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Route Rating Level 2 to Level 5

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Casual Inns
  • $3,198 pp dbl. occ.
  • (+$630 for sgl. occ.)

Reserve early for the best available price. More Info

6 DAYS, 5 NIGHTS
ROLLOVER DATES BELOW FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
2009 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
ROLLOVER DATES ABOVE FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
TRIP NOTES

All meals included except 2 lunches and 1 dinner.

Cancellation Policy

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Meet / Depart

Monópoli, Italy/Lecce, Italy

Special Interest

Cooking, Culture & History, Fine Wine & Cuisine, Romance &/or Honeymoon

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Call: 800-462-2848
or 510-527-1555
Fax: 510-527-1444
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801 Cedar St.
Berkeley, CA 94710

Business Hours:
7 days a week
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time

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Puglia Italy Biking

Puglia Biking

Biking Italy's Sun-Drenched Adriatic Coast

The map says Italy but there’s a distinctly Greek feel to Italy’s Puglia region, nestled between the spur and the heel of the country’s boot-shaped perimeter. Join Backroads on a bicycling journey along rugged coastline and through typical Pugliese countryside of endless olive groves and picturesque masserie (fortified farmhouses) and intriguing trulli structures. Come evening, dine on rustic Pugliese cuisine, featuring an abundance of seafood and fresh vegetables, and overnight in charming authentic hotels.

You are viewing the Classic Casual Inns version of this trip.
View the Classic Premiere Inns Itineraries.

View the Family Premiere Inns Itineraries.

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Day 1 Conversano

Meet in Monópoli Hop on your bike for a warm-up ride that offers the perfect introduction to the region Ride along the coast amid the low stone walls and agricultural fields that characterize the Puglia landscape  Passing groves of huge, old olive trees, you’ll soon understand why Puglia is Italy’s premier olive oil producer Knead dough and bake in a bread-making class - and taste the results!

Days 2-3 Pezze di Greco

Bike into the rolling hills of the Val d’Itria, a fertile patchwork of almond orchards, olive groves and vineyards  Coast to Alberobello, a World Heritage Site known for its trulli - unusual round stone buildings topped with conical gray slate roofs Enjoy an olive oil tasting  Pedal to historic Ostuni, the "white city," and wander its cobblestone streets lined with whitewashed houses.

Days 4-6 Otranto

Spin over undulating terrain toward Otranto, an important historic and artistic center perched at the easternmost point of Italy En route, delight in views of the azure Adriatic and its picturesque white-sand beaches  Take a guided tour of Lecce, a city famed for beautiful Baroque architecture.

Route Rating What's this? Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Each offers options for more or less activity, so you can decide exactly how much you want to do day by day.

Lodging What's this? Our lodgings are divided into three different categories.

Premiere Inns:These lodgings possess both elegance and authentic regional flair.

Casual Inns:These lodgings are comfortable and appropriate to the areawith such characteristics as authenticity, scenic settings and proximity to our activities.

Deluxe Camping:We set up the tents (and take them down), handle every camp chore and perform culinary magic.

Detailed Itinerary

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Guest Trip Reviews

I've spent these last two days telling everyone that my Puglia trip was absolutely perfect. The leaders, were wonderful, extremely professional and yet lots of fun and engaging. I will always remember them telling us to "embrace the chaos" of Puglia and we did. I learned about Italy and also learned a great deal from my fellow travelers. I was traveling alone for the first time ever and the Backroads format made everything work--a great balance of group activities, the freedom to spend time alone and the opportunity to challenge myself physically--all in a beautiful environment.
Kate Gruen - Mill Valley, CA

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All Guest Reviews

For 30 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Puglia tour experts. For biking tours in Europe Italy, trust our in-depth connections. To see all our Europe Italy biking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe Italy walking and hiking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe Italy multisport tours click here.

Puglia Biking

ADRIATIC REFUGES: Casual Inns

Hotel Corte Altavilla

Conversano (1 night): This hotel, once a medieval court, has been transformed into a modern four-star property featuring rooms with stone walls and private balconies that look out onto Conversano, “La Citta d’Arte” (the city of art).

Masseria San Martino

Pezze di Greco (2 nights): Resting in an olive grove just a few miles from the Adriatic, this peaceful 18th-century masseria features spacious guest rooms, a tranquil garden and a pool.

Masseria Panareo

Otranto (2 nights): A 15th-century country house perched on a hill, with great views of the Adriatic and the Cape of Otranto.

Puglia Biking Puglia Biking

Masseria San Martino

You are viewing the Classic Casual Inns version of this trip.
View the Classic Premiere Inns Itineraries.

View the Family Premiere Inns Itineraries.

Puglia Biking

Route Rating

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
  • Level 1  1 Route Option Available
  • 14 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Day 2
  • Levels 2 to 4 3 Route Options Available
  • 25, 29, 43 miles
  • 500 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 3
  • Levels 2 to 4 3 Route Options Available
  • 21, 33, 40 miles
  • 1000 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 4
  • Levels 2 to 4 3 Route Options Available
  • 23, 32, 54 miles
  • 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain
Day 5
  • Levels 2 to 5 2 Route Options Available
  • 29, 66 miles
  • 1000 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 6
  • Level 1 1 Route Option Available
  • Walking Tour 1.5 hours
Puglia Biking Puglia Biking

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking
& Hiking
1 2-3
hours		 10-20
miles		 2-5
miles
2 2-4
hours		 21-30
miles		 5-7
miles
3 3-5
hours		 31-40
miles		 7-9
miles
4 4-6
hours		 41-55
miles		 9-11
miles
5 5-7+
hours		 56-75+
miles		 11-13+
miles