PUGLIA, ITALY 6-Day Cycling Tour SELF-GUIDED TOUR SUMMARY PUGLIA, ITALY Italy’s Sundrenched Heel TOUR LENGTH 6 Days / 5 Nights In the heel of Italy, Puglia is undiscovered and untouched relative to the rest of the country. The people are warm and authentic with life here fitting around slow, pastoral rhythms START & END unique to Italy’s deep south. The whitewashed villages and emerald waters of the Adriatic are reminiscent of Greece. Indeed, the Greeks, Romans, Venetians, Turks and Spanish Bari have all left their marks on the region’s architecture, the culture and the cuisine. A network of quiet country lanes and gentle terrain make this a great destination for BEST TIMES TO VISIT beginner and intermediate riders. April to November NOTE: August can be quite warm SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS RIDE OPTIONS Private transfer from Bari with bike set up and Leisure OPTIONAL EXTRAS full route briefing at the start of your tour Intermediate Alternative start/end location at Bilingual guides delivering superior service Bari Airport Challenge* Select accommodations with breakfast Cooking classes Epic On-call roadside assistance Private wine tours * There is limited riding for Luggage moved between lodgings and optional Challenge riders - typically Sailing & motor yacht participant transfers along the routes combining two Intermediate excursions GPS units, maps, directions and guidebook rides. Customize your route Private transfer back to Bari at the end of your tour BIKES AVAILABLE DAY-BY-DAY FLOW Hybrid Day 1 Bari to Alberobello Road Day 2 Alberobello Loops eBike Day 3 Alberobello to Ostuni Premium Road Day 4 Ostuni Loops See Bike Choices page for bike Day 5 Ostuni to Monopoli rental rates Day 6 Monopoli to Bari 2 415.366.3806 lifecycleadventures.com & [email protected] ABOUT US WHY LIFECYCLE ADVENTURES OUR SELF-GUIDED TOURS At the start of your self-guided tour, your guide transfers you from your hotel, sets up your bike, and gives you a full route briefing. They then take care of all the behind-the- scenes logistics while you guide yourself along the routes; riding at your own pace and choosing a route that best suits your ability. Our support vans are nearby should you require assistance and your guide is also available by phone. Your GPS unit and cycling maps help you navigate while our best-in-class guidebooks tell you about the towns you will visit and the sights along your route. We also recommend places to eat and would be pleased to make reservations for you. When customizing your itinerary, you select your accommodation, trip duration, when you travel, and what type of bike you ride. This customization, support and insight helps make our self-guided tours the most personalized and well-supported in the industry. OUR GUIDES LifeCycle Adventures Typical Feature Self-Guided Tours Self-Guided Tours Our expert guides live in the areas in which you tour and have the passion and knowledge to deliver Dates & Duration Fully flexible Limited & fixed superior service and exceptional insight. Accommodation From Budget to Luxury Set YOUR GUIDE TO PUGLIA Routes From Leisure to Epic Some choice Day 1 in person Ride Briefings None or limited Daily by phone Van on call Ride Support None or limited Guide by phone Lunches & Dinners Help with reservations On your own My name is Antonello and I will be leading the team taking care of you Pre- and Post-Tour Transfers Yes No during your tour. I was born in Puglia but traveled widely as a professional cyclist. My passion now is to share the cuisine, PRIVATE TOUR SPECIALISTS SINCE 2004 landscapes, and culture of my home region with other travelers. My aim With our unique blend of customized itineraries and personal service we create perfect is to allow you to enjoy an authentic cycling vacations for those who want to explore on their own terms. From the moment experience of this beautiful region. you contact us until the end of your tour, you will find us responsive, attentive and totally focused on creating your perfect cycling vacation. I look forward to meeting you at the start of your tour. We donate 10% of our profits to cycling advocacy and reduce our carbon footprint using offsets while working towards making all our operations carbon neutral. Antonello Losito 3 415.366.3806 lifecycleadventures.com & [email protected] ABOUT US BOOK AND TRAVEL WITH CONFIDENCE MORE FLEXIBILITY AND ENHANCED SAFETY IN A TIME OF COVID It is always our objective to make your booking and travel as easy and worry-free as possible. To that end, we have taken tours that were already well-suited to safe travel and added a number of new features to truly make this a great way to explore in these challenging times. A Great Way to Vacation Book with Confidence Travel Safely Our Self-Guided and Private In these times of uncertainty, Our health-screened guides are Guided tours have always been we have improved our already available throughout your tour perfect for those wanting to get generous cancellation policy. and will wear masks and take off the beaten track and avoid distancing precautions. the crowds. Cancel penalty-free until March 1, 2021 for any tour starting Overnight accommodations Our tours have never mixed after April 30. After March 1, have been screened to help strangers together and have 2021, you have the choice of a ensure they follow distancing always been limited to just your refund or a credit for a future protocols and sanitize rooms group. All transportation is tour.* between guests. private – for just you and your travel companions. If you are unable to travel due Our equipment, from bikes to to travel restrictions, you can vans, are sanitized before and You are in control: stop as much choose to postpone your tour after serving guests. or as little as you like, eat where for up to two years.* you choose, and only visit the sights you want. * - See the Terms and Conditions at the end of this itinerary for details of our cancellation policy. 4 415.366.3806 lifecycleadventures.com & [email protected] DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY DAY 1 Bari to Alberobello RIDE OPTIONS The Intermediate ride starts with a van transfer to Leisure Castellana Grotte; a town famous for its spectacular 10 miles limestone caves. Your route starts out over rolling Nothing quite prepares 500 feet of climbing farmland with vibrant green fields in spring and you for the bizarre golden wheat fields in the summer. The network Intermediate of tiny byways, bordered with drystone walls, makes wonder of the Zona di 20 miles this ideal cycling territory for those who like to 1,000 feet of climbing explore at a gentle pace. Trulli in Alberobello Challenge With a mid-morning start you will easily reach 40 miles Noci for lunch. Noci is an attractive and relatively 1,950 feet of climbing undiscovered town. The small, historical center is a maze of winding cobbled streets and small courtyards. Noci is also famous for its mozzarella OVERNIGHT TOWN and there are several good cheese shops in the town. From Noci, it is back onto the small lanes for Alberobello a gentle ride on to your overnight destination of The Zona di Trulli is a UNESCO Alberobello. World Heritage Site at the heart of this pretty provincial town. The The Leisure ride starts in Noci and then follows the zone is a dense mass of hundreds intermediate route described above. of beehive-shaped cottages built from flat stones without mortar. The starts at the coast in Polignano a Challenge This is an exceptional example of a Mare. This adds 10 miles and some extra climbing. building technique that has survived from prehistoric times. DAY 2 Alberobello Loops RIDE OPTIONS You could spend several contented days in and Leisure around Alberobello and its UNESCO World Heritage Locorotondo is a 15 miles Site. The surrounding countryside is also full of 600 feet of climbing fascinating villages and sites. There are two good sparkling hilltop city intermediate rides. bedecked with red Intermediate 20 miles / 950 feet of climbing The first Intermediate ride heads to the geraniums set against 35 miles / 2,300 feet of climbing spectacular towns of Locorotondo and Martina Franca. Locorotondo is a sparkling white city on a hill. whitewashed walls Challenge The old town is bedecked with blood-red geraniums 55 miles set against the whitewashed walls. Martina Franca 3,250 feet of climbing makes a great lunch stop – it is famous for its local cuisine and has impressive Baroque architecture. OVERNIGHT TOWN The Leisure ride follows the above route but loops back from Locorotondo. Alberobello The Zona di Trulli is a UNESCO The ride heads east to second Intermediate World Heritage Site at the heart Savelletri on the coast. This charming fishing of this pretty provincial town. The hamlet has a couple of great seafood restaurants zone is a dense mass of hundreds clustered around the small harbor. The coast here of beehive-shaped cottages built is spectacular with rocky cliffs and small coves. from flat stones without mortar. This is an exceptional example of a The Challenge ride combines the two intermediate routes. building technique that has survived from prehistoric times. 5 415.366.3806 lifecycleadventures.com & [email protected] DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY DAY 3 Alberobello to Ostuni RIDE OPTIONS Today you leave the fanciful world of Trulli and head Leisure to the gleaming white city of Ostuni. In Cisternino eat fornello 10 miles 650 feet of climbing The Intermediate route meanders past centuries- pronti – meat grilled by old olive trees to the slow-paced city of Cisternino Intermediate – designated borghi più belli (one of Italy’s most butchers that you eat at 25 miles beautiful towns).