Apulia

Tour type
Self-guided tour

Departures

Every day 1.03 - 23.11.2020

Seasons
Season 1: 1.03 - 23.07 and 1.09 - 23.11.2020
Season 2: 24.07 - 31.08.2020

Price per person
620 € in double room, 3/4* hotel in Lecce and in typical agriturismi or masserie with swimming pool (seasonal) in Caprarica and Uggiano La Chiesa.

Included

• 6 nights hotel accommodation with breakfast
• App including maps, points of interest and GPS tracks
• Digital tour information
• Luggage transportation
• Hotline service

Not included

• Local taxes (approx. 10 €)
• Everything not mentioned in the section “Included”

Supplements per person
200 € single room
190 € saison 2
160 € half board (4 dinners: in Caprarica and Uggiano La Chiesa, beverages extra)

Extra nights in in double/single room with breakfast:
60/90 €  in Lecce
55/80 € in Uggiano La Chiesa

Transfers (min. 2 people, to be requested when booking the tour):
45 € Brindisi-Lecce
95 € Bari-Lecce
35 € Uggiano La Chiesa-Lecce
55 € Uggiano La Chiesa-Brindisi
105 € Uggiano La Chiesa-Bari

Rental bikes:
85 € Trekking bike
195 € E-bike

Reductions
100 € 3rd/4th person in room

1. Lecce
Individual arrival.

2. Lecce and its coastal landscape (45 km)
Discover the beaches where the locals go!
Frivole may not be the most famous sea resort, but it lies in the middle of the wonderful nature park “Boschi e Paludi di Rauccio”. You will have also the chance to visit the medieval hamlet of Santa Maria in Verrate, which lies along the Southern Via Francigena. Finally, don’t forget to stop in an old Masseria to taste fresh produce and local delicatessen. The Masserie are very interesting also from a historic point of view, as they represented the local agricultural centre during the second world war.

3. Lecce – Acaya – Le Cesine - Caprarica (45 km)
Today you will begin cycling towards the sea. At half way you will reach the hamlet Acaya, built by the emperor Charles V. Its castle hides also a Byzantine cloister, which is older than the hamlet itself.
Then, passing through the nature reserve “Le Cesine” you will finally get to the sea, with its long sandy beaches, before reaching Caprarica for the overnight.

4. Caprarica – Grecìa Salentina – Uggiano La Chiesa (60 km)
You will cycle in the so-called Salentinian Greece, a territory composed by 9 municipalities, where ancient “griko” is still spoken by elderly people. You will cross Martignano, Martano and its olive groves, and get to Carpignano. Don’t miss a bath in the crystal clear sea at Roca Vecchia, close to the mythical cave of Poetry, well-known by daring Salentinian cliff divers. Cycling along the Alimini Lakes, you will finally get to the pretty square of Uggiano la Chiesa.

5. Uggiano – Megaliths way – Turks’ Bay (60 km)
Today you will cycle on the famous “via dei Megaliti” (the street of megaliths) and reach enchanted places such as the isolated Stabile dolmen. If you are a greenery fan you can visit the Botanical Garden “La Cutura”, with a collection of succulent plants coming from 5 continents. Then you will get to one of the most beautiful places of the whole Salento, the unspoiled “Baia dei Turchi” (the Turks’ Bay), where the Turkish warriors landed in 1480, during the battle of Otranto. Here the deep blue sea will tempt you…but it’s time to get back on your bike! You will cycle to Otranto, with its white point into the Adriatic sea, and then to Uggiano la Chiesa for the overnight.

6. Uggiano La Chiesa – Castro – Otranto (45 km)
This stage is dedicated to the Salentinian inland, where you will cycle in the countryside until you reach the panoramic viewpoint of Castro, a village built on the cliffs where Aeneas landed, according to the legend. Then you will continue on one of the most beautiful cycle paths of Italy: after Punta Palascia you will head to Torre del Serpe and then again towards Otranto. So, if on the previous day you spent some time on the beach, today you can visit the castle and explore the narrow streets. Then you will cycle back to Uggiano la Chiesa through the Serra.

7. Uggiano La Chiesa
After breakfast end of services.

Due to organisational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during your holiday. For example, along the way you may find temporary deviations caused by roadworks, which cannot be foreseen; in this case please follow the indications you will find on site.

• Total length: 255 km
• Total vertical up: 660 m
• Terrain: 95% tarmac, 5% unpaved
• Train connection among the overnight stays: NO
• Possibility to shorten the itinerary by taking the train: NO

The route is mainly on secondary country roads with some unpaved stretches, all in good conditions. There are some short climbs.

Some days the itinerary will be flat, others it will present some hills. Suitable for everyone in good physical condition and with some cycling experience.

Lecce is connected with the following airports:
Brindisi: 40 Km, Bari: 150 Km.

TRAINS
For further information on timetables and prices you can consult the following website: www.trenitalia.com.

We personally choose all the hotels mindful of your comfort as well as the proximity to cycling paths and any relevant local sites.

You will be accommodated in a 3/4* hotel in Lecce and in typical agriturismi or masserie (manor farms) with swimming pool (seasonal) in Caprarica and Uggiano La Chiesa.

All rooms have air conditioning and en suite facilities.

When you book the tour please specify the type of room requested:

• double room is a room with one double bed
• twin room is a room with two single beds
• triple room is usually a room with one double bed and a single bed or a sofa bed.

Rental bikes are available in different sizes and frames:

• Trekking bike 21-gear Shimano
• E-bike

Features:

• aluminium frame
• mudguard
• rear rack
• anti-puncture Schwalbe tyres

Accessories
All rented adult bikes are equipped with:

• 1 one-sided saddlebag
• 1 bike lock

We recommend that you bring with you a cycling helmet, a water bottle and a repair kit.

Before your arrival, you will receive an email from us with the digital information material. It contains:

1. Link to download the App including maps, points of interest and GPS tracks (you can use the App offline, too)

2. Link to download the tour information material in Pdf:

• Tour notes
• Final tour details
• Girolibero Greens booklets:

a) Detailed Maps of the itinerary: in colour and scaled 1:75.000/50.000, an altitude profile chart and maps of any historic city centres you will visit.
b) Roadbook describing the cycling route, stage by stage. Great on its own or in conjunction with the maps.

3. Digital travel documents:

• Final hotel list: due to overbooking or organizational needs your hotel list may be changed just before your arrival
• Hotel vouchers to show to the hotel reception upon arrival
• Luggage labels: please print them, fill them out and attach them on each piece of luggage to be transported

Please check all documents thoroughly and let us know if anything is missing.