient culture.

Apulia is the south-eastern part of Italy. Our cycle holiday starts in Alberobello and leads from Ostuni, Avetrana, Gallipoli, S. Maria di Leuca via Otranto to Lecce. There you can enjoy  ‘Bella Italia’ to the fullest and soak up the Italian zest for life. In addition to the delicious cuisine, the friendliness of the locals and the impressive architecture, one cultural highlight follows the next in this region.

  • The Trulli of Apulia: A UNESCO World Heritage Site awaits you as soon as you arrive in Alberobello: the well-known Trulli. The simple white farmhouses stick out of the olive groves like little pointed hats and thus inspire all tourists.

  • Ostuni: It is also known as the ‘white city’ because all the houses are whitewashed except for the church. Ostuni is clearly visible from afar as it is situated on a hill and built extending upwards. The small alleys, stacked houses and numerous steps give the town an oriental flair.
  • Grotta Zinzulusa: The grotto situated north of the city of Castro is the only coastal cave that is open to the public. Since the sea reaches right up to the entrance of the grotto, you can observe a wonderful play of colours in the water there.
  • Lecce: Thanks to its impressive Baroque style, the city of Lecce is also known as the ‘Florence of the South’. There you will find numerous churches, palaces, a beautiful town centre and the amphitheatre. The Baroque architecture and the Italian flair make this place something very special.

Even if Apulia has hilly places with centuries-old farmland, it is still the flattest region in Italy. Therefore, you can expect undulating terrain in some sections, but otherwise the route is flat. A leisurely cycle holiday where enjoyment and nature are definitely in the foreground.

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Itinerary at a glance

In Apulia, you'll pass through the white city of Ostuni, the historic Gallipoli, and the Grotta Zinzulusa. You'll cycle through olive groves to Lecce, where baroque architecture meets Southern Italian joie de vivre and cuisine.

Day
01
Arrival at Alberobello

Bicycle tour through the valley Valle d’Itria, which belongs to one of the most beautiful cultured landscapes of the south. The next destination stage is Ostuni, the “white town” with beautiful view to the Sea.

From Ostuni you cycle through olive groves, vineyards and fruit orchards to Avetrana, one of most historic small towns along the old Via Appia. This old roman road lead from Rome, via Taranto and Oria to Brindisi in former times. Today only a few parts are still preserved as Via Appia Antica.

You leave Avetrana and after a short while you reach the sea. After a detour to the “Torre Colimena” you continue along the coastal road with its numerous defence towers to Porto Cesareo. Your tour brings you along the Ionian coast to Gallipoli.

This “Kale Polis” (beautiful town) of Greek origin is a real urban surprise on the Ionian Sea. Discover a maze of small streets and thoroughfares in this town, where also a number of churches and an ancient museum wait for your visit. Very interesting to see also the omnipresent fishermen, thus completing the scenery of a town, that belonged to Europe’s most important exporter of lamp-oil in the 17th and 18th century.

Today we reach the southernmost point of the Salento and the watershed to the Ionian Sea at Santa Maria di Leuca. Being a well-known place of pilgrimage the church is quite famous. Around the centennial a number of villas were built, which form an interesting architectonic highlight because of their absurd and fantastic stiles. Here eccentric “fin-de-siècle” lovers settled, to enjoy the remoteness of this area.

The next part of our tour follows the southern coast of the Adriatic Sea unto the Messapian town Otranto. This place has a reputation of being an art-historical jewel in between a lovely landscape. The old town is surrounded by a mighty wall, remarkable here the castle Habsburg. On the way to Otranto you can visit the famous Grotta Zinzulusa – the only one of a number of coastal grottos, which is open to public. Also an interesting stop-over forms the thermal resort Santa Cesarea, known for hydro-therapeutics and radioactive moor therapeutics.

Further on you follow the Adriatic coast; through uncountable olive-groves you reach Lecce. Lecce, the capital of the Salento, is a picturesque town, overwhelming with the beauty of buildings and churches. Next to Naples, Lecce is a baroque metropolis of the South, even creating the own terminus of “Lecce-Baroque”. Here about 30 churches and an uncountable number of palaces are waiting to be discovered. Not to forget the amphitheatre and the roman theatre, both constructed under Caesar Augustus, and worth a visit.

Day
08
Departure or extension

Itinerary at a glance

In Apulia, you'll pass through the white city of Ostuni, the historic Gallipoli, and the Grotta Zinzulusa. You'll cycle through olive groves to Lecce, where baroque architecture meets Southern Italian joie de vivre and cuisine.

Individual arrival and overnight. Alberobello is a unique and inimitable city as it is the only urban settlement of the so-called trulli (cone buildings) in the whole world. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

You will cycle through the countryside to Ostuni, which is reputed as annarchitectural jewel, and is commonly referred to as “the White Town” for its white walls and its typically white-painted architecture.

Today you will leave Ostuni and the Murge hills behind you and will start cycling on the Salento plain, characterized by green and red colours, given by its olive trees and its red soil. Along the way you will have the chance to visit Oria, with its beautiful historical centre and the castle built by emperor Federico II. Today’s destination is the Manduria area, the capital of the Primitivo grapes.

From now on you will head towards the seaside, which will accompany your bike tour between ancient coastal towers and fine sand. You will now reach Porto Cesareo, where we suggest to enjoy a good fish-based lunch. Rolling south, our destination will be the Greek Kale Polis, today’s Gallipoli, with one of the most beautiful historic centres of Salento. Enjoy a stroll in its streets and the views of the sea that surrounds it.

Today we reach the southernmost point of the Salento and the watershed to the Ionian Sea at Santa Maria di Leuca. Being a well-known place of pilgrimage the church is quite famous. Around the centennial a number of villas were built, which form an interesting architectonic highlight because of their absurd and fantastic stiles. Here eccentric “fin-de-siècle” lovers settled, to enjoy the remoteness of this area.

Today you will cycle northwards along the Adriatic coast to Otranto, the most eastern point of Italy where you can visit the beautiful Cathedral and the great Aragonese Castle.

Riding along the Alimini Lakes and their unique Mediterranean bush you will enter Lecce. Thanks to its Baroque style, it has earned the nickname of Florence of the South.

Day
08
Departure or extension

Route information

Medium

Mostly this tour is following flat, asphalt side roads, apart from some slightly hilly parts. As Apulia is not a transit country and you travel outside of the high season, the streets almost are free from traffic.

Route information

Medium

Mostly flat, partly hilly routes on almost completely asphalted roads. The route includes beautiful stretches along the coast. Easy to moderate: flat on some days, a bit hillier on others. Suitable for anyone with some cycling experience and a normal level of fitness. There is hardly any traffic except in high season.

Prices & Dates

Category A: 3***- and 4**** hotels

Category B: 3***-hotels and inns

Prices per person in EUR

Services & Information

Further details about this tour

Included

  • Accommodation as already mentioned
  • Breakfast
  • Welcome briefing (German, English)
  • Luggage transfer
  • Best developed route
  • Detailed travel documents 1x per room (German, English, Italian)
  • GPS-data available
  • Service hotline

Optional extras

  • Transfers by minibus daily: reservation is necessary, payable in advance, min. 2 persons:
  • Monopoli train station – Alberobello, EUR 30 per person
  • Bari/Brindisi airport/train station  – Alberobello, EUR 50 per person
  • Lecce – Bari airport, EUR 125 per person
  • Lecce – Brindisi airport, EUR 40 per person
  • Lecce – Alberobello, EUR 65 per person, for your own bike additional EUR 29
  •  

Arrival / Parking / Departure

  • Monopoli, Brindisi or Lecce train station
  • Bari or Brindisi airport
  • Car park at the hotel, no reservation possible

Things to note

  • Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price!
  • Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!
  • This tour is a partner tour.

Services & Information

Further details about this tour

Included

  • Accommodation as already mentioned
  • Breakfast
  • Luggage transfer
  • Digital tour information
  • App for navigation and GPS-data
  • Service hotline

Optional extras

  • Transfers by minibus daily, reservation is necessary, payable in advance:
  • Bari/Brindisi airport - Alberobello, cost per transfer EUR 179 (1-3 persons), EUR 209 (4-6 persons), EUR 229 (7-8 persons)
  • Lecce - Bari airport, cost per transfer EUR 309 (1-3 persons), EUR 359 (4-6 persons), EUR 389 (7-8 persons)
  • Lecce - Brindisi airport, cost per transfer EUR 149 (1-3 persons), EUR 169 (4-6 persons), EUR 189 (7-8 persons)

Arrival / Parking / Departure

  • Monopoli, Brindisi or Lecce train station
  • Bari or Brindisi airport
  • Car park at the hotel, no reservation possible

Things to note

  • Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price!
  • Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!
  • This tour is a partner tour.

Services & Information

Further details about this tour

Included

  • Accommodation as already mentioned
  • Breakfast
  • Luggage transfer
  • Digital tour information
  • App for navigation and GPS-data
  • Service hotline

Optional extras

  • Transfers by minibus daily, reservation is necessary, payable in advance:
  • Bari/Brindisi airport - Alberobello, cost per transfer EUR 179 (1-3 persons), EUR 209 (4-6 persons), EUR 229 (7-8 persons)
  • Lecce - Bari airport, cost per transfer EUR 309 (1-3 persons), EUR 359 (4-6 persons), EUR 389 (7-8 persons)
  • Lecce - Brindisi airport, cost per transfer EUR 149 (1-3 persons), EUR 169 (4-6 persons), EUR 189 (7-8 persons)

Arrival / Parking / Departure

  • Alberobello, Monopoli/Fasano or Lecce train station
  • Bari or Brindisi airport

Things to note

  • Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price!
  • Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!
  • This tour is a partner tour.
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