Day 1
Where: Matera
Terrain:
Ride: None
Meals: L, D
Your guide will meet you at the Bari airport at 12pm for a transfer to the first hotel (approximately 1 hr15 minutes). We will gather at unique hotel Sextantio for introductions, some lunch, and bike prep. UNESCO lists Matera as one of its Official World Heritage sites for its Sassi cave dwellings. In the rock churches, the mystic past is palpable, especially in the crypts of San Nicola and Santa Maria d'Idris, and today you will discover even more of Matera’s secrets on a guided visit. You will have some spare time for shopping before dinner at I Baccanti with typical Lucanian delicacies (Lucania was the ancient name of Basilicata).
Hotel: Sextantio Le Grotte della Civiltà (alternative La Locanda di San Martino)
Day 2
Where: Matera
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 28 mi or 45 km (longer option available)
Meals: B, L, D
Today’s ride takes us to the countryside in the fertile Metaponto Valley. We reach San Giuliano lake, which is a WWF natural reserve, and have our first stop there. The lake was formed by a dam over the Bradano river, and it was meant for irrigation. The project was part of a larger plan to reclaim land in the Metaponto valley and it was financed through the Marshall plan for European recovery after WWII. In Basilicata, agriculture employs more people than factories (unique case in modern Italy). At lunch, we will have some local organic products at a farmhouse. In the afternoon, you can opt to climb back or to take advantage of our van for the ride back to Matera. This evening we will have a wine tasting at 19ma Buca, a unique wine bar housed in one of Matera’s Caves just under the main square.
Hotel: Sextantio Le Grotte della Civiltà (alternative La Locanda di San Martino)
Day 3
Where: Martina Franca
Terrain: Rolling
Ride: 37.5 mi or 60 km (shorter option available)
Meals: B, L, D
Today we say goodbye to Matera and pedal South-East. We spin along the Murgia plain through a bucolic terrain of rolling fields of grano duro (the wheat used for pasta) and shady oak groves. We enter Puglia, and soon after we stop for lunch in Mottola, a charming Pugliese town, where we’ll have a picnic of fresh local products such as mozzarella and burrata. Mottola is located on a hill above the sea and has a view of the Gulf of Taranto and the green mountains of the high Sila; for this reason, the town is also called “the Balcony of Southern Apulia.” Our next hotel is a beautiful villa converted into a charming 4-star hotel. Dinner is in the quaint hotel dining room and will be paired with fine Pugliese wines.
Hotel: Villa Casa Isabella
Day 4
Where: Selva di Fasano
Terrain: Hilly
Ride: 35 mi or 56 km (shorter and longer options available)
Meals: B, L, D
Today we ride through a fantasy land of conical-shaped houses called trulli. We will have a first stop in Cisternino where we will enjoy a cappuccino overlooking the valley. Valle d’Itria is a fertile, triangle shaped valley between Cisternino, Locorotondo, and Martina Franca. It's a true gem. Via tiny roads, roll through Valle d’Itria to arrive in Locorotondo, where we will have a wine tasting (Locorotondo is also the name of well know white wine). We will then continue on to Alberobello, which takes its name from the forests that once covered the area. Nowadays, this is where more than 1,000 trulli can be found (UNESCO World Heritage Site). This is a must-see, one of the most emblematic sights of Puglia. You will get to appreciate its historical side thanks to a guided walking tour. Lunch is in Alberobello. From Alberobello, you will be shuttled to the hotel, unless you don't want to call it the day yet, and prefer to ride the additional 13 miles with 800ft of elevation to conquer. Dinner is at the hotel and it will be followed by a folk music and dance event. Have your cameras ready!
Hotel: Tenuta Monacelle
Day 5
Where: Savelletri
Terrain: Rolling
Ride:38 mi or 61 km (shorter and longer options available)
Meals: B, L, D
We will ride through Ostuni, an area that has been inhabited since the Stone Age. Bike to one of the loveliest towns along the Mediterranean where white houses, piled like sugar cubes against an azure sky, remind you of the Greek Islands. The brightness of its whitewashed houses, set against a sea of stately olive trees, provides a spectacular perspective of this rich seaside farmland. We ride along centuries-old olive trees that are like amazing natural sculptures. Lunch is a seafood lover’s delight right by the water. The hotel is just a few miles from our lunch spot, and you will be back for a free afternoon when you can take advantage of the swimming pool and the spa facility, or head to the private beach. Masseria Torre Coccaro is one of the finest hotels of all of Southern Italy. Its 5Luxury-star standards do not affect the authenticity of its historical location, a fortified farmhouse with a watchtower. For dinner, we will have a fun and instructive cooking class of typical Pugliese dishes at a nearby masseria (dialect for fortified farmhouse).
Hotel: Masseria Torre Coccaro (Masseria Torre Maizza)
Day 6
Where: Savelletri
Terrain: Flat
Ride: 30 mi or 48 km (longer option available)
Meals: B, L, D
On this last ride we pass through ancient olive groves and pedal along the coast to the Greek ruins of Egnazia, the ancient Messapian town of prehistoric origins. Today, you have the option to make it back to hotel for some leisure time along pool side, to enjoy Spa and treatments, or to play a round of golf. The course is between the crystalline Adriatic Sea and the monumental olive groves. Of course, you can opt to pedal some more with your guides and to take in as much riding as you wish on a final loop. We will have our last dinner together at the fine hotel restaurant housed in a suggestive dining room.
Hotel: Masseria Torre Coccaro (Masseria Torre Maizza)
Day 7
Where: Bari
Terrain: Departure
Ride: None
Meals: B
Goodbye! After breakfast, we will arrange a transfer that will take you to the Bari Airport in time for your connecting flights.
How to Get There
