Classic bike tour through Salento

Welcome to Lecce! Today you get your bike with GPS navigator and take part in a short briefing about your exciting holiday route.

You'll bike along a flat route enjoying interesting cultural and natural sights. After visiting Acaya, a fortified city with a big castle, you'll plunge down to “Le Cesine”, a WWF protected area, crossing point for many migratory bird species. Then, you proceed towards the coast, along the ruins of Roca Vecchia, an ancient Bronze age city, and ‘Alimini’ Lakes.

Biking for some other kilometres, you'll reach Otranto, where enchanting narrow alleys reveal wonders at every corner: St. Peter church, Byzantine frescoes, the amazing walk along the ramparts overlooking the sea and the cathedral with its paved mosaic, a sort of figurative Middle Age encyclopedia.

Enjoy an exploration of the beautiful city of Otranto and its surroundings. Biking along the little river “Idro”, which means “water” and gives the name to the city, we arrive in Casamassella, where old looms are still being used in “Le Costantine” foundation.

After a guided tour we move toward Giurdignano, passing through a Bronze age megalithic park enclosing enormous stones (“dolmen” and “menhir”), till arriving to “La Cutura” botanic garden. Here ‘Toto’ will lead us through his incredible plants collection, unique in Europe thanks to its cactus species. In late morning visit to a typical stone-made oven, where we will have a typical bread cheese and other baker product tasting. Return to Otranto and free dinner in the historical centre.

It's time to bike along the wildest Salento coastal stretch. Today, you'll visit ‘Palacìa’ lighthouse, the easternmost point of Italy, and a little red lake located in a disused bauxite quarry. Then you'll carry on riding along the coast: nestled among the cliffs above the sea, this road is a huge balcony that looks onto Otranto Strait. If we're luck enough we will be able to see the mountains of Albania and Greece. It is also possible to visit ‘Zinzulusa’ cave, going down nearly 200 feet into the earth bowels.

En route, we admire some terraces and dry walls, the ingenious devices of peasants to get arable land in barren and impervious areas. After crossing the bridge over the “ciolo”, a small canyon rich in rare flora carved by the waters, we reach Santa Maria di Leuca to visit the sanctuary, following the ancient pilgrims footsteps.

Today we'll discover Leuca Cape, the southern part of Apulia, visiting an astonishing defense tower situated in the centre of a small village, an ancient mill, dug into the rock, and then an enigmatic funerary monument made by huge stones (its name “centopietre”, means “hundred stones”), coming from Vereto, an ancient pre-Roman town situated nearby.

Then, we also visit Leuca piccola ('little Leuca'), an important pilgrimage station. Afterwards, we'll reach Ugento biking through olive groves and dry stone walls. Here, we may visit its archaeological museum. In the afternoon we’ll proceed again to the ionic coast until St. Andrew’s island and Punta Pizzo natural park. Once in Gallipoli, we could enjoy an aperitif on a terrace overlooking the sea.

Today we'll have the chance to discover the city of Gallipoli and its surroundings. First of all, we'll reach Sannicola to explore and enjoy its underground oil mill, then Tuglie, popular thanks to its amazing “rural culture museum”. Afterwards, we continue to Galatone to discover its stunning Baroque old town and the Norman castle of Fulcignano.

In the afternoon we reach Galatina where we can admire the church of Santa Caterina, totally painted with frescoes in Giottesco style, and finally enjoy and get lose in the beautiful historical center of the town. Possible return by train.

The last day of our trip is dedicated to the discovery of the main sights on the route from Gallipoli to Lecce: we'll pass many 19^th century fortified farmhouses and villas. We stop in Nardò to visit its decadent Baroque style historicl center and then in Copertino to explore its impressive Norman castle and listen to stories about 'the hopi of flights'.

Before reaching Lecce, we'll visit a handicraft traditional pottery, at the Martina brothers, skillful keepers of this ancient art.

We'll arrive in Lecce in the late afternoon: bikes drop off.

End of services, after breakfast at the hotel.