From the Valle d’Itria to the sea …cycling the Apulia! (Self-Guided)

Day 1

Arrival in Bari, accommodation, bike, tour briefing
Bari is the regional county seat, a city on the sea, full of life both day and night, with a historical centre, a cathedral and a castle, you can’t skip visiting while tasting some of the many typical street foods (panzerotti, sgagliozze, popizze) with a nice and cold Peroni beer…a must if you really want to be an Apulian!
Overnight stay in bari
Optional (not included in the tour price) guided tour in the historical centre with street food-tasting, with a Peroni

Day 2

Train transfer from Bari to Ostuni
LENGTH: 35 km circa
The bike tour starts from Ostuni called “The white city ”for the blinding whiteness of its house painted in white lime; from here the tour continues towards Ceglie Messapica, famous for its delicious culinary arts (a pulian sandwich snack here, is mandatory!) and then straight to the Apulian Aqueduct Cycle Lane (the longest in Europe) through the heart of the Valle d’Itria to admire such corner of indescribable beauty; along the cycle lane you can stop to visit the Ashram of Cisternino, a place of great spiritual charme, founded in the late 1970s and still active since for the practice of Hinduism but open to all visitors.
We then get to Contrada Figazzaro and, before reaching Cisternino we suggest stopping and visit The “Giardini di Pomona”, a botanical garden, a temple of biodiversity with over 600 different species of fig trees, and many other local and exotic plants. (all info and costs in the details).

Overnight stay in Cisternino (and don’t forget to taste the famous and tasty “bombette di carne”-little meat bombs!!!)

Day 3

LENGTH: 32 km circa
Breakfast and on the bike to get to the near Martina Franca, the most “noble” village of the Valle d’Itria, located exactly between the Adriatic and the Ionian sea, with n historical center full of precious buildings.
From here we go to Locorotondo, one of the most renowned villages in Italy, characterized by the sloping roofs, locally called “cummerse”, of the tiny houses. In Locorotondo you can add food and wine-tasting to your tour in a wonderful place, the vineyard on the roof (info and costs in the details).
Next stage, Alberobello, The city of the trulli, the name of its traditional stone, cone-shaped houses. Moreover, Alberobello is a U.N.E.S.C.O. site since 1996 (we recommend a guided tour here, to better understand the construction technique of the Trulli, and their centuries-old tradition-all info and prices in the details)
-overnight stay at a Trullo (if available) or b&b or Hotel, in Alberobello

Day 4

LENGTH: 40 km circa
Breakfast and departure towards Grotte di Castellana, a huge web of subterranean caves, one of the most beautiful in Italy. After the visit we suggest including a workshop on Apulian typical cooking with lunch included, in one of our favourite farms, not too far from the caves; you can choose how to dress your meal directly from the garden and learn how to make “orecchiette”, famous, typical Apulian fresh pasta, and many other local recipes (info and prices of this option, in the details).
After lunch, back on the bike, all the way down to Monopoli, a village inhabited since the bronze age; fortified by the Messapi with strong, huge walls; the Romans made a military harbor and, in the 1500s, a fascinating castle was built.
-overnight stay at a B&B in Monopoli

Day 5

You can decide whether to relax without biking too much (7 km round trip) or to go on a little longer ring path (41 km) to discover the beauty of the “Parco Regionale delle Dune Costiere”.
Choosing the first option, Monopoli offers plenty of blu and green beaches and some of the most astonishing bays in the Contrada Santo Stefano.
Choosing the second option, the ring path, you can choose to stop and visit one of the following places: Archeological Park and its museum; The Parco rupestre “Lama d’antico, San Giovanni e San Lorenzo”, a huge rocky settlement with a fresco, one of the biggest in Apulia.
Right in the middle of the path, we suggest stopping and having a seafood lunch and RICCI in a restaurant on the sea, in Forcatella!!
Overnight stay at a B&B in Monopoli.

Day 6

LENGTH: 34 km about
Breakfast and then a light ride to the wonderful Polignano a mare, the birthplace of the famous singer, Domenico Modugno, this village was built on a peak on the sea from where visitors can enjoy the view of the natural and historical beauties the place offers, with a very old historical center and its byzantine, Spanish and norman past.
Some places are so much overhanging that you could dive in the sea from the balconies, in fact, every year in Polignano, there are international diving competitions.
Two hours away from the city center, you can ride to San Vito di Polignano, a very tiny settlement on the sea with a characteristic little harbor, a majestic abbey, and an old military Saracenic tower, a perfect place to take a bath in the shadow.

Back to Monopoli by the same route or taking a train with bike transport from Polignano a Mare.

Overnight stay at a b&b in Monopoli

Day 7

You can choose to spend this last day relaxing in Bari or go to Matera by train, through Bari (1 hour trip), or arrange a private transfer.

In both cases, you can drop your bikes at the hotel in Monopoli.

If you choose to go visit Matera (European capital of culture 2019), you’ll find yourself in one of the oldest settlements in the world and will discover the “Rione dei Sassi” entirely created digging the stone, U.N.E.S.C.O. world heritage. You can also have a walk exploring the “Parco dell’ Alta Murgia Materana” and its ancient rock churches with a guided tour: the landscape is breathtaking in this corner of Basilicata, very close to Apulia (of course you can also add the option of a guided tour of the “Sassi”).
Overnight stay at a B&B in Matera or Bari

Day 8

If you stayed overnight in Matera:

Return to Bari by train and then train change for the airport (it is possible to request a direct transfer by car from Matera to Bari Airport

(in the details you will find all the info and costs of this option).

If you decided to stay overnight in Bari: direct train to the airport.

End of services