Puglia in the autumn

From coastal cycling routes to cross-valley treks and hiking excursions deep in the forests and lush natural parks, Puglia offers hundreds of kilometers of wellbeing trails waiting to be discovered

by JUDY COGAN & JOHN KLEIN

The natural beauty of Puglia’s landscape is as underrated as it is breathtaking. Where else will you find wild parks that bleed into beautiful countryside pockmarked by gently curving hills and small, whitewashed towns? While, not faraway, wide-open lakes lively with wildlife sit separated by sand dunes from 500-hundred miles worth of coastline.

Known as the “stiletto heel” of Italy, this southern region of the country is already on the map as a popular culinary destination thanks to an abundance of fresh seafood and homegrown produce from olive oil to artichokes and Polignano’s famous purple carrots. Across the region, boutique cycling and hiking agencies are on a mission to share Puglia’s plethora of outdoor activities that includes everything from abandoned mineral sites, picturesque cycling routes, rock climbing, naturalistic trekking, and even early morning surfing excursions. Any of these activities are suitable for families, small groups and solo travelers.

“We spent our childhoods cycling through the countryside to the beach with our friends,” notes Emanuela Conversano, cofounder of bespoke travel company Tipica Tours and Puglia Cycling Tours, the region’s first cycling travel service. “Our tours are led by multilingual guides who know and love Puglia inside out,” she says. Clients simply have to define their travel style, preferred rhythm and scenery – consider the rest done. Routes cover a wide range of activity levels, from casual rides to highintensity paths, as well as hiking options for those who prefer to travel on foot with the Conversano and her colleagues’ newly launched Puglia Hiking Tours. Explore the Gargano peninsula, a lesserknown northeastern pocket of Puglia home to the UNESCO-inscribed Umbra Forest where you can experiment with forest bathing (a free and profound healing practice) and visit the stunning Pulsano Abbey, an ancient Byzantine cathedral and sanctuary. Come spring, rich flora and wild orchids take over the meadows, comprising 64% of the species present in Europe - an incredible sight for cyclists and avid hikers. To the west is the Alta Murgia National Park where you can spend days meandering through open wheat fields, century-old olive groves and orchards bursting with sweet peach blossom.

Some of the most extraordinary scenes are those found further north at the State Nature Reserve, adjacent to Margherita di Savoia’s salt mines that date back to 200 BC. Here, an impressive expanse of wetlands surrounded by pastures and crops is home to 50,000 specimens of species including fish and birds such as hawks, egrets, and herons.

Recommended cycling routes are the path to Frederick II’s marvelous Castel del Monte, while in the heartland of Puglia, in the triage generally mapped between Martina Franca, Cisternino and Locorotondo known as the Itria Valley, you can zip through quaint hilltop towns, dotted with historic bridges and Trulli, Puglia’s traditional whitewashed huts with conical roofs. Of course, a well-deserved lunch in the country or pop-up wine tasting are arranged en route before corkscrewing down quiet country roads towards the coastline.

Salento is distinctly different however, evident in the color of the earth and architecture. Wander the inner trails passing through sleepy towns until you reach the coast, blessed with nature reserves, sand dunes, and immaculate, blue waters. At the tip of Salentao is Leuca, the southernmost point of a national cycling route that covers 1,300 kilometers, where dramatic cliffs and the tempting waters of the southern Mediterranean flank the narrow roads.

While Puglia is blessed with a pleasant climate all year around if you are heading to the coast for your spiritual awakening, the summer is the best time of year to embrace the ocean. “It may come as a surprise, but Italy offers water sports at the same standard as those you can find in California and Hawaii,” says Alma Argese, founder of Romeo DMC. Sometimes as high as double overhead. Surfers can take advantage of the wind currents from the sea and the mountains, which create spectacular waves. The best time to take the plunge is from September until May. This land offers a slow pace and a calming connection to nature, one’s self and the community - far from the digital overload of our contemporary livelihood. “Being far from crowds, traffic and pollution opens up the lungs but also the mind,” says Conversano. “Our body relaxes and our thoughts become more lucid, more positive. It is not easy to find a place where man and nature speak so well and eloquently to each other and exploring it will benefit your physical and spiritual health.”Such benefits also extend to beginners. “It’s all in the challenge of trying over and over,” she says. “You fail and then you succeed and in doing so you are pushing your limits, you learn new things, improve, evolve and feel more fulfilled. You gain a great sense of self gratification.” Yet another surprise element to Italy’s best kept secret.

The most surprising thing about Puglia, however, is the light. “It seems like an abstract feature,” explains Conversano. “But it always stands out to visitors. The light shines on every aspect of the Apulian landscape - the blue sea, the silver leaves of the olive trees, the dry-stone walls from the Murge down to the Salento and on the faces of Puglia’s people. It creates a unique and special atmosphere.”

For the full story and more itineraries, visit via-magazine.com

Puglia Cycle Tours pugliacycletours.com

Romeo DMC romeodmc.com

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