Judith Schrut continues her hiatus in Italy’s heel with an exhilarating cycle ride along ancient Roman roads, bike-friendly railway bridges and villages perched atop rocky ravines.
Whether you’re an Easy Rider, Whizz-bang Wheeler or Velo Virgin, I truly believe the best way to explore Italy is on a bike. And joy of joys, that’s how we’re spending the second day of our hiatus in the heel.
Our trail begins on Via Appia Antica, the ancient Appian Way, just outside Laterza. This historic Puglian town sits at the top of Europe’s largest canyon and is famed for its gorgeous Majolica ceramics. If you can, find time to stop by Laterza’s spanking new MuMa, the Museum of Majolica, housed in a restored Renaissance palace.
The Via Appia was Europe’s first major road and one of the Romans’ greatest achievements. They cut through mountains, drained marshes and built giant stone bridges over steep ravines to create this ‘Queen of Roads’. In its prime it stretched 350 miles, from Rome’s Forum to Brindisi at the sharp end of Italy’s heel. One historian said it all: “to travel the Appia today is to step in the tracks of countless ghosts.” Rich in history, it was not only a path for Christian pilgrims on their way from Rome to the Holy Land but a vital trade and transport route. It’s infamously the site of Spartacus’ 73 BC slave revolt and bloody aftermath, including the crucifixion of 6,000 slaves whose bodies were dumped along this very road.
Cyclist-in-chief Giovanni excitedly tells about the magnificent hills en route, so I’m overjoyed to be kitted out with an Atala B-easy e-bike. However, if you’re reasonably fit you’ll do just fine with the excellent standard bicycles provided by Puglia Cycle Tours. I’ve travelled with them before and wouldn’t bike Puglia with anyone else. Their routes are well organised and supported, your luggage is transported between stops and their staff team has a wonderful knack of making you feel part of a cuddly Puglian family for however long you’re visiting. (Don’t take my word for it; feedback on social media says it all).
As you can see, our frequent stops were a great chance to chat, vlog, and Instagram-pose.
I’m willing to bet my cute little e-bike that those medieval pilgrims, as they made their treacherous way on foot from Rome to the southern Adriatic Coast (and eventually on to Jerusalem), could not have imagined that two thousand years later a boisterous herd of descendants would be speeding along the same route on two-wheeled motorised vehicles loaded with weird-looking gear known as drones, go-pros and selfie sticks.
Our route continues through the Regional Park of Terra delle Gravine, a wondrous mix of scenic paths through olive groves, vineyards and orchards, breathtaking gorges and historic perched villages. It’s a breeze for the twenty-somethings in our group but an absolute thrill for those of us on e-bikes.
We stop briefly in Castellaneta, birthplace of the Hollywood’s first hearththrob, Rudolph Valentino, aka ‘The Latin Lover’, born here in 1895. Fans of The Simpsons will be impressed to learn it’s also ancestral home to Dan Castellaneta, voice of Homer Simpson and Krusty the Klown.
The cycle route out of Castellaneta is a disused railway line surrounded by canyons filled with rare species of plants and wonderful scents. As elsewhere in this part of Italy, the hills are dotted with cave houses and rock churches built by medieval monks hundreds of years ago.
photo credit & copyright Rene Koelliker
From here we’re on the exhilarating home stretch: up, down, up and over a splendid railway viaduct and on into Palagianello. A picnic lunch of hot focaccia and cold beer awaits us on the steps near the rock-hewn sanctuary and crypt of Madonna delle Grazie.
Judith’s fellow bloggers and travel companions (from front row up): Francisco, Veronica, Nicoletta, Thomas, Valentina, Rene, Giovanni, Toto.
Judith is a writer and journalist who writes about people, places, food, the arts and more. Born and raised in California, Judith has lived in her favourite city-- London-- for over 30 years. She writes and blogs regularly for Tikichris and American in Britain Magazine, creating enjoyable-to-read features, previews, reviews and interviews. She's also an experienced editor and researcher. More on Judith at californianinlondon.dudaone.com.
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