Countries visited: Italy
Cycled mileage in May: 1,479.1km
Cycled mileage per country: 1,479.1km Italy
Total cycled mileage incl. May: 51,175.1km
Days per country: 31d - Italy
Days cycling: 23d
Technical failures: 2 Punctures, 1 Chain Connector
Link to this month's route
We had finished last month in Maratea where we had visited the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer. Maratea had also been our first city in Italy's Basilicata region. And in Basilicata we continued in the new month. We got an early start, stopped briefly for a coffee in the historic centre of Maratea and then we continued towards Trecchina. The ride was really pleasant with a mostly clear sky and a along quiet back roads. After Trecchina things went a bit awry. Clouds appeared and the pleasant mountain road turned into an impossibly steep path. We were still trusting in our navigation system and so we plodded on and finally after a lot of swearing and sweating we reached the mountain pass. We stopped for a roadside picnic and discovered an old rail trail nearby that we went on to examine after lunch. They were apparently about to convert the track into a hiking or biking trail and there was construction work everywhere. The old station buildings were still there albeit cordoned off. They looked fairly intact and without the fence around them they would have made for some good exploring. From the old rail track it was mostly downhill all the way to Lagonegro. We couldn't be bothered to stop and pushed on towards Padula. The weather looked increasingly threatening and we had to wait out some short rain showers. After not seeing any good camping spots for most of the day we came across a whole bunch of spots on the last kilometres before Padula. Unfortunately we had given up on finding a camping spot as the road we we were following had looked like a main road on the maps. And so we had booked yet another last-minute deal for a guesthouse for the night. At least the guesthouse was a really nice place, a converted farmhouse in a sizeable olive tree plantation.
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| A sunny start of the day! |
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| Maratea |
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| Abandoned railway station |
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| Evening in our guesthouse near Padula |
When we woke up the next morning everything was wet outside and we were told there had been heavy rainfall – good we didn't camp! After an excellent breakfast we cycled the short way to Certosa di San Lorenzo, supposedly one of the largest monasteries in the South of Europe and essentially the reason for us to visit Padula. We left the bikes at a busy bar near the entrance of the monastery and entered the compound. It was huge indeed. We spent more than three hours wandering around the different parts of the monastery, admiring the amazing historic kitchen, the chapels and the ornate communal areas.
We left the monastery around midday, stopped briefly for some shopping in Padula and then set off towards Potenza. We knew we wouldn't get there the same day and so we took our sweet time. The route was actually quite beautiful and lead through a national park in the Apennines. In the late afternoon we found a good camping spot on a lush green meadow and called it a day.
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| Certosa di San Lorenzo |
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| Cycling towards Potenza |
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| Camping in the Appennines |
The next morning we woke up from a farmer driving his 4x4 past our tent on the way to look after his cattle. He smiled at us and wished us a good morning and so we took our time to pack up. We continued climbing for a bit longer but finally we reached the top of the mountain pass and soon after that the end of the national park. The riding became a bit stressful in the outskirts of Potenza but we still managed to reach town in the early afternoon. It was still sunny while we did our shopping but we quickly realized the meteorological service had issued a severe weather warning. Camping in the mountains in a storm didn't sound too appealing and so we decided to wait out the bad weather in Potenza instead. We found a hostel and booked two nights. The rest of the day we spent indoors and watched the rain starting to pour down later in the evening.
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| Way to Potenza |
The next day it was on-and-off rain and we were glad we took a day off. In the afternoon it cleared up a bit and we strolled around Potenza's old town. In sunny weather it might have been quite enjoyable but with the dark clouds we couldn't really appreciate the pedestrian area and the historic buildings.
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| Potenza old town |
It was still raining when we woke up the next morning but the forecast was for sunny weather later on. We decided to give it a try and set off towards Matera. The start was fairly windy and had some short rain showers but eventually the clouds disappeared and it became mostly sunny. Actually it was quite an enjoyable ride. For much of the way we followed Strada Statale 7, dubbed Via Appia as the route essentially follows the Roman Via Appia. In the late afternoon we reached Matera. We found somewhere to camp in the outskirts of town and called it a day. The evening was less enjoyable as the dark clouds returned and the wind picked up.
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| Cycling the Via Appia |
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| Camping near Matera |
The weather still looked rather changeable the next morning and we hurried up to pack together the tent while everything was dry. Inevitably it started raining as soon as we had set off to the old town. The rain didn't last long and soon we started our sightseeing tour. Matera is UNESCO inscribed and was also nominated European Capital of Culture 2019. And for a good reason – Matera lies in a canyon which makes for a spectacular backdrop. Many of the houses are underground, carved into the soft rock. In fact some say Matera is one of the longest continuously inhabited places on Earth. Unfortunately the location in a canyon means there are a lot of stairs which didn't make it particularly easy to explore everything with the bikes. We still managed to get a good idea of the town and to visit the most famous sights like the Cathedral, and the two Sassis (historic quarters) Sassi Barisano and Sassi Caveoso. We even met some fellow touring cyclists and an Italian road cyclist invited us for a coffee. Wouldn't it have been for two short but intense rain showers it would have been a perfect visit!
In the afternoon we continued towards the coast. For the first few kilometres out of town it remained sunny but soon new clouds appeared and it started to bucket down. We were just passing through an area with dozens of abandoned farmhouses and found shelter on the porch of one of them. When we thought the shower was over we continued – just to get drenched by a second rain shower. Unfortunately there was no shelter this time around. Eventually the sun came out again and we pushed on. We had given up on reaching the coast and settled for a camping ground some 30 kilometres from the sea.
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| Matera |
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| Invitation from an Italian cyclist |
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| Rain on the way back to the coast |
The next day it was finally back to sunny and with a good tailwind we quickly reached the coastal town of Metaponto where there were two archaeological parks nearby. The first one was closed for maintenance work and the second one was rather underwhelming. Not a great finale to our time in Basilicata! Only a few kilometres after the second archaeological site we crossed the border to Apulia. The road wasn't all too great, sort of a service road next to a busy highway. With no enjoyable route to cycle on we powered on and made good progress. Even a puncture on Dominik's rear tyre couldn't stop us for long. In the late afternoon we reached Taranto. The town is mostly known for being home to one of Europe's largest steel factories but in fact it also has a small but picturesque old town. We spent an hour there exploring the narrow alleyways and visiting the romanesque cathedral. Only in the evening we pushed on to a camping ground another ten or so kilometres down the coast. We bought some treats for dinner as we had finally reached the mark of 50,000 cycled kilometres earlier that day!
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| Closed for maintenance - achaeological park in Metaponto |
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| The second site was open |
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| Taranto |
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| Cathedral |
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| On the way out of Taranto |
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| Celebrating 50,000 cycled kilometres |
The next day was another sunny day and we enjoyed a beautiful route that led along the sea and later through endless vineyards. In the late afternoon we reached the outskirts of Gallipoli. There were at least half a dozen camping grounds and after some quick research we pitched our tent on the cheapest of them. We dumped our bags into the tent and then we cycled into the historic centre that lies on sort of a peninsula. Main attraction is the impressive Cattedrale di Sant'Agata – rightfully considered a masterpiece of Italian baroque. Right opposite the cathedral we found a pizzeria that was already open – most restaurants in southern Italy close from the afternoon until around 8pm. The place also seemed to be popular. To see locals in a restaurant in big numbers is always a good sign and so we sat down and ordered some pizza. It. Was. Delicious. After dinner we strolled around the narrow alleyways of the peninsula and returned to camp only with the last daylight.
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| Riding along the coast |
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| Gallipoli cathedral |
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| Pizza! |
The next morning started with grey clouds and strong wind. Needless to say it was headwind for us. In the afternoon the wind was expected to pick up even more so we tried to get an early start. The road to Galatina was rather boring and the weather certainly didn't make it more enjoyable. Galatina's historic town centre isn't all too impressive and apparently most people come solely to visit the stunning basilica with its kaleidoscope of frescoes. When we cycled on the wind actually was worse and the last kilometres back to the coast were a slog. We had been planning to get to the historic town of Castro but threw in the towel when we reached a village a few kilometres before Castro.
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| Frescoes in Galatina's basilica |
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| Coffee break |
The morning started off damp and misty but soon the sun came through and so we set off towards Castro. It was only a short ride and an equally short visit to the town. While Castro does have a charming old town, the real attraction is its stunning setting on a cliff overlooking the coast. From Castro we continued to Otranto. The coastal road made for a scenic ride and we took it slow and enjoyed the panoramic views. We reached Otranto in the early afternoon and headed straight to the cathedral. Otranto was looted by Turkish troops in the 15th century who killed much of Otranto's population. The bones of more than 800 of these victims are kept in the cathedral as martyr's relics. Other than this macabre sight the cathedral also features some truly stunning medieval mosaic floors. For much of the afternoon we aimlessly wandered around the old town of Otranto. Eventually we pushed on and rode to a camping ground about 15 kilometres further up the coast.
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| Ride between Castro and Otranto |
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| Otranto Cathedral |
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| Medieval mosaics |
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| Bones of 800 martyrs |
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| Otranto old town |
It was still sunny the next morning but the forecast was for storm and torrential rain for the next 3 days. We had decided to wait out the bad weather in Lecce. The ride there wasn't all too enjoyable. Traffic got more and more intense the closeer we got to Lecce and we were relieved when we finally got there in the early afternoon. We had found a cheap guesthouse but unfortunately we couldn't check in before 4pm. We used the sunshine to cycle and walk our bikes through the old town and had some delicious ice cream in a Gelateria considered the best in town. Finally it was time to check in at the guesthouse. We dumped our stuff and returned into the old town. Lecce is renowned for its baroque churches and palazzos and there is even the term of Barocco Leccese describing the particularly opulent baroque in Lecce. We managed to visit the basilica, the cathedral and some smaller churches but mostly we just wondered around aimlessly. Apparently there was an important local football game that Lecce had won and most streets were full of fans waving flags and partying. They were still celebrating when we returned too our guesthouse and judging from the noises outside they continued to do so for most of the night.
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| Exploring Lecce |
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| Some gelato |
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| Football fans partying |
The next day was actually rainy and we couldn't really be bothered to leave our room.
The forecast had been for three days of pretty much continuous rain but the day after turned out to be sunny. We had already paid for our accommodation and so we couldn't use the unexpectedly good weather to cycle on. Instead we strolled around the old town once more. It was pretty much the same situation the next day and we cursed the weather forecast for making us stay indoors when we could have easily continued!
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| Lazy days in Lecce |
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| And some pizzas - of course! |
The day after the weather wasn't too bad either and we were itching to continue towards Brindisi. It was neither an overly exciting nor a very long ride. We met our host Dario in his lunch break and left our stuff in his flat. Dario wasn't sure whether he would have the time to show us around later in the afternoon and so we started our sightseeing tour through Brindisi without him. We walked a bit through the old town, strolled along the port and finally found ourselves in the Tempio di San Giovanni al Sepolcro. We were just starting to explore the fascinating 12th century church with its unusual circular layout when we received a text from Dario who finished his working day and offered us to show us around Brindisi. Naturally we agreed and soon Dario was pointing out curious details of the frescoes and the architecture of the church. Apparently it was built to resemble the Temple in Jerusalem so that pilgrims who wouldn't be able to go there would get a glimpse of the original. We continued to the waterfront and to the Roman column that was widely believed to mark the end of the famous Via Appia (but most likely had a different meaning that remains the matter of speculation). There were also more modern landmarks that Dario pointed out. Among them a fountain that to this date is dedicated to Mussolini. A delicious dinner in a nearby restaurant, some good conversations and an evening stroll along the port rounded off our day.
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| Exploring Brindisi |
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| Tempio di San Giovanni al Sepolcro |
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| Roman column |
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| With our host Dario |
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| 'Mussolini Duce' - inscription on a fountain |
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| Evening stroll |
The forecast was for rain the next day but when we woke up it didn't look too bad. Dario kindly offered us to stay for one more night but after the forecast had let us down in Lecce we decided we would just hope for the best and continue towards Alberobello. What. A. Mistake.
For the first 20 kilometres we made good progress and were fairly optimistic. Then the first raindrops fell and we found shelter at a gas station with an adjacent bar. It kept raining for 1.5 hours. When the rain became a bit lighter we put on our rain gear and cycled on. Another mistake. The rain soon switched back to torrential and we were completely drenched by the time we reached the outskirts of Martina Franca. Eventually the rain stopped and for the last kilometres we could take off the rain gear. Still all roads were muddy and flooded from the rain and we couldn't really enjoy the views of the first Trulli houses along the way. Trulli houses are drywall constructions with a conical roof. They are apparently unique to this region and are a major tourist attraction. Some of the houses have been turned into tourist accommodation and we were lucky enough to find a cheap deal. Admittedly it was more for the experience than actually enjoyable. The rooms were claustrophobic and rather dark and thanks to the rain it was also cold and damp. Just a taste how tough life must have been back in the days!
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| Rain the next day |
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| The first Trulli houses |
The next morning started with sunshine and we faffed about, drying yesterday's rain-soaked clothes in the sun while we had breakfast. From our accommodation it was only a short ride to Locorotondo. There are no Trulli houses in this village but it has rightfully been elected one of Italy's most beautiful villages. When we left Locorotondo new clouds had appeared but at least it stayed dry. It was another short ride to Alberobello which is widely considered Trulli capital with two neighbourhoods entirely made from Trulli houses. Of course there were heaps of tourists while we pushed our bikes through the picturesque alleys and along endless rows of somewhat surreal Trulli houses. It was still overcast when we left Alberobello but on the way back to the coast it became increasingly sunny. We briefly stopped for some ice cream in beautiful Polignano a Mare, a village that had been recommended to us. In the late afternoon we continued towards Bari along a busy and unpleasant coastal road. There was supposedly a camping ground but when we got to the address there was just a locked gate and a bunch of aggressive dogs barking. Annoyed we changed plans and booked a guesthouse in a suburb of Bari.
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| Accommodation in a Trulli house |
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| Locorotondo |
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| Trulli houses in Alberobello |
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| Polignano a Mare |
Naturally it was back to cloudy the next morning. We packed up and cycled the last kilometres into Bari. A rather stressful and uninspiring ride. In return Bari's historic centre was worth it. A maze of narrow alleyways dotted with historic building of all sorts and the Basilica di San Nicola as the main attraction. The relics of Saint Nicholas (better known as Father Christmas) were transferred to Bari in the Middle Ages making it one of the most important places of pilgrimage for both Catholics and Orthodox Christians.
We left Bari in the early afternoon and powered on up the coast. The first kilometres out of town were again rather stressful but soon the roads became more quite. Late in the day we reached a camping ground in Biceglie from where we were planning to visit the nearby Castel del Monte the next day. Even though we were pretty knackered we didn't sleep particularly well. There was a party somewhere nearby and loud music kept us up until well after midnight.
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| Bari old town |
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| Basilica di San Nicola |
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Inevitably the day started with a light rain shower. The forecast was for more rain in the evening and so we hurried up. We left the the tent with all our luggage on the camping ground and off we went. The way to the castle was only about 40 kilometres but it was mostly uphill. Castel del Monte is supposedly built on the highest hill in the surrounding so we had thought it would be visible from afar. In fact we didn't get to see it until we were only two kilometres away. But then it was a fairly impressive sight. The castle has an unusual octagonal footprint with octagonal towers on each corner. Built in the 13th century by Frederick II its purpose remains unclear. Today it is depicted on the Italian one cent Euro coin. We spent a fair bit of time wandering around the castle, taking pictures and admiring its geometrical features. Every now and then even the sun came out. We hadn't planned to visit the inside as the entrance fee is rather steep and the interior had been looted in the 17th century anyway. Just when we were about to cycle back a German couple told us that it was International Museum Day and that the entry was free. Perfect timing! As we had expected the interior wasn't too amazing and most rooms were unadorned. Still it was great to get to understand the unusual layout of the building. In the late afternoon we were back in Bisceglie. Despite the forecast there was only a quick rain shower and the rest of the evening was sunny enough to enjoy a beer at the sea front.
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| Castel del Monte |
The next day started with ample sunshine. It was only a short ride to Trani where we spent the best part of the day exploring the old town and the basilica. Just when we left Trani it started to rain once more. The rest of the day it remained cloudy and very windy. The strong headwind didn't make the ride along the coast particularly enjoyable and we happily called it a day when we found a camping ground at the entrance to the Gargano peninsula. We finished setting up camp just before the next rain shower started.
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| Trani |
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| Trani basilica |
It was still rather cloudy the next morning. Which was probably a good thing. The first 20 or so kilometres were mostly flat but then the climb to Monte Sant'Angelo started. The elevation gain was about 800 metres and we were pretty pleased with ourselves when we got there only 1.5 hours after leaving the camping ground. Monte Sant'Angelo is famous for the namesake sanctuary which is thought to be the oldest pilgrimage site in Western Europe. At the heart of the sanctuary is a cave in which – according to legend - archangel Michael appeared on several occasions. He is also said to have left a footprint there. This was the trigger for the custom of pilgrims etching the outlines of their hand or feet into the rock.
From Monte Sant'Angelo it was back down to the coast. The road was much nicer than the one we had taken for the way up. Less traffic and great panoramic views of the coast. Just when we were back at the coast another rain shower started and we hid out in a cafe. The rain lasted longer than we had expected and by the time the sun was back it was too late to cycle much further. There were heaps of camping grounds along the coast and so we just settled for one of them.
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| Cycling up to Monte Sant'Angelo |
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| Sanctuary |
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| Medieval graffiti |
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The next morning was sunny and for the first time in a while we managed to get an early start. The route along the coast was surprisingly challenging with a lot of climbs but the nature and the views were amazing and after all it was enjoyable. In the afternoon we reached Vieste. We were invited to stay with a Warmshowers host who wouldn't be free before the evening so we figured we would just spend the rest of the day in town. We found a supermarket near the old town and while we packed away the stuff we had bought for lunch a dog tried to attack us. The owner stood by watching the scene and doing nothing about it. When the dog just wouldn't bugger off we sprayed some water on it and it finally ran away. In return the owner was flipping out shouting at us. Now, we realized that many Italians are crazy about their pets but this lady took it a bit too far! We prepared our lunch at a beach outside town and then returned afterwards to explore the old town. A nice collection of medieval buildings in a spectacular setting on sort of a peninsula. As a port town it had been frequently looted back in history and the Chianca Amara (Bitter Stone) is a particularly gruesome reminder. On this stone hundreds of people were decapitated when the Turks invaded Vieste in the 16th century.
Eventually it was time to continue to our host whose house was another ten or so kilometres out of town. While Giuseppe was a nice guy he was also super busy setting up a business as a tourist guide. We did have some good conversations but eventually it was time for Guiseppe to get back to his computer and do admin stuff.
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| Riding across the Gargano |
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| Vieste |
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| Chianca Amara |
Giuseppe was already busy when we woke up and quickly saw us off. We continued to Peschici, another beautiful fishing village that made for a worthwhile sightseeing stop. After Peschici the terrain became rather flat and with a mild tailwind we made good progress. Even though we chatted with an Austrian touring cyclist for more than an hour we still bashed out 120 kilometres and called it a day when we reached the outskirts of Termoli. We also entered the next Italian region - Molise
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| Peschici |
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| Riding towards Termoli |
The next day was still sunny and we decided to leave our stuff at the camping ground while we cycled the remaining ten kilometres to Termoli. Things didn't really go to plan and halfway to Termoli Simon's chain snapped. The chain connector had sheared off. When we looked to our left we realized there was a bike shop. What a coincidence! In the shop they were mostly selling expensive road bikes and they looked at Simon's bike as if it was scrap-metal. Still they installed a new chain connector and we continued to Termoli. We both felt rather tired and uninspired and so we just pushed our bikes through the old town which we felt wasn't exactly overwhelming after all the medieval towns we had already seen in Apulia. In the late afternoon we were back at the camping ground and just relaxed for the rest of the day.
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| Termoli |
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| Gate of the cathedral |
The next day it was back to cloudy and the forecast was for rain in the afternoon. We were planning to cross the Apennines again to get to Naples and we were expecting even worse weather in the mountains.
We had found a Warmshowers host in Campobasso about one third of the way to Naples. The ride there was rather stressful as we had to follow a main road with lots of traffic. Halfway to Campobasso the first, short rain shower started and soon after Dominik's rear tyre went flat. Much later than we had expected we reached town and met with our host Andrea. His family ran a restaurant in which he worked as a chef. Our room was just above the restaurant and once we had taken a shower we were invited to have dinner with the staff of the restaurant. We got delicious pizzas and cold beers and felt like we had hit the jackpot! All this generosity even made us feel a bit bad.
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| On the way to Campobasso |
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| Pizza!!! |
The next morning we woke up to the sound of rain. Andrea had told us we could stay for as long as we wanted and so we just turned around in our beds. In fact we didn't get up until noon. We had another delicious meal with the staff of the restaurant which they were about to open for lunch. Meanwhile the rain continued and continued. We did some admin stuff in our room. Later in the afternoon we joined Andrea who met with some friends. They all had travelled Nepal together and we all discussed our respective experiences. Back at the restaurant we were treated to another delicious dinner with baked Scamorza (a sort of cheese).
It was still raining the next morning and after breakfast we joined Andrea and two friends who were testing cookie-receipes in the restaurant's kitchen for an upcoming event. In the afternoon the rain finally stopped and also it was Andrea'a day off. We cycled into town together and he showed us the historic quarter of Campobasso. In the evening we went out to meet more friends of Andrea and had some good conversations (and possibly too many beers).
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| Exploring Campobasso with our host Andrea |
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The beers didn't help with an early start. Just when we had packed up the bikes we got a message from Andrea. We had planned to have breakfast together but now his car had broken down. A great moment to realize that Dominik's left pedal was also about to fail. While Dominik serviced the bearings of his pedal Andrea turned up and we had a very late breakfast together. It wasn't until 11am that he saw us off – not without giving us a loaf of fresh bread, heaps of dried chillies and some of yesterday's cookies. The sunshine lasted all the way to Altilia where there are some interesting Roman ruins that Andrea had recommended to visit. Just when we left Altilia it started to rain. It didn't last long but from there on it was on-and-off rain showers for the rest of the day. We hurried up to get to Benevento and arrived there in the late afternoon. We had hoped for somewhere to stealth camp on the way to Benevento but with the bad weather we had settled for a guesthouse instead. We dumped our stuff and then strolled through the old town for a bit. Benevento turned out to have a fairly substantial and interesting old town, a fascinating cathedral and the UNESCO-inscribed Santa Sofia church. Unfortunately most of the buildings were already closed for the day.
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| Altilia |
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| Benevento |
From Benevento it was a rather short if stressful ride to Pompei the next morning. The weather was sort of misty and even though we cycled along Vesuvius for quite a while we never really got a good view. In the afternoon we reached town. We found a cheap camping ground and set up camp.
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| Basilica in modern Pompei |
The next morning the weather had taken a turn for the worse and for most of the morning it was grey and misty. The forecast was for more sunny weather in the afternoon. We decided to spend the morning exploring 'modern' Pompei. The central square is dominated by the Basilica of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei, a sanctuary that was errected in the late 19th century in neobaroque style and that is apparently an important site of pilgrimage.
In the afternoon the weather actually cleared up and we continued to the archaeological park of Pompeii. In 79AD the propsering Roman town was buried under volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius errupted. The site was only redicovered in the 18th century and offers an amazing snaphot of life in a Roman city. Most famous are the plaster casts of all sorts of organic materials (including human bodies) that decayed away over the centuries leaving sort of natural moulds in the volcanic debris. A lot could be said about this amazing place but we'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.
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| Pompeii archaeological park |
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| Ancient lead plumbing |
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| Grinding stones |
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| Oven of a bakery |
