Salento by bike, the cycling routes to discover new places

admin16 May 20211 Mins read339 Views

Faster to feel the breeze on your skin or slower to observe every detail: the bike is undoubtedly the best way to discover Salento. Here they are two different routes, in length and in stages, but easy to follow even for less experienced cycle enthusiasts and which will give you the unmissable opportunity to get to know Salento from an unusual perspective.

LECCE – ACAYA – OTRANTO

Length 78 km; difference in altitude up to 405 meters

We start from Lecce and cycle for 12 km southwards, until we reach the ancient fortified village of Acaya, with the 16th century castle still intact. Passing through the “Le Cesine” nature reserve, you have the privilege to go through a path made up by trees, before arriving close to the beaches of San Foca and Torre dell’Orso.

We surely reccomend a stop in Roca Vecchia and a dip in the Grotta della Poesia. Along the Adriatic coast and after passing the splendid Sant’Andrea with its stacks, you arrive in the small town of Borgagne. The Alimini lakes are the last stop on the itinerary before reaching Otranto, the “Gateway to the East”.

MAGLIE – PUNTA PALASCIA – LEUCA – GALATINA

Length 186 km; difference in altitude up to 1500 meters

The second itinerary starts from Maglie, crossing the towns of Muro Leccese, Giurdignano and Otranto, from here you are very close to Punta Palascìa, the easternmost point of Italy. Along the Adriatic coast, you reach the small bay of Porto Badisco, where Aeneas landed from Troy and Santa Maria di Leuca, where the two seas, the Ionian and the Adriatic, meet.

From here, we are ready to go up the Ionian side through the medieval town Castrignano, Patù up to Gallipoli. The last stop is Galatina with its treasures, including the cathedral of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria, one of the most distinguished expressions of Gothic and Romanesque art in Puglia.