Planning

The four Woollam brothers, including the honorary (Morley) brother, are booked to depart Toronto on October 6, arriving in Rome's FCO airport on the morning of the 7th. We are missing the other honorary brother, Stan, who has been on our last two adventures in France, Belgium and Holland. 

From Rome we will have a van to take us to Ortona on the Adriatic side where we will start cycling south.  This is a trip we've considered for many years but have previously been distracted by the north.  No more!  We are going to visit the lesser known beauty of the boot.

Here's a first pass idea of how we might complete this trip in the time allotted.

1. Oct. 7 (Km 0) - Land in Rome, take van to Ortona. Hotel Mara.
2. Oct. 8 - Vasto
3. Oct. 9 & 10 - Trani
4. Oct. 11 Polignano a Mare
5. Oct. 12 - Locorotondo
6. Oct. 14 - Matina Franca or area
7. Oct. 15 (Km 450) - Brendisi.
8. Oct. 18 & 19 (Km 540) - Otranto *.
9. Oct. 20 (Km 590) - Santa Maria di Leuca *.
10. Oct. 21 & 22 (Km 650) - Gallipoli *.
11. Oct. 23 & 24 (Km 700) - Lecce *.
12. Oct. 25 - Rome / Fiumicino.

* these were recommended by an Italian guy who knows the south well.

This will obviously change as we go.

Boxing Up the Bikes - Sept. 28

A week ahead of departure we gathered to box up the bikes.  Handlebars, pedals and front wheels detached and all packed into a bike box that we picked up from Oakville Cycle.  All four are ready to go including the two that are now patiently waiting in the dining room for Tuesday's departure. 

Departure YYZ to FCO - Oct. 6

We are at the airport. Bike box scanners not working so we had to open up the boxes. All went well and we left the boxes to be picked up. Let's hope they pick them up. 

No line up at security. Rob, Chris and I got through without incident. Artie, on the other hand was checked twice and lost his nail clippers in the process. Now we have a while to wait at the bar. Time for a beer, and check out our route on MyCyleTour!

Ortona to Vasto - Oct. 7-8

We landed in Rome a little early and then had to wait an hour to get our car.  All went well on the drive across the spine of Italy to Ortona.  This is a special stop because it was the site of fierce fighting in 1943 and 1944 for the Canadians making their way up through Italy. Dad was one of them.  We put bikes together and headed out a short distance to the center of town.

 Price of Peace Canadian War Monumant

We carried on biking though the town to the Canadian war cemetery which is just a few kilometres from the center. Over 1,300 Canadians are buried here. It's very well kept. We signed the book and paid our respects. There are graves here of countrymen who died here between October 1943 and into the spring of 1944. From the terrain you can see why it was a tough town to capture. 

 From there we rode on though mostly gentle hills along the coastline. Very beautiful area, but most of the seaside resorts are relatively deserted of visitors. This is not an area that pulls tourists from around the world. This is where the Italians go to enjoy the Adriatic. But the season is just over, so it's not bustling. Nice for us, but we have to look carefully for hotels that have not closed for the season. 

Today we went as far as Vasto. We planned to go a little further today but this looked like a cute town... so here we are. En route we went through some of the wine areas, I assume for their Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Not quite the same as the northern Montepulcianos, but we will make the best of it!

The front desk guy in our hotel is Roberto.  His father is from Sicily and his mother from Vasto.  A wealth of information for both places.  Sicily is still very old fashioned.  The fathers all rule with an iron hand, while wives do what they are expected.  Abuzzo was like that 40 years ago, but has now entered the new world.  Evidently young people leave Sicily as soon as they can.  Many towns have become ghost towns, although Chris is thinking it might be a good place to move. I'm thinking Laura might be a tough sell.

Roberto - Our New Friend

Tomorrow (Friday) we will head as far as we can before the predicted storm comes through on Saturday. They are calling for 20-30mm of rain so we will likely put down somewhere and ride it out. Or NOT ride it out as the case may be. 

Friday - October. 9

Riding south-east with an easterly breeze has us working hard to keep our speed up.  The weather is good for riding, but just like home you can sense wind from that direction is not a good sign. Along the way we see what looks like cactus but turns out to be prickly pear bushes. So of course we stop for a tasting. 

Prickly Pears

Chris and I both pick a pear and proceed to peel back the skin.  Now that's a mistake.  They don't call them prickly for nothing! The pears leave hairlike prickles in your fingers which are all but impossible to dig out. Next time... leave them alone. The fruit is certainly not worth it. 

Later in the day we find a place to stay. I win the bet so have a double room to myself. Nice! It's also the second game for the Jays post-season against Texas and thanks to Tristan we can pull it up from his MLB subscription, only to watch them lose in extra innings. Aaaaaaargh .

Blue Jays Down 2.  I Hate Texas.

Trani - Oct. 10

It's Saturday and the forecast is bang on. Cloud and rain seems to be the dominant weather feature, so we are having a lazy day. For the most part it's just a light rain, but not letting up any time soon so we wander the village and get wet feet. Not so bad. We are staying in the old town by the port. Quite pretty, and although it's wet it is still warm enough for shorts and t-shirts. 

Brothers by the Port

Not surprisingly, the port is full of fishing boats, some of which sell their wares along the harbour. Chris wants to take a closer look at what may later be on his dinner plate. He can have it!

That one would fit nicely on a pizza plate...

We carry on our tour and walk up to the main cathedral.  There's a large gentleman in a black suit at the front entry but we push on past, curious about the rice filled paper cones by the door.

Shotgun Wedding? You May Kiss the Bride. 

Pushing on our feet get ever more wet.  Narrow streets and numerous caffe bars and pizza-pasta ristorantes vying for our business. We stop in a little later in the afternoon for caffe and birra.  Most places are closed, but there's an elderly ex-sailor, Paulo, with a small place on the harbour who calls out with an offer of what we are looking for.  We get great advice (?) on where we should be cycling, over the mountain to the other side of Italy... Maybe next time.  Artie takes particular pleasure at shared pictures of our host's younger days on various tall ships and a picture of Queen Elizabeth perhaps 30 years ago in a shop that looks oddly like this quaint little bar  

Robbo, Paulo and Arturo in Trani. Arturo Practices his Italian.

Later on we head for dinner, which starts slowly at 8:30 but turns out to be hopping at 11. Tomorrow is a bike day though so we finish our wine and head for Straciatella and Caramelo Gelato before going back to the hotel. The weather is improving!

Trani Harbour  on Saturday Night.  Busy spot!

Looking forward to sunshine returning as we point the bikes further south in Puglia... tomorrow.  Targeting Polignano a Mare, about 75km hopefully not into the wind. 

Polignano - Oct. 11

The sunshine didn't arrive Sunday morning, and the forecast is not good for the rest of the day. We skipped the biking but still made our way to Polignano in anticipation of better weather on Monday, at which point we are planning to ride inland to what promises to be a very picturesque part of the country. 

Polignano a Mare turns out to be quite spectacular itself. Built up from the sea on top of a long cliff wall. There are lots of caves in the cliff walls, a famous feature of the town. There's an old town in the centre and today is Sunday so all the towns folks, along with a few tourists, are milling around. 

Ristorante Cut Into the Cliffs at Polignano

The other joy of Sunday, of course, is that that most stores are closed so we miss our daily bread, cheese and beer run. Somehow we will survive. 

We found a great little B&B in town.  We have two bedrooms and a living room with a very large (ultra high definition) TV.  We manually scrolled up to channel 950 without a single word of English to be found. Oh well... who needs it? I'm sure we will all be fully fluent by the time we are done this trip. Senza dubbio!

Our original plan was to go to the famous 18th century Grotto restaurant (picture above). Unfortunately the reviews for the food are dismal, and at 100 euros per person we decide to take advantage of a little home cooking in our B&B where we have sole access to the living room and kitchen. Bad news is that on Sunday the grocery stores (of any size) are closed. We do find a place with enough ingredients to make a pretty passable spaghetti dinner.  Fine local wine, cheese, focaccia and more. Red sauce for Christoforo.

Once again we anticipate fine weather in the morning, but this time with greater confidence. We have even booked an exceptional Trulli in Locorotundo, our next stop. Stay tuned.

Locorotondo - Oct. 12

A great day for riding inland into Trulli country. A good climb for most of the way, through nice countryside. Trulli houses and buildings are everywhere. Somewhat reminiscent of a stone teepee characterized by conical roof structures. We are not sure of the history but they are certainly unique to this small area in Puglia. 

Locorotondo itself is a very pretty town with a walled core and narrow streets like so many in Italy. We rode into town stopping for a cold drink and a short tour of the streets.

We pre-booked our hotel, and on this occasion we struck gold! We are in the countryside just outside of Locorotondo in our own little Trulli house (or is it a Trullo house when there's only one?). Three bedrooms, full kitchen, lots of patio space and weather to enjoy it all. This is a very nice part of Puglia.

We have a variety of grapes growing on the property and we pick them for an afternoon snack, and put some on the bike for both energy and hydration.  How practical is that?

Rob and Artie nap, and Chris and I go for groceries as we are cooking at home again tonight. We have a rusty old barbecue which we use to cook up sausage and hamburger. We pile it high with wood that we found on the property and let it burn to coals.

There's more pasta cooked up and Chris makes a good salad. We don't go hungry. The night finishes with music on the patio and another blaze in the barbecue. All in all a great day. 

Brendisi and Torre del'Orso - Oct. 13

The weather is fine and we head towards Brendisi.

I was in Brendisi as a teenager with some friends. We ferried from Athens in the early '70s on an over-booked ship that sunk on the following trip killing quite a number of passengers. I was lucky on that trip to Brendisi.  My second, and likely last, visit to This town is not so memorable. No great accommodation opportunities and not much else to stay for, so we push on further looking for hotels along a very beautiful but deserted coastline.  

 Low Cliffs Along the Waterfront

I'm sure this is a busy area in season, but this is October and there's hardly a tumbleweed blowing through.  We eventually find lodging in Torre del'Orso. A modern well priced hotel that we are happy to fall into. Pizza Capriciossa, Insalate Mista a little wine, and that's all she wrote.

Otranto - Oct. 14

As we leave our hotel in the morning our hotel manager gives us some free advice on places to go. He advises to skip over Otranto, but instead we decide to at least drop in to take a look.  It's a short ride but there's a very strong headwind, so we get our exercise.  In our opinion Otranto is the most beautiful place we have seen so far. A small ancient walled city overlooking the sea with lots of history. As we look for a place to stay we are overheard by a young Oz lady who has been here for seven years and acts as a translator for the tourist office.  She is happy to help us hunt down a great hotel with terraces and sea views in the old town. We shower (the boys, not the Oz lady) and take a moment on one of the terraces before exploring the town.

Our first stop on our walk is, of course, to enjoy a gelato.  Amarena and  Straciatella for three of us and Limone for Rob.

The views from the edge of town over the water are fantastic. We walk by the walls of the castle. As we pass through the main archway we can see the openings for the boiling oil and archers. Fortunately not in use today.

In 1480 Otranto was invaded by the Turks who beheaded and killed 800 local Christians.  We pass a statue in an open area near the cathedral to which is attached a three dimensional rendering of the savagery.

Inside the cathedral is a small chapel off the main area.  Behind the alter are what looks like three large windows, but they do not hold a view beyond the walls.  Instead, something considerably more gruesome.

The Skulls of Some of the 800 Massacred by the Turks

In the lower level there is another chapel to Santa Maria where one of the elderly women leads a small group in prayer.

We go back to the room so the others can nap, and I can catch up on the journal while the Internet is good. Hoping it's good enough to watch Game 5 of the Jays series with the Rangers. GJG!

Later that night...

The Jays game started at 10PM so we sat out on the terrace and watched it on the iPad. What a game! Finished off at 2AM local time... On to KC Friday, although that game might be a little late for us. 

Santa Maria di Leuca - Oct. 15

The weather in the morning is threatening with a strong headwind. It's only about 55km so the headwind, along with the coastal hills makes for good exercise. The coastline is spectacular. Cliffs, clear water and rough surf. A few cute towns along the way, showing a variety of influence including Muslim.

 Moresque Villa En-Route

At the half way point it starts to drizzle so we pull in to see if it will pass.  After ten minutes it lightens up and we press on. 10 km from our destination it's a show-stopper. Torrential rain, thunder and lightning. We find a sheltered area at the side of the road.

The rain eases off and we find a nice B&B in SM di Leuca, off the seafront, then later head into town for some pasta. Time for a change from our pizza typico. 

In SM di Leuca we head out to pick up a little beer and wine.  I'm not sure why the wine seems so much more expensive than we are used to in France and previously in Italy.  We've always Ben able to get very good local wine for 3-4 Euros a bottle, but it's more like 8 Euros on this trip. In the Alimentare here it's even more, so we fight back by buying in bulk.  The wine is actually very good, a Primitivo Salento, and no need for a corkscrew.

Gallipoli - Oct. 16, 17

Gallipoli is on the Ionian Sea, on the west side of the Italian heel.  It has a walled historic centre on an Island connected by a bridge to the newer part of town. It was raining again earlier but has now mostly cleared. We have our choice of B&Bs since tourist season is long gone. A two bedroom unit with a private terrace for sitting out. The temperature is in the low 20s (C), and the humidity fairly high so all is good.  Our hotelier has taken our dirty laundry to be cleaned. No starch in the socks today. 

It's pretty town, although perhaps not as pretty as the northern towns like Lucca. The south is clearly less visited by non-Italians but we have been well welcomed by all that we have run into.  Chris, Artie and I take a walk though the town as Rob puts his feet up for a rest.

It is still Siesta time so the town is pretty quiet. We go to the beach to test the Ionian Sea which is still reasonably warm, then wander aimlessly checking out the sights. We are staying here two nights. 

Later in the day we find dinner in the old town at the edge of the sea. We are on the edge of the wall that drops into the sea. The temperature is fine for short sleeves and the breeze is light.

Mark and Chris Toast the Evening

San Robbo di Gallipoli with his Halo

Saturday morning we wake up and watch the condensed Jays-Royals game. Bad way to start the day, but the weather is nice and we'll head out shortly for a ride on the south side of town.  The winds are light and the sun warm. A whole lot better than the last few days. 

Beach Side Ride

The next day is nice and sunny, and although we have another night in Gallipoli we take the bikes out for a ride south along the coastal road for a pleasant 50k+ ride.  The water is crystal clear and the beach is populated sparsely.  The water is easily warm enough for swimming at this late date.

Of course every good ride needs a destination, and in this case it's gelato at the seafront.  Panna Cotta and Amarena.  Hard to beat. Shadows are starting to get long and we want to hit the Supermercato on the way back to pick up some food, tonight we are eating in.

Later that night Artie cooks up his spaghetti and meatball dinner. He makes it look easy and it's probably the best pasta we've had since we got here. Not to be spoilt by the second Jays KC game which itself is a real let down.

Lecce - Oct. 19, 20

The ride to Lecce is enjoyed in good weather but nothing to write about, so I won't, other than to say that Rob and Artie are entertained by the under-dressed girls at the side of the road as they ride.  No, not entertained in that way.

I did my first booking through Airbnb the night before. I'm pretty good at navigating online puzzles, but getting set up with Airbnb and securing the reservation in Lecce was nothing short of ugly. The good side of it, however, is that we booked a great two bedroom apartment with a huge private terrace in a one-time Palazzo (Palazzo Rollo), right in the centre of the old town steps away from the main cathedral complex.

From Our 2nd Floor Courtyard Terrace at the Palazzo Rollo

Lecce is GREAT! The old town has a Roman Amphitheatre, squares, cathedrals, and a vibrant buzz.  We are used to quiet seaside towns slightly out of season, so the hustle of Lecce is a well received change.  This is a University town, so there's also a good mix of ages. Another way to say that people watching is far more distracting.

Cattedrale dell'Assunziona Della Virgine - Twenty Steps from the Palazzo Rollo

At dinner we find yet another Pizza Capricciosa and yet another litro di Vino Primitivo. In Otranto we were told that you could easily determine good value in a restaurant by checking the price of their Pizza Margherita. If it's over 4 Euros then keep looking. This place passed the test with only a 2.50E premium for the well dressed Capricciosa and 9E for the wine, and it's all very good. 

Day 2 Lecce

We are here for a second day. They call Lecce the Florence of the south. We are here early because we skipped the area around Bari during the earlier rain in favour of extending the trip past Lecce to add another night near Locorotondo and a second night near Matera. 

For our day off we do the tourist thing. Lots of pictures. 

One of Many Pics in Lecce

The historic walking centre is still filled with a com I at ion of students, locals and a sprinkling of tourists. Rob finds a good deal on fine Italian paddock boots and models them for us after dinner. 

Rob's Best Pouty Model Impression

Rain Delay

we are supposed to be riding back north to Locorotondo for one more night in a Trulli, but it's poring rain today and we are not keen on riding in the rain. So we are one more day in Lecce, with the promise of better riding weather tomorrow. We got up today and watched the Jays finally take one from KC. Good game! We were also surprised to find a Liberal majority government back home. 

Cisternino Area - Oct. 21

We liked the Trulli house in Locorotondo so much earlier in the trip that we decided to find another. Rob discovered one midway between Cisternino and Locorotondo, 'Truddhi Trulli', ome of eleven Trullis owned and operated by a welsh lady who moved to the area with her Italian husband 40 years prior. The ride there was great, except towards the end as a new weather front started blowing in, dropping the temperature way down and eventually bring more rain to us.  By the time we got to our Trulli I had all fingers and thumbs white and numb.  Couldn't even undo the clasp on my helmet. The rain started shortly after.

We found a resraurant nearby called Marco's and all ate pasta while the rain continued to fall with temperatures holding around 9C. Oddly, the weather up north in Tuscany is sunny and warm... WTF.

Matera - Oct. 22, 23 

Matera is famous for it's historic centre which is an area built on to an extensive series of caves (Sassi). The rain has stopped but it's still cloudy and cool. People have lived here since well before Christ, tucked into the caves originally, then building out. It was evacuated in the 1950s due to poor sanitation and general living conditions but has since been reinvigorated with people, restaurants, small hotels and B&Bs. It's very striking and very memorable. 

On Friday we awake to scattered sun and an improvement in temperature. That will give us the opportunity to explore and take a few pics. Tomorrow we head back north towards Rome for our last night before flying out.

The pictures really don't do it justice and Rob and Artie could capture the long history better than I, but if you find yourself in this part of the world, then put Matera on your list of stop-overs, and take a little time to walk the streets.

Later in the day we gather in the back streets and start to prepare for the return journey by boxing the bikes  back up.. Tomorrow we will drive to Anzio, which is a little shy of Rome and the flight home. It's about a five hour drive.

General Comments on the Trip

We have wanted to cycle this part of Italy for a long time.  At one point I remember being a little uncertain as to whether it would compare favourably to other trips we have enjoyed north of Rome. Prior to leaving we were increasingly excited by comments made by various people who had been here, and given it was later in the season we felt sure that we would do better for weather the further south we went.

More than other trips we did struggle with the weather, mostly because of the rain. In balance, however we did get a reasonable quota of dry roads and sunshine that made for some great cycling days. On the Adriatic side we found ourselves considerably out-of-season.  In some ways that was nice, fewer crowds of tourists, and in some ways it created a challenge with some areas simply closed up or running fractionally. 

Compared to Rome and points north, the south is a little rougher and a little less travelled by non-Italians. It is not as well maintained, there's more garbage on the side of the roads and more bumps in the pavement. The people may be a little less sophisticated but they are mostly delightful and that's good enough for me. The coastline south of Bari and Brendisi is breathtaking, even in the rain, and the water is clear and inviting.

Locorotondo and its Trulli, Otranto, Gallipoli, Lecce and Matera are all world class travel destinations.  They combine history, beauty and energy and made our trip this year memorable.