Matera to San Giorgio Ionico

Strava: 89.7 km, 654m, 3:43, 297 shifts

We woke up in our cave and managed to get going before 9. We found a café within half a km for breakfast. Fresh squeezed orange juice and croissants… Nice.

Then we headed out of town. It was cooler today, and a bit cloudy so I didn’t sweat so much. Wytze kept a fast but sane pace and we had soon cranked out half of our distance. It was mostly paved with a little gravel. We stopped for drinks and focaccia in Palagiano.

The second half was similar but there was an interesting gravel section. We were on gravel in the usual middle of nowhere when we came to a tall and solid gate. Fencing made going around not possible. So I went over and Wytze went to the top. All four bikes were passed up to him and down to me. We kind of knew we were due for a repeat and sure enough after less than a km we had to do it again. We were going around the small bay in the Gulf of Taranto, part of the Mediterranean Sea. We hadn’t seen it since the early days around Cinque Terre.

It was only a little further to our town, San Giorgio Ionico, which looked sleepy and definitely far from the tourist track. Wytze called and our young, friendly host, David, showed us around the apartment. It was modern and clean, with a view. Soon, showers and laundry were done and it was still only 3 pm, luxury.

Later in the afternoon Wytze suggested a plan to pass the time until dinner: since we had another big smart TV, watch a movie. He picked “A Special Day”, a 1977 Italian film starring Sophia Loren. Set in Rome in 1938: fascism, Hitler & Mussolini, very well done film.

After that it was dinner time and it took a while to find a place that was open. If there is one thing San Giorgio Ionico is not, it’s touristy. Eventually we found a focacceria and had a filling meal with four large beers for well less than a tenth of last night’s gastronomic extravaganza. We bought dessert at a pasticceria and ate in the almost deserted town square.

Gravina in Puglia to Matera

Strava: 41.5 km, 721m, 2:39, 216 shifts

I had been looking forward to this day for a while. It was a half-rest day so we took it easy in the morning. Daniel was a superstar and went shopping for omelet ingredients then cooked up a feast. We had it with fruit, yogurt and bread – and it was great to have no pastries for once!

It felt later but we carried down the stairs and started riding at 10. The gravel path was confusing and not possible to follow so we improvised to get out of town. We rode a dirt road to reconnect and it turned out that most of our ride today was off-road. We had some steep climbs and descents, beautiful single-track through the forest and a little bit of paved road connecting the trails.

Before we knew it we were halfway there and our GPS track ended. We switched to the ninth and final track; each is around 250 km. We had a big climb up to Matera partly on dirt. We stopped near the top of town for cold drinks. It was about 30°, not really hot but not cool either.

After cooling off and a quick video chat with Katie in Maine, we cruised the last couple of km to our “cave hotel”. Our man arrived and showed us around, “our biggest cave suite.” It’s a two story apartment, three beds upstairs, built into the rock of the cliff. Of course we call it our Man Cave.

After showers and some relaxing we headed out to have lunch and see the town. We found a cool little local restaurant for lunch, simple pasta dishes with white wine, and throw in some desserts for good measure. Then we walked around and made our way to the meeting point for the walking tour we had booked.

A local named Cosimo showed us around with a couple of other people for two hours. He was born here and told us a lot about the history. Interestingly Matera was called the “Shame of Italy” until 1952 when the caves were finally declared unfit for people to live in and the residents forced into nearby alternative housing. Later, remodeling happened such that today it’s vibrant and instead of saying they are from somewhere else, residents proudly say they are from Matera. He took us into a cave museum showing how people were living until the 1950’s and into a cave church. People have been living here continuously for 9,000 years! He also showed us another place where “No Time To Die” was shot and told us about how it was the two months they were shooting here in 2019. We saw a “Passion of the Christ” shooting spot too.

After two hours of walking around we needed a break and went to a bar that had a rooftop terrace for drinks. I had the best IPA in Italy this trip (Amariam). After that restaurants were open so we decided to check out Ristorante Quid, quite a fancy place. Despite our clothes, we were immediately welcomed in. We went for the standard six course meal which turned out great. The food was amazing and the service too. We ended up staying close to three hours and having a fantastic time. The restaurant is tiny and there were only two other customers so they needed us.

Matera is a musical town with a big conservatory. We heard students practicing a few times on our walk. An orchestra was just finishing practice by our restaurant and we stopped to listen to more live music at an outdoor restaurant after 10 pm on the way home. We probably haven’t done it justice but I loved our short visit to Matera.

Cerignola to Gravina in Puglia

Strava: 83.7 km, 926m, 4:40, 246 shifts

After a great sleep, I really enjoyed the B&B breakfast outdoors on the balcony. We packed and left at 9:30. Riding through heavy traffic in town was something we’re not used to, but soon we were on a tiny road, in the countryside, heading south. The huge amount of garbage was a surprise, at one point it was nearly a Mauritania flashback!

Pretty soon the road turned to gravel and it was a great route. We went by a rock quarry, through orchards and generally saw almost no people, just an occasional farmer in a tractor. Eventually we made it to the one town on today’s route, Minervino Murge. It’s quite hilly. Andrew had a flat near the bottom. After he quickly fixed it, he and I climbed all through the town and met Wytze and Daniel at a café at the top. We had drinks, but then Wytze noticed the lack of a lunch town ahead. He walked away and returned with a box of 12 pastries which we inhaled with a second round of drinks.

After some more tire work, we headed on. Up and down, mostly on dirt/gravel. At one point the “road” was gone and we had to ride through a field, soft and difficult. There was one long, steep and slippery descent…we all made it. Then we had just 20 km of mostly paved small road to go. There was a headwind but we have the antidote and his name starts with W.

We got almost to Gravina in Puglia when our track turned off and gave us a few more km of dirt, even some singletrack and a rocky long staircase to descend carefully. I was not prepared for the amazing sight on arrival. We were across a chasm from the Cathedral and the old town. A few tourists were walking around and we could see the famous Roman Bridge which looked like the only way we could get across to town. A nice German lady took our photos and mentioned that the Roman Bridge was a “No Time To Die” (2021 James Bond film) shooting site.

We rode across and checked out the plaza a bit then went to our apartment. It’s modern and spacious with the all important washing machine. Wytze and Andrew went to the supermarket for supplies which we attacked on their return, having skipped lunch today. Cheese, lots of nuts and fruit, a round of beers and a bottle of wine. After we ate our fill, we all sat in Andrew’s bedroom and watched “No Time To Die”, the first time for Daniel and Wytze. We saw right away where we had just ridden and James Bond had escaped certain death right there very stylishly.

The movie was almost three hours long but we still had power after for a stroll downtown and a last round of beers in the square (Brewdog IPA!)

San Marco dei Cavoti to Cerignola

Strava: 113.8 km, 1,339m, 5:37, 376 shifts

Last night the birthday party we were warned about in our B&B went on until after midnight but given my massive nap earlier I was up reading anyway. Then super solid sleep.

Breakfast was from the B&B augmented by Wytze with yogurt, bread and cheese. Not bad! We headed out about 9. It was warmer with no threat of rain. The stage had some climbing but it was nearly all in the first 40 km. Up and down, steep! We spent the whole day on back roads, with a fair amount of gravel, but all easy.

A little before 11 we stopped for morning coffee and for the first time I had a choice for my cioccolata calda: liquido o denso. Naturally I asked for denso per favore. So thick and good!

That powered us up the last hills. We had finally come to the end of the mountains and it looked like just downhill ahead. It was still some work, especially keeping up with Wytze. We got to a town at 88 km, pretty hungry. Daniel had really been looking forward to the Taste of Sicily restaurant but alas it was booked for a big private party and not even he was able to smooth talk our way in. So we ate our emergency bars and proceeded to the next town at 100 km.

We had better luck at the Togo Café: paninis, fries, 2.5 L of water and 2 L of sodas. That did the trick. The last 13 km was an easy cruise. Our B&B had been cancelled due to over booking and replaced with an alternate so we went there. We called the owner and he redirected us to the original place, a huge upgrade. It took a long time to actually get the gate open, then the room keys etc but we lucked out. It’s luxurious and Andrew was heard to say “It sets a new standard” on emerging from the shower. On a Sunday afternoon, this town (and all the others we passed through) were really dead, except for the Taste of Sicily party. Over booking doesn’t look like it could possibly be a thing here today.

After some laundry and relaxing it was finally 8 pm when restaurants open. We walked over to a pizza place and had a good dinner, beers, appetizers, wine, then more pizza than we could quite finish. I passed on dessert and we all passed on Amaro. The town was much livlier in the evening. Lots of people everywhere.

We’ve finally arrived in our last Italian region: Puglia. We have a medium and a short day to Matera, then three medium stages to the end of the line at Santa Maria di Lueca.

September 21, 2024 was our second full rest day of the tour and it was wonderful to just chill out and enjoy this beautiful town with nothing at all we had to do. We have ridden the last 11 days straight although one stage was short. My legs and entire body were glad to do nothing but recover.

Thanks to Wytze we planned out the last week of our tour. We decided to fly back to Amsterdam nine days from now, vs two long days of expensive train travel. We booked ahead for tomorrow night and a night in Matera too. That was the morning then we went out to look at the old town some more and maybe have a coffee or something. There was a restaurant at the tiny plaza by the church. We watched the elegant locals coming out of a christening ceremony while sipping white wine. A simple glass of wine evolved into a many course extravagant lunch, letting the chef pick the dishes. We went so big! Delicious local delicacies with four rounds of wine.

Hours later we staggered back home and I believe four huge naps ensued. I woke up and read a book while Wytze prepared a luxury bike route for tomorrow: no mud or rocks or slogging through fields! Dinner was small but slow at an Osteria that had an amazing number of vegetarian dishes. Only one bottle of vino and no dessert.

By now we’ve ridden over 1,500 km with about 500 to go. We’ve also climbed 27,000m. Another night of rest and I am ready to hit it again tomorrow!

Bojano to San Marco dei Cavoti

Strava: 51.9 km, 1,377m, 4:03, 236 shifts, tons of mud

With a shorter day planned today, we relaxed at breakfast at a café and did a little bike cleaning before leaving at 9:45. The first four km was easy on a paved road. But then the gravel course designers struck. Their first few km were surprisingly good, lots of time following the purple line on the Garmin riding across fields with very little evidence of previous travelers. Soon though, it got rocky and muddy which meant some pushing and slipping. It was so slippery I crashed, then Wytze did and later I crashed again. Andrew slid into a bush. All were low speed losses of style points only, no injuries whatsoever.

After slogging for a long time, making very little progress measured in km, we somehow talked Wytze into an alternate route. Andrew couldn’t even believe it. But we got to climb a 15+% grade for a long time instead of dragging our bikes through more mud. And at the top we got to coast down, drying our sweat. I remember thinking, “This is what bikes were made for.”

Then more steep climbing and I was getting low in the power department. In a tiny town we looked for the restaurant but first found a fountain with a hose, brush, wash cloths and a bath tub. It took some time but we cleaned our bikes, shoes and us. I found a long piece of metal in my back tire. I held my breath pulling it out, but no hiss. Amazing. Atop a 20% grade was the rumored restaurant. We had yesterday’s pizza with drinks and cupcakes for dessert.

After lunch it was more of the same and one of the descents was so crazy. The dirt stuck to our tires. Those with less clearance (Daniel and especially Andrew) had their wheels stopped. I made it down laughing at the huge number of mud clods being sprayed everywhere as I tried to steer down the viciously steep path. Sorry no photos…

There were two more 300+m climbs and we finally arrived at our town. It’s beautiful here, but steep. We had to walk our bikes down several million stairs to find our apartment. Again, it was a day where the number of km ridden or meters climbed don’t correlate well to the effort required.

My brakes have been squeaking since yesterday so today Andrew and I did a real bike love session including our brake pads. Mine were gone – I’ve never had to replace them after so few km. The terrain here is not like anywhere I’ve ridden. The steep descents just kill your brakes, even for a guy who always brakes minimally!

It was nice to have that done, and our laundry outside drying in the sun. Finally at 6pm I lay down to relax a little. “Easy days” are not necessarily easy.

Later we walked around town and went out to dinner. We didn’t realize how big the town was. Dinner was in a pizzeria with beer and a couple of bottles of wine. And delicious dessert of ice cream with nuts. At dinner we decided to have a rest day tomorrow. I think we’re all very happy about that decision! It certainly answered a lot of questions like “Another bottle of wine?” and “Should we stop at this bar for Amaro?” and “Another round of Amaro?” and “Gelato after all this?”  Anyway we finally made it home around 11, very happy to be living this life.

Civitella Alfedena to Bojano the hard way

Strava: 81.4 km, 1,615m, 5:06, 9:51 elapsed, 326 shifts

I slept really well with full color action packed dreams. We had fruit and yogurt then took off before 8:30. We had to descend to the lake, then around it on a gravel trail and we saw a few deer.

Then some climbing on pavement before the fun started. I can’t even remember all the details of the ride today, my brain is overloaded. The morning session had a very long hike-a-bike section through super muddy and rocky cowshit covered trails. I do remember stopping in Isernia after noon for some great pizza. I ended up being SO glad I had a second slice!

Sometime after lunch we got separated. We were riding up a tiny road and just in front of us a train gate went down. After waiting a minute, Wytze and I did the logical thing and went under the barrier, across the tracks, under the other barrier and rode up the road. Andrew and Daniel did the same but their threshold for waiting was longer. They ended up on a different route and very easily talked themselves into adjusting that route to go directly to our destination, Bojano.

That was not in the cards for me. I kind of would’ve liked doing it as they finished hours earlier and missed out of getting soaked and muddy, but when else in my life will I get challenged like I did today with Wytze? I take it as a win. Again I (re)learned: no pain no gain.

The nice road ended after a steep climb at a farmhouse. The track continued but in reality it was pretty far fetched. We were pushing through berry vines, up rocks, and it was starting to rain. On the map I found a way to bail but that was not acceptable. We got off route and it was ridiculous but we managed to go completely cross country and get back on it to earn the right to more endless pushing up through rocks.

At a little pass we could see a small beautiful town across the way with a dirt road not on any of our maps going toward it but that was not acceptable either. Then, a bright spot, we followed the gravel track and a long steep section in the middle of nowhere was paved for about a kilometer. Very strange but no complaints! Finally we completed the six km climb and it was the end of one of our GPS tracks. We started the next (number eight out of nine for our whole tour) and immediately it said we had another 280m to climb, averaging 12% grade. So we did that too, very steep and hard to ride. Then a long descent on gradually improving roads. And we were back in civilization.

From there it was follow the gravel track through the mud, in the rain, for quite a way. We came out on the main road at one point and rode that at 45-50 kph for a while which was surreal. But it was raining and not safe so we exited and ended up holed up in a bar during a big thunderstorm. It poured for maybe 30 minutes but just before 6 pm we deemed it good to go.

The last 12 km or so was super wet, mostly through muddy fields with a brief, fast one km section on the main road, wet and scary. Then we arrived in Bojano and Andrew poked his head out the window and let us into the B&B. The shower felt 👍 but I washed so much dirt down the drain I almost felt guilty.

Pretty soon we went out for dinner. The good restaurant was just across the street but not open until 8. So we had beers at a bar then back to the restaurant. It was a stupendous dinner, 2 and a half hours, just great. The pasta with gorgonzola and nuts and creamed beets was incredible. We had a couple of bottles of an amazing Italian wine. Dessert was out of this world – the tiramisu set a new world standard and the pumpkin pie was awesome. Then a very herbal Amaro to cap it off. What a life! I can barely believe it’s real. Good night!

Sant’Eufemia di Maiella to Civitella Alfedena

Strava: 86.9 km, 1,922m, 5:39, 288 shifts

Today we had a slightly longer stage and the weather was forecast to crap out at 2 pm. So we got up and ate as many packages of pastries (that’s the second B in B&B here) as we could and left just after 8. It was pretty clear and we finally could see the gorgeous scenery that was hidden yesterday. It was the first actually cool air start so far.

Just out of town our first climb started, 450m up to San Leonardo Pass. The climb was paved and mellow with the view getting better by the turn. Down the other side, another climb, some pretty rolling countryside, then a third climb. Before we knew it we were in Rivisondoli having climbed 1,000m and it was 10:30, time for more food. It’s a ski resort town and we found a comfortable café. We had pastries and hot chocolate, out in the sun. We ate as much as possible, knowing the area ahead has no towns.

We headed out, on gravel for the first time today. Over a little hill, that was the warmup. Then it started for real. The first climb took us up to 1,700m, some of it very steep. I walked a tiny bit but not Wytze. The descent was what Bike Dreams people had warned us they pushed up for four km: steep and rocky and slippery because it was wet. We managed the first half slowly but ok, then it got even crazier and we walked for safety. Well, Daniel just rode it somehow but it didn’t seem worth it to me.

There were a couple more climbs after that, and the predicted rain started a bit early, as we started up the first one. Daniel was ahead and saw a wild boar. Soon it was really raining in a disheartening way – it was cold too. But you just keep going, the intensity dropped a little, and we slowly made it up to the top. We hit a paved road for the last three km of climbing which helped. A ways down we came across a wonderful Refugio restaurant that was open and had a wood fire cranking. We settled in to refuel and warm up.

Not only did it work, but by the time we were ready to roll, the sun was coming out! What a surprise. The descent was cold at first but once we got down to 1,200m it warmed up and was fun. We regrouped at the bottom then had a short climb to our destination town where we found the apartment. After showers it wasn’t long before all four of us were fast asleep. Afternoon naps are so good!

About 7, we headed out for some breakfast shopping, then to a local restaurant. It was warm and cozy in the cave-like dining room. We were a little restrained, only one bottle of wine and only Andrew had dessert. It was very pleasant walking back under a beautiful moon.

Popoli Terme to Sant’Eufemia di Maiella

Strava: 63.2 km, 1,988m, 4:44, 315 shifts

We had a full breakfast in our apartment, yogurt, fruit, toasted focaccia with cheese and omelet, tea etc. We couldn’t even finish last night’s leftover pasta. It was raining as we packed up but stopped by the time we got all the bikes downstairs and were ready to roll at 9.

Our first goal was to get back onto the Italy Unite gravel track. The designers of the track would be proud of how we did it. Instead of taking the simple main road up, we added maybe 500m of climbing, got yelled at by toxic dump workers for going through their very closed gate, then up a gravel route that was so steep and rocky we had to push for a while. Then an 800m climb up a barely used mountain road into the cold clouds over 1,000m up. Finally, we descended 500m on a crappy rocky trail to a tiny town where we rejoined the Italy Unite route. The little bar there was so friendly and fun. Cookies and cappuccino made with Nutella for me.

The rain started while we enjoyed the bar so we got cold and wet as the descent continued. We followed the gravel track even when it went completely off-trail, riding through wet muddy fields where it appeared no one ever went. We had a couple of long climbs then, mostly on small paved roads. We came out at a town only five km from our destination but instead of taking that simple paved route we followed the track, 14 km with a giant 500m climb in the rain. At one point I was surprised by a very guttural growl behind me and a big sheepdog was chasing me. As soon as I hit the gas to try and pass Daniel, it gave up chasing. Riding through the cold mist in the rain was weird with strange noises coming from nearby invisible cows.

Finally we hit the summit and had a very cold wet cruise down to our town. It’s a tiny old village with one B&B. We found a sign to it, then found it, but no answer to phone or knocking so we had to retire to the bar below aptly named The Refugio. The hot chocolate there was so spectacularly thick that all of us had it. It took an hour to get the rooms set up and I finally had to change into dry clothes to avoid freezing.

We rode up, were let in and immediately turned on the heater set at 28°! I was ok just sitting in the hot air blast but finally my turn in the shower came and that was great too, cranked to 🔥 🔥 🔥. Wytze put in the laundry and we ate snacks and laughed about the day.

After some writing, I fell asleep in bed, bliss. But soon I had to wake up for dinner. There are two restaurants in this town but only one that didn’t say closed. Banking everything on it being open we started walking at 7 pm. When we finally saw those lights and walked in that door, it was great. We had a three hour dinner, massive with two liters of wine and amazing foods ending with Amaro for all. Wow, it’s so good to be here. And it wasn’t raining anymore for the walk home. What a day!

Tomorrow’s ride will be more epic, can’t wait!

Calascio to Popoli Terme

Strava: 34.6 km, 101m, 1:17, 69 shifts

While we originally had plans for another big day today, I think we were all happy to redirect to a town with a bike shop to get Andrew’s pedal situation solved. This meant a very easy downhill cruise, nearly a rest day.

It was so nice sleeping under warm blankets. We were 1,200m up in the mountains and the weather was cooler than usual. We took a leisurely walk down through the passageways of Calascio to the bar where we had pastries, coffee and cioccolato caldo looking out at the gorgeous view.

We walked back up the scenic way, checking out the church and other buildings, some remodelled like our apartment, some not, and some vacant. Calascio dates from the early middle ages and is interesting. I love coming across places like this where there are no tourists except us and it’s just locals going about their lives. The population here is 128.

We headed out after 11 and first coasted down the hill 800m. That took us halfway to Popoli. We arrived at 12:30, in plenty of time to visit the bike store before it closed at 13:00. It was small but crammed with good stuff including a nice pair of pedals for Andrew, socks for Wytze and a headlight for me.

Next up was shopping for dinner. We went to a cheese stand set up in a street, a fruit/veggie store and a supermarket. Daniel had a hankering to cook again and a near rest day like this is a perfect opportunity. It was way before check-in time so we had some panini and drinks, a nice cool beer for me. Then some gelato.

The apartment was 100m away and our hostess was outside looking for us. She showed us around the older but very nice apartment. I didn’t even need a shower as the weather is very cool. We had ridden in jackets, first time except for last night’s night ride.

Napping occurred in the afternoon, that much I know. And it was nice to have time for a fun three way video call with Katie and Frannie. But Daniel had been busy and suddenly it was dinner time. He made a great dinner, and we had a cheese plate so big we couldn’t finish it. We had Prosecco and a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo red. Great day, essentially off the bikes.