I was in Puglia for just over 3 weeks and had a great time. The highlight was the 8 days riding with Timo, and catching up with him and Kath over the ten days that we were all in Puglia. Kath did a solo trek while we were riding. Most of the villages were absolutely beautiful, the drivers pretty good and the food superb.
We lived it up and made the most of the time. There’s something great about travelling with adult offspring. It’s inspiring to see their maturity and how they treat others, but their sense of humour is usually disappointing (my fault entirely).
I have to say that I don’t want to see another pizza for a few months though. That said, I doubt I would ever get sick of Focaccia Barese. There were tourists in the major towns but overall, things were very quiet. In the smaller villages, most of the restaurants were even closed.
We had two tough days into a really strong headwind – from Oria to Gallipoli and the next day on to Santa Maria di Leuca. The ride into Gallipoli was just one of those days that you want to get behind you. Wet, windy and through a wasteland for the most part.
Polignano and Monopoli were both beautiful but Alberobello was absolutely unique with the Trulli houses. For the most part, the riding was relaxed and the small roads and paths wound through olive groves that were bordered by rock walls. It was quintessential Italy and a lot of fun.
Oria was surprising. It was different to other places, had few tourists and had an interesting main square and old town. We ate a restaurant where the waiter simply didn’t want to be. He acted like he’d lost the will to live, played loud videos on his phone while people tried to get his attention and delivered food like it was his last day alive.
Oria was also where I booked a BnB for the wrong date (done that before). The host didn’t want to cancel it and had no sympathy for me. So I contacted booking.com and it was sorted out.
Things became spectacular when we hit the coast north of Santa Maria di Leuca. The steep slopes meant some extra climbing, but it was pretty cruisy. Tricase Marina and Porto Badisco were highlights of this area. They were both laid back beachside places with a more relaxed crowd than Monopoli and Polignano.
Timo did really well. He’s fit from running and football, but this was his first time riding longer distances day in, day out. Kath covered a lot of ground in some trying conditions on her solo trek. She had the same howling winds but also had rock cliff to deal with at the same time.
Prior to their arrival, I’d spent over a week in the region. I’d arrived early and had a pretty leisurely time. I went directly to Brindisi because of some Sim card issues. I thought it would be the best and closest place to get it sorted out. That put me on the east coast, so I chose some places that I didn’t expect Timo and I would visit. There was some overlap in Polignano and Monopoli but generally, I was in different places. The result is that I feel like I’ve seen most places in Puglia.
This time of year, it’s pretty quiet, but Easter improved things. As well, the weather is making an effort to get warmer. Most mornings are great, but I sit here in Bari, writing this and shivering at 5pm. (It’ll be cold waiting for the 10pm ferry tonight).