Sep 3: Travel day. Left at 1 PM on Sep 2, Bloody Mary’s and breakfast in the Delta lounge at SeaTac, then two meals on the Air France flight to Paris. Vacation has just begun and we’re already overeating! Despite being able to lay down entirely in business class, we slept very little and each watched two movies. Then a 6 hour layover in Charles DeGualle Airport (thank goodness, because it was confusing how to get to our connecting gate) where we waited in the Air France lounge and took the shortest naps before our 2 hour flight to Bari.
In Bari we were met by an arranged taxi driver and whisked out of the airport with no pass through immigration (so we have a France stamp in our passports but not an Italy one!). The driver didn’t say a word until he dropped us off in Polignano a Mare – luckily we already understood we would have to walk a ways with our luggage because it was a pedestrian only part of town. We lugged our bags across the cobblestones in several loops of winding pathways trying to find Tre Archi Suites and finally Craig spotted the name on a door.
It’s a lovely property and we are located in the bottom suite of only 4, in a room that is much like a grotto and even has a floor “window” that shows the cavern beneath. Breakfast each morning on the rooftop with frothy cappuccinos, eggs, fruit, and pastries.
The only thing left to do was dinner at a pizzeria called Prelibatorio where we shared an octopus salad with crunchy vegetables (yum!) and Craig had lasagna and I had pizza, half of which we took back with us. So much food and one glass of wine and we were stuffed then more than ready to crash early and hope to get a long night’s sleep.
Sep 4: We slept 7 or so hours! Awake at 5:30 but refreshed for sure. Our first full day we had breakfast then headed out for a long walk both directions along the water. We passed lots of shops and restaurants, a place setting up for a concert, people fishing on the rocky shores and short cliffs, and lots of locals and tourists going about their business. We took our picture with the composer of Volare – his lyrics are also posted in shiny string banners down one of the streets — and sat on the rocks (where I read awhile), had the famous locally invented “caffe specialte,” mojitos, leftover pizza, and later beers, visited an art gallery where the artist was chinking away at pieces of glass to make modern, lighted wall fixtures, and looked in a few stores at jewelry and clothes. Even with the constant breeze (whitecaps prevented a boat ride to the caves), it was pleasantly warm and even hot at times.
Eventually we made our way to Merviglioso for 8 PM reservations at this Michelin restaurant. The tasting menu was extravagant and we shared a bottle of local wine for more than 2 hours facing the ocean on an outside patio. Quite a dining experience!
Sep 5: Did not get up early as intended to swim, but had a last rooftop breakfast, stowed our luggage with the hotel and wandered about until it was time to make our way to the first hotel of the tour with Ciclismo. We got there 15 minutes early, but unfortunately there are two Grotta Palezzese hotels, and we went to the wrong one! Luckily they had a van to transport us, so we ended up being a little late instead of early. The group was already seated on the beach at a lovely table where we proceeded to have a multi-course lunch (I thought the best part was the crispy thin zucchini slices and a type of seafood risotto that the Puglia region is famous for. Everyone agreed it was way too much food, which would become a common theme. After lunch we donned bike clothes, got fitted for our bikes, and did a trial run of 15 miles, including a few of the worse roads we would ride on all week – mainly because they were trying to avoid the busier roads for the first time out. We did fine, of course, and then they shuttled us back into Polignano a Mare for dinner at Anticho Muro – a cavernous restaurant with many courses and a lot of wine. We bought into the “wine kitty” because everyone else did, but I have since stopped drinking much since it has not helped my sleep!
Sep 6: First real day of riding. We had a great breakfast (one that would become typical, with eggs, bacon, pastries, fruit, etc. and Italian coffees), then hopped on our bikes for the ride to our next hotel in Alberobello. Of course we opted for the extra loop to stretch the miles to almost 52 (with 3500 ft elevation gain), passing by the town of Fasano (pictures for Jim and Stephanie Fasano), lunching in Locorotondo, and then finishing at a lovely hotel called La Chiusa di Chietri. We swam briefly in their pool (one pool towel cost 3 EU and a 20 EU deposit), had a beer, and then shuttled to the town where we had a walking tour of the Trulli houses (Alberobello is a UNESCO site), which are quaint, cone-roofed houses made of stone and dating back to the 14th century. We had a fun dinner at l’Arato where our host (who wears the same costume every night to honor mothers everywhere) brought course after course (special courses for vegetarians and pescatarians), finishing with a birthday cake for Riccardo, one of the guides who was just turning 25 and whose dad has worked for Ciclismo for decades. (Besides being a guide several months of year, he spends the other months as a physical therapist and lives with his parents and grandparents quite happily in Piedmont.) We are getting to know our fellow cycling guests – notably the two couples from Maine (Heather and John, Dawn and Kurt) and Nancy and Don from San Diego. It’s as nice a group as we’ve had for any bike tour!
Sep 7: Day 3 was a great ride, despite not sleeping well the night before. After a more frenetic breakfast (much larger hotel and lines for the coffee machines) we started our route for the day. Everyone opted to do the extra loop, except for John (from Virginia) who rode in the van to try and get over his bad cold which his wife, Michelle, was just recovering from. Then we stopped for lunch and wine tasting at Masseria Viglione and luckily only had 10 more miles to get to the next hotel! This day of riding [56 miles and 2700 ft elevation gain] had more gentle hills generally, except that after Massimo replaced my back tire that was wobbling, it was not quite the right size so I had to work harder the first half of the day until they could replace it again. The last hill to the hotel (Sant’Angelo in another UNESCO town, Matera) was a long one, but we were quickly entranced by the town of caves, including our hotel room which was a (luxury) cave itself. Another long dinner with courses of cheese, meat or fish, etc. at Da Francesca and then we slinked back to our room, pausing to catch the end of a lunar eclipse, where we both had a better night of sleep.
Sep 8: Optional ride today, and only 6 of the 14 guests decided to ride it. Best breakfast yet, then a short walk through the town to get to where the bikes were parked. Massimo rode with us, the couple from Utah, Lyn and Kevin, having left 30 minutes earlier because they ride much slower, and Riccardo drove the van just to have water and snacks and maintenance at the ready. This was a lollipop route, which took us back down off the hill we had climbed the day before, followed part of the giant ravine, and up another 3 mile climb to a different town that looked back at Matera. We had some type of local melon at the top and Massimo gave us a short clinic on descending which was really useful, and then we flew downhill and chugged back at our own paces. [30 miles, 2500 ft elevation gain]
We were pretty tired when we got back, so first order was showers and water, then we walked up the hill into town and shared a tuna puccia (panino) and some fries with Peronis. After chilling a short while, we joined our group for a walking tour of Matera which was quite fascinating – the town dates back over 9000 years of civilization and people lived in the unimproved caves until the 1950’s when the government forced them to evacuate to a new part of town due to unsanitary conditions. It was not until the last few decades that they started renovating the caves for business use; as each cave is only suitable for one room so they’ve been converted to restaurants and hotel rooms. Original churches still permeate the community. The town, old (Sassi) and new, is really quite stunning, all limestone, and many movies have been filmed here (e.g. Passion of Christ and one of the Bond films). It’s hard to imagine how primitive it was not so long ago, but there are still parts that remain uninhabited. (One funny note is that at the start of the tour, a group of people on the wall above us started yelling across the valley, some of the women sobbing, and then we finally realized they were acting for some film.) After the tour we walked around awhile, as most restaurants didn’t open until 7:30, and then we ate at a pizzeria where we just shared one pizza and a bowl of olives before calling it quits!
Sep 9: Left our caves after breakfast, managed to withdraw some EU after failing multiple attempts yesterday (just less than we wanted), then shuttled back to the bikes to start the 5th day. Overcast gave way to full on sun, but by our lunch stop (after a long climb), it was overcast again and even rained a little – thankfully! Lunch was a super fresh salad and homemade pasta – perfetto. After lunch we had a lovely downhill, using the skills Massimo taught us the day before (weight on the outside leg and the inside hand). But after another climb and another fabulous downhill, we started a 3+ mile climb with 8-14% grade – one of the toughest climbs we’ve ever done. Not until we made it to the tunnel and down to our little hotel for the night did we learn that one of our group crashed and potentially broke her collarbone – currently the guide and her husband are with her at a nearby hospital. Definitely put a damper on our celebration of having made the major ascent! [58 miles, 5800 ft elevation gain]
The views from the town of Castelmezzano are unreal. We can see two zip lines that cross extensive valleys, and watched a few luges descend a track high up one hill. The rocky outcroppings are stunning. We downed large Peroni’s (compliments of Don) on the terrace and then descended to our hotel rooms in the cliff, somewhat primitive but very comfortable. Just waiting for our locally appropriate dinner time of 8 PM so we can eat and sleep! Hoping Sarah is able to rejoin our group soon although I’m sure she won’t be riding the rest of the week – super sad for her. She and her doctor husband, Karl, are from Maryland (near D.C.) and so sweet. Update: Sarah did break her collarbone, but the hospital was excellent, she’s in a brace, and they rejoined us near the end of dinner (meh appetizer and second course, but fantastic simple pasta with tomato sauce). The fish has not been anything special here (since we left the ocean, duh – I requested to switch to vegetarian for rest of trip).
Sep 10: After breakfast we had a short climb followed by longer climbs. The weather was luckily cooler, and the flies a little less intrusive as a result. We saw lots of cows, horses, sheep, and even a few sheep dogs watching over flocks. The cowbells were a frequent symphony.
After passing by a piazza, trashed from a concert the night before, we did a long, fast descent into another town before five of us regrouped and realized we had missed the lunch stop! No way we were climbing back up that hill, so we dropped a pin and Massimo rode to us, then proceeded to make arrangements for getting custom sandwiches at one deli and drinks at another so we could use their shaded table out front. It turned out to be the best lunch the whole week! Craig and I shared a sandwich on focaccia bread dripping with the oil from zucchini, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, and provolone cheese, and Massimo enticed Craig into a few Peroni’s.
Another tough climb and nice descent into Padula, where we checked into our next hotel, Villa Cosilinum, a Roman-Greek inn with another leaky shower and so-so bed in the Venus Room. A tour of Certosa di Padula, an impressive monastery with a lot of missing artwork from World War II. We yawned a lot as we walked, even though we enjoyed learning how the monks had lived (mostly second sons of the region, not usually by choice). Then dinner back at the hotel which was our least favorite. The appetizer plate was gigantic, and we assumed there were four for the table until they started placing them in front of individuals! Doomed to Pescatarian status, I had “backala” yet again – nothing overly amazing, which made it easier to eat less before bed for a change. [47 miles, 5200 ft elevation gain]
Sep 11: It stormed pretty hard last night (it woke us up in the early morning) but the streets were already mostly dry after typical breakfast and route talk. We were all excited to get going because today had long ascents but more descents and we would end at the ocean! Because of the rain, there was a lot of debris on the road so we had to be especially careful. But we had a light but delicious pasta lunch at the top of one of the hills. We had a long last descent into Palinuro to our hotel, Grand Hotel San Pietro, maybe the nicest one overall. We showered then dipped in the infinity pool after devouring beers with chips and green olives and catching a beautiful sunset. Dinner was at a local pizzeria where we had salads and seemingly endless pizzas, all delicious. Then we successfully got all the euros we needed from an ATM and strolled back to the hotel. [57 miles, 4300 ft elevation gain]
Sep 12: So sad to be our last day on the tour! But at least we ended with a spectacular day of riding, probably our favorite. We mostly rode along the coastline, up and down rolling hills, through short tunnels and little town. At one stop, Massimo gave us a brief lesson on the various types of Italian coffees (espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, latte) while demonstrating how the Italian newspapers consist of page after page of soccer news before a short blurb on cycling. In the little tow of Scario, we had a seaside lunch next to a marina, then we paused in another town to view the “too sexy” bronze sculpture of a young woman, and then on to our final hotel, Locanda Donne Monache, in Maratea. The hotel is halfway up a giant climb to the Christ statue (modeled after Rio’s on a smaller scale), which oversees the town and appears to float in the sky at night! Upon reaching the hotel, five of us rode on with Massimo to see the Christ up close. The road switchbacked eight times over three more miles to reach it, sometimes extending off the mountain on elevated roads; it was well worth the effort, especially being our last day! [51 miles, 5200 ft elevation gain]
Dinner was a short walk away at the Taverna di Zu Cicco, where we had last toasts together (and more wine for all of us than other nights given we weren’t riding again), children ran past us on the cobblestones, and the carnivores ate giant kabobs that dripped grease on fried potatoes (in front of poor Vegetarian Nancy). I had prawns and calamari for a change, half of which Craig ate, but dinner was great overall. Said our farewells to most of the group! Lyn and Kevin will go on to hike in the Dolomites, and Nancy and Don are starting another Ciclismo tour across Sicily, and a few of us were spending another night or two in Maratea before heading home.
Sep 13: We saw the last few couples at breakfast or in town as we walked about before taking a taxi to our next hotel in Maratea (Hotel Murmann). It was a nice change actually, and since we arrived before the room was ready, we walked the few minutes to the beach and finally swam in the ocean. Then back to the pool and showers before walking to the port a ways away (not the best roads for walking, especially at night). Dinner at Yamura was lovely though – I had a fabulous tuna steak and Craig had octopus. We FaceTimed with Jolie on the way back and then slept well.
Sep 14: Breakfast was great, but too big. They served us from a buffet, but took our orders for everything so we ended up with lots of random things. The pistachio and chocolate filled croissants were the best. Then we walked to the beach one last time before taking a taxi to the train station where we boarded the fast train to Naples. Naples – wow. Something to see for sure, but not to be repeated! It’s a pretty filthy, crowded city, with more tourist shops and restaurants than it can surely support. But we stopped at one museum *** and then had dinner at the hotel at the restaurant – despite not getting seated on the rooftop, we had an exceptional dinner of stuffed flower blossoms, pasta with tomatoes, and swordfish (mixed grill for Craig). We tried to walk some of it off, but Naples is not any prettier at night and we quickly called it quits!
Sep 15: Walked 9.5 miles (over 19,000 steps) around Naples. Started with breakfast on the rooftop which was another exceptional buffet (including iced and filled donuts), then walked to our first museum that we had bought tickets for already online – someone on the trip had told us about “The Veil of Christ” and how they sold out often, so we were excited to see it. No disappointment – the sculpture was fabulous.
Then we wandered up to the Jago museum which was even more impressive (for a living 38 year old artist especially). The tour guide (in English) did a great job relaying Jago’s intent in several sculptures and it was truly moving. Craig got a lot of ideas for future sculptures, including the idea of integrating a carved net. We walked all the way to the waterfront, but Naples is truly an industrial port, and other than seeing cruise ships (and Mount Vesuvius in the distance), it was not exceptional. We meandered back along streets lined with tourists (and tourist wares and restaurants) stopping in the Spanish (Spagnolo) district for beers and an octopus salad just before they closed. We also indulged in mini cannoli’s and gelato before finishing with Prosecco near the hotel. Later we had the last best dinner of pizza and pasta at a nearby trattoria (Nonna Anna Alla Ferrovia). Home tomorrow!
Breit Bikes 