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Puglia by bike: 8 places to visit
Turnip greens orecchiette, giant mozzarella plaits, taralli and trulli, Puglia is one of the most beautiful regions of southern Italy. From the province of Foggia, which borders Molise, to the province of Lecce, with its southernmost point in the town of Santa Maria di Leuca, Puglia is a diverse territory that lends itself well to discovery by bicycle. In fact, Puglia has no great relief, the highest peak being Mount Cornacchia at 1152 meters, but wide plains and large hilly areas, rich in history.
Martina Franca
An intense scent of oil fills the air as you drive along the pleasant dirt roads of the Taranto countryside. It is harvest time in Puglia and the temperatures are still mild and pleasant. The piazzas of Martina Franca, in the heart of the Val d’Itria, come alive as the streets, flanked by the town’s ancient palaces and numerous churches, are crowded with visitors. On a bike, the ascent takes your breath away, but the idea of a typical Puglian dinner gives you new energy for the success of the endeavor. The historical center of Martina Franca is characterized by a vertical development, where the houses were and still are divided into living area at the top and workshop at the bottom.
The Piazza Plebiscito, with the Basilica dedicated to St. Martin, pulsates with energy when the first artificial lights come on, giving the town an even more evocative appearance. The countryside around Martina Franca, and the entire Val d’Itria in general, is crisscrossed by a maze of dirt roads, ideal for pedaling and slowly discovering the area. Not to be missed: The numerous trulli and characteristic dry-stone walls.
Alberobello
Speaking of what to visit in Puglia by bike, one cannot forget the picturesque trulli, cone-shaped structures that dot the entire region. Alberobello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, is the kingdom of trulli and rises at an altitude of 428 m in the province of Bari. Cycling or walking through the streets of Alberobello, you can see some unique structures: the Siamese trullo, a structure with two cones; the Sovereign trullo, which is the largest at 14 meters high; and the church-trullo dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua.
Ostuni
Perched on a hill in a panoramic position, Ostuni looks like one of those cities that are impregnable even to the most astute pirates. As you approach it, the snow-white houses of the old town reflect the sunlight in an almost dazzling glow; this characteristic has given it the nickname of the White City.
Ostuni, with its crystal-clear sea (it has been awarded the Blue Flag by Legambiente for several years), boasts some beautiful churches, such as the Romanesque Co-Cathedral, the ancient church of San Giacomo di Compostela, built in 1423, and the medieval church of San Francesco d’Assisi. In addition to the many farms in the area, some of which are fortified, you can also visit the old tobacco tannery and some interesting archaeological sites. Before leaving Ostuni to continue your cycling tour in Puglia, don’t forget to taste the pucce.
Castro
The ancient village of Castro, nestled between the sea and the rocks, is a little known place, often overlooked by hurried tourists. Castrum Minervae, on the other hand, is a place full of surprises and seems to have been the landing place of Aeneas in our peninsula. Its name, derived from the presence of a fortress and a temple dedicated to the goddess, dates back to 123 B.C., when it became a Roman colony, after having been inhabited for centuries by Greeks and Messapians. Walking around Castro you can see many traces of its important past: the ancient walls, the Romanesque religious buildings, the remains of a Byzantine church, the castle and the large squares. In the marine area of Castro there are also some caves with important karst phenomena, such as the Zinzulusa Cave.
Zinzulusa Cave
The Zinzulusa Cave, located in the municipality of Castro, is considered one of the most important caves in the world for the karst phenomena that characterize it. The dialect word “zinzuli” means “rags” and refers precisely to the characteristic stalactites (and stalagmites) that can be seen inside, evoking the image of many rags lying in the sun to dry. Perhaps the room most representative of the beauty of this cave is the one known as the Dome or Crypt. A curiosity is that in the early decades of the 1900’s, the floor of the cave, now cleaned, was covered with more than 5 meters of guano due to the countless bats that inhabited the cavity.
Gallipoli
One of the most popular places in Puglia to visit by bike is the city of Gallipoli, overlooking the Ionian Sea.
The pearl of the Ionian Sea, so called by Pliny the Elder in his writings, lies quietly on the coast and shows visitors its beauty. The most convenient way to visit Gallipoli is to start from its center: pedal through the narrow streets of the historical center, discover the Aragonese castle, the palaces and photograph the Greek fountain, the oldest in Italy, dating back to the 3rd century BC. Then, to regain your energy, dive into the crystal clear waters that surround the city walls from the small beach of Purità.
Santa Maria di Leuca
If in the hinterland of the Itria Valley the silver of the olive trees is the dominant color, on the Salento coast the turquoise of the sea is the color that most strikes the visitor.
Santa Maria di Leuca is the southernmost town in Apulia and its lighthouse, 48.60 meters high, was and still is an important landmark for sailors.
Among the many peculiarities of this place on the edge of the Italian peninsula, Santa Maria di Leuca is the end of the colossal work of the Apulian aqueduct, whose construction reached here in 1939. During a visit to the end of Puglia, you can also visit the Basilica of Santa Maria di Finubus Terrae and some of the elegant 19th century villas that enrich the town’s architecture. The trip to Santa Maria di Leuca could end near Punta Ristola, off the coast of which there is still an Italian submarine sunk during the Second World War.
Lecce
Lecce, capital of Salento and Italian Baroque, is one of those cities that make you fall in love at first sight. The churches, among which the cathedral built in 1144, the monasteries, the castle, whose construction seems to have been ordered by Charles V, the city gates and towers, the magical Piazza di Sant’Oronzo and the Duomo, the archaeological remains and the palaces, make Lecce one of the most beautiful cities of Apulia and of Italy.
While visiting these wonderful destinations in Puglia by bike, remember to also spend some time on the traditional flavors of the region by including a few good glasses of wine.
If you don’t want to plan a bike trip in Puglia on your own, you can rely on the knowledge of Girolibero, which offers tours for all stages throughout the region.
