Italy ✅

Time has flown by since we departed Sicily on a ferry across the Strait of Messina. After just ten days (seven cycling days), we rode up the west coast of Calabria, crossed the mountains to the Gulf of Taranto, and passed through the remote highlands of Puglia to the Adriatic coast, where we cruised to our last destination in Italy—Bari.

Calabria

Once we crossed the Strait of Messina, we continued riding along the familiar scenic coastal roads we grew used to in Sicily. What we didn’t know is that our toughest climbs were not far ahead. The bulk of this leg of the tour was spent in this rugged “toe” of Italy.

Other challenges in Calabria were more traffic and difficulty navigating, especially through the mountains. One day I was on a stretch by myself, when I decided to take a more “scenic” road suggested by one of the cocktail of navigation apps I’ve been using for this trip. What started as a nice side road descending down the mountain quickly deteriorated into a thick brush, which I had to cut through with my bike. This was the first time I could feel the remoteness of the trip, and admittedly became a bit panicked (especially with the barking dogs nearby).

Luckily I navigated my way out of this “shortcut” to the amusement of a couple who had stopped off on the main road to take a photo. I had never been so happy to see a road!

On the day of our toughest climb, crossing from the west coast to the Gulf of Taranto, we decided to leave an hour earlier than usual to beat the traffic and the sun. Although we only climbed to around 700m (2300ft), there was a noticeable difference in the weather conditions. The cool mountain air quickly disappeared as we descended into the agricultural bowl on the other side. The air felt like when you open the oven, but at least we were heading downhill.

Basilicata & Taranto

While riding along the Gulf of Taranto was easy by cycling standards, it was probably the most boring leg of the trip and the days felt long and hot. We were mostly crisscrossing the highway, passing by farms (and dogs), using service roads, and stopping at rest stops along the way. While this may have not been the charming side of Italy so many people are used to, it was still cool to see. In these parts, the locals still come out to hang out at the gas station as if it was the town bar (even as early as 9am 🙂).

After officially crossing from Calabria to Basilicata and eventually Puglia, we made way for Taranto and were greeted by a rather gross port and chemical plant on our way into the city. Luckily, beyond that was a really cool and vibrant old town. While the riding wasn’t my favorite, I would still recommend stopping for a day or two in Taranto if you are around.

Puglia & The Adriatic Coast

Foolishly we had thought our climbing days were over, but a trip over the “heel” of Italy reminded us that they were not. While this climb wasn’t quite as steep or as high as in Calabria, we dealt with more wind and difficult roads. Despite this, the air remained cool and the descent down to the Adriatic was nice. Once on the coast we stopped in Monopoli, which I would highly recommend visiting. The city’s old town feels quite similar to the medinas of North Africa and there is a nice port along with seafood delicacies like the grilled octopus sandwich.

After taking an extra day in Monopoli, it was time to cruise along the coast into Bari, where the Italian leg of the tour came to a close. I had been to Bari once before, but riding along the coast and catching some of the beaches and small towns on the way in was a nice way to return to the capital of Puglia. Now that we have made it, it’s time to recover and rest up for the next leg!

Grazie Italia!