This tour will let you discover another fascinating area of Italy. Starting at the heart of lively Salento area, you’d be amazed by its rural yet refined culture, able to create the beautiful “Masseria”, ancient fortified countryside farmhouses, you’ll feel in love with its healthy and fresh food, with probably the best vegetables of Italy, the millennial olive oil making tradition and its generous wines. Then every small village along your journey will surprise you, until the astonishing and truly magical Matera.
Highlights
Lively Lecce, capital of Salento area
Cheese, Olive Oil, local products tastings along the way
The neat Apulian villages
The magical Matera
Day to Day
B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner;
1
Arrival in Puglia
D
2
Otranto: Hike to Punta Palascia
B
3
Otranto: Dairy farm visit and Neolithic culture
B
4
Otranto to Ostuni
B
5
Ostuni loop
B
6
Alberobello to Locorotondo
B
7
Locorotondo: Hike to Martina Franca
B
8
Locorotondo to Matera
B D
Tour Map
Day 1: Arrival in Puglia
Immersion in the Salento Region
Otranto is a fascinating town representing the link between the East and the Western world along the centuries, with its Cathedral decorated with the impressive mosaic of Pantaleone, and its Castle dominating over the Mediterranean.
Overnight: Otranto Included: Dinner
Day 2: Otranto: Hike to Punta Palascia
To the Easternmost point of Italy
We start our adventure exploring this solitary coastline immersed in unspoiled landscapes until the easternmost tip of Italy: the solitary Cape of Otranto, with its Punta Palascia Lighthouse standing out from the scenery.
Overnight: Otranto Included: Breakfast
Day 3: Otranto: Dairy farm visit and Neolithic culture
Great day starts with Burrata
The day starts with a visit to a dairy farm and of course a tasting of the world famous Burrata Pugliese, something like a Mozzarella but from heaven. Then you'll hike to the area of “Grotta dei Cervi” (The deer cave), an incredible Neolithic site famous for its paintings dating back between 4000 to 3000 years BC.
Overnight: Otranto Included: Breakfast
Day 4: Otranto to Ostuni
The lively Lecce and the charming “Città Bianca” of Ostuni
After breakfast we’ll shuttle to the kaleidoscopic Lecce, a city that will surprise you with its peculiar Baroque style and the whiteness of its stones. Then we’ll reach the Regional Park of Coastal Dunes, stopping to taste a refined extra virgin olive oil in an ancient farmhouse, visiting the underground oil mill supposedly dating back to Roman times.
Overnight: Ostuni Included: Breakfast
Day 5: Ostuni loop
A dive in the paleolithic era of the Med
After breakfast we'll head back to the the Coastal Dunes Natural Park, hiking through fields. After a local products tasting in a family-run farm surrounded by nature, we'll continue up the hills through the forest, climbing slowly towards the white Ostuni and its hilltop old town.
Overnight: Ostuni Included: Breakfast
Day 6: Alberobello to Locorotondo
From rounded houses to a rounded city
Alberobello is the iconic village of Trulli houses, the ancient peasant dwellings now converted in charming homes and hotels.Then you'll follow the Greenway of Puglia Aqueduct , Europe's longest aqueduct, taking you all the way back to Locorotondo.
Overnight: Locorotondo Included: Breakfast
Day 7: Locorotondo: Hike to Martina Franca
The bucolic charm of Valle d’Itria
After breakfast we'll get to the city center of Martina Franca, a splendid example of Puglia Baroque art. We'll walk following the way to a local winery, and of course we'll have a tasting experiencing some great wines of Puglia and learning about the improved quality of its wine sector.
Overnight: Locorotondo Included: Breakfast
Day 8: Locorotondo to Matera
Gran Finale in the enchanting “Città dei Sassi”
We’ll start with a shuttle to Basilicata region arriving to Matera, Unesco site since 1991 and 2019 European Capital of Culture. Today’s route will take you along an enchanting panoramic trail, plenty of stunning views over the “Sassi” (Rocks) and old churches carved on the limestone.
Overnight: Matera Included: Breakfast Dinner
This is a Sample tour
These itineraries are original tours created for real guests, so you may want something different specifically designed to suit your own wishes. The price of every tour is available upon requests, and varies by time of year, number of guests and level of guiding. Start dreaming looking through it, then contact us and let's talk. We'll listen to your needs, we'll suggest ideas and propose experiences, and together we'll create your perfect voyage.
Looking for something Ready to Book?
Check our GUIDED or SELF-GUIDED sections with active and cycle tours in our Mediterranean destinations.
Mediterras supported 8 of us on the cycling Gran Tour down the west coast. I would strongly recommend them - brilliant support, great local knowledge led routes and excellent bikes, We would use them again without hesitation.
We just finished a custom tour with Mediterras, from Palermo to Marsala. What a fantastic experience! Our guide Gian Mario was so knowledgeable and attentive, his planning was meticulous. The choice of boutique hotels, as well as the restaurants he selected, were all wonderful. The rides were well planned, taking us through beautiful countryside and along spectacular coasts. Our van driver Giovanni was also awesome, he could be a professional naturalist. We are already planning our next trip with them (to Sardinia). What a treat to use a small local company that gave us such a memorable trip!
We loved traveling with Mediterrras!Mario and Giovanni were amazing, professional, detailed and thoughtful. They made planning this trip easy, they were super flexible when we had to change plans. They supplied us with excellent equipment (I loved my road bike), detailed maps, fun rides, history lessons, in fact we laughed our way around Sicily!We enjoyed our meals together and they booked us into beautiful hotels. Unfortunately, one member of our group had a medical emergency, they looked after him like they would a family member.I can’t wait to bike again with our new best friends!Go ahead book these local guys, you’re guaranteed a fabulous experience!Bernadette (Irish woman living and biking in Seattle).
Great planning, exceptional guides. We enjoyed everything about our trip. We learned a great deal about the history and culture of Sardinia. Marcello at Mediterras made sure that everything was properly arranged and made adjustments when necessary. A great part of our enjoyment came from our interaction with our guides (Giovanni, Stefano and Danilo). They were all very knowledgeable and friendly. When it came time to part we felt like we were leaving old friends.
We did the "big-loop" from the 20.08.2022.The big loop ist 12 days road bike around the island. We have booked the trip 1.5 weeks before (last minute) and everything has been organised perfectly. We had an extra break day every 4 days biking. And was great.Mediterras has answer to all our questions. On the day of departure, our bikes we ready, we got time to get full explanation of the tour. We got a navigation system with all the routes. Everything was very clear and very well organised. Our lugage was every evening delivered at the next hotels.The hotel has been wonderfully selected, and always at some nice location and not too far away from the center or the beach. Thank again to Mediterras team for the wonderful holidays.I would give more than a 5 Stars for this trip and the wonderful team.Doris & Jean-Luc - from Swizerland
A fantastic introduction to cycling in Sardinia. I just rented the bike in Cagliari for a few days at the end of my holiday, with no particular routes in mind. Gian Mario kindly suggested two nice challenging routes, and sent the GPX files. I only had time for one of them - but it was an absolute gem. Starting in the city, cycling along Poetto, before turning towards the hills. After one tiny village, I didn't pass another café or shop for 40 or 50 km. Just me and the pain in my legs. Superb. The bike was a gem - a former Lotto Jumbo team bike which was ridden in the Paris Roubaix by Tom Leezer. I was a *bit* slower, but I probably enjoyed it more! Wonderful experience - lovely people - always available on whatsapp if I needed anything, which was very reassuring when I don't speak Italian or Sardu! I will definitely use them again if/when I return to Sardegna.Thanks again!
We did the Sicily Baroque tour with Mediterras. Self guided on bikes (el and manual). Gian and his team did adapt the tour for our needs and did all to make the tour enjoyable. Few problems surfaced but all were solved. The trail was interesting and added a lot to our understanding of Sicily, its landscape and life in the rural areas. Accommodations were all good, and the quality of the food in the restaurants Gian had arranged varied from good to excellent. At the end of our tour we did a walk in the hillsides of Etna arranged by Mediterras.The Etna tour was wonderful. We were lucky with weather given the circumstances. It was a bit foggy and a bit cold, but it did not rain. The guides did a good job of explaining the geology of Etna for us and the two geology-educated persons in the group! The hike was challenging, which suited the group well. The food and wine at Barbaras place was totally excellent! Six stars out of five.We were not as lucky in Taormina! It did rain cats and dogs. The drivers did adapt quite well. Did stop at several foto-ops and at the entry gate to the pedestrian street. We did wander through the Greek theatre and the pedestrian walk, did have a stop at a fancy coffe-shop/bar and then decided to skip the dinner and return early back to Syracusa.
I found this company using google and right away Gian was very responsive. I told them what we were looking for, gave specific parameters for distance and elevation, and they put together an itinerary very quickly that completely matched what I asked for. The entire trip was seamless from the 1am pickup at airport to drop off after 10 days of cycling. The routes were on quiet wonderful roads and the hotels they chose were all great. A really good local company which does what they claim to do very well. Highly recommend.
I rented quite spontaneously a city bike for my whole stay here near Cagliari. The workshop is very well located. Grocery shopping, going to the beach and the city worked very well. Bike were in a good condition. I was properly advised. Fully recommend this place.
Mediterras arranged a self guided cycling trip through South Eastern sicily stopping in beautiful baroque towns. They arranged everything with less than a weeks notice, keeping us up to date on accommodation, bikes equipment etc.My husband and I had a wonderful time. The ride was perfect, having both been off a bike for several months, the ride was the perfect combination of hills and flats for us to really enjoy it. The accommodation was far better than what we were expecting for the price and recommendations for dinner and stops spot on. We ate incredibly well and all the hosts in the villas and hotels very welcoming and helpful.I would certainly recommend them especially arranging it all with such little notice.
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Relax: Stages up to 50 km per day with a maximum of 600 meters of climbing. They are conceived for guests that ride their bikes twice per week on roads without major climbs. Usually, you are back at the hotel in the early afternoon.
Active: Stages up to 90 km per day with a maximum of 1300 meters of climbing. Those tours appeal to riders used to train a bit, with some “tasty” climb. Usually you are back at the hotel in the early afternoon.
Avid: Stages from 90 km per day with at least 1300 mt of climbing per day. Those tours are designed for avid cyclists that belong to the local club and ride regularly. Usually, you are back at the hotel late afternoon.
For guests that want more riding, we can add extra loops to regular stages.
